Literature to Support First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Student Success in Elementary Schools, Grade 5
Literature to Support First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Student Success
Grade 5
Selected Bibliography
NB: Older titles that you may find in your library have been included, and newer titles are provided as a guide for purchasing of new resources.
Book types include references, non-fiction, picture books, novels, poetry, alphabet books, folklore and biography. Emphasis has been placed on
Canadian titles. (O/P = out of print)
Title
Ray, Arthur. Illustrated History of Canada's Native People: I Have Lived
Here Since the World Began. 2010, 9781554702701. Canada’s Native
people have inhabited this land since the Ice Age and were already accomplished traders, artisans, farmers and marine hunters when Europeans first
reached their shores. Contact between Natives and European explorers and
settlers initially presented an unprecedented period of growth and opportunity. But the two vastly different cultures soon clashed. In this revised
and updated edition, Ray charts the history of Canada’s Native people from
first contact to current land claims. The result is a fascinating chronicle that
spans 12,000 years and culminates in the headlines of today. Dense text, not
many illustrations, mostly black and white, very scholarly and authoritative,
a useful teacher reference.
Treuer, Anton, et al. Indian Nations of North America. 2010 National
Geographic, 9781426206641. Covers the indigenous people who settled
North America, and their descendants, whose more than 500 tribes range
from the Arctic Circle across the Great Plains to the Eastern Seaboard.
Lakota, Cherokee, Navajo, Haida: these groups and many others are profiled in entries, images and maps that highlight each tribe's history and
character. Organized into eight geographical regions, this encyclopedic reference gives details about key tribes within each area: their beliefs, sustenance, shelter, alliances, interaction with nature, historic events, and more.
This is the definitive, insightful reference on Native Americans. The book's
eight Native American authors include renowned academics, national leaders, lecturers, and authors.
Guymer, Myrna. Canadian Shield Alphabet. 2008, 9781894431231. Lots
of interesting and little-known facts about the people and regions of the Canadian Shield. Beautifully illustrated.
Book First
Type Nation
Some Suggested
Activities
Teacher
Reference
Many
Teacher
Reference
All
Use for teacher reference.
North
American
Nonfiction
Developed by Thalia Hartson for the Southern Alberta Professional Development Consortium, June 2010, updated 2014.
Use for acquiring teacher
background.
Use as a model for a class
research project, where
each student creates one
page of the alphabet book.
Create for other regions of
Curriculum
Links
Social Studies:
Canadian History
Social Studies
Social Studies:
Regions of Canada
1
Literature to Support First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Student Success in Elementary Schools, Grade 5
Canada.
Activity: Make an Alphabet Book
Find more words for each
Social Studies:
letter from the pictures.
People of CanaUse as a model for reportda
ing.
Activity: Make an Alphabet Book
Research and report writing. Social Studies:
History of people of Canada
Harrison, Ted. Northern Alphabet. 1989, 0887762336. An alphabetical
exploration of the sights and activities of a community in Canada’s north,
each picture teasing the reader to look for additional items beginning with
the featured letter. Look at the borders of each page!
Alphabet
Book
Inuit
Jenson-Elliott, Cindy. Arctic Communities Past And Present. 2014,
9781476540603 (First Facts). Answers questions such as why people lived
in Arctic communities over the course of decades. Features include maps,
info graphics and timelines. Covers Stone Age to present. Easy format. Although American, it avoids the use of the term “Eskimo.”
Major, Kevin. Eh? To Zed, an AbeCedarium, 2000, 0-88995-222-1. Using
the traditional format of an ABC book, this abecedarian of Canadiana uses a
lyrical sense of rhythm and rhyme to explore the distinctiveness of our nation. This picture book includes at the end an explanation of the words chosen for each letter and explains their illustrations. Written with sensitivity to
regionalism and a broad view of Canada, this book is an excellent teaching
tool for Canadian studies.
Cherry, Lynne. A River Ran Wild. 1992, 0152163727. The story of a river,
from the first people thousands of years ago, how people came to depend on
it, used it, abused it, polluted it, and finally cleaned it. Beautifully illustrated, and powerfully presented, his book is a classic in environmental studies.
Nonfiction
Inuit
Alphabet
Book
Many
Nonfiction
Describe actions taken by
your school or family that
show concern and care for
the environment.
Activity: Respect for Nature
Abenaki Activity: Respect for Nature
Bruchac, Joseph. (AA). Thirteen Moons on Turtle's Back. 1997, 9780698115842. The 13 scales on Turtle's shell stand for the 13 cycles of the
moon, each with its own name and a story that relates to the changing seasons.
Poetry
Bouchard, David. (Métis author). Elders are Watching. 1990, 0-9693485- Poetry
3-3. This is a poem about man’s negative influence on nature. The powerful
words are on one page with the facing page a dramatic illustration by a famous native artist. The words tell us how man has been overly self- indulgent for much too long and it is time to change to save the environment. It’s
a simple and powerful look into the Aboriginals’ relationship with Nature.
Developed by Thalia Hartson for the Southern Alberta Professional Development Consortium, June 2010, updated 2014.
Activity: Make an Alphabet Book
Social Studies:
People of Canada
Science: Wetland
Ecosystems
Social Studies:
Environment
Social Studies:
People of Canada
Science: Weather
Watch
Discuss the Aboriginals’
Science: Wetland
relationship with Nature.
Ecosystems
What is the reason for the
Language Arts:
strong respect that Aborigi- Read, write, repnal people show for nature? resent and talk to
Activity: Pond Ecology
explore personal
Activity: Respect for Naunderstanding of
new ideas.
ture
2
Literature to Support First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Student Success in Elementary Schools, Grade 5
Simpson, Caroll. First Mosquito. 2010, 978-1926613673. Yax is too young
to accompany his father on a trading expedition and must stay at home with
his mother and his younger sister. Disappointed, he goes off to practice his
spear-throwing. When he loses his spear, he thinks he is old enough to go
into the forest to look for it, even though he has been warned about the dangers that await children who wander into the woods alone. The story tells
how the first mosquito came to be and introduces readers to a world of
Lightning Snakes, Woodworm, Creek Woman, Mouse Woman, TwoHeaded Serpents, the Wild Man of the Forest and a Bloodsucking Monster.
Simpson, Carroll. Brothers of the Wolf. 2014, 9781927527962. Wolf cub
brothers Tkope and Klale undergo a supernatural transformation and although they are separated, their howling voices unite at regular intervals,
waking up Moon and saving the world from uncertain darkness. Very beautiful artwork.
Auger, Dale. (AA). Mwakwa Talks to the Loon: A Cree Story for Children. 2006, 978-1894974042. The story shares an experience of a young
man who becomes very proud and boastful of his excellent hunting skills, as
he gets caught up in the adoration, attention and pride his people show him.
In soaking up all this attention he loses his great hunting skills and must
humble himself to the Elders in order to get back his gift. Kayas (k-eye-ass)
has to talk to makwa (mah-quh) the Loon to gain back his powers. Kayas
through this experience learns what it means to be humble, kind and respectful. Includes some text in Cree.
Bourdeau Waboose, Jan. (AA). Karen Reczuch, Illustrator (AI). Morning
on the Lake. 1997, 1-55074-373-2. In this picture book, the author uses her
Ojibway background to tell a series of three linked stories about a boy and
his grandfather who spend a day with nature. The author shows the importance of learning the ways of living in harmony with nature and the
wise, patient and loving ways of Mishomis (grandfather). Reinforces the
Aboriginal view of the link between nature and people.
Taylor, C.J. (AA). Little Water and the Gift of the Animals: A Seneca
Legend. 1992, 0887762859. The legend of Little Water illustrates the high
regard held by Native Americans for the natural world around them. Not
only did they rely on certain animals for food, clothing, and shelter, but for
their medicines as well.
Eyvindson, Peter. Jen and the Great One. 1990, 0921827199. An environmental story that presents a realistic depiction of contemporary First
Peoples. Jen hears the tree and brings her friends to help plant the tree’s
seeds.
Kalman, Bobbie and, Walker, Niki. Native North American Wisdom and
Picture
North
Book
west
(Pourquoi) Coast
Picture
North
Book
west
(Pourquoi) Coast
Activity: Pourquoi and
Creation Tales
Try some illustrations of
other Northwest Coast stories, based on the artwork
style in First Mosquito.
Write and illustrate your
own pourquoi story.
Activity: Pond Ecology
Read for enjoyment.
Characterize stories of the
Northwest Coast people.
Language Arts:
Comparing stories, literature
analysis
Art
Science: Wetland
Ecosystems
Language Arts:
Comparing stories, literature
analysis
Art
Science: Wetland
Ecosystems
Picture
Book
Cree
Discuss the Aboriginals’
relationship with Nature.
Activity: Respect for Nature.
Picture
Book
Ojibway
Activity: Respect for Nature.
Science: Wetland
Ecosystems
Folktale
Seneca
Activity: Respect for Nature.
Science: Wetland
Ecosystems
Activity: Respect for Nature
Science: Wetland
Ecosystems
Activity: Respect for Na-
Science: Wetland
Picture
Book
Non
Many
Developed by Thalia Hartson for the Southern Alberta Professional Development Consortium, June 2010, updated 2014.
3
Literature to Support First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Student Success in Elementary Schools, Grade 5
Gifts. (Native Nations of North America) 2006, 0-7787-0384-3. Fairly easy fiction
ture
reading makes this series a good choice. There are lots of photos and drawActivity: Inventions and
ings, and many sidebars to break up information. Index, glossary, table of
Innovations
contents, frequent subheads and terms in bold all contribute to ease of reading. In addition to information on the Iroquois Confederacy, this resource
puts it into the context of Aboriginal culture, values, and wisdom.
McLellan, Joe, (CAA), Nanabosho Dances. 1991, 0921827148. This is the Folktale Ashinabe Activity: Respect for Na(pourquoi)
legend of how the hoop dance started. It tells about the significance of the
ture.
circle, the symbols the hoop portrays in the dance, and the connections beActivity: Pourquoi and
tween the Creator and the natural world.
Creation Tales
Lopez, Barry. Crow and Weasel. 1998, 978-0374416133. Long ago, when
people and animals spoke the same language, two young men left their tribe
to make an adventurous trek through the wilderness, into the unknown
northland. Set in the mythic past and inspired by the traditions of the North
American Plains people, this fable of self-discovery follows Crow and
Weasel as they face unfamiliar perils on a quest for knowledge and wisdom.
Conquering their innermost fears, the two heroes come of age and learn
more than they ever could have imagined--about humanity's relationship to
the land, the importance of respecting other peoples and giving thanks, and
even the very nature of friendship itself.
Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes. Beaver Steals Fire: A Salish Coyote Story. 2005, 9780803243231. A long time ago fire belonged only to the
animals in the land above, not to those on the earth below. Curlew, keeper
of the sky world, guarded fire and kept it from the earth. Coyote, however,
devised a clever plan to steal fire, aided by Grizzly Bear, Wren, Snake,
Frog, Eagle, and Beaver. These brave and resourceful animals raided the
land above and risked all to steal fire from Curlew. Here is an ancient and
powerful tale from the Salish people of Montana.
Taylor, C.J. (CAA). How We Saw The World: Nine Native Stories of the
Way Things Began. 1993, 0887763022. Here are explanations for the origins of tornadoes, forest fires, butterflies, horses, Niagara Falls and islands.
Includes a Blackfoot story about how horses came into the world. Includes
the Blackfoot story How Horses Came into the World.
Picture
Book,
very
long
Activity: Quest or Hero
Tales
Activity: Respect for Nature
Ecosystems
Social Studies:
People of Canada
Science: Environment
Social studies:
People of Canada
Language Arts:
Literature analysis, story comparison
Social Studies:
Aboriginal people
Picture
Book
(Quest)
Salish
(Montana)
Activity: Quest or Hero
Tales
Compare with Little Badger and the Fire Spirit
Activity: Pourquoi and
Creation Tales
Language Arts:
comparing stories, literature
analysis
Folktale
Many
Activity: Pourquoi and
Creation Tales
Language Arts:
Literature analysis
Social Studies:
People of Canada
Science: Wetland
Ecosystems
(pourquoi creation)
Bruchac, Joseph and Bruchac, James (AA), Aruego, Jose and Ariane Dew- Folktale
ey, Illustrator (AA), Turtle's Race with Beaver: A traditional Seneca
tale. 2003, 0-8037-2852-2. Beaver with his fast swimming challenges Turtle for ownership of the pond. Turtle outsmarts Beaver, and Beaver learns to
share.
Seneca Activity: Pond Ecology
Developed by Thalia Hartson for the Southern Alberta Professional Development Consortium, June 2010, updated 2014.
4
Literature to Support First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Student Success in Elementary Schools, Grade 5
Cuthand, Beth. (AA). Mary Longman (AI). Little Duck - Sikihpsis. 2003,
2007, 978-1894778442. 1999, 0-919441-74-2. The little lonely duck tries to
fit into the Cree culture and discovers he is happy after all to be a mud duck
and join other mud ducks. He admires the handsome Cree people, but realizes he can't be Cree. Shows Cree people as strong, beautiful and handsome
in the eyes of the little duck. Shows rich details of Cree culture helps children learn care for animals. Beautifully-illustrated.
Caduto, Michael J. Keepers of the Animals. 1991. Includes 24 illustrated
stories about "our relations, the animals" and demonstrates the power and
importance of animals in Native American traditions. Chapter 10 story,
Woman Who Married a Frog.
Love, Ann and Jane Drake, Kids Book of the Far North, 2000,
1550745638. The Far North is home to many plants, animals and people
who have developed remarkable ways of adapting to one of the harshest
climates on Earth. The book examines the region’s fascinating history,
modern life, and fragile ecosystem with facts, stories, legends, illustrations,
timelines and maps.
Christopher, Neil. Country of Wolves. 2014, 9781927095355. Based on the
acclaimed animated film of the same name.
Picture
book
Zoe, Therese. Living Stories. (Land is our Storybook) 2009,
9781897252444. Rich in details about the life today of Dogrib people. Excellent photos.
McLeod. Tom. Delta is My Home. (Land is our Storybook). 2008,
9781897252321. Tom McLeod is an11-year-old boy. He tells about such
things as how the Mackenzie Delta floods, how to make bannock and about
“ratting” (trapping muskrats) and hunting black ducks.
Nonfiction
Activity: Pond Ecology
Science: Wetland
Ecosystems
Folktales Many
Activity: Pond Ecology
Science: Wetland
Ecosystems
Nonfiction
Inuit
Research and report writing. Social Studies:
Activity: Aboriginal CulPeople of Canada
tural Groups
Activity: Inventions and
Innovations
Graphic
novel
Inuit
Willett, Mindy. Proud to be Inuvialuugama. (Land is our Storybook).
2010, 978-1897252598. James lives in the hamlet of Tuktoyuktuk in the
Northwest Territories, above the Arctic Circle. The community is often just
called Tuk to save time. Even though he lives in the town now, James grew
up on the land, learning the traditional values and survival skills of his people. In this book, James and his daughter Rebecca go on a trip to harvest
beluga whale. Harvesting and preparing beluga meat as a family is an essential part of what it means to be Inuvialuit.
