Cultural & Ethnic Studies Gwaya'elas, How We Do Things The Development and Evaluation

Chapter 13 , How We Do Things The Development and Evaluation of Curriculum Donna The First Nation have lived in their traditional homeland since the transformer was here changing things . The people knew that the balance between humans and nature had to be maintained for the survival of all . With the changing times that we live in today , the balance has shifted . No longer do the fishermen take just what they need , but what big business and companies will pay for . The increasingly efficient resource extraction methods have resulted in ( but are not the sole cause of ) the decrease in science knowledge and accompanying value systems and practices concentrating on fisheries such as the . The ( and na ( oil ) were and continue to be staples in our diet and much more . It was used for medicine , trade and there is an important ceremony that is dedicated to the giving away of li na , called li na ( grease potlatch ) Within ( culture this particular potlatch ( feast ) ceremony was the biggest ( most prestigious ) a chief could host . A main teaching is which means to treat others or things the way you want to be treated . Today some people use the English word respect to define maya . Prior to contact a major ( teaching was to give words of thanks ( words of prayer ) before taking a resource from nature because if this did not happen then this resource could be taken away and the people would suffer . We might well ask In what way does this lack of respect for the fishery contribute to its catastrophic collapse ?

The historical paper created by the National Native Brotherhood , Indian Control of Indian Education ( 1972 ) set the stage for many First Nations throughout Canada to take over the education systems and teach their children cultural knowledge and values while teaching life skills for living in contemporary society . During this time the First Nation ( formerly the Band ) in ( Alert Bay ) established the School . The Education Board plan at the beginning was to offer a quality education which that blended traditional and contemporary . Hence , an underlying theme of the current research was to introduce both traditional ( Science Knowledge and Western Science as different but complementary forms of understanding the world in the science classroom . Purpose The purpose of this research was to develop and evaluate a science curriculum on the at the Grade level that would be located within the Science Integrated Resource Package , 2005 ) From the data collected from Elders and other sources prior to the development of the curriculum , I attempted to Chapter 13 , How We Do Things The Development and Evaluation of Curriculum I 177

I Identify traditional ways of being in relationship with the land that are integral to a worldview ( Indigenous Science ( IS ) I Identify traditional concepts , skills , and attitudes that are consistent with Western Science ( and can be integrated into a science curriculum I Develop activities and teaching methods that are culturally appropriate . I Develop culturally appropriate evaluative techniques to determine the effectiveness of instruction ( increasing knowledge , skills , and positive attitudes ) 2009 ) The Curriculum It was with the guidance and willingness of na makers to pass on their knowledge regarding the preservation and rendering of the that led to the creation of the science unit We Do Things . The curriculum was taught by me with help from the principal and Grade teachers at the School . Local Elders , knowledge keepers , and resource people familiar with science knowledge and wisdom practices were called upon to visit the class and share their knowledge . The IS and lessons were woven together to educate students that both are equally important and can at times complement one another . Prior to instruction , I developed many instructional activities and had many ideas about how I would evaluate the students learning . importantly , while teaching the curriculum , found that the teaching and evaluative methods seemed to take on a life of their own , that is , culturally appropriate activities , methods of instruction and evaluative procedures evolved during the implementation phase . I kept a researchers journal to record information such as student engagement and their experiences with specific activities during instruction , and checked to see students understanding of specific concepts and skills , for example , the accuracy of building models and equipment used in the processing of . School and Participants is located on Cormorant Island on the north coast of British Columbia and is the traditional homeland of the First Nation . The School is run by the Education Board in . The student population ranges between students . Students begin at age four in nursery school , which is a immersion program , then to Kindergarten and onto Grade through to Grade . The majority of the students are either members of the First Nation or the Area Council . The Grade class was made up of all First Nation students , 10 boys and girls . 178 Chapter 13 , How We Do Things The Development and Evaluation of Curriculum

The Students Experiences during Instruction April is the time of year that the return to ( Knight Inlet ) and this year it was also the month that I was welcomed into a Grade class to teach lessons over nine days . While I was teaching my lessons one of the girls in the class was up at with her parents making li na . Lesson one was designed as a way for myself as the teacher and researcher to assess the students prior knowledge and experience of the . Students were asked to create a word web of their knowledge . It did take the majority of students long to complete their word web . I was saddened by the lack of knowledge some students had , even though the majority of the students were born and raised in . I thought everyone enjoys the same experience when the boats come in the spring and we get our feed of . This first lesson showed me that not everyone is lucky to enjoy . One of the students left his web blank , while of the students wrote the question , What is an ?

