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Description
Water is essential to all life and yet, many Indigenous communities in Canada experience water insecurity which impacts their health, traditions and cultural identity. This lesson examines this issue by developing student understanding of the importance of the freshwater supply and water quality within their own community. An authentic investigative approach integrates Science and Mathematics as pupils:
- Review water quality assessment reports from two First Nations communities in the Northwest Territories and Alberta
- Survey peers and residents to explore perceptions related to water quality, water use and threats to local water supplies
- Summarize the survey responses with a statistical analysis and graphing
- Reflect on how youth can become actively involved in protecting water resources from environmental damage
General Assessment
What skills does this resource explicitly teach?
- Collecting and analyzing survey data
- Data presentation
- Critical thinking
- Social awareness
Strengths
- Focuses on an environmental and social issue that is currently impacting many First Nations communities
- Integrates Science, Mathematics and Indigenous Studies content
- Provides Indigenous vocabulary that can be incorporated into the lesson
- Includes links to support resources
Weaknesses
- Does not provide assessment strategies
- Does not include support information about how testing determines if drinking water is clean or contaminated.
- The "Drinking Water Survey" worksheet is provided but the "Water Survey Summary" worksheet is not included
Recommendation of how and where to use it
This resource supports Grade 7-9 Science outcomes exploring environmental and social issues related to the distribution and use of freshwater resources. Students will be able to describe the types of surface waters found in their community and identify potential threats to these areas. Mathematics content engages learners in collecting data, performing statistical analyses and presenting information on graphs. The lesson also explores Indigenous Studies topics related to cultural identity and human rights.
Autumn Peltier is highlighted in this lesson as an example of youth creating change through advocacy. Her work could inspire a classroom action project that demonstrates conservation. Students could select a local stream or wetland that was identified as threatened in the community survey and protect the site with activities like riparian zone enhancement or litter clean up. Involving First Nations Elders in the project could also demonstrate respect for the Indigenous approach to protecting the environment.
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.
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- Alberta
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- Grade 7
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- Indigenous Languages and Cultures
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Blackfoot Language and Culture: Community Membership
- Cree Language and Culture: Community Membership
- Math
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- Number
- Statistics and Probality
- Science
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- Interactions and Ecosystems
- Grade 8
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- Indigenous Languages and Cultures
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- Blackfoot Language and Culture: Community Membership
- Cree Language and Culture: Community Membership
- Math
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Knowledge and Employability: Number (Number Concepts and Number Operations
- Knowledge and Employability: Statistics and Probability
- Number
- Statistics and probability
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- Freshwater and Saltwater Systems
- Grade 9
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- Environmental Science
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- Environment and Outdoor Education: Environmental Investigations
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- Environmental Chemistry
- Knowledge and Employability Science: Environmental Chemistry (Social and Environmental Contexts Emphasis)
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- Grade 7
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- Data from circle graphs can be used to illustrate proportion and to compare and interpret.
- Decimals, fractions, and percents are used to represent and describe parts and wholes of numbers
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- Math
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Analyzing data by determining averages is one way to make sense of large data sets and enables us to compare and interpret
- Number represents, describes, and compares the quantities of ratios, rates, and percents
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- Science
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- Science 9: The biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere are interconnected, as matter cycles and energy flows through them.
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- Cultural and Linguistic Diversity::Other Cultures: Connections and Influences
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- Cultural and Linguistic Diversity::Other Cultures: Connections and Influences
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- Water Systems on Earth
- New Brunswick
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- Science
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- Science 9 Ecosystem Dynamics: Learning and Living Sustainably
- Science 9 Ecosystem Dynamics: Scientific Literacy
- Newfoundland & Labrador
- Northwest Territories
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- Grade 7
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- Indigenous Languages and Cultures
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Culture -My People, My Identity
- Dene Kede
- Math
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- Grade 8
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- Science
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- Science 9: The biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere are interconnected, as matter cycles and energy flows through them.
- Nova Scotia
- Nunavut
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- Grade 7
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- Indigenous Languages and Cultures
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Relationship to the Environment
- Math
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- Number
- Statistics and Probability
- Science
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- Interactions and Ecosystems
- Grade 8
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- Science
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- Chemistry and the Environment
- Knowledge and Employability Science: Environmental Chemistry (Social and Environmental Contexts Emphasis)
- Ontario
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- Grade 7
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- Math
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- Data
- Number
- Science & Technology
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- Life Systems: Interactions in the Environment
- Grade 8
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- Data
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- :Biology: Sustainable Ecosystems
- Prince Edward Island
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- Arithmetic and Algebra
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- The Earth and Space
- Saskatchewan
- Yukon Territory
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 7
- Step 3Select a subject
- Math
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Data from circle graphs can be used to illustrate proportion and to compare and interpret.
- Decimals, fractions, and percents are used to represent and describe parts and wholes of numbers
- Grade 8
- Step 3Select a subject
- Math
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Analyzing data by determining averages is one way to make sense of large data sets and enables us to compare and interpret
- Number represents, describes, and compares the quantities of ratios, rates, and percents
- Grade 9
- Step 3Select a subject
- Science
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Science 9: The biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere are interconnected, as matter cycles and energy flows through them.