André, Julie-Ann. We Feel Good Out Here. (Land is our Storybook). 2008,
9781897252338. Rich in details about the life of a contemporary Gwich’in
Nonfiction
Nonfiction
Nonfiction
Cree
How would you describe
life in the Arctic based on
this story?
Dogrib Activity: Aboriginal Cul(Dene) tural Groups
Social Studies:
People of Canada
Social Studies:
people of Canada
Gwich’in What are the differences and Social Studies:
(Dene) similarities between some
people of Canaand
of the regions of Canada?
da
Inuvialuit Activity: Aboriginal Cultural Groups
Activity: Bannock in Stories
Inuit
Activity: Aboriginal CulSocial Studies:
people of Canatural Groups
da
Gwich’in Activity: Aboriginal Cul-
(Dene)
Developed by Thalia Hartson for the Southern Alberta Professional Development Consortium, June 2010, updated 2014.
tural Groups
Social Studies:
people of Cana5
Literature to Support First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Student Success in Elementary Schools, Grade 5
family, excellent photos.
Jumbo, Sheyenne and Willett, Mindy. Come and Learn With Me (Land is Non ficour Storybook). 2010, 9781897252574. Nine-year-old Sheyenne lives in
tion
Trout Lake, NWT, and shares her life – home, school, and the land. Learn
how to make birch bark baskets, identify medicinal plants, pick cranberries,
make drymeat and scrape moose hides.
Williams, Suzanne. Inuit. 2003, 0531121720. A look at the history and cul- Nonture of the Inuit. Discusses tradition and customs as well as contemporary
fiction
life. Excellent coverage. Suitable for grade 5 readers.
Alexander, Cherry. Inuit (Flashback History). 2010, 9781435855076. One
Nonof the better books on Inuit. Includes map and timeline. Headings on each
fiction
page are questions. Accessible format with lots of photos and pictures and
small amounts of text, all with sub-headings. Shows how Inuit life today is
a mix of contemporary and traditional.
Landon, Rocky. A Native American Thought of It: Amazing Inventions
Nonand Innovations. 2008, 9781554511549. Includes a map of the traditional
fiction
territories of the various Native American groups. This book shows a great
deal of respect for Native Americans and offers a well-researched, wellplanned and very interesting resource. Organized under such headings as
food, shelter, transportation, medicine, communication, fun, hunting and
fishing. Excellent illustrations and format, fascinating information about
more than 70 items and ideas that helped Native Americans survive.
Shemie, Bonnie. Houses of Hide and Earth. (Native Dwellings). 1993,
Non978-0887763076. Here’s an authoritative and intriguing exploration of the
fiction
lives of people through the homes they have built.
Shemie, Bonnie. Houses of Snow, Skin and Bones (Native Dwellings).
Non1993, 978-0887763052. The author focuses on the critical need for shelter
fiction
in the harsh Far North as the primary shaper of Inuit life. The architecture,
engineering, and construction methods for igloos, sod houses, and tents are
explained, and the author also discusses patterns of living within the structures.
Salariya, David. How Would You Survive as an American Indian? 1995, Non0531153096. Describes the everyday life and customs of various Plains Infiction
th
th
dian tribes during the 18 and 19 Centuries in North America.
Kalman, Bobbie. Visual Dictionary of Native Communities. 2008,
Non9780778735052. Includes Nations of the Plains. Small text sections and
fiction
many illustrations.
Bishop, Amanda. Life in a Pueblo. (Native Nations of North America).
Non-
Dene
Yatie
(South
Slavey)
Inuit
Compare contemporary life
with traditional life using a
Venn Diagram.
Activity: Aboriginal Cultural Groups
da
Social Studies:
People of Canada
Compare contemporary life
with traditional life using a
Venn Diagram.
Compare contemporary life
with traditional life using a
Venn Diagram.
Social Studies:
people of Canada
Social Studies:
people of Canada
Many
Activity: Aboriginal Cultural Groups
Activity: Traditional
Homes
Activity: Inventions and
Innovations
Science: Classroom Chemistry
Social Studies:
People of Canada
Plains
Activity: Traditional
Homes
Inuit
Activity: Traditional
Homes
Social Studies:
People of Canada
Social Studies:
People of Canada
Plains
Activity: Traditional
Homes
Plains
Activity: Traditional
Homes
Inuit
Pueblo Use for research.
Developed by Thalia Hartson for the Southern Alberta Professional Development Consortium, June 2010, updated 2014.
Social Studies:
People of Canada
Social Studies:
People of Canada
Social Studies:
6
Literature to Support First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Student Success in Elementary Schools, Grade 5
2003, 978-0778704676. Photographs and clear text explore the daily lives
of the people who lived in these communal adobe dwellings. Students will
learn how pueblos were built and the roles played by men, women, and
children.
Ipellie, Alootook. The Inuit Thought of It: Amazing Arctic Innovations.
Offers a well-researched, well-planned and very interesting resource. Organized under such headings as food, shelter, clothing, medicine, dog sleds,
fun, hunting and the kayak.
Turnbull, Andy. By Truck To The North: My Arctic Adventure. 1998, 155037-550-4. Andy rides along in a big rig carrying produce from the B.C.
lower mainland to the high arctic. Traveling through the winter forest and
across the arctic circle onto a road of ice, we learn to appreciate the hazards
and beauty of working in the harsh winter environment. Sidebars include
photos and descriptions of the truck interior and the sights of the journey.
Well-marked, clear maps show the journey throughout the book. A musthave book.
Mowat, Farley, Lost in the Barrens. 1956, 9780771066818. Although this
book uses the term “Eskimo’” it has to be understood in terms of the times
in which the book was written. Jamie and his Cree friend, Awasin, are lost
in the barrens of northern Canada and must somehow survive the winter.
Provides a sensitive look at First Nations people and their traditions and
customs. A classic survival story with lots of boy appeal.
Houston, James. Tikta’liktak: an Inuit Legend. 1989, 1965, 0152877487.
Here’s a great little survival story about a boy who is trapped on an ice flow
and has to rescue himself. This story is very useful in the social studies but
may use the term “Eskimo,” which the teacher should avoid using. It has
black and white illustrations but they are striking. A classic survival story.
Trottier, Maxine. Dreamstones. 1999, 0-7737-3191-1. A captain's son becomes separated from his icebound ship in the Arctic and is rescued by a
mysterious man who turns out to be an Inukshuk briefly come alive as a
man.
fiction
Activity: Traditional
Homes
People of Canada
Inuit
Activity: Aboriginal Cultural Groups
Activity: Traditional
Homes
Activity: Inventions and
Innovations
Describe a selected area of
Northern Canada.
Activity: Survival and Adventure Stories
Science: Classroom Chemistry,
Weather Watch
Social Studies:
People of Canada
Language Arts:
Writing
Cree
Describe a selected area of
Northern Canada.
Activity: Survival and Adventure Stories
Language Arts:
Writing
Novel – Inuit
short
(Survival)
Activity: Survival and Adventure Stories
Language Arts:
Writing
Make an Inuksuk.
Describe some Inuit customs and lifestyle.
Activity: Survival and Adventure Stories
Dogrib Describe a selected area of
(Dene) Northern Canada.
Activity: Aboriginal Cultural Groups
Activity: Survival and Adventure Stories
Social Studies:
Inuit
Nonfiction
Nonfiction
(Adventure)
Novel
(Adventure,
survival)
Picture
Book
Stephenson, Wendy. Idaa Trail: In the Steps of Our Ancestors. 2005, 0- Novel
88899-576-8. Modern children of Dogrib ancestry take a summer canoe trip
following the Idaa Trail, a trade route that the Dogrib people traveled. Told
as a story, with lots of good colour illustrations, this story provides many
anecdotes about various sites along the way. The trip is a hard one and the
children learn a lot about hardship and perseverance. Interesting and appeal-
Inuit
Developed by Thalia Hartson for the Southern Alberta Professional Development Consortium, June 2010, updated 2014.
Language Arts:
Writing
Social Studies:
people of Canada
7
Literature to Support First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Student Success in Elementary Schools, Grade 5
ing - an excellent and well-researched book. A short chapter book. Go to the
website for an online experience traveling the Idaa Trail:
http://www.lessonsfromtheland.ca
Buchan, Bryan, Copper Sunrise, 1972, 2004, 9780439961813. This story
appears to be set in Newfoundland, but it's not clear. Jamie, who narrates
the story, has recently arrived from Scotland and is eager to see some "savages.” He makes friends with Tethani in the woods and visits his village.
Language problems soon fade away and the friendship blossoms. The settler
community, however, is becoming more and more agitated by the threat
they perceive as coming from the Aboriginals and the book ends with a raid
that kills first Tethani's family and then Tethani himself. He story is haunting, but sometimes lacks clarity and researched background. The novel is
quite well known and popular. A short, easy read.
Robertson, David Alexander, Illus. Scott B. Henderson, et al. (Tales From
the Big Spirit Series.) Ballad Of Nancy April: Shawnadithit,. 2014,
9781553794776, Scout: Tommy Prince, 2014, 9781553794783, REBEL:
Gabriel Dumont, 2014, 9781553794769 and PEACEMAKER: Thanadelthur, 2014, 9781553794790.
Shoulders, Debbie and Michael. D is for Drum. 2006, 1585362743. Readers
get an A-Z introduction to the customs and cultures of the first people inhabiting the Americas. Topics include Bison, tipis, Kachinas and dugout
canoes.
Ulmer, Mike. M is for Maple: A Canadian Alphabet, 2001, 1585360511.
Each letter of the alphabet symbolizes a name or word derived from some
aspect of Canada and each letter is presented in rhyme and then further explained in note. Canada’s symbols, history, people and culture are beautifully illustrated.
Bouchard, David. I Am Raven. 2008, 9780978432706. A great, kind and
wise Chief decides to erect a new totem pole. Knowing that he will soon
die, the Chief wants the pole to be representative of him but also to reflect
the importance of others in his life. A series of birds and animals then try to
convince the Chief that their image should be carved into the Chief’s totem
pole. Beautifully illustrated.
Swanson, Bruce, Gray Wolf's Search. 2007, 978-0977918317. His uncle,
the clan shaman, tells Gray Wolf that his future success depends on completing an important task--he must find a very important person and get to
know him well. When he returns to his clan, an older and wiser Gray Wolf
takes the talking stick from his uncle and shares his new wisdom. Beautifully illustrated.
Novel
(short)
(New- Research the extinct Beofound- thuk people of Newfoundland)
land. There’s a good article
about the Beothuk in Wikipedia.
Read Thrand and Abidith
and Ballad of Mary
March from Spirit of
Canada.
Graphic
novels
Retell stories from Canadian
Aboriginal History
Alphabet
Book
Many
Alphabet
Book
Many
Picture
book
Picture
Book
(Quest)
Social Studies:
History of people in Canada
Use as a model for a class
research and writing project.
Activity: Make an Alphabet Book
Use as a model for a class
research and writing project.
Activity: Make an Alphabet Book
What is your totem?
(North Activity: Quest or Hero
-west
Tales
Coast)
Developed by Thalia Hartson for the Southern Alberta Professional Development Consortium, June 2010, updated 2014.
Social Studies:
Research
Social Studies:
Research
Language Arts:
Literature analysis
Social Studies:
People of Canada
Language Arts:
Literature analysis
8
Literature to Support First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Student Success in Elementary Schools, Grade 5
Littlechild, George. This Land Is My Land. 1993, 0892391197. Through
bold, colourful paintings, George Littlechild tells us the stories of his life as
a Native in today's world with the bottom line being the importance of his
ancestry to his life today. With each colourful, bright collage-type painting
is a written text about what the picture shows and how his ancestors were
instrumental in that image. He is acknowledging his ancestors to heighten
the awareness of their history and experiences.
Ballantyne, Adam. Legend of the Mimigwesseos. 1988, 0921254806. Cree
legends told by an old Cree storyteller in 1937. O/P
Sabuda. Blizzard’s Robe. 1999, 0689319886. Teune, a gifted robemaker,
makes a new robe for Blizzard and in return the people are gifted with the
Northern Lights. Very beautiful story.
Trottier, Maxine. Blood Upon Our Land: The Northwest Resistance Diary of Josephine Bouvier, Batoche, District of Saskatchewan, 1885. (Dear
Canada). 2009, 9780545999052. This novel is by one of Canada’s outstanding writers of historical materials for students.
Burton, Wilfred and Anne Patton. Call Of The Fiddle (Fiddle Trilogy #3).
2012, 9781926795041. This is the third in the trilogy about a young boy,
Nolan, as he learns about his Métis heritage from his grandfather,
Moushoom, and begins to be able to carry on his family's traditions. Nolin
hears the "Red River Jig," and experiences the excitement of dancing at
Batoche. Written in both English and Michif-Cree. Includes CD.
Zeman-Spaleny, Linda. Lord of the Sky. 2009, 9780887768965. Extraordinarily beautiful illustrations accompany this creation folktale about the
Great Raven, who brought the sun back to the people of the North Pacific
Coast.
George, Thomas. Raven and the First People: Legends of the Northwest
Coast. 2009, 9781926696089. Over 25 stories from the Canadian pacific
Northwest. No illustrations.
Memoir
and
nonfiction
Plains
Cree
Identify characteristics of
Social Studies:
life for Aboriginal people in Alberta Plains
today’s society.
Cree
Compare perspectives of
different people.
Oral
story
collection
Picture
Book
Northern
Cree
Describe some of the beliefs Social Studies:
of the Northern Cree.
Northern Cree
Inuit
Read for enjoyment.
Characterize life in the far
north.
Novel
Métis
Social Studies:
People of Canada
Social Studies:
Canadian history
Research to find out a little
about Métis people.
Social Studies:
Métis people
Picture
Book
Métis
Folktale
(Hero)
(North Activity: Quest or Hero
Pacific Tales
Coast)
Language Arts:
Literature analysis
Folktale
Collection
(North Select several Raven stories
Pacific from different sources to
Coast) analyze and compare. Are
they hero, trickster, or
pourquoi stories?
Pacific Compare with How Raven
North- Freed the Moon and Rawest
ven and the First People:
Legends of the Northwest
Coast
(North Activity: Quest or Hero
Pacific Tales
Language Arts:
Literature analysis
Budd, Robert, illus Roy H. Vickers. Cloudwalker. 2014, 9781550176193.
Picture
Raven Feather, a young Gitxsan hunter, wants to catch a group of swans
book
with his bare hands. He is carried away by the birds' powerful wings and
dropped in the clouds. When he finally returns to earth, he discovers lakes,
creeks and rivers where there were none before.
Budd, Robert, illus Roy H. Vickers. Raven Brings the Light: A Northwest Folktale
Coast Legend. 2013, 978-1-55017-593-6. Here is a classic quest story, tak- (Hero)
Developed by Thalia Hartson for the Southern Alberta Professional Development Consortium, June 2010, updated 2014.
Language Arts:
Literature analysis
Language Arts:
Literature analy9
Literature to Support First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Student Success in Elementary Schools, Grade 5
en directly from the folklore of the Tsimshian Indians of British Columbia.
Raven is, as in most northwest coast raven stories, a trickster, a hero, and
also a shape-changer. He uses his skills to bring light to his people. Well
researched and well told, with beautiful illustrations.
