Native Studies

The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 and 10

1999

Introduction

The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 and 10: Native Studies, 1999 will be implemented in Ontario secondary schools starting in September 1999 for Grade 9 and in September 2000 for Grade 10. This document replaces the sections in The Common Curriculum: Policies and Outcomes, Grades 1–9, 1995 that relate to Native studies in Grade 9 and the parts of the curriculum guideline Native Studies, Intermediate Division, 1991 that relate to Grade 10.

This document is designed for use in conjunction with its companion piece, The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 to 12: Program Planning and Assessment, 2000, which contains information relevant to all disciplines represented in the curriculum.

The Place of Native Studies in the Curriculum

Native studies provides students in Ontario schools with a broad range of knowledge related to Aboriginal peoples to help them better understand Aboriginal issues of public interest discussed at the local, regional, and national levels. Students will develop the skills necessary to discuss issues and participate in public affairs. Through their involvement in Native studies, they will increase their awareness and understanding of the history, cultures, world views, and contributions of Aboriginal peoples in Canada. The program will also provide students with opportunities to enhance the problem-solving and critical-thinking skills that they will require in postsecondary education, the world of work, and their roles as active citizens.

By its very nature, Native studies is integrative. For example, when students examine the terms of a treaty negotiated by an Aboriginal nation with the Crown, they are combining both Native studies and history. When they use the works of Aboriginal writers to study the theme of renewal, they are combining Native studies and English. Similarly, when they use multimedia resources to create art forms about contemporary Aboriginal issues, they are combining Native studies with art.

Subject matter from any course in Native studies can be combined with subject matter from one or more courses in other disciplines to create an interdisciplinary course. The policies and procedures regarding the development of interdisciplinary courses are outlined in the interdisciplinary studies curriculum policy document.

In the elementary program, students compare cultures found within Canada, examine lifestyles from different geographic settings, and study the accomplishments of important people in Canada. The Grade 7 and 8 history and geography program emphasizes the partnerships and alliances between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples in Canada before 1867, as well as the experiences of Aboriginal peoples within the Canadian nation during the final decades of the nineteenth century. The material in Grade 7 and 8 history and geography provides students with sufficient background to the topics and issues that will be examined in greater depth and breadth in Native studies at the secondary level.

The diversity of cultural, linguistic, racial, and religious groups is a valuable characteristic of Canadian society, and schools can help prepare all students to live harmoniously in a multicultural society in the interdependent world of the twenty-first century.

Canada is the land of origin for Aboriginal peoples, and the history of Canada begins with them. As the first people of Canada, Aboriginal peoples are unique in Canada’s mosaic. Thus exploration of the development and contributions of Aboriginal societies is central to an understanding of the social fabric of this country.

The Program in Native Studies

Overview

The program in Native studies comprises courses offered in Grades 9 to 12. Two Native studies courses are offered in Grades 9 and 10 (see the following table). This document contains the curriculum expectations for these two courses. The Grade 9 course, Expressing Aboriginal Cultures, provides an overview of the various art forms used by Aboriginal peoples to communicate information about Aboriginal cultures. The Grade 10 course, Aboriginal Peoples in Canada, highlights twentieth-century history and contemporary issues from an Aboriginal perspective.

As outlined in The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 to 12: Program Planning and Assessment, 2000, the new curriculum for secondary school is organized into several types of courses. (See the document mentioned for a description of the different types of secondary school courses.) However, not all types of courses are available in every discipline. In the Native studies program, there is only one type of course – the “open” course – in Grades 9 and 10.

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A Note About Credits. Courses offered in Native studies may be delivered as half-courses, earning half-credits. Half-credit courses, which require a minimum of fifty-five hours of scheduled instructional time, must adhere to the following conditions:
	* Courses offered as half-credit courses must include a selection of learning expectations from all strands and must reflect the balance among strands that characterizes the full course.
	* A course that is a prerequisite for another course may be offered as two half-courses, but the student must successfully complete both parts of the course to claim the prerequisite.
	* The title of each half-credit course must include the designation Part 1or Part 2. A half- credit (0.5) will be recorded in the credit-value column of both the report card and the Ontario Student Transcript. Students are not required to complete both Part 1 and Part 2 unless the course is a prerequisite for another course that the student wants to take.