Lesson two was divided into sections . The first examined two I ( oral history stories regarding Strung Up Fish told by , and Traditions of the told by Chief Billy . Prior to handing out the stories , I discussed with the students the terms oral history and myth or Oral history refers to the stories that have taken place in a First Nations history which have been told since the beginning of time due to having no written language . There was a time in this oral history when our ancestors had supernatural powers . I asked students if they knew the meaning of One student said , like I gave the example of having the ability to change from human form to being able to fly or have super strength . I went on to ask the students what they thought of when they heard the words myth or legend One student answered , A story from long I asked , Do they think of a myth or legend as being a fact or just a story ?

The majority of the class thought of myths and legends as stories and not part of history . I described how these oral histories have been handed down for generations and are a part of history . Thus , our oral stories are our truth , and are not to be considered myths or legends . The class was divided into two groups . Each group was instructed to read the stories and be prepared to share their story with the other group when we came back together . When all the students came back together and the students were sharing the story that Chief Billy shared , which told of the woman with the wings on her back who originated from , some students giggled . I asked , What was funny ?

One student replied , How could a lady have wings on her back ?

Good question I said , and reminded them of our talk about the supernatural ability of some of our ancestors . This woman must have had some kind of supernatural ability if she had I asked the students to think of a time when our people lived in traditional and used canoes for travel . It was a different time and way of life then how we live now . Our ancestors lived in their traditional areas for hundreds and thousands of years before the Europeans arrived . Their life was full of Indigenous Science catching and preserving food , making medicines , designing canoes , and building without the tools and machinery that we use today to construct large buildings ( Figures They also cared for and respected all of creation the plants , animals , rivers and forest . Chapter 13 , How We Do Things The Development and Evaluation of Curriculum 179

Figure A Barbeque and salmon . Photo by Barbara ( 1999 ) Figure A smoked after being smoked for to days . Photo by Donna ( 1996 ) The students were then asked to create a scientific drawing of an . Photographs of ( By ) were passed around the class then posted on the board . This activity was especially important since some of the students had never seen an . Each student received the Fact Sheet Physical Description of the . Students were asked to observe carefully , give the scientific name , exact measurements , draw the using clean lines , and label four body parts . Some students got right to work while others seemed to have difficulty getting started and completing their drawings . Figure A Stages of an life from juvenile to spawning . Photo courtesy of Alaska Fisheries Science Center ( In the life cycle lesson students were introduced to many new scientific words . They found it fascinating that when move from the salt water back into the fresh water they resorb minerals from their teeth and scales to help in the reproduction process . These fish of the smelt family lay eggs in very small gravel . Students were given photographs of eggs that had been deposited in the gravel , and asked to identify and count the number of eggs . Some of the students found the eggs among the gravel easily , while others had trouble at first telling the difference between the gravel and eggs . One student questioned How could an reabsorb sic its teeth ?

Students were amazed at the amount of eggs that an lays . One of the comments was How could a fish that small hold eggs ?

Students recognized the similarities between the life cycle of salmon and they both begin life in fresh water , migrate to salt water and then return to fresh water and to the same stream and location to spawn , and begin the cycle again . Scientists refer to fish that ascend rivers to the sea as anadromous . 180 Chapter 13 , How We Do Things The Development and Evaluation of Curriculum

The food web lesson began with a discussion of relationships , food chains , and food webs . Photographs were posted on the bulletin board of the different animals that as predators eat ( phytoplankton , zooplankton , krill ) and of the animals that eat ( salmon , eagles , Seagulls , seals , humans ) Two examples of food relationships were discussed a food web of in salt water and a food web of in both salt and fresh water . The students understood the concepts of food chains and webs by the examples they gave during the discussion . One of the girls gave the following example , We eat salmon and seals eat salmon sometimes we eat seals and whales eat When the topic of fish farms came up , one of the students pointed out the issue of the extremely large amount of sea lice often found around fish farms and how they affect the small , wild salmon fry that pass by the fish farms . Another student questioned , How does it affect the salmon fry ?

I asked , Does anyone know the answer to this ?