Ayre, Robert. Sketco the Raven. 2009, 9781443100441. Through his cunning, trickery, and transformations, Sketco brings the world the moon, the
sun, and the stars. He gives birds their colours, gives man fire, creates the
tides, brings food, and much more. No illustrations. Like a chapter book,
each chapter telling another episode. Episodes stand alone, but the whole
works as a longer story.
Stott, Jon. A Book of Tricksters. 2010, 9781926613697. A wonderful collection of read-aloud tales from all over the world. Great to compare and
contrast even though illustrations are few and one colour.
Coast)
Folktale (North
Collection Pacific
(pourquoi, Coast)
trickster,
hero)
Select several Raven stories
from different sources to
analyze and compare. Are
they hero, trickster, or
pourquoi stories?
Activity: Trickster Tales
Activity: Pourquoi and
Creation Tales
Activity: Quest or Hero
Tales
Activity: Trickster Tales
Folktale Many Read for enjoyment.
Collection,
Compare and contrast some
trickster
of the stories with other
trickster stories.
Picture
various Read for enjoyment.
book
Characterize life of the Aboriginal people.
Use for research
Maclean, Joseph, illus. Heard, Brendan. A is for Aboriginal, 2013,
9780991858903. Each letter of the alphabet introduces a name, a place, or
piece of Aboriginal history, values, or culture. It includes a comprehensive
annotated glossary of all the indigenous people mentioned in the book
throughout North America. Well illustrated, with interesting text. The cover
features a turtle, depicting Turtle Island (North America.) Each letter of the
alphabet has a listing of Aboriginal groups whose name starts with that letter and there is an extensive glossary of all the indigenous peoples listed.
Olsen, Sylvia. Yetsa’s Sweater. 2006, 1550391550. Yetsa’s grandmother is Picture
one of the famous sweater knitters of the Coast Salish. Yetsa helps her
Book
grandmother prepare the wool, and is eventually rewarded by a new sweater
that her grandmother has knit for her. Information at the end of the book
explains the history of the Cowichan sweaters.
Terry, Michael Bad Hand. Daily Life in a Plains Indian Village 1868.
Non1999, 0395945429. The life of the Plains Indians is depicted in full-color
fiction
photos and text packed with authentic details. Includes a timeline, glossary
and index.
Francis, Daniel. Discovering First Peoples and First Contacts. The Discovery series. 2000, 0195414888. Follows early European explorers and
sis
Language Arts:
Literature analysis
Language Arts:
Literature analysis
Social Studies:
People of Canada and USA.
Coast
Salish
What advantages do these
sweaters bring to the people?
Social Studies:
People of Canada
Plains
Use for research and reference.
Make a comparison chart of
life then and now.
Activity: Aboriginal Cultural Groups
Use for research and reference.
Social Studies:
Canadian history
Nonfiction
Developed by Thalia Hartson for the Southern Alberta Professional Development Consortium, June 2010, updated 2014.
Social Studies:
Canadian history
10
Literature to Support First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Student Success in Elementary Schools, Grade 5
Aboriginal people as Canada opens up and people search for furs, trade
routes, and adventure. The first sections are about the different Native
groups on the coast, plains, and woodlands. Many photos, illustrations,
maps and "Did you know?" fact boxes. Format is easy to read and understand with short sections, many subheadings. Excellent resource.
Jaenen, Dr. Cornelius J. First Contact, 2005, 1550414437. An excellent
Non
resource – shows the Aboriginal people before contact, and details many of fiction
the events and situations that both benefited the Aboriginals and harmed
them after contact with Europeans. Canada, A People’s History series. Very
well illustrated, excellent format. European point of view but makes an excellent attempt to present both European and Aboriginal worldviews.
Munro, Ron. Canada’s First Peoples, 2005, 1550414437. An excellent
resource – includes eastern, plains, west coast and arctic people. Canada, A
People’s History series. Very well illustrated, excellent format.
Non
fiction
Many
Bouchard, David. (Métis Author). Michael Lonechild, illus. (Cree artist).
Qu'Appelle. 2002, 1-55192-475-7. Here is a Cree tale, and a famous love
story. It is a tragic legend about a young brave who must leave his betrothed
to lead a war party against the Blackfoot. Heartbroken by his absence, she
falls sick and dies. Upon his return, the brave cannot believe she is dead,
and wanders the prairies to this day calling for her. The elders say that if
you go out to the prairies and listen you will hear the brave looking for his
lost love, calling out "Qui Appelle" - who is calling?
Bruchac, Joseph. (AA). Between Earth & Sky: Legends of Native American Sacred Places, 1999, 978-0152020620. Eleven legends of Native
American sacred places.
Bouchard, David (Métis Author), Illustrator: Allan Sapp, (AA). Nokum is
my Teacher. 2006, 9780889953673. An exploration of aboriginal life
through dialog between a boy and his grandmother, his Nokum. He questions why he should learn to read and wonders if knowledge of the world
Folktale
Cree
Folktales
Picture
Book
Poetry
Activity: Aboriginal Cultural Groups
Read Chikabash and the
Strangers from Spirit of
Canada. Also read Encounter and The Rabbits.
Describe some of the first
contacts.
Read The Rabbits.
Use for research and reference.
Activity: Aboriginal Cultural Groups
Read Chikabash and the
Strangers from Spirit of
Canada. Also read Encounter and The Rabbits.
Describe some of the first
contacts.
Use for research and reference.
Activity: Aboriginal Cultural Groups
Activity: Inventions and
Innovations
Read for enjoyment.
Describe how the Cree
lived.
Social Studies:
Canadian history
Social Studies:
Canadian history, People of
Canada
Social Studies:
Plains Cree
Characterize the worldview
of Aboriginal peoples.
Cree
Developed by Thalia Hartson for the Southern Alberta Professional Development Consortium, June 2010, updated 2014.
Social Studies:
People of Canada
What is Nokum’s advice? Is Language Arts:
she right? Why?
Reading
11
Literature to Support First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Student Success in Elementary Schools, Grade 5
outside their reserve has value. Nokum knows that reading opens up a world
of possibilities, even though she can’t read. The boy comes to his own conclusion that she is right and he will read to learn more. The text is in both
English and Cree and is accompanied by a CD recording of the author’s
reading with original music performed by the Northern Cree Singers. Allan
Sapp provides the paintings of First Nations community life.
Silvey, Diane. Kids Book of Aboriginal Peoples in Canada. 2005,
Non
1550749986. Another in the Kids Book series on Canada and Canadian his- fiction
tory. With index, timeline and table of contents this title has excellent colour drawings, accessible format, and lots of sidebars with quick facts and
added interest items. An important book to have, very well researched. Full
sections on people of the Plains, the Arctic and the Sub-arctic. This is one
of the few resources that provide a map of Canada showing the land areas
of the various seven major groups and the only one to list the various peoples of each of the major areas.
Hudak, Heather. Aboriginal Peoples (Early Canada). 2006,
9781553882343. Goes from Aboriginal people thousands of years ago, to
the arrival of Europeans, and important people and events that have shaped
Canada. Excellent illustrations.
Stotter, Michael. World of North American Indians (Passport to the Past).
2009, 978-1435851719. General information, and includes sections on buffalo, food and farming, horses, dances, sweat lodges, etc. Includes many
sidebars on things to make. Excellent illustrations and format.
All
Canadian
Non
fiction
Many
Non
fiction
Many
Non
9780756610814. Text and photographs present a collection of Native
fiction
American artifacts from New York's American Museum of Natural History,
ranging from Seminole blowguns, to Hopi rainmaker masks, to Northwest
totem poles.
Bruchac, Joseph. (AA). Winter People. 0803726945. Fourteen-year-old
Novel
Saxso, a member of the Abenaki tribe in Canada, embarks on a dangerous
rescue mission when his mother and two younger sisters are taken hostage
during an attack by the British on their unprotected village in 1759. The
young hero feels he failed his family by attempting a brave rescue of a
neighbour's child, instead of following through on his original plan to lead
his mother and sisters to safety while they avoid the raid on their village. He
then must find out their fate and, if possible, rescue them. A strong, solid
story of warmth, friendship and intelligent courage with enough action to
interest a variety of readers.
Many
Murdoch, David. North American Indian (Eyewitness books). 1995,
Use for research and reference.
Read And My Heart Soars
from Spirit of Canada
Activity: Aboriginal Cultural Groups
Activity: Traditional
Homes
Activity: Inventions and
Innovations
Use for research.
Use for research.
Activity: Bannock in Stories
Activity: Traditional
Homes
Use for research.
Abenaki Read aloud.
Novel study
Developed by Thalia Hartson for the Southern Alberta Professional Development Consortium, June 2010, updated 2014.
Social Studies:
People of Canada
Science: Classroom Chemistry
Social Studies:
History of Canada, People of
Canada
Social Studies:
People of North
America
Social Studies:
History of Canada, People of
Canada
Social Studies:
History of
Canada
Language arts:
Novel study
12
Literature to Support First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Student Success in Elementary Schools, Grade 5
Guest, Jacqueline. (AA). Belle of Batoche. 2004, 1551432978. Belle, an 11- Novel
year-old Métis girl, is caught up in the Riel Rebellion of 1885. The author
draws on her family history to weave this story of the rebellion. It shows
Métis children at the time of the Riel Rebellion living comfortably within
two cultures. It’s a short chapter book, an easy read.
Métis
Read aloud.
Read Storm at Batoche and
Song of Louis Riel from
Spirit of Canada.
Summarize the Riel Rebellion.
Research into Canadian
history and the war of 1812.
Social Studies:
History of Canada
Laxer, James. Tecumseh. 2012, 9781554981236.
This biography, illustrated in the manner of a picture book, tells the story of
Tecumseh, who eventually became a Shawnee chief, and who is considered
one of the greatest leaders of North America's First Peoples.
Taylor, Cora. Angelique - Buffalo Hunt. 2002, 0-14-100271-9. Angelique,
a Métis girl, prepares for the annual buffalo hunt on the prairie. She encounters several adventures, including a buffalo stampede. Angelique's strong,
smart and courageous personality is portrayed in this Canadian historical
fiction book. Sequels: The Long Way Home and Autumn Alone.
Truss, Jan. Very Small Rebellion, A. 1977, 0-7736-72778-8. This very accessible book tells two stories. In one story, twins Pearl and Simon and their
friend Paul live a contemporary life in a settlement. The three young people
want to prevent a new road from destroying their community; at the same
time they begin to rehearse a play at their school about Louis Riel. The
chapters about the young people's lives are interspersed with a historical
essay about Riel. The alternation between the two kinds of writing and the
two historical periods brings Riel's story to life in a compelling way. At the
same time, the book deals frankly with questions of discrimination and bigotry. A classic in Canadian history.
Trottier, Maxine. Storm at Batoche. 2000, 0773732489. During a fierce
prairie storm, James falls out of his family's wagon. His parents disappear in
the blizzard, but a man on horseback appears and takes James to his small
cabin. The man will only say that his name is Louis. While he prepares an
evening meal of “gallette,” Louis promises to teach James how to make it.
James says his mother makes the same type of bread but she calls it "bannock," highlighting the differences and similarities between their cultures.
This imaginary encounter between Louis Riel and a young boy reveals
many details about life in the Canadian prairies around 1870. It also shows
Louis Riel from a different perspective.
Delaronde, Deborah. 2010, 9781894778879. Christmas at Pouchinn. Follow a young Métis boy and his grandparents as they live through a year of
traditional activities. The seasons and their exciting activities are shown
through text and illustrations.
dePaola, Tomie. Popcorn Book. 1984, 978-0823405336. Details the history
Picture
book
Biography
Novel
Shawnee
Métis
Read aloud.
Novel study.
Social Studies:
History of Canada
Novel
Métis
Read aloud.
Social Studies:
Novel study.
History of CanRead Storm at Batoche and ada
Song of Louis Riel from
Spirit of Canada.
Picture
book
Métis
Compare life in 1870 with
our lives today on the Canadian prairies.
Characterize Louis Riel.
Read Song of Louis Riel
from Spirit of Canada.
Activity: Bannock in Stories
Social Studies:
History of Canada
Language Arts:
Compare points
of view, writing
a story
Picture
book
Métis
Compare traditional Métis
life with your life today.
Social Studies:
People of Canada
Non-
Many
Read with How Two-
Science: Class-
Developed by Thalia Hartson for the Southern Alberta Professional Development Consortium, June 2010, updated 2014.
Social Studies:
History of Canada
13
Literature to Support First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Student Success in Elementary Schools, Grade 5
of popcorn and shows how corn is an Aboriginal food originating in North
America. Presents a variety of facts about popcorn and includes two recipes.
fiction
Hancock, Lyn. Nunavut. 1995, 1550417606. Provides information about
Non
Nunavut, including the land, the history, making a living and the meeting of fiction
two worlds. Includes index, glossary, fast facts, time line, famous people
from Nunavut, and table of contents. Good quality photos, drawings, and
maps. A small but very useful title.
Bayle, Beverly J. Battle Cry at Batoche. 2000 and 2008, 9781550027174. Novel
Ben and Charity Muldoon are 15-year-old twins who find themselves in the
midst of events in the Saskatchewan River Valley in 1885. One day, as Ben
is walking through a ravine, he encounters a Cree boy named Red Eagle,
who quickly becomes his friend after a hair-raising rescue. Ben eventually
discovers that a confrontation between the North-West Mounted Police and
the Natives, led by Louis Riel and Gabriel Dumont, is imminent. As events
unfold, Ben and Red Eagle witness the struggles of the Métis and Cree for
recognition and the failed efforts to negotiate a settlement that ultimately
lead to tragedy and war. Caught between sides, Ben must decide where his
allegiance lies.
Guest, Jacqueline. (AA). Free Throw. 1999, 1-55028-664-1. When MatNovel
thew Eagletail's mother remarries, he must adjust to an instant family, a new
home, and a new school. He also has to give up playing for his beloved
Tsuu T'ina Warriors, the basketball team on the reserve. This well-written
story will touch the lives of many young readers as they follow Matthew's
struggles to adjust. A short chapter book, an easy read.
Guest, Jacqueline. (AA). Goal in Sight. 2002, 781550 287806. Assigned to Novel
community service after assaulting a fellow hockey player, Aiden finds
himself helping Eric. Eric is also a hockey player, but one with a difference.
Eric is blind. Through a growing friendship, and with the help of his probation officer, Aiden learns that there are many ways to deal with problems.
The cycle of violence is broken. A short chapter book, an easy read.
Guest, Jacqueline. (AA). Hat Trick. 1997, 1-55028-600-5. This 96-page
Novel
Inuit
room Chemistry
Feather was Saved from
Loneliness from Spirit of
Language Arts:
Writing a Story
Canada
Create a flow chart or circle
chart showing the life cycle
of corn.
Activity: Bannock in Stories.
Why did Nunavut become a Social Studies:
separate territory?
Inuit social life
and customs,
Nunavut history
Métis,
Cree
Read Storm at Batoche and Social Studies:
Song of Louis Riel from
History of CanSpirit of Canada.
ada
Tsuu
T'ina
Read for enjoyment.