The credit earned for the course Expressing Aboriginal Cultures may be used to meet the compulsory credit requirement for the arts, as stated in Ontario Secondary Schools, Grades 9 to 12: Program and Diploma Requirements, 1999.

Teaching Approaches

Teachers of Native studies courses are encouraged to use an integrative approach to teaching the curriculum, using a mixture of subject-based approaches to explore the ideas associated with each strand. Given the cultural topics and contemporary issues in the Native studies curriculum, teachers will find it necessary to reach beyond the usual sources in preparation for instruction, including First Nations community-based resources, electronic media, and Aboriginal elders, who are recognized as the “keepers of traditional knowledge”.

Curriculum Expectations

The expectations identified for each course describe the knowledge and skills that students are expected to develop and demonstrate in their class work, on tests, and in various other activities on which their achievement is assessed and evaluated.

Two sets of expectations are listed for each strand, or broad curriculum area, of each course. The overall expectations describe in general terms the knowledge and skills that students are expected to demonstrate by the end of each course. The specific expectations describe the expected knowledge and skills in greater detail.

The specific expectations are organized under subheadings. This organization is not meant to imply that the expectations in any one group are achieved independently of the expectations in the other groups. The subheadings are used merely to help teachers focus on particular aspects of knowledge and skills as they plan learning activities for their students.

Many of the expectations are accompanied by examples, given in parentheses. These examples are meant to illustrate the kind of skill, the specific area of learning, the depth of learning, and/or the level of complexity that the expectation entails. They are intended as a guide for teachers rather than as an exhaustive or mandatory list.

Strands

Expectations for Native studies are organized in four distinct but related strands: Identity, Relationships, Sovereignty, and Challenges. The course entitled Aboriginal Peoples in Canada has an additional strand: Methods of Historical Inquiry.

Identity. Identity is a concept based on the question Who am I? The investigation of identity is a personal journey of discovery and realization, which is part of the maturation process of all students during the adolescent years. Historical events, such as the Indian Act, have made the issue of identity a particular concern to Aboriginal peoples and all Canadians.

Relationships.This strand serves as a focus for exploring ties that Aboriginal peoples have developed and maintained with the land and its life-sustaining resources. In addition, students will explore the personal connections that Aboriginal peoples have made spiritually and culturally with their world.

Sovereignty. In the traditional governments of Aboriginal peoples, sovereignty is based on a spiritual understanding that the Creator gives human beings the responsibility for governing themselves and taking care of the natural environment. In current discussions about sovereignty, Aboriginal peoples assert that this understanding is within themselves and that self-determination is basic to the needs of all human beings.

Challenges. Among the range of challenges faced by Aboriginal peoples today is the need to reclaim, reassert, and further develop the distinct identities, relationships, and sovereignty that they have always held.

Methods of Historical Inquiry. In this strand, students will investigate historical topics and issues related to Aboriginal peoples, carrying out research, recording and organizing information, analysing and evaluating information, communicating the results of their research, and applying their insights to other situations.

Expressing Aboriginal Cultures, Grade 9, Open (NAC1O)

This course examines Aboriginal cultures in Canada through an exploration of art forms – painting, sculpture, storytelling, dance, and music – created by Aboriginal artists. Students will learn to identify Aboriginal art forms and describe relationships between the art forms and Aboriginal traditions, philosophy, and culture. Students will also create their own art forms to express their understanding of Aboriginal identity, relationships, and sovereignty.

Identity

Overall Expectations

By the end of this course, students will:
	* describe the elements of culture reflected in various art forms;
	* demonstrate understanding of how Aboriginal art forms reflect cultural identity;
	* produce Aboriginal art forms that portray Aboriginal culture;
	* demonstrate understanding of traditional Aboriginal forms of expression and their influence on the portrayal of Aboriginal identity in contemporary art forms.

Specific Expectations

Viewing and Understanding

By the end of this course, students will:
	* describe the specific characteristics that define cultural identity (e.g., types of housing, language);
	* identify characteristics of art forms (e.g., totem poles, storytelling, songs) from various Aboriginal groups in Canada;
	* describe gender roles in the creation and maintenance of traditions, values, and beliefs in traditional and contemporary Aboriginal art forms;
	* explain how the traditional art forms of particular Aboriginal communities were produced;
	* explain the creation of Aboriginal art forms as a way of maintaining the values, traditions, and beliefs of particular communities;
	* identify symbols found in the traditional and contemporary art forms of specific Aboriginal groups;
	* explain how symbols represent specific Aboriginal cultures;
	* explain the importance of an art form to a cultural group.

