Search for Resources
Description
Qapirangajuq: Inuit Knowledge and Climate Change is the world’s first Inuktitut-language film on the topic of climate change. The film is an intimate portrait of Inuit life told in the voices of Inuit elders and hunters, who detail the social and ecological effects of global warming in the Arctic. Using stunning visual shots on the land, Qapirangajuq documents Inuit knowledge that has been ignored by southern scientists. That includes evidence that seal behaviour and fur thickness is changing, polar bear and raven populations are increasing, warmer winds are changing snow, overland navigation weather prediction is more difficult, the sea is warmer, ice floes are thinner and ice is breaking up much earlier.
This guide has been designed to help teachers and students enrich their experience of documentary film by providing support in the form of questions and activities. There are a range of questions that will help teachers frame discussions with their classes, activities for before, during and after viewing the film, and some web links that provide starting points for further research or discussion. In separate packages, there will also be support materials available with information regarding general viewing and teaching principles for documentary film and the fundamental aspects of making documentary films.
Click to access the documentary film Inuit Knowledge and Climate Change
General Assessment
What skills does this resource explicitly teach?
The film and teacher's guide support the development of those skills associated with observing, analyzing, presenting and defending. Most importantly, however, it intends to strengthen those skills associated with media studies; the goal of which is to help students analyze the perspectives presented in a given media and the means by which that perspective is promoted by the media.
Strengths
The resource deals with issues of critical importance - climate change and adaptation. It examines these issues within the context of the impact of climate change on the people of the Arctic. The film is a powerful medium for examining these issues and the teacher's guide better ensures that students will get the full benefit of the film.
Teachers and students who may wish to pursue these issues in greater depth are provided with a number of Internet resources.
Recommendation of how and where to use it
The film and Guide are most effective resources for those units of study dealing with the impact of climate change. Courses or units on Indigenous studies will also welcome the resource's examination of a unique culture and the challenges it faces as well as its illustration of the concept of traditional indigenous knowledge.
Finally, teachers of Media Studies may use the resource to teach students about what techniques are effective in telling a story and what skills are required of the critical viewer of those stories.
Relevant Curriculum Units
The following tool will allow you to explore the relevant curriculum matches for this resource. To start, select a province listed below.
- Step 1Select a province
- Alberta
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 9
- Step 3Select a subject
- Environmental Science
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Environment and Outdoor Education: Environmental Core
- Grade 10
- Step 3Select a subject
- Indigenous Studies
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Aboriginal Studies 10: Aboriginal Worldviews
- Grade 12
- Step 3Select a subject
- Indigenous Studies
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Aboriginal Studies 30: Aboriginal World Issues
- British Columbia
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 10
- Step 3Select a subject
- Arts
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Media Arts 10: Media arts offer unique ways of exploring our identity and sense of belonging.
- Media Arts 10: Traditions, perspectives, worldviews, and stories can be shared through media arts.
- English/Language Arts
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Composition 10: Texts are socially, culturally, geographically, and historically constructed
- Grade 11
- Step 3Select a subject
- Arts
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Media Arts 11: Media arts provide a unique way to represent self, identity, and culture
- Media Arts 11: Media arts reflect the interconnectedness of the individual, community, history, and society.
- English/Language Arts
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Composition 11: Texts are socially, culturally, geographically, and historically constructed
- Environmental Science
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Environmental Science 11: Human practices affect the sustainability of ecosystems
- Environmental Science 11:Humans can play a role in stewardship and restoration of ecosystems
- Social Studies
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Explorations in Social Studies 11: Indigenous peoples are reclaiming mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being despite the continuing effects of colonialism
- Grade 12
- Step 3Select a subject
- Arts
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Media Arts 12: Media arts are an essential element of culture and reveal insights into the human experience
- Environmental Science
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Environmental Science 12: Human activities cause changes in the global climate system
- Science
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Specialized Science 12: Climate change impacts biodiversity and ecosystem health
- Social Studies
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Comparative Cultures 12: Value systems and belief systems shape the structures of power and authority within a culture.
- Contemporary Indigenous Studies: The identities, worldviews, and languages of indigenous peoples are renewed, sustained, and transformed through their connection to the land.
- Human Geography 12: Human activities alter landscapes in a variety of ways.