Health and Life
Skills: Develop
effective interpersonal skills that
demonstrate responsibility, respect
and caring in order
to establish and
maintain healthy
interactions.
Métis
Developed by Thalia Hartson for the Southern Alberta Professional Development Consortium, June 2010, updated 2014.
Read for enjoyment.
Health and Life
Skills: (as
above)
Read for enjoyment.
Health and Life
14
Literature to Support First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Student Success in Elementary Schools, Grade 5
chapter book is a contemporary novel about a young 12-year-old girl who
shares the struggles, feelings and challenges in her life. She lives with her
Métis dad and spends weekends with her First Nations mother. She shares
her feelings about changes and her methods for coping. She hangs on to
tradition while living in today's world. Her story demonstrates courage, determination and positive self-concept. The story shows how tradition can
continue in today's changing world. A short chapter book, an easy read.
Guest, Jacqueline. (AA). Lightning Rider. 1997, 1-555028-720-6. Shares
some of the struggles and challenges that aboriginal young people face
within mainstream society when encountering stereotypical views held by
people. A very good read for students who are examining change, challenges, perspectives and conflicts. A short chapter book, an easy read.
Guest, Jacqueline. (AA). Rink Rivals. 2001, 1-55028-744-3. Short novel
about twin boys whose lives are altered when the family moves from
Northern Quebec to Calgary. The two boys have quite different futures, one
in sports, the other in music. But, by making several bad choices to gain
acceptance and to impress a girl, the twins eventually have to learn to rely
on each other and see that they just need to be themselves. An easy read.
Guest, Jacqueline. (AA). Soccer Star. 2003, 1-55028-788-5. Set in Alberta,
this story profiles a young part-Inuit girl's experience in a school in the Edmonton military base. The story is about a 13-year old girl learning to fit
into a new school culture and meet the expectations of her family and new
friends. Students who have had to move to new schools and make new
friends will relate to Samantha's challenges. An easy read.
Guest, Jacqueline. (AA). Triple Threat. 1999, 1-55028-682-X. This is a
basketball story set in the Calgary area. Matthew Eagletail is a member of a
blended, multi-cultural family. His friend, John from San Francisco, comes
to visit for the summer and coaches Matt's basketball team. John is in a
wheelchair. Issues of blended families, handicaps, fair play, bullying and
Native/non-Native relationships are woven into this story with sensitivity
and humour. A short chapter book, an easy read.
Loyie, Larry. Gathering Tree. 2006, 978-1894778428. The topic is HIV
with a First Nations storyline.
Bruchac, Joseph. (AA). Crazy Horse's Vision, 2000, 2007, 9781591124511. Crazy Horse, famous Lakota warrior and leader during the
mid-1800s, was different even as a child. He was called Curly because of
his curly hair, and he was small in stature and quiet. He was, however, a
natural leader, inspiring others with his bravery and generosity. Bruchac has
created a memorable tale about Crazy Horse's childhood, capturing the spir-
Skills: (as
above)
Language Arts:
Read, write, represent and talk to
explore personal
understanding of
new ideas
Health and Life
Skills: (as
above)
Novel
Read for enjoyment.
Novel
Read for enjoyment.
Health and Life
Skills: (as
above)
Read for enjoyment.
Health and Life
Skills: (as
above)
Read for enjoyment.
Health and Life
Skills: (as
above)
Novel
Inuit
Novel
Picture
Book
Picture
Book
Health
Lakota Use for developing an apSocial Studies:
preciation of different perHistory of North
spectives. After reading,
America
have students analyze illustrations as well as text.
Developed by Thalia Hartson for the Southern Alberta Professional Development Consortium, June 2010, updated 2014.
15
Literature to Support First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Student Success in Elementary Schools, Grade 5
it of one of the most dedicated and daring leaders among the Lakota.
Olsen, Sylvia. Catching Spring. 2004, 1-55143-298-6. Bobby lives in
Tsartlip First Nation, where his family has lived for generations. He loves
his weekend job at the nearby marina. He loves to play marbles with his
friends. And he loves being able to give half his weekly earnings to his
mother for the grocery money. More than anything, he would love to enter
the upcoming fishing derby. But how can he do that with no money, no boat
and no time? Very easy reading.
Bouchard, David. (Métis Author). Secret of Your Name. 2009,
9780889954397. Story of a person discovering his Métis heritage and looking back over the culture and history of the Métis. Includes CD. Text in
English and Michif (Métis language.)
Meuse-Dillien, Theresa. (AA). Sharing Circle: Stories About First Nations Culture. 2003, 1551094509. Matthew loves to play games with his
friends and share his toys with them. But most of all he loves to share the
special treasures that remind him of his First Nations culture. Includes Eagle Feather, Sacred Herb, Medicine Pouch, Dream Catcher, Talking Circle,
Medicine Wheel and Drum. (Colour illustrations, but inferior artwork, especially on faces.)
McLellan, Joe. Goose Girl. 9781894717441. Years ago in northern Canada,
Marie, who spoke French and Cree, had a special wordless understanding
with a goose. The relationship changed her life.
Tyrrell, Frances. Huron Carol. 1990, 0886192803. Students will love singing this hauntingly beautiful Aboriginal Christmas carol.
Wallace, Ian. Huron Carol. 2006, 9780888997111. New illustrated version
of traditional carol.
Novel
Tsartli
p
Read for enjoyment.
Social Studies:
people in Canada today
Prose
poetry
Métis
Social Studies:
People of Canada
Non
fiction
Many
Describe some of the characteristics of Métis culture.
Activity: Aboriginal Cultural Groups
Activity: Aboriginal Cultural Groups
Picture
Book
Métis
Read for enjoyment.
Characterize Métis life.
Activity: Pond Ecology
Sing the Huron Carol at the
annual Christmas event.
Why did de Brébeuf compose this carol?
Sing the Huron Carol at the
annual Christmas event.
Why did de Brébeuf compose this carol?
Sing the Aboriginal Carol
at the annual Christmas
event.
Why did de Brébeuf compose this carol?
Use for developing an appreciation of different perspectives. Analyze illustrations as well as text.
Read Chikabash and the
Science: Wetland
Ecosystems
Picture
Book Music
Picture
Book Music
Bouchard, David. An Aboriginal Carol. 2007, 9780889954069. Includes
Picture
CD-ROM. Based on Jesous ajatonhia written by Jean de Brébeuf (Huron
Book Carol). Here is an amalgamation of work by Métis David Bouchard (version Music
of the Huron Carol), First Nations artist Moses Beaver, and Inuit singer Susan Aglukark. Very beautiful illustrations.
Yolen, Jane. Encounter. 1992, 015201389X. A Taino Indian boy on the
Picture
island of San Salvador recounts the landing of Columbus and his men in
Book
1492.
Métis,
Inuit
Taino
Developed by Thalia Hartson for the Southern Alberta Professional Development Consortium, June 2010, updated 2014.
Social Studies:
People of Canada
Music
Music
Music
Social Studies:
The coming of
the Europeans
Language Arts:
Comparing
16
Literature to Support First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Student Success in Elementary Schools, Grade 5
Marsden, John. The Rabbits. 2003. 0-9688768-8-9. This simple but powerful allegory describes the results of most of the colonizations in the history
of our planet. The spare text and stylized illustrations tell the chilling story
of invasion, environmental destruction and cultural subjugation in simple
child-like terms. This is an excellent opener for discussion at many levels.
Picture
Book
Trottier, Maxine. Voyage of Wood Duck. 1995, 978-0920336700. Long ago Picture
when dreams were more real than they are today; there was a young boy
Book
who lived by the sea. He was called Wood Duck. He wanted to voyage
across the sea, but when he did so, he longed for home, and also had premonitions about the people he met to the east of his Atlantic seacoast home.
Warwaruk, Larry. Andrei and the Snow Walker. 2002, 978-1550502138.
Novel
In search of a better life, 12-year-old Andrei and his family move from
Ukraine to a Canadian homestead near Batoche, Saskatchewan, in the
spring of 1900. Andrei has never worked so hard, helping to build a home,
breaking land, learning to hunt with two Métis friends. They tell him about
Snow Walker, a man of unusual powers and wisdom - a man some say can
change into a bear. Near Christmas, Andrei is caught in a swirling blizzard.
When he falls through river ice, he, suddenly, someone strong pulls him
from the river. In a cabin in the woods, Andrei at last meets Snow Walker
and learns that this land has its own wisdom and power.
Bruchac, Joseph. Native Stories From Keepers of Life. 1995.
Story
collection
Caduto, Michael J. and Bruchac, Joseph. Keepers of the Earth: Native
Story
American Stories and Environmental Activities for Children. 1991,
collection
978-1555913854. This flagship book in the Keepers of the Earth series is an and
environmental classic for teaching children to respect the Earth.
Teacher
Resource
Caduto, Michael J. Keepers of Life: Discovering Plants through Native Story
Strangers from Spirit of
Canada.
Read The Rabbits.
Activity: Analysis of The
Rabbits
Compare with Voyage of
Wood Duck
Use for building appreciation of different perspectives.
What are some of the issues
raised in this book?
Activity: Analysis of The
Rabbits
Activity: Respect for Nature
Micmac Use for building appreciation of different perspectives.
Read The Rabbits
Compare with Encounter.
points of view
Language Arts:
Allegory, Comparing points of
view
Social Studies:
History of Canada
Science: Environment
Social Studies:
The coming of
the Europeans
Language Arts:
Comparing
points of view
Social Studies:
History and
people of Canada
Métis
Characterize the Métis people.
Many
Activity: Respect for Nature
Activity: Respect for Nature
Science: Wetland
Ecosystems
Science: Wetland
Ecosystems,
Weather Watch
Activity: Respect for Na-
Science: Wetland
Many
Many
Developed by Thalia Hartson for the Southern Alberta Professional Development Consortium, June 2010, updated 2014.
17
Literature to Support First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Student Success in Elementary Schools, Grade 5
American Stories and Earth Activities for Children. 1998, 2007,
9781897252192. Keepers of Life uses stories and myths from diverse Native North American cultural groups to introduce a variety of topics relating
interactions with the natural world. It includes information on plant groups,
explanations of biological processes, and discussions of environmental concerns. This information-packed resource is imbued with the spirit of "Responsible Stewardship," a philosophy of empathy for all living things, and
consideration of the effects of our actions on future generations.
Caduto, Michael J. and Bruchac, Joseph. Native Stories From Keepers of
the Earth. 1991, 0920079768. A common thread through these stories is
the view of the world as a family and humans are entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining the natural balance.
collection
and
Teacher
Resource
ture
Story
Many
collection
Caduto, Michael J. Keepers of the Night: Native American Stories and
Nocturnal Activities for Children, 1994, 978-1555911775. Caduto and
Bruchac use stories from various American Indian tribes as the basis for
activities and lessons about the nighttime world. Written as a guide for
teachers and outdoor education leaders working with children in a nature
setting, the guide gives detailed instructions for preparing, conducting, and
evaluating a variety of activities that focus on the nocturnal habits of animals, on astronomy and nighttime weather, and on campfire activities, such
as storytelling, dances, and games. Aspects of many American Indian tribal
practices are woven throughout the text.
Baylor, Byrd. I’m in Charge of Celebrations. 1986, 0684185792. A dweller in the desert celebrates a triple rainbow, a chance encounter with a coyote, and other wonders of the wilderness.
Hehner, Barbara. Spirit of Canada: Canada’s Story in Legends, Fiction,
Poems, and Songs, 2001, 0773762000. A marvelous must-have anthology
of stories, poems and songs taken from the body of children’s literature and
spanning Canadian history, and including many well-loved stories and poems. Lots of colour illustrations. Includes the following Aboriginal stories:
Taylor, C.J. How Two-Feather was Saved from Loneliness
Bruchac, Joseph. Manabozho and the Maple Trees
Fraser, Frances. How the Thunder Made Horses
Skogan, Joan. Scannah and the Beautiful Woman
Clark, Joan. Thrand and Abidith
Hehner, Barbara. Village that Stretched from Sea to Sea
Georgekish, Geordie, et al. Chikabash and the Strangers
De Brébeuf, Jean. Huron Carol
Story
Many
collection
and
Teacher
Resource
Read Gluscabi and the
Science: Weather
Wind Eagle. What is the
Watch, Wetland
importance of wind and
Ecosystems
weather?
Activity: Respect for Nature
Read Creation of the Moon Science: Wetland
from Keepers of the Night. Ecosystems
Also read Coyote Sings to
the Moon, Star Boy, and
Skysisters. What was the
original purpose of these
stories?
Activity: Respect for Nature
Prose
poetry
(Desert)
Anthology Many
- poems,
stories,
songs
Developed by Thalia Hartson for the Southern Alberta Professional Development Consortium, June 2010, updated 2014.
Activity: Respect for Nature.
Activity: Bannock in Stories
Activity: Quest or Hero
Tales
Ecosystems
Science: Wetland
Ecosystems,
Weather Watch
Social Studies:
Canada History
Language Arts:
Literature analysis
18
Literature to Support First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Student Success in Elementary Schools, Grade 5
Mon Canot
Hearne, Samuel. Coppermine Feast
Manson, Ainslie. Long Journey of “Our Dog”
Johnson, Pauline. Train Dogs
Ipellie, Alootook. I Shall Wait and Wait
Whelan, Stella. Ballad of Mary March
Shinguacouse. Letter from Shinguacouse
Dunn, Willie. Ballad of Crowfoot
Morrissey, Kim. Address to the Jury
Riel, Louis. Song of Louis Riel
Strange, Ken. Windigo Spirit
Kiakshuk. Giant Bear
Grey Owl. Big Small and Little Small
Keeshig-Tobias, Lenore. Porcupine
George, Chief Dan. And My Heart Soars
Zola, Meguido. Canadian Indian Place Names
Toye, William. Illus. Elizabeth Cleaver. Loon’s Necklace. 1977,
0195406753. This is the Native tale of how the loon came to have the distinctive white markings around its neck. Other titles:
The Fire Stealer. 1979
The Mountain Goats of Temlaham, 1969. O/P
Toye, William (NA). Elizabeth Cleaver, Illustrator (NA). How Summer
Came to Canada. 1969, 1978, 0195402901. When the Winter came down
from the North to live in eastern Canada the land became frozen and white.
Glooskap, mythical lord and creator of the Micmac Indians, saves his people when he brings a beautiful Queen to his country. Her name is Summer
and she persuades Winter to relax his icy grip every Spring while she awakens the land from its deep sleep and bestows life on everything that grows.
Karst, Amanda. Edible and Medicinal Plants of Canada. 2009,
9781551055725. Includes nearly 600 trees, shrubs, herbs, grasses with separate section for poisonous plants and gives detailed information about the
historical use of the plants by Aboriginal people, both for food and medicine. The book is well-illustrated and has a very usable format.
Folklore
Enjoy these Canadian Aboriginal folktales.
Activity: Pond Ecology
Activity: Pourquoi and
Creation Tales
Folktale Micmac Compare with How Coyote
(pourquoi)
Stole Summer
Science: Wetland
Ecosystems
Nonfiction
Science: Wetland
Ecosystems,
Classroom
Chemistry
(pourquoi)
Many
Developed by Thalia Hartson for the Southern Alberta Professional Development Consortium, June 2010, updated 2014.