Creating and Practising

By the end of this course, students will:
	* identify the strategies and processes used to create traditional Aboriginal art forms;
	* produce sketches of symbols and images used in traditional art forms;
	* demonstrate understanding of the skills used to create traditional Aboriginal art forms;
	* identify appropriate resources, themes, strategies, and processes for creating traditional Aboriginal art forms;
	* produce art forms that demonstrate understanding of the art form characteristics of a specific Aboriginal culture.

Applying Knowledge

By the end of this course, students will:
	* explain how Aboriginal art forms differ across Canada;
	* identify various reasons for the creation of Aboriginal art (e.g., functional, moral/spiritual, social/political, decorative/aesthetic);
	* interpret the meaning of Aboriginal art forms in the context of tradition, contemporary art, and today’s society;
	* describe the contributions of Aboriginal artisans to Canadian society (e.g., Tomson Highway – theatre; Graham Greene – acting; Pauline Johnson – poetry; Robbie Robertson – music; various Inuit sculptors);
	* describe how contemporary Aboriginal art forms relate to traditional Aboriginal art forms.

Relationships

Overall Expectations

By the end of this course, students will:
	* demonstrate understanding of the relationships among Aboriginal peoples, their environments, and art forms;
	* identify how specific Aboriginal art forms reflect aspects of the society that produced them;
	* produce art forms that demonstrate Aboriginal relationships.

Specific Expectations

Viewing and Understanding

By the end of this course, students will:
	* describe aspects of traditional and contemporary Aboriginal relationships, including the relationships of Aboriginal peoples among themselves, to their communities and nations, to Canada, and to the natural environment;
	* describe how their art forms demonstrate the relationships of Aboriginal peoples to themselves, their families, their communities (including gender roles), their nations, Canada, and the natural environment;
	* explain how natural environments affect the development of Aboriginal art forms (e.g., Inuit soapstone carving);
	* describe the role of art forms in relation to the environment in specific Aboriginal cultures.

Creating and Practising

By the end of this course, students will:
	* identify materials (e.g., tobacco, sage, deer hide) that demonstrate specific relationships among Aboriginal peoples and their environments, including people;
	* use appropriate natural materials to reproduce art forms that convey some aspect of Aboriginal peoples’ beliefs or values related to good relationships;
	* produce art forms, using multimedia approaches, to illustrate various relationships to the natural environment.

Applying Knowledge

By the end of this course, students will:
	* compare relationships in the Aboriginal art forms of various Aboriginal cultures;
	* explain what Aboriginal artists or artisans might have been trying to express through their work;
	* demonstrate understanding of the meaning of art forms in specific Aboriginal cultures (e.g., a case study of a visual artist or the meaning of West Coast symbols);
	* explain how traditional forms of expression influence modern designs in Aboriginal art forms;
	* compare the importance of Aboriginal art forms to different Aboriginal groups;
	* describe how the relationships between various Aboriginal art forms reflect particular regions and different cultural groups.

Sovereignty

Overall Expectations

By the end of this course, students will:
	* explain how art forms can be an expression of sovereignty;
	* identify different interpretations of sovereignty exemplified in various art forms;
	* demonstrate how Aboriginal art affirms Aboriginal cultures.

Specific Expectations

Viewing and Understanding

By the end of this course, students will:
	* describe how art forms represent customs, world views, traditions, beliefs, and sovereignty;
	* identify, in Aboriginal art forms, the changing roles of women, from child to youth to adult or elder;
	* explain how Aboriginal art forms communicate the philosophy and political and cultural values of Aboriginal peoples;
	* describe qualities in Aboriginal art forms that exemplify self-reliance;
	* identify Aboriginal art forms that promote sovereignty;
	* identify the characteristics of sovereignty;
	* identify Aboriginal multimedia art forms that have sovereignty as their theme;
	* demonstrate understanding of the importance of women in Aboriginal cultures.

