Viewing and Representing
Key Concepts
Visualizing and Representing is an important part of the Social Studies and Native American Studies curriculum. Within the Native American culture there are many visual aspects such as symbols and drawings that are represented in a variety of ways. Understanding and comprehending the significance of these visual works, is an essential part of learning about FMNI culture and tradition. When learning about our Alberta and Canada it is important to be able to view the characteristics of the different regions within our country and through this visualization students are able to see what they are learning about, therefore comprehending the material properly.
Curriculum Connections
Viewing and Representing is discussed in the Program of Studies as skills that allows students to understand the ways in which images and lagusage may be used to convey ideas, values and beleifs. Viewing is described as an active process of attending to and comprehending such visual media as television, advertising images, films, diagrams, symbols, photographs, videos, drama, drawing, sculpture, and paintings. Viewing enables students to acquire infomation and to appreciate the ideas and experiences of others. Many of the comprehension processes involved in reading, such as previewing, predicting, and making inferences, may also be used in viewing. Representing enables students to communicate information and ideas through a variety of media, such as video presentations, posters, diagrams, charts, symbols, visual art, drama, mime, and models.
2000, The Program of Studies, English Language Arts K-9, Alberta Education,
Retrieved October 21, 2012, http://www.education.alberta.ca/teachers/program/english.aspx
2000, The Program of Studies, English Language Arts K-9, Alberta Education,
Retrieved October 21, 2012, http://www.education.alberta.ca/teachers/program/english.aspx
Strategies and Lesson Plan Ideas
Viewing Strategies:
1. Gallery Walks:
In a Gallery Walk students display thier work for the rest of the class to vew, read and respond. This activity gives students constructive criticism on thier work and allows students to look at what they need to work on to, and realize what they are doing right. This activity could be used in Social Studies on projects such as Reports on diffterent regions within Canada, Historical figures that are important to Canada's history, and different FNMI issues affecting Canada. These reports should have pictures or drawings involved to represent the visual element.
2. Venn Diagram:
A Venn DIagram is a great activity that includes a visual aspect to learning. The Venn diagram consists of two circles that are intertwined and is used to compare and contrast a topic. Each circle represents a different topic, the outer area of the circle describes the differences between the two topics and the middle where the two circles are intertwined represents the similarities between the two topics. This could be used in Social Studies by comparing and contrasting topics such as FNMI peoples and Europeans (when Canada was first discovered). We could discuss how these two cultures were different and how they were the same. Venn diagrams are a very versatile visual activty and can be used with a number of different topics.
3. Sketch-to Stretch:
In this activity students create drawings in response to a story that they have just read. The use of creative drawing is meant to help the students visually express what the story meant to them and this is done through lines, colors, shapes, symbols and words. When this is done the students meet in small groups and share their drawings and explain what their pictures mean to them. This can cover a variety of different topics regarding FNMI, Canada, Alberta, or Government structures.
Representing Stratagies:
1. Quilts:
The class creates a quilt in which each student is responsible for making a square that represents what they have gotten out of the material learned. In Social Studies or Native American Studies this can be used to represnent thier understanding on the FNMI culture. Quilting is part of the Native tradition and is symbolic of their culture. This activity can be used regarding a variety of different FNMI topics and can be adjusted to a theme or topic being learned at any given time.
2. Readers Theatre:
Readers theatre allows students to take material that they have read and recreate it into a theatrical production performed in front of the class. This can be used in a Social Studies class when discussing Albertas, peoples, history and stories. The teacher can use this when discussing oral tradition among FNMI people. The Readers Theatre can be used for Trickster stories and the class can be split into small groups and recreate different Trickster stories. The students will represent their interpretation of the Trickster stories and when finished the class can discuss the meaning behind each story and the importance of oral tradion among FNMI people.
3. Data Charts:
When designing a data chart teachers or students choose a topic and decide how to set up the datat chart: characteristics of the topic will be listed across the top of the chart and examples will be displayed in the left column. Students will complete this chart by adding words, pictures, sentences, or paragraphs in each cell of the chart. This data or information will represent the knowledge of the students completeing the chart. This activity could be done individually, in groups, or as a class. In Social Studies or NAS this activity could be used to discuss different FNMI groups, for example Cree, Blackfoot, Inuit, and Metis. The chart could discuss the food, settlement, housing, and medicines, that are used and the students could compare the similarities and differences between the different Native communities.
