Lesson Plan: The Role of the Government in Inuit Education

Lesson Plan

Before Exploring

Have students browse the topic An Inuit Education on the CBC Digital Archives website and list all locations they find. Then have them find each location on a map. Ask: From looking at the map, what challenges do you think the government faced in trying to implement a plan to educate Inuit children?

Outline the Opportunity

Direct students to the website again. As they view, they will take notes on the role of the government in educating Inuit children and how effective the government was. Provide each student with the download sheet The Role of Government in Inuit Education and have them list the pros and cons of government involvement.

You may wish to have students use a jigsaw approach to gather information. Six groups can view six different sets of clips and take notes. Then one member of each group can gather to create new groups. Each person can share his or her information with the others in the group. You can divide the clips as follows:

The clips titled "To educate or not to educate?", "Welcome to the federal school", "A work opportunity or a life of confusion?", "Adaptation, evolution and control" and "Three strikes, school's out".

The clips titled "But it's breaking the family circle" and "The past will not be forgotten"

The clip titled "Inside the cultural chasm"

The clips titled "Finding a balance on Baffin Island", "A changing present, an uncertain future" and "Stereotyping at the Science Centre"

The clip titled "Linking school and suicide"

The clip titled "To save a language"

Revisit and Reflect

Have students share their lists. How do they compare? As a class, discuss the following: What was the government's motive? How did it attempt to correct its mistakes? What do you think the government's role should be?

Extension

Students can write a one-page opinion paper or a letter to the editor supporting their position on whether or not the government should have been involved in educating Inuit children.

PDF

http://www.cbc.ca/archives/upload/2012/01/inuiteducation_roleofgovernment.pdf