Themes Addressed
Human Health & Environment (1)
- Environmental Contaminants & Health Hazards
Human Rights (1)
- Social Justice
Indigenous Knowledge (1)
- TEK -- Traditional Ecological Knowledge
Water (2)
- Water Quality
- Water Treatment and Distribution
Sustainability Education Principles
| Principle | Rating | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Consideration of Alternative Perspectives | Good | The topic of freshwater quality and availability is explored using a holistic approach in which students consider the traditional connections between First Nations people and water, while also identifying issues and concerns about local water supplies within their own community. |
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives:
| ||
| Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions | Good | This lesson emphasizes how Indigenous people are affected by social and health issues related to water insecurity. Learners will understand how the human right to clean water is being denied in some regions of Canada by the economic drive to extract huge quantities of natural resources like oil without concern for environmental damage. |
| Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions: Effectively addresses the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the issue(s) being explored.
| ||
| Respects Complexity | Very Good | The relationship between water and humans is integral to a First Nations belief system that has honoured and protected this essential resource for thousands of years. Students will recognize that damage to freshwater ecosystems also harms the Indigenous identity that creates pride in their cultural heritage. |
| Respects Complexity: The complexity of the problems/issues being discussed is respected. | ||
| Acting on Learning | Satisfactory | Pupils learn how Autumn Peltier has become a youth advocate for Indigenous rights and they also brainstorm ways in which citizens can become involved in responding to environmental issues within their community. Projects to measure water quality, disseminate information about water pollution and explore water treatment techniques are also provided as ideas to extend the educational experience. |
| 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 | Good | As students consider the relationship between humans and water they also consider the significance of this vital resource within their own lives. This supports a stewardship ethic and dialogue about personal conservation strategies. |
| Values Education: Students are explicitly provided with opportunities to identify, clarify and express their own beliefs/values. | ||
| Empathy & Respect for Humans | Good | Learners discover the reality of very difficult living conditions experienced by Indigenous communities that do not have the resources or infrastructure to provide clean, safe water and adequate sanitation after natural water sources are destroyed. |
| 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 | Satisfactory | The First Nations context means there are many opportunities for a teacher to highlight the strong connections between humans and the natural world. Involving an Elder in the lesson could provide an outdoor component through which students share in traditional ecological knowledge about a local river or lake. |
| Personal Affinity with Earth: Encourages a personal affinity with -the natural world.
| ||
| Locally-Focused Learning | Good | By surveying community knowledge and perspectives on water resources pupils participate in an authentic experience that focuses on the issue at a local level and provides meaningful insight into regional concerns. |
| Locally-Focused Learning: Includes learning experiences that take advantage of issues/elements within the local community.
| ||
| Past, Present & Future | Good | The survey questions are designed to assess public opinion about past water quality and availability in relation to present day. Residents are also asked to identify thoughts related to current concerns and the future of local freshwater supplies. |
| 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 | This lesson supports critical thinking about a complex environmental problem in which science provides context to social issues like poverty, inequality and human rights. Students are able to explore the links between sustainability and social justice. |
| Open-Ended Instruction
: Lessons are structured so that multiple/complex answers are possible; students are not steered toward one 'right' answer. | ||
| Integrated Learning | Satisfactory | Students combine Science learning with Mathematics to determine local water quality issues and examine water quality reports. The lesson also complements Indigenous Studies units with many support materials such as an "Indigenous Language Word Bank". |
| Integrated Learning: Learning brings together content and skills from more than one subject area
| ||
| Inquiry Learning | Good | The key learning activity is the community survey. A model is provided with sample questions, but this example can be easily adapted and changed in accordance with student ideas about which local priorities they would like to assess. |
| Inquiry Learning: Learning is directed by questions, problems, or challenges that students work to address.
| ||
| Differentiated Instruction | Satisfactory | There are no specific differentation strategies but the lesson does support many learning styles with a range of activities. |
| Differentiated Instruction: Activities address a range of student learning styles, abilities and readiness.
| ||
| Experiential Learning | Very Good | Students are actively engaged with their community as they explore the thoughts and opinions of residents about local freshwater issues. |
| Experiential Learning: Authentic learning experiences are provided
| ||
| Cooperative Learning | Satisfactory | Learners conduct their research in small groups and there are opportunities for individual roles such as record-keeper or enumerator. |
| Cooperative Learning: Group and cooperative learning strategies are a priority.
| ||
| Assessment & Evaluation | Poor/Not considered | There are no defined assessment strategies but a series of class and group discussions support fomative assessment of student learning. |
| 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 | Satisfactory | Students interview other youth and listen to individual experiences related to water supply and quality. They are also able to express their personal thoughts and perspectives on this issue through peer to peer dialogue. |
| 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 | Water insecurity is a signifcant environmental issue impacting many of Canada's Indigenous communities and is foremost in government and non-government discussions about First Nations rights. The water quality reports from the Katl'odeche and Dene Tha' First Nations also provide scientific information that is being used in an authentic context. Pollution and climate change are affecting freshwater and ocean ecosystems globally and are a leading ecological concern. |
| 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 | Satisfactory | Students are able to explore options for collecting and presenting data while describing perceptions of water supply and quality within their community. |
| 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. | ||