1. Gallery Walks:
In a Gallery Walk students display thier work for the rest of the class to vew, read and respond. This activity gives students constructive criticism on thier work and allows students to look at what they need to work on to, and realize what they are doing right. This activity could be used in Social Studies on projects such as Reports on diffterent regions within Canada, Historical figures that are important to Canada's history, and different FNMI issues affecting Canada. These reports should have pictures or drawings involved to represent the visual element.
2. Venn Diagram:
A Venn DIagram is a great activity that includes a visual aspect to learning. The Venn diagram consists of two circles that are intertwined and is used to compare and contrast a topic. Each circle represents a different topic, the outer area of the circle describes the differences between the two topics and the middle where the two circles are intertwined represents the similarities between the two topics. This could be used in Social Studies by comparing and contrasting topics such as FNMI peoples and Europeans (when Canada was first discovered). We could discuss how these two cultures were different and how they were the same. Venn diagrams are a very versatile visual activty and can be used with a number of different topics.
3. Sketch-to Stretch:
In this activity students create drawings in response to a story that they have just read. The use of creative drawing is meant to help the students visually express what the story meant to them and this is done through lines, colors, shapes, symbols and words. When this is done the students meet in small groups and share their drawings and explain what their pictures mean to them. This can cover a variety of different topics regarding FNMI, Canada, Alberta, or Government structures.
Representing Stratagies:
1. Quilts:
The class creates a quilt in which each student is responsible for making a square that represents what they have gotten out of the material learned. In Social Studies or Native American Studies this can be used to represnent thier understanding on the FNMI culture. Quilting is part of the Native tradition and is symbolic of their culture. This activity can be used regarding a variety of different FNMI topics and can be adjusted to a theme or topic being learned at any given time.
2. Readers Theatre:
Readers theatre allows students to take material that they have read and recreate it into a theatrical production performed in front of the class. This can be used in a Social Studies class when discussing Albertas, peoples, history and stories. The teacher can use this when discussing oral tradition among FNMI people. The Readers Theatre can be used for Trickster stories and the class can be split into small groups and recreate different Trickster stories. The students will represent their interpretation of the Trickster stories and when finished the class can discuss the meaning behind each story and the importance of oral tradion among FNMI people.
3. Data Charts:
When designing a data chart teachers or students choose a topic and decide how to set up the datat chart: characteristics of the topic will be listed across the top of the chart and examples will be displayed in the left column. Students will complete this chart by adding words, pictures, sentences, or paragraphs in each cell of the chart. This data or information will represent the knowledge of the students completeing the chart. This activity could be done individually, in groups, or as a class. In Social Studies or NAS this activity could be used to discuss different FNMI groups, for example Cree, Blackfoot, Inuit, and Metis. The chart could discuss the food, settlement, housing, and medicines, that are used and the students could compare the similarities and differences between the different Native communities.
Resources for Teaching
Viewing Resources:
FNMI Injustices
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnVVDuNWl
History of Native American Indians, Documentary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YR2FgxalCU
FNMI Webinars Regarding a Variety of Different FNMI Issues
http://erlc.wikispaces.com/FNMI+Student+Success
Representing Resources:
Website with a variety of links to different resources regarding Graphic Organizers and charts
http://www.internet4classrooms.com/grade_level_help/culture_map_cultural_groups_third_3rd_grade_social_studies.htm
Tipi Design Website - Create your own Tipi
http://www.tipi.com/tipitopbottom.htm
Seeing With New Eyes - Take a Journey with an Aboriginal Youth
http://blackfoot-awakening.ca/
FNMI Injustices
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnVVDuNWl
History of Native American Indians, Documentary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YR2FgxalCU
FNMI Webinars Regarding a Variety of Different FNMI Issues
http://erlc.wikispaces.com/FNMI+Student+Success
Representing Resources:
Website with a variety of links to different resources regarding Graphic Organizers and charts
http://www.internet4classrooms.com/grade_level_help/culture_map_cultural_groups_third_3rd_grade_social_studies.htm
Tipi Design Website - Create your own Tipi
http://www.tipi.com/tipitopbottom.htm
Seeing With New Eyes - Take a Journey with an Aboriginal Youth
http://blackfoot-awakening.ca/