No one responded . I explained that sea lice have been a part of life in the ocean , but because of the large population of fish in the fish farm pens there are also extremely large populations of sea lice in and around these farms ( et , 2007 ) and these sea lice attach themselves to the wild fry that are making their way out to the ocean . If that little fry has too many sea lice attached to it , how can it make its way out to the ocean ?

The students were asked if they new what plankton was . No one knew the answer to this question . A brief discussion took place explaining that are tiny plants and animals that are so tiny that they drift in the ocean and most cant be seen with the eye . Most plankton can only be seen with a microscope . One of the students commented , I never going in the water again if I get covered with invisible I explained that plankton have always been in the salt water , they are he foundation of the ocean food chain , and they do harm us . The food chain discussion was a good introduction to the Food Chain Game . The class was divided into four teams and each team was assigned one of the members of the food chain , salmon , seal , and man . Popcorn was sprinkled on the playing area represented the plankton . All students were given plastic bags marked with masking tape which was their The students who represented the were allowed on the playing area first and had one minute to fill their stomachs with plankton ( popcorn ) When the minute was up the other animals were allowed on the playing area . As players were tagged by a different animal in the chain they had to give up their stomachs and leave the playing area . The students played the game twice before we went back to class and discussed what they had learned during the game . It was rewarding to see the students moving around outdoors and having fun playing the Food Chain Game . During the class discussion , the to of the environment came up . One of the students mentioned that he saw on the internet that , Out in the middle of the ocean there is an island of I never heard of this before but asked them , If there is such an island out there , how do you think this affects all the life in the ocean ?

One student responded , That cant be good for the animals that live We talked about how we mistreat the rivers and oceans , and this has an effect on the environment around us even if it we think it is small . Lively discussions followed the game about habitat and how and salmon have specific habitat requirements , and how pollution or the decline of one organism effects the food chain and of course the . Other issues that were discussed included oil tankers , oil spills and sea lice around Atlantic salmon fish farms located in our traditional territories . The students had a thoughtful discussion on humans lack of respect for the environment and how they can seriously affect the and all the other life that live in the ocean . The next lesson engaged the students to build a model of a lap as ( pit ) The lesson started with a discussion about the word maya . Many of the students nodded their heads when asked if they knew what this word meant . One student stated , Does it mean respect ?

This is one of the most important ( others , nature , plants and animals and all things the way you would like to be treated . use the word respect . I felt it was important to begin this lesson with the giving of thanks and the way in which the ancestors of the ( were always giving words of thanks to the resources prior to taking what Chapter 13 , How We Do Things The Development and Evaluation of Curriculum 181

was needed . I asked students , When do people usually pray ?

In church , was the answer . I shared Arthur Dick story of how his Grandfather always gave words of thanks or prayed when he shot a deer or was pulling up halibut . It was a part of everyday life , not something that was just done on one special day of the week . Figure A Model of a ( conical net ) used with the class . Photo by Donna ( 1996 ) Figure A showing anchor posts used in , Knight , with entrance to the net suspended below . Photo by Arthur Dick , 2002 ) During this unit of study I made arrangements for a li na maker to visit our class and share his wealth of traditional knowledge . I reminded the students to ( be respectful of ) our visitor , and that their behaviour not only reflected on themselves , but on our school and their families . Chief Roy visited our class to talk about fishing and the process of making li na . He explained how the li na making process worked with the aid of a miniature si ( cooking box ) skimmers ) ala ( shakers ) and ( conical net ) that he loaned to me to use with the class . Figure is a photograph of the miniature that was used to show the students the way it worked . The three black arrows indicate the posts , which prior to the , would have been pounded into the river bed to hold the net in place . He told the students that the called ii na the Rendering of Wealth ( 1999 ) showed the process of making li na , and asked if we could watch it and if there were any questions he could answer them . When the men were drag we stopped the and explained that this is how they fished in ( Knight Inlet ) in 1997 , and that today they have gone back to using a special net called a . Figure shows the that was used in in 2002 and continues to be the method used today . The method of anchoring the net in place is one of the many differences between the modern and the one used before the introduction of the drag seine method of fishing ( 182 Chapter 13 , How We Do Things The Development and Evaluation of Curriculum

net is located Hie ( ounds . Not made . from nettle fibre similar nets were um ya the ' LA ' mil an an . with the . back . the ( net ) when the net is Full , the spreader sticks are . is lied , or anchored bu ) are , stone we ' poured into drifts with the the ( current . Ash the current , i ( the Hunt completed ?

