Ninja Notes

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Indigenous Cultures

How to Bring Indigenous Culture into Art Lessons

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One way to show appreciation for Indigenous artists is to study their work as you would any great artist. We put together some of the ways we incorporate learning about Indigenous artists and other aspects of culture in Canada in one post. Come read more.

Incorporating the stories and culture of Indigenous people is important to us. It’s woven throughout our subject areas, but we often look for other places to provide opportunities to bring cultures together. We’ve had several students who share their Cree and Dene cultures with us. Other years we’ve had no one in our classroom with a direct connection to our Indigenous People. We want all of our students to feel connected to the history of our country and the people who were here first. One way we do this is by exploring the works of Indigenous artists in Canada.

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How to Honour National Indigenous Veterans Day

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How will you be observing National Indigenous Veterans Day in your school or community? Come read about some of the ways you can teach your students about the important contributions made and learn about some of the most notable Indigenous veterans from Canada.

Canadians are aware of observations and ceremonies that honour the service of Canadians in the military. Those who served and died in war are remembered on cenotaphs, named in ceremonies and recognized in military records. But Indigenous Veterans Day is unknown to many Canadians. Only in recent years have Canadians started to recognize the service of those who identify as First Nations, Metis and Inuit and their contributions in the Canadian Armed Forces. It is now recognized on November 8 each year. What does your school or community do to National Indigenous Veterans Day?

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How to Use Collaborative Tasks to Create Classroom Community

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Collaborative tasks help students learn to work together toward the classroom community they want to achieve. Read more about how we use collaborative tasks to build classroom community and learn more about the types of tasks we use.

One of the most effective classroom management strategies is the classroom community you build with your students. We start our school year with collaborative tasks to help students get to know each other. These activities help students learn to communicate and build trust. Collaborative tasks help students learn to work together toward the classroom community they want to achieve.

Come learn more about how we use collaborative tasks in our classroom.

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Resources to Learn About Indigenous People in Canada

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It can be tricky finding books and resources that are good for students to use for research about Indigenous People in Canada. Come read about some of the Indigenous resources we use.

It can be tricky finding books and resources that are good for students to use for research about Indigenous People in Canada. Most are not at the right reading level. Often, they are either outdated. Old resources are inaccurate. Many depict stereotypes of Indigenous cultures. More resources written by Indigenous authors are starting to become available. Books are thoroughly checked for historical accuracy. New books highlight current events and issues. We have been collecting some of the Indigenous resources we find most helpful. Come read about some of the Indigenous resources we use.

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Learn the Truth With Books by Indigenous Authors

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We have collected some of our favourite books written by Indigenous authors. It's part of our commitment to raising the voices of Indigenous People across Canada. Canada is filled with so many wonderful creators, that it only seemed fitting to highlight some of the best. Come take a look at this book list of books for kids.

We have collected some of our favourite books written by Indigenous authors. It’s part of our commitment to raising the voices of Indigenous People across Canada. Canada is filled with so many wonderful creators that it only seemed fitting to highlight some of the best.

You will notice there are no affiliate links in this post. We ask that you support local businesses and authors by shopping at your local book stores. Teachers in our school purchased most of these books so we could have them in our school library and classrooms. Please be sure to comment below if you know of more books we should add.

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Ways to Teach Drama in the Classroom

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Drama has many uses in the classroom. It promotes reading, fluency, expression and can help with confidence and public speaking. Come learn some of the ways you can use drama in your classroom.

Students love role-playing and dramatic play, but many find the pressure of a performance overwhelming. Add some drama to your classroom by using drama circles, role-playing and storytelling in a low-risk environment.

Read on to find out all the reasons you should add some drama to your classroom and ways you can add a little bit every day.

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