Activity: Aboriginal Cultural Groups
Activity: Pond Ecology
Activity: Bannock in Stories
What plants occur in and
around your community
that can be used for food or
medicine?
What plants associated with
wetlands could be used for
food or medicine? Should
Science: Weather
Watch
Language Arts:
Comparing stories
19
Literature to Support First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Student Success in Elementary Schools, Grade 5
wetlands be protected?
Carriere, Ken. Bulrush Helps the Pond. Gabriel Dumont Institute, 2007, 0- Picture
920915-65-5. Shows prairie wetland ecology as seen by the Swampy Cree
Book
people, looking at the seasonal cycle of nature on a pond. Well illustrated,
each photo shows an animal, water bird, or plant that depends upon a
marshland ecosystem. The focus is the changing seasons: fall, ducks; winter
many animals and birds have left or are hibernating; spring, Canada geese,
bulrushes, mosquitoes, water birds and frogs; summer, ducks, bugs, falcons,
foxes, bulrush is tall and helps the pond by preventing all the water from
evaporating; fall again, birds, bulrush drops its seeds. The cycle of nature is
complete and the reader gains understanding of the fragile prairie wetland
ecosystem. Written in Swampy Cree and English.
Swampy Select two wetland animals
Cree
or birds and draw a life cycle for each, labeling the
stages and showing how
they depend upon the pond
and also how they help it.
Create a field guide to the
animals and plants referred
to in the story.
Activity: Pond Ecology
Activity: Respect for Nature
McCurdy, Michael. An Algonquian Year: A Year According to the Full
NonAlModel for writing.
Moon, 2000, 0618007059. As the moon changes, so do the seasons and the fiction
gonMake a T-chart to compare
pattern of life for the Northern Algonquians in pre-colonial North America.
quian traditional Algonquian life
With text and black and white scratchboard illustrations, we see the busy
with our lives today.
cycle of work, play and survival, and the dignity of people who live in harWhat are some of the ways
mony with nature.
in which the Algonquians
lived in harmony with nature?
Compare the names for the
months in An Algonquian
Year with those in Willa’s
New World. Tell why each
is the same or different.
Activity: Respect for Nature
Patent, Dorothy, The Buffalo and the Indians: A Shared Destiny. 2006,
NonMany Why did the Europeans
9780618485703. Countless buffalo once roamed the plains of North Ameri- fiction
slaughter most of the buffaca and for at least 10,000 years, First Nations people depended upon them
lo?
for survival. To them, the buffalo was sacred, and it was treated with great
Activity: Respect for Narespect. Then Europeans slaughtered the buffalo almost to extinction and
ture
broke the First Nations culture. Today, both First Nations cultures and the
Activity: Bannock in Stobuffalo herds are being revived.
ries
Mercredi, Morningstar and Darren McNally (Illustrator, Photographer) Fort Photo
Métis, Compare and contrast life
Chipewyan Homecoming: A Journey to Native Canada (We Are Still
graphic Cree
today with the traditional
Here). 12-year-old Matthew takes a trip to Fort Chipewyan in Alberta to
Essay
life of the Chipewyan, MéDeveloped by Thalia Hartson for the Southern Alberta Professional Development Consortium, June 2010, updated 2014.
Science: Wetland
Ecosystems
Social Studies:
People of Canada
Science: Environment
Science: Environment and
Conservation
Social Studies:
History of Canada
Social Studies:
Past and Present
20
Literature to Support First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Student Success in Elementary Schools, Grade 5
learn about his Chipewyan, Métis, and Cree heritage. His visit coincides
with the community's celebration of Treaty Days, commemorating the 1899
agreement that gave the Chipewyans hunting and fishing rights and reservation land. Each year the people gather for games, dances, sports, and feasting. Matthew also learns about traditional ways of fishing and drying fish
and making bannock and native beadwork and crafts. There are full-color
photos with clear text.
Smithyman, Kathryn and Bobbie Kalman. Native North American Foods
Non
and Recipes. 2006, 0-7787-0383-5. Describes the growing, collecting and
fiction
preparation of many different foods from different regions and Aboriginal
groups from across North America. Text is broken into easily-accessible
segments, and illustrations are many and excellent. An unusual topic with
lots of interesting cultural and lifestyle details in both text and illustrations.
tis, and Cree people.
Activity: Bannock in Stories
Use for research.
Identify characteristics of
life for Aboriginal people in
the past.
Compare food gathering and
preparation to ours of today.
Activity: Bannock in Stories
What is the reason for the
strong respect that Aboriginal people show for nature?
What lesson does this story
teach?
Activity: Respect for Nature
Activity: Pourquoi and
Creation Tales
Activity: Quest or Hero
Tales
Language Arts:
Writing a story
Activity: Quest or Hero
Tales
Language Arts:
Literature analysis
Folktale Black- Activity: Quest or Hero
(Quest) foot
Tales
(Siksika)
Language Arts:
Literature analysis
Folktale Many
Collec- Plains
Social Studies:
People of Cana-
McLellan, Joseph, (CAA), Birth of Nanabosho, 1989, 9780921827009.
Folktale Ojibwa
Explains when and why stories of creation need to be told at a certain time (pourquoi of year. This story tells of the origin of Nanabosho and how he was a spirit creation)
who could change his shape to suit his purposes. From this comes the lesson
to "treat everyone and everything with respect. You never know when
Nanabosho has changed himself into something around you, and you certainly don't want to be disrespectful to him or to anything in Creation.”
San Souci, Robert. Legend of Scarface: A Blackfeet Indian Tale. 1978,
0385132476. This is a Blackfeet legend in which a young brave travels to
the land of the Sun to ask for the hand of his beloved. Dated illustrations
and less-than-ideal page design, but there are very few Blackfoot folktales
available.
Goble, Paul. Buffalo Woman. 1984, 0689711093. A young hunter marries a
female buffalo in the form of a beautiful maiden, but when his people reject
her he must pass several tests before being allowed to join the buffalo nation.
Goble, Paul. Star Boy. 1983, 1991, 0689714998. Relates the Blackfoot legend in which Star Boy gains the Sun's forgiveness for his mother's disobedience and is allowed to return to the Sky World. He brings back the sacred
knowledge of the Sun Dance to his people.
Goble, Paul. Boy & His Mud Horses: & Other Stories from the Tipi.
2010, 978-1935493112. Beautifully illustrated by award-winning author
Folktale Black(Quest) foot
(Siksika)
Folktale
(Quest)
Plains
Developed by Thalia Hartson for the Southern Alberta Professional Development Consortium, June 2010, updated 2014.
Identify characteristics of
traditional Blackfoot life
Science: Environment
Language Arts:
Literature analysis
Language Arts:
Literature analysis
21
Literature to Support First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Student Success in Elementary Schools, Grade 5
Paul Goble, this book features a collection of 27 traditional short stories
from different Native American tribes, including the Pawnee, Cheyenne,
Blackfoot, and Lakota.
Goble, Paul. Girl Who Loved Wild Horses. 1979, 0689716966. For most
people, being swept away in a horse stampede during a raging thunderstorm
would be a terrifying disaster. For this young Native American girl Goble's
Caldecott-winning masterpiece it is a blessing. Although she loves her people, she has a much deeper, almost sacred connection to her equine friends.
The storm gives her the opportunity to fulfill her dream--to live in a beautiful land among the wild horses she loves.
Van Laan, Nancy. Rainbow Crow, 1989, 0679819428. This is a pourquoi
story of how the crow came to have black feathers. When winter comes and
the animals become cold, crow goes on a quest to seek the assistance of the
Great Spirit--who provides the gift of fire, but not without consequences to
the bird’s plumage.
Messinger, Carla. When the Shadbush Blooms. 2007, 978-1-58246-192-2.
When the leaves fly like red and yellow wings, and nuts tumble from the
trees, Dad makes the house snug and warm before cold weather. Lenni Lenape people are at the heart of this story narrated by a young girl. One side
shows a family before contact with Europeans, while the facing page presents a contemporary family engaged in the same activity. This format and
warm acrylic illustrations beautifully challenge the false notion that Indians
have vanished.
Lewis, Paul Owen. Frog Girl. 1997, 2001, 1582460485. When the frogs
suddenly vanish from the lake behind her village, a young Native American
girl is led to the frog village underneath the lake and learns what she must
do to save both the frogs and her own people. Lewis has created his own
story, drawing on the legends and motifs of the Northwest Coast peoples.
Extensive notes at the back of this book explain the importance of a quest
story and analyze the contents of this book. The story itself is spare and
simple with a great deal of information conveyed in the pictures.
McLellan, Joseph. Nanabosho Steals Fire. 1990, 0921827059. An old man
who had fire kept it for himself and was always watching to make sure no
one stole it. Nanabosho changed into a rabbit, fooled the old man’s daughters and got them to take him into their wigwam. There, he let the fire catch
onto his fur and ran out and back to his people and thereby bought them
fire. That’s why how the people got fire and that’s why the rabbit is brown
in summer – to remind the people how they got fire.
Lewis, Paul Owen. (AA). Storm Boy. 1997, 1-55285-268-7. After a violent
sea storm, a young Haida boy washes ashore in an unfamiliar village inhab-
tion
groups
Plains
da
What was the importance of Social Studies:
horses to the Plains people? People of AlberCompare to Goose Girl.
ta
Folktale
(Quest)
Lenape Activity: Quest or Hero
Tales
Language Arts:
Literature analysis
Picture
Book
Lenape Compare contemporary life
with traditional life of the
Lenape people.
Soaial Studies:
People of Canada
Folktale Haida
(Hero)
Tlingit
Folktale
Activity: Quest or Hero
Tales
Compare this folktale with
Scannah and the Beautiful Woman from Spirit
of Canada and with
Goose Girl.
Ojibwa Compare this story with
Rainbow Crow.
Activity: Quest or Hero
Tales
Activity: Trickster Tales
Activity: Pourquoi and
Creation Tales
Folktale Haida
Activity: Quest or Hero
(Hero)
Tales
(trickster,
pourquoi,
hero)
Developed by Thalia Hartson for the Southern Alberta Professional Development Consortium, June 2010, updated 2014.
Language Arts:
Literature analysis
Language Arts:
comparing stories, literature
analysis
Language Arts:
Literature analy22
Literature to Support First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Student Success in Elementary Schools, Grade 5
ited by strange colossal beings. He is made welcome with a potlatch, told
stories and taught songs and dances before he returns home to teach these to
his own people. Although he thought he was away for only one night, he
was actually gone a full year in this magical land. Extensive notes at the
back of this book explain the importance of a quest story and analyze the
contents of this book.
Yahgulanaas, Michael. Little Hummingbird. 2010, 978-1553655336. This
book is based on a South American indigenous story about a courageous
hummingbird who defies fear and expectations in her attempt to save the
forest from fire. The illustrated story is supplemented by a natural and cultural history of hummingbirds. The artwork by internationally renowned
Haida artist and author complements the optimistic tale that encourages
everyone to take responsibility for their home and the planet.
Oliviero, Jamie (AA) & Brent Morrisseau (CAA). Fish Skin. 1993.
1562824015. A small Cree boy saves his people from dying of thirst when
the Great Spirit gives him a magical fish skin.
Campbell, Maria. Little Badger and the Fire Spirit. Excellent legend of
the Alberta Cree people about how they got fire. If this is in your library,
protect it, as it is old and long out of print. Full text available at:
http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/artsed/g2arts_ed/drama/appendix.html
McDermott, Gerald. Arrow to the Sun. 1977, 978-0140502114. This intricately illustrated quest story is a story type common to the mythic legends
of many peoples. Typically in hero stories, the hero ventures forth from the
everyday world into a supernatural world where victory over obstacles must
be won, and then returns with gifts for his people. In this circular journey,
the Boy must go on a quest to find himself and in so doing, brings back to
his people both new spiritual vitality and physical security. “…the book is
superb for its power and abstract beauty.”1
Harper, Jo. Legend of Mexicatl. 2000, 978-1890515218. In this picture
book, the boy Mexicatl can hardly imagine being chosen to lead his people
– but one day the Morning Star tells him to search for “a place of harmony”
and shows him the sacred image of the eagle and snake. Mexicatl leads his
people on a long journey and finally finds the place for his people. After
Mexicatl learns the hard lessons of leadership his people finally prosper.
Richly illustrated, this story is drawn from ancient Aztec history
Dembicki, Matt. Trickster: Native American Tales: A Graphic Collection. 2010, 978-1555917241. In Trickster, 21 Native American tales are
adapted into graphic novel form. Each story is written by a different Native
1
sis
Picture
Book
(Hero)
South
American altiplano
Activity: Quest or Hero
Tales
Activity: Respect for Nature
Language Arts:
comparing stories, literature
analysis
Folktale Cree
(Hero)
Activity: Quest or Hero
Tales
Folktale
(Quest)
Cree
Activity: Quest or Hero
Tales
Language Arts:
Literature analysis
Language Arts:
Literature analysis
Folktale
(Quest)
Pueblo Activity: Quest or Hero
Tales
Language Arts:
Literature analysis
Art: Story illustration
Folktale (Aztec)
(Quest)
Activity: Quest or Hero
Tales
Language Arts:
Literature analysis, story comparison
Folktale
Activity: Trickster Tales
Language Arts:
Literature analysis
Many
(trickster),
graphic
Peterson, Andrea. Second Look: Native Americans in Children's Books. 2007, pp. 223
Developed by Thalia Hartson for the Southern Alberta Professional Development Consortium, June 2010, updated 2014.
23
Literature to Support First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Student Success in Elementary Schools, Grade 5
American storyteller who worked closely with a selected illustrator, a com- novel forbination that gives each tale a unique and powerful voice and look. Stories mat
range from serious and dramatic to funny and sometimes downright fiendish.
McDermott, Gerald. Raven: A Trickster Tale from the Pacific Northwest. 2001, 978-0152024499. Raven feels sorry for the people living in the
gloomy cold, so he flies to the house of the Sky Chief in search of light and
warmth. To get inside, Raven pulls a shape-shifting trick that allows him to
be born to the god's daughter.
Bruchac, Joseph & Bruchac, James. (AA), Girl Who Helped Thunder and
other Native American Folktales. 2008, 9781402732638. Presents 24 stories from various Native American groups, including Blackfoot and Inuit.
The Blackfoot story, Old Man and the Rolling Rock, is about Old Man, a
favourite trickster character in the tales of the Blackfoot. Old Man sometimes changes the world around him, but other times he gets into trouble. In
stories like this one, he is a perfect example of how not to behave. The Inuit
story is Blind Boy and the Loon. Excellent illustrations. For a variation on
the Rolling Rock story, go to Legend of Napi and the Rock at
http://canadian-firstnations.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_legend_of_napi_and_the_rock In this
funny version, the rock is the Okotoks Erratic and it’s after Old Man!
Friesen, John W. And Now You Know: 50 Native American Legends.
2010, 9781550593846. Provides short origin, why (pourquoi), how, and
trickster stories from mostly Canadian Nations, including Peigan, Blackfoot, Cree, Iroquois, Dene, and Swampy Cree. (One black-and-white print
illustration for each story, not great quality. Some editing errors.)