allowing A . Figure A Traditional net used where falling tide rims swiftly or in swift rivers . Similar nets were used by the Bella , and . Illustration by Karen . explained the reason for changing fishing methods was due to the changes in the river . The river has changed since his first visit in 1961 , and is now very shallow in some places . One of the students asked , How is the river changing ?

explained that when it rains in Knights Inlet , because of all the trees that were taken out of the valley due to logging , the river rises almost immediately . There are a lot of log jams in the river that never used to be there , and the size of the glacier at the top of the river is getting smaller . shared many things with the students including how to make a lap as ( pit ) fishing methods , putting the in the lap as ( Figures , and ) and then moving them to the si ( cooking box ) cooking the , and environmental concerns . Chapter 13 , How We Do Things The Development and Evaluation of Curriculum 183

. Figure A Extremely high pit . Photo in the collection of my mother Vera Newman , that was from her Ada and Dada ( my Grandpa Arthur Dick , parents ) ca . Figure A Arthur Dick and carrying a tub of . Photo by Joanna , 1997 ) The second part of this lesson was a discussion about building a lap as . Photographs of lap as in were posted on the board . During his visit , informed us that he harvested about tons of to fill his in the 1990 . Figure A Richard Smith dumping a tub of into the pit . Photo by Joanna , 1997 ) Figure A Barbara sits of loaded pit . Photo by Arthur Dick , 1998 ) I said to the students , can you imagine the amount of li na they rendered from that one lap as ?

The photo from the 1998 pit ( has about tons , how many tons do you think are in the old ?

Figure ) The amount of rendered is determined by several variables , time the lie in the lap as , the weather and temperature , humidity and the number of . It was logistically difficult to house students , especially elementary students , at the camps for or nights since the fishing camps are located some distance away from the schools ( hour seine boat ride ) It was necessary to teach about the harvesting and rendering of the through photographs , Elder input and by building a miniature lap as . 184 Chapter 13 , How We Do Things The Development and Evaluation of Curriculum

While the boys were creating the miniature lap as ( pit ) outside with Anthony , the remaining students were given the fact sheet Methods of Fishing for and the class discussed the evolution of fishing methods . The students had already heard talk about the , dipping net ) and seine net the day before and had seen examples of the crew drag and using the dip net in the . The discussion of fishing methods focused on the two categories passive and aggressive . The last two lessons focused on the making of na and the ceremony of giving it away as is customary within culture . Figure A Miniature ( cooking box ) Photo by Donna ( 2009 ) Figure A Students checking out the tools and miniature cooking box . Photo by Irene Isaac ( 2009 ) A fact sheet , Making ii na , illustrated the process of rendering the oil from the . shared with the students that the water in the si had to reach just the right temperature before the could be added . He stressed that the water was never to boil . He went on to explain that the two tools that are used to pour the over the stick as they are added to the heated water in the si ( Figures , The two long sticks with the slits at the end are shakers . When the begin to float , these two tools are used to scoop the out of the water , tap the side of the si , and shake the meat from the bones . Finally , the little oval shaped scoops or ( skimmers ) are used to skim off the oil that floats to the top . Some of these are carved in the shape of a large clam shell and range in size from very small to very large . As the area of oil to skim becomes smaller so does the size of the used to skim . I explained to the students that during my research one of the Elders I interviewed , Chief Jack , gave me his because he wanted the knowledge to continue to be passed on . I showed the to the class and explained that it was used to skim the oil from the top of the si ( This particular has an eagle wing on the back side ( I asked the students , Why do you think the carver of this carved an eagle design on the tool ?

No one answered . I asked , How are these two animals , the eagle and connected ?

Think back to the food chain Finally , one of the students recalled , Well the eagles eat the when they come back to the river . I added that in when the are heading up the river to spawn hundreds of eagles can be seen in the branches of the trees . Another student added , Maybe it was a crest of the owner . Chapter 13 , How We Do Things The Development and Evaluation of Curriculum 185

Figure A the . Photo by Donna . 2009 ) Figure A ( skimmer ) showing an eagle wing and ha . Photo by Donna ( 2009 ) I showed the students a gallon of na ( Figure ) and shared with them that older members of my family call it Our gold , it is so I asked , How do we use it ?