- Physical Geography 12: Interactions between human activities and the atmosphere affect local and global weather and climate
- Manitoba
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 9
- Step 3Select a subject
- Indigenous Languages and Cultures
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Cultural and Linguistic Diversity: Cultural Diversity
- Grade 10
- Step 3Select a subject
- Geography
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Geographic Issues of the 21st Centurty: Geographic Literacy
- Indigenous Languages and Cultures
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Cultural and Linguistic Diversity: Cultural Diversity
- Science
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Senior 2 Science: Dynamics of Ecosystems
- Grade 11
- Step 3Select a subject
- Indigenous Languages and Cultures
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Cultural and Linguistic Diversity: Cultural Diversity
- Grade 12
- Step 3Select a subject
- Indigenous Languages and Cultures
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Cultural and Linguistic Diversity: Cultural Diversity
- Social Studies
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Citizenship and Sustainability: Area of Inquiry: Environment
- Citizenship and Sustainability:Area of Inquiry: Indigenous Peoples
- Global Issues
- Global Issues
- Global Issues: Citizenship and Sustainability: Area of Inquiry: Media
- New Brunswick
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 12
- Step 3Select a subject
- Environmental Science
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Introduction to Environmental Science 120: Investigating Environmental Issues
- Introduction to Environmental Science 120: Sustainable Development
- Newfoundland & Labrador
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 10
- Grade 11
- Step 3Select a subject
- Science
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Science 2200: Ecosytems
- Grade 12
- Step 3Select a subject
- Environmental Science
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Environmental Science 3205: Introduction to Environmental Science
- Environmental Science 3205: The Atmosphere and the Environment
- Geography
- Step 4Relevant matches
- World Geography 3200/3202: Ecosystems
- World Geography 3200/3202: World Climate Patterns
- Northwest Territories
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 10
- Step 3Select a subject
- Arts
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Media Arts 10: Traditions, perspectives, worldviews, and stories can be shared through media arts.
- English/Language Arts
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Composition 10: Texts are socially, culturally, geographically, and historically constructed
- Nova Scotia
- Nunavut
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 10
- Step 3Select a subject
- Science
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Experiential Science 10, Terrestial Systems: Climatology and Meteorology
- Social Studies
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Northern Studies: Our World Today
- Grade 12
- Step 3Select a subject
- Environmental Studies
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Environmental Studies 35: Northern Climate
- Ontario
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 9
- Grade 10
- Step 3Select a subject
- Indigenous Studies
- Step 4Relevant matches
- First Nations, Métis, and Inuit in Canada (Open): 1969 to the Present, Resilience, Determination, and Reconciliation
- Science
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Science (Applied)::Earth and Space Science: Earth's Dynamic Climate
- Grade 11
- Step 3Select a subject
- Environmental Science
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Environmental Science (Workplace Prep.) Human Impact on the Environment
- Geography
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Forces of Nature: Physical Processes and Disasters (Univ./College Prep.): The Physical Environment: Sustainability and Stewardship
- Regional Geography (Univ./College Prep.): Sustainability and Stewardship
- Indigenous Studies
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Contemporary First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Issues and Perspectives (univ./college prep.) Cultural Identity and Cultural Continuity
- English: Understanding Contemporary First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Voices (Univ. Prep.) Media Studies
- World Views and Aspirations of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Communities in Canada (College prep.): Understanding and Respecting World Views and Cultural Diversity
- World Views and Aspirations of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Communities in Canada (Workplace prep.) Understanding and Respecting World Views and Cultural Diversity
- Grade 12
- Step 3Select a subject
- Geography
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Living in a Sustainable World (Workplace Prep.) Ecosystems and Human Activity
- The Environment & Resource Management (Univ./College Prep) : Ecological Systems: Interactions and Interdependence
- The Environment & Resource Management (Workplace Preparation): Human-Environment Interactions
- World Geography: Urban Patterns & Populations (Univ. / College Prep.): Sustainability and Stewardship
- Indigenous Studies
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Contemporary Indigenous Issues and Perspectives in a Global Context, (Univ./College prep.): Indigenous Peoples and Perspectives
- Prince Edward Island
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 12
- Step 3Select a subject
- Environmental Science
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Environmental Science 621A: Environmental Challenges and Successes
- Quebec
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 9
- Step 3Select a subject
- Social Studies
- Step 4Relevant matches
- The Contemporary World: Environment
- Grade 10
- Step 3Select a subject
- Science & Technology
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Environmental Science & Technology: The Earth and Space
- Science & Technology: The Earth and Space
- Science and the Environment: The Earth and Space
- Grade 11
- Step 3Select a subject
- Social Studies
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Contemporary World: Environment
- Saskatchewan
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 10
- Step 3Select a subject
- Geography
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Geography 10: Climatic Regions and their Effect on Man
- Indigenous Studies
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Native Studies 10: Community and Kinship: Aboriginal Perspectives
- Native Studies 10: Identity and Worldviews, Aboriginal Perspectives
- Science
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Science 10: Climate and Ecosystem Dynamics
- Grade 12
- Step 3Select a subject
- Science
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Earth Science 30: Atmosphere and Hydrosphere
- Yukon Territory
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 10
- Step 3Select a subject
- Arts
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Media Arts 10: Media arts offer unique ways of exploring our identity and sense of belonging.