Creating and Practising

By the end of this course, students will:
	* demonstrate an appreciation of the diversity of Aboriginal art forms;
	* produce art forms that have sovereignty as their theme, using a combination of traditional and new technologies.

Applying Knowledge

By the end of this course, students will:
	* describe how Aboriginal artists represent sovereignty in their work;
	* demonstrate understanding of the importance of art forms as an expression of a sovereign identity;
	* explain how Aboriginal art forms can be a means of self-expression and collective identity that re-establish sovereign relationships.

Challenges

Overall Expectations

By the end of this course, students will:
	* demonstrate understanding of the impact of Aboriginal art forms on society;
	* explain how art forms are a means for promoting dialogue and healing in Aboriginal communities;
	* demonstrate understanding of issues related to the production of Aboriginal art forms;
	* identify how new and evolving art forms reclaim, revive, and sustain Aboriginal cultures.

Specific Expectations

Viewing and Understanding

By the end of this course, students will:
	* demonstrate understanding of issues related to the production, ownership, and display of Aboriginal art forms;
	* explain how stereotypical messages are expressed in art forms;
	* describe how selected artists and their works represent their cultural groups;
	* describe the skills and processes that selected artists use to create their art forms;
	* explain how art forms are expressions of the celebration of Aboriginal peoples.

Creating and Practising

By the end of this course, students will:
	* produce Aboriginal-style art forms that reflect solutions to contemporary issues of Aboriginal peoples;
	* create Aboriginal-style art forms that promote dialogue related to healing and affirmation;
	* produce Aboriginal-style art forms that use a multimedia approach to portray personal identity.

Applying Knowledge

By the end of this course, students will:
	* describe how Canadian, international, and Aboriginal art audiences react to Aboriginal art forms;
	* describe images that represent various Aboriginal cultures;
	* describe how Aboriginal art forms promote communication within, and the growth of, selected Aboriginal communities;
	* identify ways that contemporary Aboriginal art forms contribute to the renewal and healing of Aboriginal societies;
	* describe how Aboriginal groups contribute to global communities.

Aboriginal Peoples in Canada, Grade 10, Open (NAC2O)

This course emphasizes historical and contemporary issues that affect the relationship between Aboriginal peoples and Canadian governments. Students will examine legal, political, social, and economic issues; key aspects of the Indian Act and its revisions that have an impact on the daily lives of Aboriginal persons; the different types of relationships that Aboriginal peoples have established with other nations throughout history; and the methodology of historical inquiry.

Identity

Overall Expectations

By the end of this course, students will:
	* describe the characteristics of nationhood;
	* demonstrate understanding of the experiences of Aboriginal peoples in twentieth-century Canadian history;
	* explain how Canadian government policies have affected Aboriginal identity in the twentieth century;
	* identify current Aboriginal groups and leaders, and national, provincial, and local Aboriginal role models (e.g., Phil Fontaine – Grand Chief of the Assembly of First Nations; Ms. Okalik Eegeesiak – President, Inuit Tapirisat of Canada; Harry Daniels – Métis political leader; Katie Rich – Innu political leader);
	* identify Aboriginal individuals who have contributed to the development of Canadian identity since 1900.

Specific Expectations

Aboriginal World View

By the end of this course, students will:
	* compare the characteristics of different Aboriginal cultures in Canada;
	* describe the basic values of modern Aboriginal society and how these values influence the political, social, economic, and legal affairs of Aboriginal communities in Canada;
	* explain the significance of symbols that Aboriginal peoples use (e.g., eagle feather, wampum belt, covenant chain, Métis sash, Inuit amulet pouch).

Aboriginal and Canadian Relations

By the end of this course, students will:
	* identify significant events and issues that have had an impact on Aboriginal peoples and their communities (e.g., the introduction of European, Asian, and African diseases, such as tuberculosis and HIV; residential schools; the relocation of Inuit communities in the high Arctic);
	* describe the key aspects of the Indian Act and the impact that it has on the lives of Aboriginal peoples;
	* identify Aboriginal individuals who have contributed to the development of Canadian identity (e.g., Chief Dan George, Buffy Ste. Marie, Susan Aglukark);
	* identify social, economic, and political issues within Aboriginal communities in relation to Canadian government policies.