One of the girls said , We dip our smoked fish in it . I told them that it is also used as a medicine . I remember seeing my great grandfather Charlie Dick take a couple of spoonfuls of li na and swallow it down without any food . We always heard that it kept us the sickness away . It was also heated and rubbed onto the chest of someone suffering from a cold or congested chest . During the final lesson we discussed two ways in which the used the li na in ceremony and in trade . Before we discussed nagila ( grease potlatch ) the ( ceremony of giving away na at a potlatch , I asked the students , What is a potlatch ?

The students responded When a chief will show his family dances . When Indian names are given . When someone dies , their family has a memorial potlatch . When dances are given to younger family members . It means to give . I was impressed with the students answers , and knew that some of them had participated in their own family . 186 Chapter 13 , How We Do Things The Development and Evaluation of Curriculum

Figure A given away at Arthur Dick ( grease potlatch ) memorial for his late aunt Lucy Brown . Photo by Vera Newman ( 1974 ) I added that prior to the Europeans coming to our territory our people had many ways of remembering and recording information even though they had no written system . The potlatch was a way for a chief to show his ancestral links to the songs , dances , names and masks that he owned . Host chiefs would invite tribes to witness as he opened his box of treasures , showing dances , songs , handing down names , and privileges . These took place as memorials for loved ones who had passed on , to mark marriages , pass on names , dances , songs , and even rights to hunting or trapping grounds . The witnesses were paid by the host chief and this is how the history was passed on . The gifts given at these have changed over the years . Prior to contact a chiefs family would save for years animal furs , woven blankets , baskets , and hats to give at a potlatch . Today the majority of items given away at a potlatch are purchased from department stores towels , laundry baskets , kitchen utensils , and blankets . The one thing that has remained the same over the years is the giving away of . There are some families that continue to host where this valued gift is given . During a regular potlatch the gifts are given after the host has shown all his family treasures . During a nagila ( grease potlatch ) the na is usually given away after the mourning songs are sung and the copper talk takes place , and before the family dances are shown . Before distributing gifts to the guests whether it is dry goods that is given at the end of a potlatch or na , the chiefs family lays all the gifts out on the floor of the . During the nagila special feast spoons and dishes are brought out that may be carved with the crests that the chief has a right to use . In front of the gallons of in Figure 1315 are a wolf feast dish and two wolf feast spoons which belong to Arthur Dick family . The tradition remains strong among the families that continue to potlatch . In Figure , I asked students to notice the same ceremonial objects carried by the matriarchs of Art Dick family in 1999 at his father memorial . These objects are still being used years later . Chapter 13 , How We Do Things The Development and Evaluation of Curriculum 187

Figure A Arthur sister Daisy Joseph , daughter Vera . Newman and aunties , Ethel Alfred , Stella , and cousin Christine Taylor holding grease spoons and wolf feast dish at a ' grease feast ) he hosted . Photo from Vera . Newman collection ( 1974 ) In the li na The Rendering of Wealth ( 1999 ) Art Dick and refer to this ceremony as the highest ( most prestigious ) potlatch a chief can give . I asked students who had been to a li nagila to pair up with a student who had not been to a li nagila and tell what they remembered . One of the young girls said , My uncle gave away grease at our amily memorial potlatch for our Grandpa and I asked , How many students have seen such a potlatch ?

More than half the class said they had attended such a potlatch . The following is a list of memories of nagila shared by the students I Feast songs were sung . I Speeches are given by chiefs . I Sometimes is poured onto the fire . I Sometimes 20 . 907 ) bags of flour are also given out . I Boxes or baskets of traditional food are also included homemade jam , canned fish , seaweed , jarred clams , and ( dried fish ) I explained to the class that the potlatch recalls our history and how our family connects to the ancestors form our origin stories that go back to the time of the supernatural beings . I asked the students to think back to the origin stories that talk about the , and imagine how long people have been hosting li nagila . Its been a long time , one of the students responded . The final discussion in class was about the trade routes called grease trails that our people used to travel when trading with neighboring tribes . In his book Following the Path of our Ancestors ( 2005 ) knowledge keeper William tells of the First Nation ancestor who founded the grease trail connecting the with the tribes on the west coast of Vancouver Island . For almost one hundred years the trail was not in use , but in 1999 four men from our village travelled over the ancient trail carrying li na to share with west coast relatives 188 I Chapter 13 , How We Do Things The Development and Evaluation of Curriculum