Beaver Steals Fire: A Salish Coyote Story. 2005, 9780803216402. Of all
the animals, it’s coyote who devises the plan to steal fire form Curlew so
that they may all have fire.
Folktale
Pacific
(Trickster, Northquest)
west
Compare with How Raven
Freed the Moon.
Activity: Quest or Hero
Tales
Story Col- Many,
includlection
(Trickster, ing
pourquoi,
quest)
Folklore
(Pourquoi,
trickster,
creation)
Folktale
(trickster)
How is Old Man and the
Rolling Rock a perfect example of how not to beBlackhave?
foot and Activity: Quest or Hero
Inuit
Tales
Activity: Pourquoi and
Creation Tales
Language Arts:
comparing stories, literature
analysis
Many,
Canadian
Activity: Pourquoi and
Creation Tales
Language Arts:
Literature analysis
Salish
Activity: Trickster Tales
Language Arts:
comparing stories, literature
analysis
Language Arts:
Literature analysis
Scribe, Murdo. Murdo's Story: A Legend from Northern Manitoba.
Folklore
(Pour1986, 0919143075. Accuracy and quality characterise this version of the
Origin of Seasons. The rendering brings out the complexities of the authen- quoi)
tic story.
Cardinal, Phyllis. Cree People. 1997, 155220037X. The Cree people of
Non
Alberta are shown both past and present, and in transition.
fiction
Ojibway Activity: Pourquoi and
Stout, Mary. Cree. (Native American Peoples). 2003, 0836837037. De-
Cree
Non-
Language Arts:
Literature analysis
Cree
Developed by Thalia Hartson for the Southern Alberta Professional Development Consortium, June 2010, updated 2014.
Creation Tales
Compare with How Summer Came to Canada.
Use for research.
Characterize the Cree people.
Activity: Aboriginal Cultural Groups
Use for research.
Social Studies:
Cree
Social Studies:
24
Literature to Support First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Student Success in Elementary Schools, Grade 5
scribes the origin, history, language, daily life, and future prospects of the
Cree of Canada.
Banting, Erinn. Cree (Aboriginal Peoples of Canada). 2010, 9781553886457. Covers some of the traditional ways of the Cree people for
young readers. Very easy reading, excellent photos.
Howse, Jennifer. Métis (Aboriginal Peoples of Canada). 2010, 9781553886440. Covers some of the traditional ways of the Métis people for
young readers. Very easy reading, excellent photos.
Rebus, Anna. Blackfoot (Aboriginal Peoples of Canada). 2010, 9781553886488. Covers some of the traditional ways of the Blackfoot people
for young readers. Very easy reading, excellent photos.
Kalman, Bobbie. Life in a Plains Camp. (Native Nations of North America). 2001, 0-7787-0461-0. Portrays the various aspects of life of the Plains
people with their own customs and traditions. Looks at hunting, clothing,
food, family, sports and the roles and responsibilities of various individuals.
The illustrations in the book are well done. Gives general information but
also specific details about selected groups.
Kalman, Bobbie. Native Homes. (Native Nations of North America). 2001,
978-0778704638. This book looks at many of the dwellings built by the
native nations across the continent. Detailed illustrations show the exteriors,
interiors, and way of life in each lodge. Discover thatch homes and pueblos
of the Southwest, plank houses of the Northwest Coast, wigwams, longhouses, tipis, earth lodges, pit homes, and igloos.
Rebus, Anna. Blackfoot. 2007, 9781553883319. (Canadian Aboriginal Art
and Culture). Recounts how the Inuit adapted to their surroundings. Outlines traditional ways of life, religious beliefs, celebrations and artwork.
Excellent illustrations and format.
fiction
Non
fiction
Cree
Non
fiction
Métis
Non
fiction
Blackfoot
Nonfiction
Plains
Nonfiction
Many
Use for research.
Activity: Traditional
Homes
Activity: Inventions and
Innovations
Nonfiction
Blackfoot
Lassieur, Allison. Blackfeet Nation. 2002, 0736809465. An overview of the Nonpast and present of the Blackfeet Nation, including a description of their
fiction
homes, food, clothing, religion, family life and government. Large print,
easy reading.
Fullman, Joe. Native North Americans: Dress, eat, write and play just
Nonlike the Native North Americans. 2010, 9781595662453. Make a dream
fiction
catcher, design a Navajo sand painting, create a story on buffalo hide, challenge your friends to a game of Chance, and make a teepee. Informative text
and activities help bring Aboriginal civilizations to life.
Erdrich, Louise. Birchbark House, 1999, 0786814543. Omakayas, a seven- Novel
year-old Native American girl of the Ojibwa tribe, lives through the joys of
summer and the perils of winter on an island in Lake Superior in 1847. Se-
Blackfoot
Use for research.
Characterize Blackfoot customs and lifestyle.
Activity: Aboriginal Cultural Groups
Identify characteristics of
traditional Blackfoot life.
Activity: Traditional
Homes
Activity: Traditional
Homes
Make a Teepee, pg. 17,
Make an Igloo, pg. 25.
Many
Ojibwa
Developed by Thalia Hartson for the Southern Alberta Professional Development Consortium, June 2010, updated 2014.
Use for research.
Characterize Cree customs
and lifestyle.
Use for research.
Characterize Métis customs
and lifestyle.
Use for research.
Characterize Blackfoot customs and lifestyle.
Use for research.
Activity: Traditional
Homes
Activity: Inventions and
Innovations
Read for enjoyment.
People of Canada
Social Studies:
Cree People of
Canada
Social Studies:
Métis People of
Canada
Social Studies:
Blackfoot People of Canada
Social Studies:
People of Canada
Science: Classroom Chemistry,
Weather Watch
Social Studies:
How People
Live, People of
Canada
Science: Classroom Chemistry
Social Studies:
People of Canada
Social Studies:
People of Canada
Social Studies:
People of Canada
Social Studies:
History of Canada
25
Literature to Support First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Student Success in Elementary Schools, Grade 5
quel: The Game of Silence. Easy reading. Third in series: Porcupine Year.
Crow, Joseph Medicine. Counting Coup: Becoming a Crow Chief on the
Reservation and Beyond. 2006, 978-0792253921. (National Geographic).
Joseph Medicine Crow was born in 1913 on the Crow Indian Reservation in
Montana. Trained as a warrior by his grandfather and unaware of the struggles of the tribe, Medicine Crow fondly remembers a childhood filled with
outdoor games, mud fights, and family gatherings. Despite a terrible experience at the Baptist mission school, he went away to boarding school in Oklahoma, and in 1938, he became the first male Crow Indian to graduate
from college. He studied anthropology until he was inducted into the army
in 1942. For Medicine Crow's bravery in World War II, he was declared a
Crow war chief. Medicine Crow's gentle humor make his recollections easy
to read and hard to forget.
Owens, Ann-Maureen. Forts of Canada. 1998, 155074271X. Introduces
kids to the different types of forts built across Canada. Shows how Aboriginal people built Canada's first forts and how a 14-year-old girl saved a fort
from attack. Includes hands-on activities. Spans Fort Rodd Hill in British
Columbia to Signal Hill in Newfoundland, and includes a chart and map
describing and locating all of Canada's forts.
McDowell, Pamela. Fur Trader, 2013. Good, authentic, Canadian content,
easy reading, lots of photos and drawings.
Nelson, S.D. Black Elk’s Vision: A Lakota Story. 2010, 9780810983991.
This unique perspective on American history is included here because it is
just that – quite unique. With beautiful paintings and drawing and historical
photographs, this picture book tells the true story of Black Elk using historical documents and Black Elk’s own words. This is the story of the battles of
the Little Bighorn, Wounded Knee, Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show, the European invasion, and the demise of the buffalo all from Black Elk’s Aboriginal perspective and experience. Black Elk lived from 1863 to 1950.
Marshall, Ingeborg. Beothuk of Newfoundland: A Vanished People. 1991,
9780920911181.
Biography
Crow
Non fiction
Non
fiction
Nonfiction,
How have the lives of Aboriginals changed in the last
100 years?
Activity: Fur Trader Game Social Studies:
History of Canada
Canadian
Oglala Read for enjoyment.
(Lakota)
Biography
Non
fiction
Social Studies:
History of North
America
Beothuk
Use for research.
Read Thrand and Abidith
and Ballad of Mary
March from Spirit of
Canada.
Read Copper Sunrise
Goble, Paul. Return of the Buffaloes: a Plains Indian story about famine Folktale Plains
Compare with Hidden Buf(Lakota)
and renewal of the Earth. 1996, 079222714X. This folktale is based on a (survival)
falo and Maple Moon.
Lakota myth in which a mysterious woman returns the buffalo and the other
Make a retrieval matrix.
animals to the Indian people.
Activity: Survival and Adventure Stories
Developed by Thalia Hartson for the Southern Alberta Professional Development Consortium, June 2010, updated 2014.
Social Studies:
North American
history and multiple perspectives
Social Studies:
People of Canada
Language Arts:
Compare with
other folktales
about survival.
26
Literature to Support First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Student Success in Elementary Schools, Grade 5
Non fic- Alberta
Plains
tion
Rebus, Anna. Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. 2007, 9781553883890.
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump in Alberta is one of the oldest, largest, and
best-preserved buffalo jump sites in North America and was declared a
World Heritage Site in 1981. Reveals facts about the natural, cultural, and
built heritage. Readers learn the meaning of heritage in daily life, how heritage is created, preserved and passed down to future generations.
Walsh, Alice. Pomiuk, Prince of the North. The year is 1893 in Chicago,
and the most fabulous fair the world has ever seen becomes the home for a
young Labrador Inuit boy called Pomiuk. Although he captures the hearts of
millions of people who come to see “Eskimo village,” and he sees many
wonders, he would rather be home. He eventually is able to return, but not
before he has been crippled for life. Based on a true story.
Crook, Connie Brummel. Maple Moon. 1997, 0-7737-3017-6. This story
gives one version of how the Native people discovered maple syrup. A
young disabled boy watches a squirrel sipping something from the tree he is
resting beside. The boy catches some of the liquid flowing from the tree and
brings it back to camp to show his parents the "sweet water." His story is
not believed until an elder shows faith in his words and they all watch the
wonder of the "sweet water" dripping from the trees. A very useful note by
the author on the history of this gift from the Native people is included. This
is a thoughtful story of how a sometimes-ridiculed boy helped his people
stave off starvation.
Wiebe, Rudy. Michael Lonechild, illus. (AI). Hidden Buffalo, 2003, 088995-285-X. This book tells the story of the dependency of the Cree people on the herds of buffalo. The beautiful illustrations provide rich detail of
Cree life in the 19th century in Alberta. One of the few really good books
about Alberta Aboriginal people.
Mini
Novel
Inuit
Canada: People
in history
Discuss the ethics behind
Social Studies:
actions of various people in History of Canthe story.
ada
MisPicture
sisauga
Book
(survival)
Compare with Hidden Buf- Language Arts:
falo and Return of the
Compare with
Buffaloes: a Plains Indian other folktales
about survival.
story about famine and
renewal of the Earth.
Make a retrieval matrix.
Activity: Survival and Adventure Stories
Folktale Cree
(survival)
Research the ways the Cree
people depended on the
buffalo.
Compare with other
folktales about survival.
Compare with Return of
the Buffaloes: a Plains
Indian story about famine
and renewal of the Earth.
Make a retrieval matrix.
Activity: Survival and Adventure Stories
Compare this folktale with
the Blackfoot version How
the Thunder Made Horses
from Spirit of Canada.
What differences did having
horses make for the Aborig-
Goble, Paul. Gift of the Sacred Dog. 1980, 0020432801. In response to a
Folktale Plains
boy’s prayer for help for his hungry people, the Great Spirit sends the gift of (survival)
the Sacred Dogs, horses, which help the tribe to hunt for buffalo.
Developed by Thalia Hartson for the Southern Alberta Professional Development Consortium, June 2010, updated 2014.
Language Arts:
Comparing stories.
Social Studies:
Life of the Cree
in Alberta.
Language Arts:
Compare with
other folktales.
27
Literature to Support First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Student Success in Elementary Schools, Grade 5
Blondin, John. Old Man with the Otter Medicine. 2007, 9781894778497.
It is winter and the people are starving. There are no fish. The people must
get help from the medicine man. Here is a story about an important part of
the history and culture of the Dene people. Text in Dogrib and English. Includes CD.
Blondin, John. Legend of the Caribou Boy. 2007, 9781894778480. A
young boy returns to the caribou herd that he once belonged to. Text in
Dogrib and English. Includes CD.
Thomas, Vital. Yamozha and His Beaver Wife. 2007, 9781894778572.
Yamozha forgets his promise to his wife and as a result she turns into a
beaver. He tries to catch her but is never successful. Text in Dogrib and
English. Includes CD.
Rafe, Martin. Boy Who Lived With the Seals. 1993, 0399224130. A lost
boy who has grown up in the sea with seals returns to his tribe but is
strangely changed. Many cultures all over the world have stories of children
living with animals, including seals.
Kalman, Bobbie. Famous Native North Americans. With index, glossary,
table of contents, appealing format, and beautiful, large, bright illustrations,
this book provides a look at famous native North Americans, from past to
present.
inal people?
Activity: Survival and Adventure Stories
Folktale
Dogrib Activity: Survival and Ad(survival) (Dene) venture Stories
Folktale
Dogrib
(survival) (Dene)
Folktale
Dogrib Activity: Pond Ecology
(survival) (Dene)
Folktale
Chinook Find other stories about
children living with animals.
Non
fiction
Activity: Students and Aboriginal Issues
Kalman, Bobbie. Nations of the Northwest Coast. With index, glossary,
Non
table of contents, appealing format, and large, bright illustrations, here is an fiction
historical look at the people and their culture. Topics covered include the
distinct customs, cultures, and beliefs of the various nations; dwellings used
in different seasons and locales; fishing and the use of coastal plants and
animals; traditional handicrafts, including carving and weaving; the organization of families, clans, and moieties.
North
west
Coast
Kalman, Bobbie. Nations of the Plains. 2001, 0778703681. Introduces stu- Non
dents to the customs, languages, and traditional ways of the lives of several fiction
native nations that lived on the Great Plains of North America, including the
Blackfoot.
Many,
including
Blackfoot
Blackfoot
Story of the Blackfoot People. 2001, 1552633632. For the first time in
history, the Blackfoot people share their culture, beliefs and traditions with
Nonfiction
Developed by Thalia Hartson for the Southern Alberta Professional Development Consortium, June 2010, updated 2014.
Characterize the lives of the
Aboriginal people of this
area.
Activity: Aboriginal Cultural Groups
Activity: Traditional
Homes
Activity: Inventions and
Innovations
Activity: Aboriginal Cultural Groups
Activity: Inventions and
Innovations
Language Arts:
Social Studies:
People of Canada
Social Studies:
People of Canada
Language Arts:
Legends
Language Arts:
bias in text
Social Studies:
Analysis of content
Social Studies:
People of Canada
Social Studies:
People of Canada
Use for research.