Renewal and Reconciliation

By the end of this course, students will:
	* identify examples of the growing activism of Aboriginal groups in the twentieth century;
	* identify issues currently affecting Aboriginal peoples and the responses of local and national leadership to these issues;
	* explain why the recognition of Aboriginal identity is an important component of understanding Canada’s identity;
	* assess the efforts of individuals from different Aboriginal communities to further the interests of Aboriginal peoples.

Skills and Applications

By the end of this course, students will:
	* use correctly terms related to the discussion of Aboriginal identity (e.g., culture, assimilation, Indian Act, Métis, Inuit);
	* identify sources of information on the efforts made by Aboriginal peoples to define and express their identity within Canada during the twentieth century;
	* identify, chronologically or thematically, significant events involving Aboriginal peoples in twentieth-century Canadian history;
	* assess conflicting viewpoints about an Aboriginal identity that is distinct within Canada;
	* describe the results of research on topics related to Aboriginal identity.

Relationships

Overall Expectations

By the end of this course, students will:
	* describe different types of relationships that Aboriginal peoples have established with Canada;
	* identify the factors responsible for the development of relationships among Aboriginal peoples and between Aboriginal peoples and other groups, organizations, or nations;
	* demonstrate understanding that different interpretations exist regarding relationships between Aboriginal peoples and the Crown.

Specific Expectations

Aboriginal World View

By the end of this course, students will:
	* identify different points of view concerning a Canadian treaty negotiated between Indians and the government;
	* demonstrate understanding of the different considerations that define the social, economic, and political relationships that developed between Aboriginal peoples and Canadian society.

Aboriginal and Canadian Relations

By the end of this course, students will:
	* demonstrate understanding of the continuity and change that characterized relationships formed between Aboriginal peoples and Canadian society;
	* describe how Aboriginal communities supported the Canadian government’s war efforts during the two world wars and their motivation for lending this support;
	* describe the sacrifices and achievements of Aboriginal people who served in the Canadian military during the two world wars and the Korean War;
	* describe the experiences of Aboriginal war veterans on their return to Canada;
	* describe the efforts of the Canadian government to redefine its relationship with Aboriginal peoples (e.g., Indian Act, 1951; Choosing a Path, 1968; Statement of the Government of Canada on Indian Policy, 1969; Bill C-31, 1985; Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, 1997; Statement of Reconciliation, 1998).

Renewal and Reconciliation

By the end of this course, students will:
	* describe the impact of the Constitution Act of 1982 on Aboriginal and Canadian relations (i.e., the entrenchment of Métis, Aboriginal, and Inuit rights);
	* describe the different economic relationships that Aboriginal peoples in Canada have cultivated with the public and private sectors (e.g., ecotourism, co-management of Crown lands, banking).

Skills and Applications

By the end of this course, students will:
	* use correctly terms related to the discussion of relationships involving Aboriginal peoples (e.g., treaty, enfranchisement, alliance, reconciliation);
	* identify sources of information on the different types of relationships that Aboriginal peoples have cultivated with other groups during the twentieth century;
	* identify, chronologically or thematically, significant relationships that existed and still exist among Aboriginal organizations within Canada and between Aboriginal organizations and other groups during the twentieth century;
	* evaluate historical sources that discuss alliances or relationships involving Aboriginal peoples, assessing their credibility and authenticity;
	* explain relationships cultivated by Aboriginal nations in Canada.

Sovereignty

Overall Expectations

By the end of this course, students will:
	* identify historic and contemporary events affecting the self-determination of Aboriginal peoples;
	* demonstrate understanding of the structures and decision-making processes of Aboriginal governments and levels of government in Canada;
	* explain how sovereign governments make laws and exercise jurisdiction concerning their citizens, lands, and resources;
	* describe the basic values that underlie Aboriginal and Canadian political and legal systems.

Specific Expectations

Aboriginal World View

By the end of this course, students will:
	* demonstrate understanding of the importance of self-determination to the lives of Aboriginal peoples;
	* describe the sources of authority for traditional and contemporary Aboriginal governments.