at the canoe gathering in . During this journey on the grease trail , a song was composed by William to commemorate the reopening and use of this ancient trail . Many of the students knew the song but did not know what it was about . I told the students that in when those four men and their crew of ( people that paddle in the canoe ) landed they carried off their canoe to give to the chiefs . That is the first time that song was sung and danced . For our final class we hosted a mini feast and invited our parents to come and see what we had learned . I asked for student volunteers to create a drawing that we could use as an invitation to our luncheon . Students helped to prepare food and set up the gym for this luncheon . We were lucky to have our feast when a boat had just come out from Knights Inlet , and they shared some fresh with us . The parents and students were able to have a feed of fresh fried . Smoked was also on the menu along with ( fish soup ) ka aba ( baked fish ) lak ( fried seaweed ) and of course li na . Students were reminded that they were the hosts and that in keeping with customs , the host always serves his guest first . It was a wonderful way to end the two weeks curriculum with our parents and Elders on traditional food . Evaluating Students Learning This science unit was a combination of ( IS and concepts . It is a strong held belief that for our First Nations children to be successful they need to know where they come from they need to know their traditions and history . One of the ways of showing students ( traditional science was by bringing community members into the classroom to share their knowledge . Traditionally this is how the knowledge was passed on , with older community members sharing their knowledge . The method of evaluation for this unit was both traditional and modern . The students I Created a web of their prior knowledge and their post instruction knowledge . I Read and discussed two origin stories of the . I Created scientific drawings of labelling four body parts , giving the scientific name , name , and measurements . I Participated in the Food Chum Game and identified relationships within a food web . I Brainstormed and ordered into a proper sequence a list of what takes place during a nagila ( grease potlatch ) I Listed the gifts that were given at a potlatch prior to contact and today . I Created a chart of the life cycle of the illustrating the measurement of the fish at each stage of their life , length of time in each stage and name of each stage . Made connections between stages of the life cycle and habitat requirements . I Answered a mini quiz with review questions from the first four lessons that covered oral history , different stages of the life cycle , food webs , relationships , habitat , environmental concerns , and human effects on the population . I Studied , compared , and described the many methods of catching trap , drag seine , and . I Studied and described the process of making . Chapter 13 , How We Do Things The Development and Evaluation of Curriculum 189

I reasons for the decline of the . I in a question and answer period during the visit by a local na maker to the classroom . I Examined a map provided by the Treaty researcher and found and traced the ancient grease trail walked by past and present . I Created a miniature model of a lap as ( pit ) I Explored variables that determine the time require to cook in the lap as weather , temperature , humidity , and the number of . I Made connections with the concepts decomposition , heat and temperature , boiling point , and food . I Demonstrated the teaching of maya for their parents and Elders at the final celebration by extending a personal invitation , getting chairs , setting tables , preparing plates of food and serving Elders . I Created a drawing using traditional elements of ( art . I Exhibited maya to the Elders and community members who visited the class during a traditional knowledge lesson . While gathering research for this curriculum the community members that were interviewed all stated that they were shown firsthand what to do , and when the old people felt they ( the learner ) were ready , they were left to do the ob . From a First Nations perspective this was a very formal process . In earlier years , children experienced the sharing of ( the distribution of throughout the community , and would have learned how to show respect to the as part of the grease rendering process . The teaching took place as living happened . The valuable knowledge continues today with the families that continue to travel to ( Knight Inlet ) The sad fact today is that less than a dozen children have the opportunity to experience the teachings on the land , where as in the past all children enjoyed and experienced teachings in . During this unit , I made many observations myself of what students were accomplishing in class . I found myself falling back into wanting to just evaluate students using methods I learned during teacher training . I created a quiz and asked the students to fill out the questions . I realized later that all this information would have come out in the final knowledge web they created at the end of the unit . It is hard to break methods of teaching and evaluation learned during formal teacher training . The majority of students came away from this unit with a greater understanding of and the care we need to take of our environment so we can maintain our traditions . Future Possibilities It could be possible in the future within this unit or after this unit to focus on more abstract concepts such as heat and temperature and using the as a catalyst for further exploration . Instruction could include science concepts that are included in the upper elementary and high school science programs , but are difficult for students to understand such as aerobic and anaerobic bacteria , hot and cold , heat and temperature , the measurement of heat , and the theory of kinetic energy ( molecules in motion ) 190 Chapter 13 , How We Do Things The Development and Evaluation of Curriculum