- Media Arts 10: Traditions, perspectives, worldviews, and stories can be shared through media arts.
- English/Language Arts
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Composition 10: Texts are socially, culturally, geographically, and historically constructed
- Grade 11
- Step 3Select a subject
- Arts
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Media Arts 11: Media arts provide a unique way to represent self, identity, and culture
- Media Arts 11: Media arts reflect the interconnectedness of the individual, community, history, and society.
- English/Language Arts
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Composition 11: Texts are socially, culturally, geographically, and historically constructed
- Environmental Science
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Environmental Science 11: Human practices affect the sustainability of ecosystems
- Environmental Science 11:Humans can play a role in stewardship and restoration of ecosystems
- Science
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Science for Citizenship 11: Scientific understanding enables humans to respond and adapt to changes locally and globally
- Social Studies
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Explorations in Social Studies 11: Indigenous peoples are reclaiming mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being despite the continuing effects of colonialism
- Grade 12
- Step 3Select a subject
- Arts
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Media Arts 12: Media arts are an essential element of culture and reveal insights into the human experience
- Environmental Science
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Environmental Science 12: Human activities cause changes in the global climate system
- Science
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Specialized Science 12: Climate change impacts biodiversity and ecosystem health
- Social Studies
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Contemporary Indigenous Studies: The identities, worldviews, and languages of indigenous peoples are renewed, sustained, and transformed through their connection to the land.
- Human Geography 12: Human activities alter landscapes in a variety of ways.
- Physical Geography 12: Interactions between human activities and the atmosphere affect local and global weather and climate
Themes Addressed
Air, Atmosphere & Climate (1)
- Climate Change
Ecosystems (2)
- Appreciating the Natural World
- Interdependence
Indigenous Knowledge (1)
- TEK -- Traditional Ecological Knowledge
Science and Technology (1)
- Alternative Ways of Doing Science
Water (1)
- Marine Environments
Sustainability Education Principles
| Principle | Rating | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Consideration of Alternative Perspectives | Very Good | The Teacher's Guide consists in part of three segments - pre-viewing. viewing and post - viewing. Each of these segments include a series of open-ended questions designed to have students think critically about the film. The purpose of these questions is to encourage student thought rather than shape it. Another piece of the guide, The Big Questions/Ideas/Themes further encourages student discussion and debate. The film itself is largely intended to introduce the viewer to the Inuit perspective on climate change and to the larger issue of traditional indigenous knowledge. |
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives:
| ||
| Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions | Very Good | In watching and discussing the film, the student is made aware of the dramatic change occurring in the northern environment and how these changes impact the traditional livelihood of the Inuit and the culture that emerged in this unique setting.
|
| Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions: Effectively addresses the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the issue(s) being explored.
| ||
| Respects Complexity | Good | The Extended Activities included in the guide help students recognize the complexity in finding an appropriate response to the consequences of a warming Arctic. Students are asked to consider questions such as:
|
| Respects Complexity: The complexity of the problems/issues being discussed is respected. | ||
| Acting on Learning | Satisfactory | Students are asked to gather in small groups to participate in a debate about the solutions to climate change. The change solutions they put forth either individually or collectively must be supported by evidence and must respond to the critique offered by their peers. While not concrete action, such an exercise better ensures that any action taken will be informed action. |
| Acting on Learning: Learning moves from understanding issues to working towards positive change — in personal lifestyle, in school, in the community, or for the planet
| ||
| Values Education | Very Good | The film provides insights into the values of Inuit culture
|
| Values Education: Students are explicitly provided with opportunities to identify, clarify and express their own beliefs/values. | ||
| Empathy & Respect for Humans | Very Good | The film is an intimate portrait of Inuit life told in the voices of Inuit elders and hunters, who detail the social and ecological effects of global warming in the Arctic. The viewer emerges with a heightened sense of the Inuit worldview and the integrity of traditional indigenous knowledge. |
| Empathy & Respect for Humans: Empathy and respect are fostered for diverse groups of humans (including different genders, ethnic groups, sexual preferences, etc.). | ||
| Personal Affinity with Earth | Very Good | One of the central themes of the film is the Inuit knowledge of and connection to the land and the water. This is revealed in a number of comments made by individuals in the film. “First thing in the morning, I was told to go out in order to welcome the environment and all the animals that I was going to hunt in my lifetime.... That was the law.” “Our parents and grandparents taught us how to live, survive on the land, and be a good person. These were told to us.” “Hunters had this awareness of the environment within them"
|
| Personal Affinity with Earth: Encourages a personal affinity with -the natural world.