Social Studies:
List and describe all the uses People of Cana28
Literature to Support First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Student Success in Elementary Schools, Grade 5
the rest of the world. Includes way of life, Blackfoot World, how they lived
together, the land, other people, buffalo days. Lots of photos, maps, historic
information. Done in collaboration with the Glenbow Museum.
the Blackfoot people had
for buffalo.
Tell ways in which the people lived in harmony with
the land.
Activity: Respect for Nature
Folktale Arapaho Activity: Respect for Na(Quest or
ture
hero)
Activity: Quest or Hero
Tales
Taylor, C,J. (AA). Ghost and the Lone Warrior: An Arapaho Legend.
1991, 0887762646. Crippled in an accident and left behind by his hunting
party, Lone Warrior must overcome hunger, cold, pain, and despair to survive. But most terrifying of all his trials is the appearance of a skeletonghost arisen from the grave. That Lone Warrior can still remember to express his gratitude to the animal he must kill to survive, and that he does not
allow fear to diminish his dignity, makes him an ideal hero.
Graham, Georgia. A Team Like No Other. 2004, 0889952906. Set in the
Picture
mountains of southern Alberta, here is excitement and adventure in a tale
Book
about a boy and his husky sled dog. The reader can’t tell whether this story
is about an Aboriginal child or not – but does it matter?
da
Language Arts:
Comparing stories
Science: Wetland
Ecosystems
(South- Describe the management of Social Studies:
ern Al- husky sled dogs.
People and reberta)
Compare with Long Jourgions of Alberta
ney of “Our Dog” from
Language Arts:
Comparing stoSpirit of Canada.
ries
Martin, Jacqueline Briggs. Lamp, the Ice, and the Boat Called Fish, 2001, Picture
Inuit
Use the illustrations as
Art:
0-618-00341-X. Based on the true story of the boat “Fish,” part of the CaBook
models for student art.
Social Studies:
nadian Arctic Expedition in 1913, this beautiful book details the struggle to (survival)
List and explain things the
People of Canasurvive in the high arctic. It demonstrates the knowledge needed for survivInupiaq people knew that
da
al in the far north and the skills the Inupiaq had for survival. The explorers
helped them survive in the Science: Weather
take along an Inupiaq family for their survival skills and knowledge. The
arctic. What is unique about Watch
family provides hunting skills, sewing, snow houses, and much care and
their way of life?
wisdom for the expedition. Beautifully illustrated.
How did the Inuit adapt
their daily life to the changing weather?
Activity: Survival and Adventure Stories
Vogel, Carole G. Weather Legends: Native American Lore and the SciNonMany Look at traditional Aborigi- Science: Weather
ence of Weather. 2001, 978-0761319009. This unusual book explores var- fiction
nal descriptions and explaWatch
ious weather and climate phenomena from the viewpoint of the legends of
nations and compare them
various Native American peoples and modern meteorologists. Topics covto the modern-day scientific
ered include: floods; rainbows; wind; snowstorms; seasons; clouds and rain;
explanations.
thunder, lightning and tornadoes; drought and climate; and Indian summer.
How is the weather cycle
explained in the story
Clouds and Rain?
Developed by Thalia Hartson for the Southern Alberta Professional Development Consortium, June 2010, updated 2014.
29
Literature to Support First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Student Success in Elementary Schools, Grade 5
Bushey, Jeanne. Orphans in the Sky, 2005, 0889952914. A story of the
never-ending search for food, and the subsequent search for a home by two
children. A brother and sister were inadvertently left behind when the Inuit
moved to find better hunting grounds. The children returned to their old
camp for shelter but found only a flint and an old sealskin. Using these as
best they could, they considered their survival options if they lived with
different arctic animals. When Little Sister thought of living with the stars,
they happily embraced the notion. As they rose into the night sky, Little
Sister dispelled the dark with the flint and Brother's laughter made the sealskin crackle loudly. The orphans thus created Brother Thunder and Sister
Lightning.
Sterling, Shirley. My Name is Seepeetza. 1992, 978-0888991652. Her name
is Seepeetza, but at the Indian residential school in British Columbia, she is
called Martha. She hates her white name, but she is beaten if she talks "Indian." Her long hair is cut off. Other students pick on her because she has
green eyes and looks white. This book won the Sheila A. Egoff Children's
Book Prize. It’s an autobiographical novel written in the form of a diary
when Seepeetza was in grade 6 in the 1950’s. Few books detail the residential school experience.
Jordan-Fenton, Christy and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton. Fatty Legs: a True
Story. 2010, 978-1-55451-246-1. This is the true story of the challenges
that met eight-year-old Margaret after she left her home in the Arctic Circle
to attend a residential school to learn how to read. Though both her father
and older half-sister warn her of the cruelties that await, she insists on going, and within hours of arriving, she begins to understand their concerns.
One nun in particular, nicknamed the Raven, forces Margaret to wear red
wool stockings, which elicit taunts from the other students who call her
"Fatty Legs." With the help of an ally and some quick thinking, Margaret
bests the Raven. Short novel, easy reading, illustrated.
Jordan-Fenton, Christy. When I Was Eight (Adaptation of "Fatty Legs.") .
2013, 9781554514915. Beautifully illustrated and written, this is the story
of a young Inuit girl sent off to Residential School who wants to read so
badly that she endures injustice and mistreatment to achieve her goal. Her
patience and fortitude win the day.
Spalding, Andrea. Finders Keepers. 1995, 2008, 978-1550028287. While
walking through a neighbourhood field in Alberta, Danny finds an 8,000year-old arrowhead. His friend Joshua, who lives on the Piegan reserve at
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, joins him on buffalo hunts, powwows,
archaeological digs, and a break-in at the local museum. In the process
Danny learns about history and begins to overcome his dyslexia. Here’s a
Picture
Book
Inuit
(Pourquoi)
Novel
Why do thunder and lightning go together?
Activity: Pourquoi and
Creation Tales
Science: Weather
Watch
Language Arts:
Literature analysis
Describe the residential
Social Studies:
school experience. Why did Residential
the government impose res- school history
idential schools on the peo- Language Arts:
ple?
novel study
Compare this story with
Secret of the Dance.
Biography
Inuit
Find out about residential
schools and share what you
have learned with your
class.
Social Studies:
Residential
school history
Picture
Book
Inuit
Find out about residential
schools and share what you
have learned with your
class.
Social Studies:
Residential
school history
Novel
Piegan This book would make a
Social Studies:
(Black- great novel study for Social People of Alberfoot)
Studies.
ta
Language Arts:
Novel Study
Developed by Thalia Hartson for the Southern Alberta Professional Development Consortium, June 2010, updated 2014.
30
Literature to Support First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Student Success in Elementary Schools, Grade 5
very sensitive portrayal of the Piegan people of southern Alberta in a novel
that is fairly easy reading with strong boy appeal.
Wheeler, Jordan, and Dennis Jackson. (AA). Christmas at Wapos Bay.
Novel
Cree
2005, 1-55050-324-3. "From Many Peoples" is a series of novels published (Survival)
to celebrate the extraordinary stories of the many ordinary people who have
shaped the multicultural nature of the western provinces. Christmas at
Wapos Bay was written by two Saskatchewan writers with extensive ties to
the First Nations Cree people. From family stories they have written this
story of three Cree city children and their families who visit their grandparents at a remote location for Christmas. In setting out to hunt with their
Mushom, the children come to depend on the Cree traditions they have
learned from their elders for survival in the bush, and they are able to find
the food that will keep their families together for Christmas. Easy reading
level.
Denny, Elizabeth, Jenneli's Dance. 2008, 9781894778619. Jenneli is a shy Picture
Métis
young Canadian Métis girl who feels that she is nothing special, until she
Book
learns about the Métis Red River Jig from her Grandma. Jenneli's story instills a sense of pride in the Métis culture, and deals with issues of overcoming low self-esteem.
Hoyt-Goldsmith, Diane. Potlatch: A Tsimshian Celebration.1997,
Picture
0823412903. Describes the traditions of the Tsimshian Indians of the
Book
Northwest Coast, and particularly those connected with a potlatch they hold
to celebrate their heritage.
Activity: Survival and Adventure Stories
Social Studies:
People of Canada
Language Arts:
Literature analysis
Why should Janelli be able
to go to the dance?
Compare this story with
Secret of the Dance.
Social Studies:
People of Canada
Language Arts:
Literature analysis
Tsimshian
Describe a potlatch.
What was the significance
of the potlatch to the identity of the Aboriginal peoples
of the Northwest Coast?
Lynch, Wayne. Arctic Alphabet: Exploring the North from A to Z. 1999, Alphabet (The
Activity: Make an AlphaScience
9781552093344. Includes animals, plants, and landscape, combining twoBook
North) bet Book
Social Studies
to-three paragraph explanations and half-to-full-page background image
photographs, one for each letter of the alphabet. Includes 18 animals, 3
plants, and 5 other arctic phenomena such as glaciers and Inuit. Despite its
many faults, the book is engaging. The introductory description of the Arctic is very good, but there is no index.
Flett, Julie. Owls See Clearly at Night: A Michif Alphabet. 2010,
Alphabet Métis Activity: Make an AlphaLanguage Arts:
9781897476284. In Michif and English. An introduction to the Michif lanBook
Alphabet
bet Book
guage of the Métis people, mostly a combination of Cree and French.
Spalding, Andrea. Secret of the Dance. 2006, 1551433966. A young AboPicture (Pacific Describe a potlatch.
Social Studies:
riginal boy witnesses a secret ceremony (potlatch) after being told that
Book
Coast) What was the significance
History of Candancing is forbidden by law. Evocative illustrations capture the west coast
of the potlatch to the identi- ada
landscape and the sense of secrecy that is central to the story.
ty of the Aboriginal peoples
of the west coast?
Developed by Thalia Hartson for the Southern Alberta Professional Development Consortium, June 2010, updated 2014.
31
Literature to Support First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Student Success in Elementary Schools, Grade 5
Discuss the actions of the
federal government.
(Alberta Use for research and refergroups) ence.
Activity: Aboriginal Cultural Groups
Berry, Susan. Aboriginal Cultures in Alberta: Five Hundred Generations. 2004, 0-7785-2852-9. This book can be used as a student or teacher
resource. Lots of well-researched information with great photos. One copy
has been distributed free to each school in Alberta. Schools are encouraged
to contact the Provincial Museum of Alberta for additional copies. Also
available in French.
Dempsey, Hugh An Indian Names for Alberta Communities. 1969,
(Glenbow Alberta Institute). Here is an in-depth look at the places of the
First Peoples in Alberta. The book gives the different names for one place,
according to different Aboriginal groups such as the Cree, Beaver, Stony,
Peigan, Blackfoot, etc.
Non
fiction
Non
fiction
Many
Robinson, Deborah. Cree of North America. (First Peoples). 2002,
0822541785. Describes the history, modern and traditional cultural practices and economies, geographic background, and ongoing oppression and
struggles of the Cree. Excellent illustrations, appealing format, glossary,
well researched, focus is on Canadian Cree.
Loyie, Larry. As Long as the Rivers Flow: A Last Summer Before Residential School. 2002, 088994737. A short novel in picture book style about
Larry, who at 10 was living with his family near Slave Lake in Alberta
when he learned that he had to go away to school. An epilogue, with photos,
shows the residential school situation as Lawrence lived it from age 10 –14.
Non
fiction
Cree
Short
Cree
Chapter
book,
autobiographical
Loyie, Larry. Goodbye Buffalo Bay. Includes anecdotes about Larry’s life
Non
at residential school, his life after he leaves the school, and a history of resi- fiction
dential schools in Canada. Follows As Long as the Rivers Flow.
Loyie, Larry, When the Spirits Dance. 2006, 1894778405. Recounts LarAutobiry’s childhood during the World War II years. Prequel to As Long as the
ographical,
Rivers Flow.
very
short
Cree
Cree
Developed by Thalia Hartson for the Southern Alberta Professional Development Consortium, June 2010, updated 2014.
Social Studies:
History of Canada
Use for research.
Social Studies:
Look up meanings and oriAlberta people
gins of place names near
where you live.
Read Village that
Stretched from Sea to Sea
and Canadian Indian
Place Names from Spirit
of Canada.
Use for research and referSocial Studies:
ence.
People of Canada
What basic democratic
rights were withheld by the
government?
Find out why the government sent Aboriginal children to residential schools.
Have a debate with government officials on one side
and the Aboriginal parents
on the other.
What basic democratic
rights were withheld by the
government?
Describe how Larry’s life in
the 1940’s was a mix of
contemporary European
lifestyle and traditional
Cree lifestyle.
Social Studies:
Government
Language Arts:
novel study
Social Studies:
Government
Social Studies:
People of Canada
32
Literature to Support First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Student Success in Elementary Schools, Grade 5
Campbell, Nicola. (Métis Author). Shi-shi-etko. 2005, 0888996594. In four
short days, Shi-shi-etko will be forced to leave her family and all that is familiar to her to attend residential school. This is a moving and poetic account of one child's final moments spent with her family and the beauty of
the world around her. In the presence of her family, Shi-shi-etko carefully
gathers valuable teachings and memories for safekeeping.
Campbell, Nicola. (Métis Author). Shin-chi’s Canoe. 2008,
9780888998576. When they arrive at school, Shi-shi-etko reminds Shinchi,
her six-year-old brother, that they can only use their English names and that
they can't speak to each other. For Shinchi, life becomes an endless cycle of
church mass, school, work, and hunger. He finds solace at the river, with his
cedar canoe, a gift from his father, and dreaming of the day when the salmon return to the river - a sign that it’s almost time to return home. This is a
story about a devastating chapter in First Nations history.
Solomon, Chad and Meyer, Christopher. (AA). Solomon, Chad, Illustrator
(AA). Adventures of Rabbit and Bear Paws: The Sugar Bush. 2006, 09739905-0-3. Rabbit and Bear Paws is filled with adventures set in the 18th
century colonized North America, of two young mischievous Ojibwa brothers as they play pranks and have amazing adventures using traditional
Ojibwa Medicine that transforms them into animals for a short time.
Solomon, Chad and Meyer, Christopher. (AA). Solomon, Chad, Illustrator
(AA). Adventures of Rabbit and Bear Paws: Voyageurs. 0973990627.
Rabbit and Bear Paws join the Voyageurs to take the Furs from Lake of the
Woods to Montreal and experience all the trials and tribulations of being a
Voyageur.
Plain, Ferguson. (AA), Eagle Feather - An Honour. 1988, 0-921827-12-1.
This is a story of a boy and his grandfather, their special relationship and
their respect for traditional knowledge. The story is about a young Ojibwa
boy and his achievement in receiving a highly prestigious honour in his
Ojibwa culture: an Eagle feather. This young boy, whose guide is his grandfather, gains knowledge and wisdom. Monochromatic illustrations, but a
topic seldom covered in the literature.
Bouchard, David. Song Within My Heart, 2002, 1-55192-559-1. Features
poetry that celebrates Aboriginal traditions. The importance of drumming,
sacredness of story and wisdom of elders are brought to the forefront. An
excellent book for deepening understanding and respect for Aboriginal culture. Written reflections of the Cree illustrator are featured. A young boy
asks his Nokum what the drums and stories at the powwow mean. She explains that the singing and dancing are for him to find his own stories - he
must find the song within his heart. The beautiful artwork by the renowned
Picture
Book
Talk about residential
schools and what the impact was on Aboriginal
people.