There are a variety of ways we could more closely replicate the rendering of oil . For young children we could make ' figures to represent the . For older students , we could use frozen to experiment with different ways of modeling the process of fermentation and rendering of the oil . Traditionally , after the were allowed to ferment and begin to break down in an open wooden pit , the softened fish were placed in a wooden cooking box or even a canoe and heated with hot rocks . Temperature control was mixture must not boil . Heating rocks in an open fire can be dangerous ( some types of rocks crack ) In the classroom we could use an electric frying pan to simulate the cooker and skim off small quantities of with a spoon . Note in an open pit aerobic bacteria break down muscle tissue and help free the oil . What would happen if the fermentation step involved anaerobic they were kept in a warm sealed jar ?

Note anaerobic bacteria will cause the fish to rot . One of my dreams when going through my teachers training at Simon University was to eventually teach our own children our history and culture . Due to my own lack of high school science courses I was unable to achieve a minor in biology as part of my . degree , which was my original goal . By creating , How We Do Things Use of , I gathered and shared the knowledge about this important resource and showed the children the peoples science . This may result in some of our students wanting to explore other traditional science areas . With very few teacher resources readily available to teachers in and on northern Vancouver Island , it is hoped that an important outcome of this research will be the development and evaluation of usable curriculum resources for the I ( wak speaking people , as well as other communities . I believe that it is crucial that First Nation students participate in school science and as a First Nation educator and parent I see the need for such curricula to be developed . In writing this chapter , I found myself struggling with the challenge of finding where IS fits with or trying to make it fit . Looking at the Ministry of Education documents and attempting to see where this IS fits , I have come to the conclusion that it does not have to fit perfectly in order to be useful . science , or IS , is what has sustained our people on this coast since the beginning of time . It can stand alone , and it can stand beside Western Science , but it does not have to fit within it or as an . While coming to this conclusion I know from experience that we First Nations people sometimes give less credit to our own knowledge and ways of viewing the world I often remind myself that our people would not have successfully lived to see this century if it had not been for our ancestors science knowledge and way of life . While teaching the Grade class at school it became apparent to me that we need to teach our children as soon as they enter our school the following , dam dla are one with the These are words that were shared that summer by our Chief I ( me William as our people returned to many of our traditional village sites within our territory . I was excited by the knowledge that was shared about what our people did at places like Lake , Wa as Lake and the River , visiting areas where traditional food was gathered , and learning about the plants that our people used for medicine . I imagined visiting these sites during the school year and ensuring that our children would know the teachings of our ancestors about the land . The passing on of this valuable traditional knowledge would give our children a sense of belonging and knowledge of who they are as . I would like to thank Bock , for contributing lesson plans related to Indigenous Knowledge and Western Science . la for sharing your knowledge of science concepts and teaching strategies . REFERENCES Chapter 13 , How We Do Things The Development and Evaluation of Curriculum 191

, Director , Producer ) Green , Producer ) Jacob , Producer ) 1999 ) rendering of wealth . Motion Picture . Vancouver , National Film Board of Canada . 2009 ) The development and evaluation of a curriculum . Masters project , University of Victoria , Victoria , Retrieved from 1828 2192 Drake , A . Wilson , 1991 ) Eulachon A Fish to Cure Humanity . Museum of Anthropology Museum Note , 32 . Vancouver , Museum of Anthropology . Duff , Prior to 1965 . Traditions of the . Unpublished interviews . Copy archived at mista Cultural Centre , Alert Bay , Ford , Morton , Myers , Lewis , MA . 2007 ) Declining wild salmon populations in relation to parasites from farm Science , 318 ( 5857 ) Retrieved from , Peter ( 1971 ) Descriptive notes on the manufacture of eulachon oil . 2004 ) sa ni . Unpublished Transcription of a song . mista Cultural Centre , Alert Bay , et al . 2005 ) as ida asa san The Path of Our Ancestors . Victoria , Publishing mista Cultural Society . 192 Chapter 13 , How We Do Things The Development and Evaluation of Curriculum