Freedom Road is a documentary series about life in the Anishinaabe community of Shoal Lake 40, which straddles the Ontario/Manitoba border near Kenora. The activities in this mini-lesson will help students understand the dehumanizing consequences that the construction of a drinking-water aqueduct for the city of Winnipeg had on this community. They included isolation, assimilation, poverty and many physical and emotional issues. Students will learn about the work of different community groups that helped return Shoal Lake 40 to prosperity. It is the intention of the authors that students use this new knowledge to come up with other actions to help right the wrongs of the past and ultimately create the conditions for a more equitable future.
Students have the opportunity to practice those skill associated with
The resource presents students with a case study that encourages a consideration of the wider issues of colonialism in Canada and what is to be done. The material and the accompanying activities may be expected to engage the students by treating them as active rather than passive learners.
One may question whether Activity 3: Everyone Plays a Role adds to the resource or distracts from the central issue addressed by the resource. The activity tends to interrupt the flow of the lesson and makes for a more disjointed study.
The resource may be used in those Social Studies courses that deal with contemporary issues, in courses that focus on civic justice and responsibility, and on courses that deal with First Nations studies.
The following tool will allow you to explore the relevant curriculum matches for this resource. To start, select a province listed below.
Principle | Rating | Explanation |
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Consideration of Alternative Perspectives | Satisfactory | The resource is designed to present the Indigenous view on a particular issue and to represent the issue as an example of the struggle of Indigenous peoples against a history of colonialism, a view that is widely supported in research and analyses. While those charged with colonialism are not heard, it may be argued that the National Film Board is right in providing Indigenous people with a voice and platform that has not been available to them in the public forum. |
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives:
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Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions | Good | The resource focuses on the issue of access to clean water - an essential commodity to the well being of any community. In telling the story of the Shoal Lake people's struggle to obtain the water they need, the videos explore the social and cultural forces among the Indigenous community that informs and shapes that struggle. |
Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions: Effectively addresses the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the issue(s) being explored.
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Respects Complexity | Good | The resource draws in a number of relevant issues that make the story about water one of justice. The story of the Anishinaabe efforts to obtain clean water is told within the larger story of the impact of colonialism on Indigenous peoples and the spiritual and cultural traditions that animate that struggle. |
Respects Complexity: The complexity of the problems/issues being discussed is respected. | ||
Acting on Learning | Good | The resource concludes with a section on taking action that asks students to research how their community may have benefitted at the expense of Indigenous People and to create a presentation that will inform others of their findings. |
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
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Values Education | Very Good | The Shoal Lake water story raises questions about fairness and injustice and in righting wrongs. |
Values Education: Students are explicitly provided with opportunities to identify, clarify and express their own beliefs/values. | ||
Empathy & Respect for Humans | Very Good | Students may be expected to emerge from the lesson with a greater understanding of the struggles of the Anishinaabe in particular and Indigenous People in general and this enhanced understanding may lead to greater empathy and support for their struggles. |
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 | Poor/Not considered | |
Personal Affinity with Earth: Encourages a personal affinity with -the natural world.
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Locally-Focused Learning | Satisfactory | This is the story of a particular people in a particular setting but once in place, students are asked to undertake research that may reveal local examples of the injustices faced by the Indigenous People in their community. |
Locally-Focused Learning: Includes learning experiences that take advantage of issues/elements within the local community.
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Past, Present & Future | Good | The struggles of the Anishinaabe people to obtain clean water is a current one and one familiar to many other Indigenous People. It is presented, however as part of the story of historical colonialism and calls upon students and the larger society to build a future which addresses the injustices of the past. |
Past, Present & Future: Promotes an understanding of the past, a sense of the present, and a positive vision for the future. |
Principle | Rating | Explanation |
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Open-Ended Instruction | Satisfactory | The resource argues that Winnipeg's water needs were served at the expense of the Anishinaabe people of Shoal Lake. It places this particular injustice within the wider context of colonialism. It does, however, ask students to consider the merits of various responses to what is presented as an injustice that must be righted. |
Open-Ended Instruction
: Lessons are structured so that multiple/complex answers are possible; students are not steered toward one 'right' answer. | ||
Integrated Learning | Good | The issues raised in the resource touch upon a number of disciplines. What are the economic, social and environmental requirements for a sustainable community? How valid is the historical narrative presented by the resource? What should be the political and civic response to a perceived injustice? |
Integrated Learning: Learning brings together content and skills from more than one subject area
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Inquiry Learning | Satisfactory | The resource tells the story of how the water demands of non-Indigenous Peoples were resolved at the expense of Indigenous Peoples. The question then becomes, what is to be done about this. Possible solutions are offered by the resource and the students are asked to consider these and to propose others. |
Inquiry Learning: Learning is directed by questions, problems, or challenges that students work to address.
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Differentiated Instruction | Good | The resource includes videos, small group activities, sharing circles, and jigsaw technique learning |
Differentiated Instruction: Activities address a range of student learning styles, abilities and readiness.
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Experiential Learning | Poor/Not considered | |
Experiential Learning: Authentic learning experiences are provided
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Cooperative Learning | Satisfactory | A number of activities require that students share their perspectives within small groups or learning circles. |
Cooperative Learning: Group and cooperative learning strategies are a priority.
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Assessment & Evaluation | Good | There are a number of opportunities for the teacher to assess student learning in a formative rather than summative fashion. These emerge from what students have to say within the sharing circles and small group presentations to the larger class. Student - created collages offer further material for teacher 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 | Each of the three lessons asks students to share their understanding or perspectives on the issues raised with their classmates. |
Peer Teaching: Provides opportunities for students to actively present their knowledge and skills to peers and/or act as teachers and mentors.
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Case Studies | Very Good | The story of the struggles of the Anishinaabe community of Shoal Lake 40 is a case study in the wider issue of the impact of colonialism on Indigenous Peoples. |
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 presented with information that outlines the struggles of one Indigenous group but are encouraged to investigate whether similar struggles and injustices are occurring within their own communities. |
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. |