Social Studies:
People of Canada
Picture
Book
Talk about residential
schools and what the impact was on Aboriginal
people.
Social Studies:
People of Canada
Graphic Ojibwa
Novel
Activity: Fur Trader Game Social Studies:
People of Canada
Graphic Ojibwa
Novel
Activity: Fur Trader Game Social Studies:
Voyageurs
Picture
Book
Ojibwa
What other cultures do you
know about that award
prizes of some sort for
achievement?
Nonfiction
Cree
Developed by Thalia Hartson for the Southern Alberta Professional Development Consortium, June 2010, updated 2014.
Social Studies:
People of Canada
Use to help develop Aborig- Social Studies:
inal perspective and aware- People of Cananess.
da
Identify some of the cusPhysical Educatoms behind the powwow
tion: Dance
celebration.
Invite an Aboriginal drum
and dance troupe to per33
Literature to Support First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Student Success in Elementary Schools, Grade 5
Cree painter, Allen Sapp, compliments the story. His note at the end describes his feelings about the importance of the powwow and the importance of keeping the young involved with their own culture.
Bouchard, David (Métis author). Long Powwow Nights. 2009,
9780889954274. Includes CD. Text in English and Mi’kmaq. The powwow
is a time-honoured Native American custom. It is a celebration of life and
spirituality, a remembrance of traditions uniting people through dance and
ritual. A mother shows her child the importance of culture and identity
through the dance and ritual of the powwow.
Poetry
Kalman, Bobbie. Celebrating the Powwow. 1997, 0865056404. Introduces
the peoples, cultures, beliefs, and events that are part of many powwows.
Nonfiction
Boyden, Linda. Powwow's Coming. 2007, 0826342655. Here’s a foundation for understanding and celebrating the enduring culture and heritage of
Native powwow. Boyden's cut-paper collages and poetry place readers
within the scenes of a contemporary Native American community while
offering a thoughtful look at powwows and their meanings to the Native
Poetry
form at the school and to
teach powwow dances.
Play CDs from Drum Calls
Softly and Sasquatch Exterminator.
Make a Dance Wand, pg. 56
in World of North American Indians.
General Identify some of the customs behind the powwow
celebration as shown in the
illustrations.
Invite an Aboriginal drum
and dance troupe to perform at the school and to
teach powwow dances.
Play CDs from Drum Calls
Softly and Sasquatch Exterminator.
Make a Dance Wand, pg. 56
in World of North American Indians.
General Identify some of the customs behind the powwow
celebration.
Invite an Aboriginal drum
and dance troupe to perform at the school and to
teach powwow dances.
Play CDs from Drum Calls
Softly and Sasquatch Exterminator.
Make a Dance Wand, pg. 56
in World of North American Indians.
General Identify some of the customs behind the powwow
celebration.
Developed by Thalia Hartson for the Southern Alberta Professional Development Consortium, June 2010, updated 2014.
Social Studies:
People of Canada
Physical Education: Dance
Social Studies:
People of Canada
Physical Education: Dance
Social Studies:
People of Alberta
34
Literature to Support First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Student Success in Elementary Schools, Grade 5
participants.
Bouchard, David. (Métis Author). Drum Calls Softly. 2008,
Poetry
9780889954212. Accompanied by a CD featuring the music of the Northern and
Cree Singers. The drums sound in the night and the dancers join hands. En- Song
joy the beauty of Aboriginal culture in words, paintings and song.
Cree
Loyie, Larry. Moon Speaks Cree: A Winter Adventure. 2013,
9781926886183. Learning the ways and lessons of Aboriginal culture,
young Lawrence rides his father's long toboggan pulled by four dogs and
learns the secrets of winter survival. The story is based on the author's experiences being raised in a traditional Cree environment in northern Alberta.
With a few black and white illustrations, this is actually a short chapter
book. Easy reading.
Pendziwol, Jean E. Red Sash. 2005, 0-88899-589-X. It is Rendezvous,
when the voyageurs who spend the winter in the North American wilderness come back to the trading post of Fort William, at the head of the Great
Lakes. A storm hits, and a young Métis boy helps to save one of the travelers. Historically-accurate illustrations give an authentic picture of life at this
busy fur-trading post.
Novel
Cree
(short,
autobiographical)
Picture
Book
Métis
Revelle, Rick. I Am Algonquin: An Algonquin Quest Novel. 2013,
9781459707184. Courage and strength are valued, and difficult decisions
must be made for the survival of the tribe, but also we see the tender and
insightful side of the society, where each member’s contribution is valued.
The author brings a new understanding and appreciation to the depth and
complexity of first nation’s peoples. This book is a real cliff-hanger – new
action and danger in almost every chapter. Great boy appeal, and a good
novel study for grade 7.
Novel
Algonquian
Smith, Cynthia, (AA), Cornelius Wright, Illustrator (AA). Jingle Dancer.
Picture
2000, 0-688-16241-X. Jenna dreams about her grandmother's jingle dancing Book
- she would love to do the same. She does have a problem, though - how
will her dress sing if it has no jingles? This is the story of a contemporary
Native girl who turns to her family and community to help her dance. A
very nice story about a modern Aboriginal child comfortable with both con-
Use to help develop Aborig- Social Studies:
inal perspective and aware- People of Cananess.
da
Play CD from Sasquatch
Music
Exterminator.
Make a Dance Wand, pg. 56
in World of North American Indians.
Characterize Larry’s Cree
Social Studies:
upbringing.
Alberta history
Read for enjoyment.
Characterize the time period.
Make a Métis alphabet
book.
Make a voyageur alphabet
book.
Activity: Fur Trader Game
Novel study.
Model for writing.
Make a T-chart to compare
traditional Algonquian life
with our lives today.
What are some of the ways
in which the Algonquians
lived in harmony with nature?
MusRead for enjoyment.
cogee Identify characteristics of
(Creek) Aboriginal lifestyle today.
In what ways is it a blend
of traditional and modern?
Invite an Aboriginal drum
Developed by Thalia Hartson for the Southern Alberta Professional Development Consortium, June 2010, updated 2014.
Social Studies:
People of Canada
Social Studies:
History of the
people of Canada
Physical Education: Dance
35
Literature to Support First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Student Success in Elementary Schools, Grade 5
temporary life and her traditions.
Bouchard, David. (Métis author). Secret of Your Name: Proud to be Mé- Poetry
tis. Text in Cree (Michif) and English. This is the story of a person discovering his Métis heritage and looking back over the culture and history of the
Métis. Provides a lot of good jumping-off-points for research.
Trottier, Maxine. Sister to the Wolf. 2004, 155337519X. When Cécile, who Novel
is French, sees Lesharo, who is Pawnee, being mistreated by his owner, she
purchases him. She and her father give him his freedom, and they become
fast friends. They try to live in the world of the French fur trade, but they
are torn between two worlds. A superb novel, well worth doing as a readaloud novel study. Probably too difficult for all students to read independently. Novel study available from Regional PD Consortia as part of
Weaving Literature into Social Studies Resource for 6-9.
Demers, Barbara. 2000. Willa’s New World, 1999, 1-55050-150-X. Willa
is 15 and arrives in York Factory on the Hudson Bay in 1795. She is on her
own trying to survive the hardships of a new world, unrelenting cold, and
some rough characters in the fur trade business. And then she must face a
journey to Fort Edmonton. Provides a very honest and compassionate look
at the relationship between the First Peoples and the incoming Europeans.
Freed, Don. Sasquatch Exterminator. 1999, 0920915418. Book is based on
a successful music education project intended to encourage Aboriginal children to write and perform community-based and culturally-enhanced songs.
Durbin, William. Broken Blade, 1997, 0-440-41184-X. In 1800 Pierre quits
Métis
and dance troupe to perform at the school and to
teach powwow dances.
Compare contemporary life
with traditional life using a
Venn Diagram.
Play CDs from Drum Calls
Softly and Sasquatch Exterminator.
Research about Métis people.
Pawnee Read aloud novel study.
Read for enjoyment – a
great read!
Compare and contrast the
attitudes of various groups
toward Aboriginal people.
Activity: Survival and Adventure Stories
Activity: Fur Trader Game
Novel
Cree
Novel study.
Make a timeline of events.
Compare Aboriginal and
European culture and values.
Compare the names for the
months in Willa’s New
World with those in An
Algonquian Year. Tell
why each is the same or
different.
Activity: Fur Trader Game
Picture
(Cree) Listen for enjoyment and
Book and
experience Aboriginal-style
Music
culture and rhythms.
CD
Play CD from Drum Calls
Softly
Novel
Métis Activity: Fur Trader Game
Developed by Thalia Hartson for the Southern Alberta Professional Development Consortium, June 2010, updated 2014.
Social Studies:
People of Canada
Language Arts:
Detecting bias
Novel study
Social Studies:
Canadian history
Social Studies:
History of Canada
Language Arts:
Read, write, represent and talk to
explore personal
understanding of
new ideas.
Social Studies:
Alberta people
Music
Social Studies:
36
Literature to Support First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Student Success in Elementary Schools, Grade 5
school to become a voyageur for the North West Company to earn money
so his family can survive the winter. It’s hard for Pierre as the youngest on
the team. But he has no choice but to endure the trip to Grand Portage and
back. The author brings in a wealth of facts about the canoes, the countryside, and tools the voyageurs used. Readers will greatly enjoy this unusual
journey and Pierre’s developing bravery, strength of character, and selfreliance. Easy reading.
Wargin, Kathy-jo. Voyageur’s Paddle. 2007, 1585360074. Story of a boy
who helps bring his voyageur father safely home through an early storm.
Includes lots of details about a voyageur’s life.
Nault, Jennifer. Hudson’s Bay Company (Canadian Fur Trade) 2007,
1553882164. The perfect grade 5 resource, highly attractive visually, excellent format, diagrams, photos, includes first-hand accounts, biographies,
aboriginal relationships, trade routes, forts, posts. Other titles in the series:
Forts and Trading Posts
North West Company
Trade Routes
Himmelman, John. Pipaluk And The Whales. 2002, 978-0792282174.
Based on an actual event, this moving story tells how a young Chukchi girl
named Pipaluk saves the lives of thousands of beluga whales trapped in a
channel with ice closing in around them in the Russian Arctic. When Pipa
and her father discover the whales, their entire village comes together in a
valiant effort to rescue the creatures. At the end of the book, an author’s
note describes the real-life event that inspired this story. This book is included because of its unusual topic.
Wikipedia: Blackfoot - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackfoot. This Web
site gives a good overview of Blackfoot history and culture. It clarifies the
various groups that comprise the Blackfoot Confederacy.
Glenbow Museum: Niitsitapiisini Our Way of Life: The Story of the
Blackfoot People. 2001, 1552633632. Information, photos, graphics and
well-researched history, supported with early photos and quotes.
Glenbow Museum: Niitsitapiisini Our Way of Life: The Story of the
Blackfoot People - http://www.glenbow.org/blackfoot/. Information, photos, graphics and activities abound in this interesting Web site.
Bouchard, David. (Métis author) Raven’s Greatest Creation. 2011, 9780978432775. One of Bouchard’s best books, this story combines many folklore elements from Canadian Aboriginal tradition to tell a marvellous creation story. Includes a CD with all artwork and music done by Aboriginal
artists.
History of Canada, voyageurs
Picture
Book
Métis
Non
fiction
Picture
Book
Activity: Fur Trader Game Social Studies:
History of Canada, voyageurs
Activity: Fur Trader Game Social Studies:
History of Canada, voyageurs
Chukchi Why is it important to save
(Russia) whales? What event is the
Science: Wetland
Ecosystems
basis for this story? Can
you find out about similar
stories?
Web site
Blackfoot
Use for research
(Ojibwe)
Social Studies:
Blackfoot People
Social Studies:
Blackfoot People of Alberta
Social Studies:
Blackfoot People of Alberta
Language Arts:
Literature analysis
Non fiction
Blackfoot
Use for research.
Web site
Blackfoot
Developed by Thalia Hartson for the Southern Alberta Professional Development Consortium, June 2010, updated 2014.
37
Use for research.
Activity: Aboriginal Cultural Groups
Folktale Canadi- Activity: Pourquoi and
(Pourquoi) an
Creation Tales
Literature to Support First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Student Success in Elementary Schools, Grade 5
Bayle, B.J. Red River Rising. 2012, 9781459702288. In 1813, after having Novel
been ejected from their beloved Scottish Highlands, 15-year-old Angus,
with his family and 100 others sail for Canada to seek a better life in the
Red River region. Their hardships prove not as dangerous as the struggle
between the fur-trading rivals. This well-written and historically-accurate
book would be a good novel study. Easy grade 7 read.
Burton, Wilfred and Anne Patton. Dancing In My Bones. (Fiddle Trilogy
Picture
#2). 2009, 9780920915899. Nolin discovers more about his Métis heritage
Book
as he travels with his Moushoom (grandfather) and experiences his first
moose hunt and successfully dances the "Bannock Jig." Includes CD. Written in both English and Michif-Cree.
Dorion, Leah Marie. The Diamond Willow Walking Stick: A Traditional Picture
Métis Story About Generosity. 2012, 9781926795096. This non-fiction
book
book that looks like a picture book shows the teachings of a Métis Elder
about the importance of generosity and teaches children to live with respect
within the circle of life. It sounds like it would be didactic and boring, but it
is actually quite moving. Written in both English and Michif-Cree. Includes
CD.
Métis
Métis
Developed by Thalia Hartson for the Southern Alberta Professional Development Consortium, June 2010, updated 2014.
Read aloud or read-aloud
novel study.
Social Studies:
History of the
people of Canada
Research to find out a little
about Métis people.
Social Studies:
Métis people
Social Studies:
People of Alberta
38
Literature to Support First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Student Success in Elementary Schools, Grade 5
Using Children’s Literature in Teaching Elementary Social Studies
Advantages:










Widespread availability
Easily integrated into thematic curricula
Generally more up to date
More focused and provide an in-depth look at social studies concepts
More interesting and less confusing for students than textbooks
Story lines help students remember concepts better
Contain colourful pictures and graphics
Present a more human side of social studies than do textbooks
Evoke both efferent (factual) and aesthetic response (emotional)
Support Inquiry and Research Processes
What Do We Look For In Non-Fiction?
Criteria:
 Large, clear, high quality colour illustrations, including both photos and drawings
 Drawings include graphs, diagrams, tables and other structures that plot information and show relationships
 Illustrations that match and support the text
 Captions that support the material
 Index
 Table of Contents
 Glossary
 Authority and currency evident in sources used in content development (e.g., sources and authorities listed)
 Text appropriate as to size, font type, placement, amount per page
 Headings and sub-headings used frequently throughout the text
 Content suitable for age of student
 Content appropriate for the intended unit of study
 Content organized in “chunks” of related material
 Print broken up by illustrations, boxes, sidebars, etc., so as to avoid long, intimidating sections of text.
 Appealing format
 Canadian or Albertan content where appropriate and available
Developed by Thalia Hartson for the Southern Alberta Professional Development Consortium, June 2010, updated 2014.
39