| ||
| Locally-Focused Learning | Satisfactory | The film is a case study of the effects of climate change on the Arctic. The Arctic is the canary in the coal mine alerting us to the impact of climate change. Teachers and students may follow their investigation of climate change in the Arctic with an examination of how climate change may impact their local environment and what can be done locally in terms of adaptation and mitigation. |
| Locally-Focused Learning: Includes learning experiences that take advantage of issues/elements within the local community.
| ||
| Past, Present & Future | Very Good | The teacher's guide and the film provide an understanding of how a traditional culture has been shaped by its environment, a culture that is now struggling for its survival and whose future is very much in doubt. |
| Past, Present & Future: Promotes an understanding of the past, a sense of the present, and a positive vision for the future. | ||
Pedagogical Approaches
| Principle | Rating | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Open-Ended Instruction | Good | The guide asks students to consider, discuss, and debate a number of critical questions centering on issues of multiple perspectives, identity, citizenship, change and continuity, and culture and community. The questions are open-ended and the conclusions are the responsibility of the students. |
| Open-Ended Instruction
: Lessons are structured so that multiple/complex answers are possible; students are not steered toward one 'right' answer. | ||
| Integrated Learning | Good | An understanding of climate change, its impact on the North, and the possible responses to the challenges presented requires an appreciation of the environmental forces at work (science and traditional knowledge) and the struggle of traditional societies to survive in the face of modern forces (social studies) along with an understanding of the economic systems at work in the Arctic community (economics) and the distribution of power both within and outside the community (political science). |
| Integrated Learning: Learning brings together content and skills from more than one subject area
| ||
| Inquiry Learning | Good | The guide has adopted the elements representative of guided inquiry. Questions are provided to encourage discussion before, during and after the viewing of the film. Big questions/ideas/ themes are identified to help students dig deeper into the issues raised by the film. Finally, students are asked to suggest and defend solutions to the challenges resulting from the impact of climate change on the North. |
| Inquiry Learning: Learning is directed by questions, problems, or challenges that students work to address.
| ||
| Differentiated Instruction | Good | This guide has been designed to help teachers and students enrich their experience of documentary film by providing support in the form of questions and activities. The film will engage visual learners and the questions designed to guide their viewing will help all become more critical viewers. Guided student discussion and debate within a framework of suggested questions will allow for the free exchange of ideas and perspectives. T-charts that require students to compare "Traditional Knowledge" and "Western Scientific Knowledge" and student constructed webs of the Arctic ecosystems helps those students who benefit from the use of graphic organizers. |
| Differentiated Instruction: Activities address a range of student learning styles, abilities and readiness.
| ||
| Experiential Learning | Satisfactory | One of the central goals of the teacher's guide is to enhance students critical viewing skills with respect to documentaries and films. The viewing and guided discussion of the film provides a hands-on opportunity to realize this objective. |
| Experiential Learning: Authentic learning experiences are provided
| ||
| Cooperative Learning | Good | The guide includes very little " teacher talk" and encourages a great deal of "student talk" in both small and large group settings. Students will learn by expressing, clarifying and defending their views on the issues raised and will benefit from hearing the views of their classmates. |
| Cooperative Learning: Group and cooperative learning strategies are a priority.
| ||
| Assessment & Evaluation | Good | The considerable amount of student talk, including a formal debate enables teachers to measure in a formative manner the students understanding of the issues addressed. Students are also required to write a letter to the film director and/or producer in which they assess the effectiveness of the documentary and to create a web that illustrates the interdependence of the Arctic ecosystem. A rubric is included to assess student webs and their defence of their creation. These two examples of student work would form the basis of teacher summative assessment. |
| Assessment & Evaluation: Tools are provided that help students and teachers to capture formative and summative information about students' learning and performance. These tools may include reflection questions, checklists, rubrics, etc. | ||
| Peer Teaching | Good | Guided student discussion is intended to encourage students to think about the issues raised by the film and to share and defend their thoughts with classmates. |
| Peer Teaching: Provides opportunities for students to actively present their knowledge and skills to peers and/or act as teachers and mentors.
| ||
| Case Studies | Very Good | The documentary film, Inuit Knowledge and Climate and the accompanying teacher's guide provide a case study of the larger issue of climate change. It is in the Arctic that we are seeing the most visible evidence of the impact of climate change. The documentary and guide also present a case study in the relative merits of traditional indigenous knowledge and western scientific knowledge. |
| Case Studies: Relevant case studies are included. Case studies are thorough descriptions of real events from real situations that students use to explore concepts in an authentic context. | ||
| Locus of Control | Good | The guide is based on the principles of guided inquiry and as such strikes a balance between teacher oversight and student inquiry. |
| Locus of Control: Meaningful opportunities are provided for students to choose elements of program content, the medium in which they wish to work, and/or to go deeper into a chosen issue. | ||