Aboriginal and Canadian Relations

By the end of this course, students will:
	* describe various ways of exercising autonomy (e.g., defining territorial boundaries, defining the criteria for citizenship) used by Aboriginal peoples and the government of Canada;
	* demonstrate how Aboriginal peoples develop forms of governance within communities (e.g., within the Sechelt community [Bill C-43, 1986], Nunavut territory, Six Nations).

Renewal and Reconciliation

By the end of this course, students will:
	* describe how Aboriginal peoples are achieving dignity and self-reliance;
	* describe how different Aboriginal nations have sought international support for issues relating to self-determination (e.g., the Six Nations petition to the League of Nations in 1923, the Grand Council of the Crees of Quebec representations at the United Nations in 1987);
	* describe the recommendations of different government commissions and panels concerning Aboriginal governance in Canada (e.g., the Hawthorn Report, 1966-67; Indian Affairs Policy Statement on Claims, 1973; the Berger Inquiry, 1977; Canada – Strengthening of Indian Band Government in Canada, 1982; Report of the Special Parliamentary Committee on Indian Self-Government [“the Penner Report”], 1983; the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, Final Report, 1997).

Skills and Applications

By the end of this course, students will:
	* use correctly terms related to the discussion of Aboriginal sovereignty (e.g., sovereignty, self-determination, jurisdiction);
	* describe, chronologically or thematically, events in which Aboriginal peoples have attempted to exercise their sovereignty;
	* assess different points of view concerning the existence of Aboriginal sovereignty within the Canadian nation;
	* explain issues relating to Aboriginal sovereignty.

Challenges

Overall Expectations

By the end of this course, students will:
	* describe the challenges that social, economic, and political renewal pose for Aboriginal and other communities throughout Canada;
	* describe the impact of twentieth-century innovations in technology on Aboriginal communities;
	* describe the many aspects of Aboriginal identity;
	* describe how Aboriginal peoples have adapted to change.

Specific Expectations

Aboriginal World View

By the end of this course, students will:
	* explain various ethical issues related to the past and current use of technology with respect to Aboriginal communities;
	* describe how traditional Aboriginal values are maintained in the twentieth century;
	* identify ways in which Aboriginal leaders, healers, and elders have responded to change.

Aboriginal and Canadian Relations

By the end of this course, students will:
	* identify contemporary challenges that Aboriginal women face within Aboriginal and Canadian society;
	* describe the impact that technological developments have had on Aboriginal society during the latter half of the twentieth century.

Renewal and Reconciliation

By the end of this course, students will:
	* assess the steps that Aboriginal and other communities would have to go through to achieve greater collaboration and understanding;
	* demonstrate understanding of the specific challenges that urban-based Aboriginal communities face;
	* assess conflicting viewpoints concerning the future of Aboriginal peoples in Canada.

Skills and Applications

By the end of this course, students will:
	* use correctly terms related to the discussion of challenges that Aboriginal peoples face within Canada (e.g., urbanization, marginalization);
	* identify sources of information on the changes that Aboriginal society has experienced during the twentieth century;
	* identify trends, their causes, and their implications by examining demographic data on Aboriginal peoples in Canada;
	* analyse the impact of demographic change on Aboriginal communities (e.g., urbanization, the birth rate);
	* explain how Aboriginal nations have attempted to adapt to changing circumstances.

Methods of Historical Inquiry

Overall Expectations

By the end of this course, students will:
	* research and explain historical topics and issues related to Aboriginal peoples;
	* research and describe relevant information about Native studies using a variety of sources of information;
	* demonstrate understanding of how to analyse and evaluate information when conducting research on a historical topic or issue;
	* demonstrate the ability to apply insights gained in Native studies to other situations and communicate the results of research in oral and written presentations.

Specific Expectations

Investigating Historical Topics and Issues

By the end of this course, students will:
	* use correctly terms related to historical organization and inquiry (e.g., chronology, cause and effect, short- and long-term consequences, interpretation);
	* use who, what, where, when, why, and how questions to describe and analyse historical topics and issues;
	* formulate and use thesis statements appropriately to conduct research on historical topics or issues.

Carrying Out Research, and Organizing and Recording Information

By the end of this course, students will:
	* identify information about Native studies, using the school library–resource centre, community and government resources, computer databases, computer-stored information, and the Internet;
	* record and organize information using notes, lists, concept webs, time lines, organizers, charts, maps, graphs, and mind maps;
	* use computer-based systems to organize information for research, report preparation, and presentation;
	* use correctly notation methods (e.g., footnotes, endnotes, parenthetical explanations) and proper formatting to acknowledge sources of information in reports and essays.

Analysing and Evaluating Information

By the end of this course, students will:
	* identify different viewpoints and bias when preparing reports or participating in discussions;
	* distinguish between primary and secondary sources of information and use both appropriately in historical research;
	* distinguish between fact and inference in primary and secondary sources (e.g., artefacts, visuals, written documents);
	* make conclusions that are based on adequate and relevant supporting evidence.

Communicating the Results of Research and Applying Insights to Other Situations

By the end of this course, students will:
	* demonstrate the ability to make reasoned generalizations or appropriate predictions based on research;
	* demonstrate competence in research and writing (e.g., gathering information, building an argument, supporting the argument with evidence, writing, editing);
	* demonstrate the ability to express ideas and arguments in a coherent, comprehensible manner during discussions and debates or in reports and graphic displays;
	* demonstrate understanding of historical events through simulations or role plays.

Some Considerations for Program Planning in Native Studies

Teachers who are planning a program in Native studies must take into account considerations in a number of important areas. Essential information that pertains to all disciplines is provided in the companion piece to this document, The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 to 12: Program Planning and Assessment, 2000. The areas of concern to all teachers that are outlined there include the following:
	* types of secondary school courses
	* education for exceptional students
	* the role of technology in the curriculum
	* English as a second language (ESL) and English literacy development (ELD)
	* career education
	* cooperative education and other workplace experiences
	* health and safety

Considerations relating to the areas listed above that have particular relevance for program planning in Native studies are noted here.

Education for Exceptional Students. The courses in Native studies provide teachers with the latitude to make modifications to meet the needs of exceptional students as set out in their Individual Education Plan. Although each course stresses the acquisition of information and skills and the communication of ideas, the means for accomplishing these aims are varied, ranging from written stories to oral presentations to various art forms.

The Role of Technology in the Curriculum. Electronic links may be used in Native studies courses to connect students located in isolated communities with others in more densely populated areas to enhance cross-cultural awareness and encourage dialogue. Access to information technology provides students with a resource base that they can use for research and to find out about employment opportunities. Electronic links will assure students in distant communities equity of access to information and educational materials in their exploration of Native studies.

English As a Second Language and English Literacy Development (ESL/ELD). Students taking ESL/ELD and Native studies courses will learn about the long history of Native peoples in Canada. All Native studies courses will provide opportunities for inquiry into and discussion of the culture of Native peoples in Canada and issues that concern them, including land claims, treaties, and self-government. Students may also explore vocabulary derived from Native languages.

Career Education. Native studies courses offered in Grades 9 and 10 will provide all students with opportunities to develop self-awareness, which is important when pursuing learning and career opportunities beyond the secondary school experience. Access to community leaders, career professionals, and elders will enable students in Native studies courses to further their understanding of employment opportunities.

Cooperative Education and Other Workplace Experiences. Cooperative education, work experience, and community service associated with Native studies will provide unique opportunities for students to work with Aboriginal professionals, entrepreneurs, and spiritual leaders to enrich their personal, vocational, and cultural experiences.

The Achievement Chart for Native Studies

The achievement chart that follows identifies four categories of knowledge and skills in Native studies – Knowledge/Understanding, Thinking/Inquiry, Communication, and Application. These categories encompass all the curriculum expectations in courses in the discipline. For each of the category statements in the left-hand column, the levels of student achievement are described. (Detailed information on the achievement levels and on assessment, evaluation, and reporting policy is provided in The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 to 12: Program Planning and Assessment, 2000.)

The achievement chart is meant to guide teachers in:
	* planning instruction and learning activities that will lead to the achievement of the curriculum expectations in a course;
	* planning assessment strategies that will accurately assess students’ achievement of the curriculum expectations;
	* selecting samples of student work that provide evidence of achievement at particular levels;
	* providing descriptive feedback to students on their current achievement and suggesting strategies for improvement;
	* determining, towards the end of a course, the student’s most consistent level of achievement of the curriculum expectations as reflected in his or her course work;
	* devising a method of final evaluation;
	* assigning a final grade.

The achievement chart can guide students in:
	* assessing their own learning;
	* planning strategies for improvement, with the help of their teachers.

The achievement chart provides a standard province-wide method for teachers to use in assessing and evaluating their students’ achievement. Teachers will be provided with materials that will assist them in improving their assessment methods and strategies and, hence, their assessment of student achievement. These materials will contain samples of student work (exemplars) that illustrate achievement at each of the levels (represented by associated percentage grade ranges). Until these materials are provided, teachers may continue to follow their current assessment and evaluation practices.

To ensure consistency in assessment and reporting across the province, the ministry will provide samples of student work that reflect achievement based on the provincial standard, and other resources based on the achievement charts. As these resources become available, teachers will begin to use the achievement charts in their assessment and evaluation practices.

To support this process, the ministry will provide the following:
	* a standard provincial report card, with an accompanying guide
	* course profiles
	* exemplars
	* curriculum and assessment videos
	* training materials
	* an electronic curriculum planner

When planning courses and assessment, teachers should review the required curriculum expectations and link them to the categories to which they relate. They should ensure that all the expectations are accounted for in instruction, and that achievement of the expectations is assessed within the appropriate categories. The descriptions of the levels of achievement given in the chart should be used to identify the level at which the student has achieved the expectations. Students should be given numerous and varied opportunities to demonstrate their achievement of the expectations across the four categories. Teachers may find it useful to provide students with examples of work at the different levels of achievement.

The descriptions of achievement at level 3 reflect the provincial standard for student achievement. A complete picture of overall achievement at level 3 in a course in Native sutdies can be constructed by reading from top to bottom in the column of the achievement chart headed “70–79% (level 3)”.

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Explanatory Notes

The following definitions of terms are intended to help teachers and parents/ guardians use this document.
Aboriginal peoples.

The indigenous inhabitants of Canada, including status and non-status Indians, the Inuit, and the Métis peoples, without regard to their separate origins and identities. This collective term is interchangeable with Native peoples.
Aboriginal rights.

The rights that Native peoples retain based on their original occupancy of the land.
Aboriginal world view.

A balanced, harmonious, and orderly relationship between people and the world. The Aboriginal peoples evolved distinctive lifestyles founded on this concept.
appropriation.

When Aboriginal cultural motifs, themes, images, and so on are made use of by non-Aboriginal peoples without authority.
art form.

Any created product (e.g., story, dance, song, sculpture, or visual arts representation).
assimilate.

To absorb one group into the culture of another.
band.

A specific group of Aboriginal people officially registered under the Indian Act and usually identified with specific reserve land.
Bill C-31.

A bill that amended in 1985 certain sections of the Indian Act, in particular those related to status and band membership provisions.
community.

A collection of people who are united by kinship, tradition, language, culture, or circumstance. Communities traditionally provide a sense of individual and collective identity.
First Nation.

A term used in place of Indian band.
indigenous peoples.

Populations who are the original inhabitants of a particular region or environment.
Inuit.

A people also known as Inuvialuit, and previously known as Eskimo.
Métis.

People of mixed Aboriginal and European ancestry.
reserve.

A tract of land set aside by agreement or treaty for the exclusive use of an Indian band, currently referred to as a First Nation community.
residential schools.

The Indian Act stipulates that the federal government is responsible for the education of status Indian children from the ages of six to eighteen. The act authorizes the Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs to enter into agreements regarding the education of status Indian children with the government of a province, a public or separate school board, or a religious or charitable organization. Residential schools controlled by the churches comprised the basis of Native education for over a hundred years. Residential schools began to be closed in 1969; the last one closed in 1988.
self-government.

The right to govern, including the right to administer taxes, pass laws, manage land and natural resources, negotiate with other governments, and, in some instances, take responsibility for education, health, safety, and welfare services for a given community.
sovereignty.

Freedom from outside control (in the case of a nation, freedom to govern itself).
treaties.

Agreements in which Indians gave up their rights to land in exchange for certain promises made by the federal government.

The Ministry of Education and Training wishes to acknowledge the contribution of the many individuals, groups, and organizations that participated in the development and refinement of this curriculum policy document.

ISBN 0-7778-8341-4
98-101