Description
- This activity is part of a series of educational activities focused on teaching Innu-Aimun (the Innu language) to children in Early Childhood Education (ECE), kindergarten for 4-year-olds, and kindergarten for 5-year-olds. There are four different activities in this series, which can be spread over a school year, according to the calendars of each community.
- All four activities can be found in the attached document, Innu-Aimun Mak Innu-Aitun Educational Activity Series, which you can download and print. Detailed instructions for this second activity, Auassat nanashpitutamuat tshishennua utipatshimunnu (Children imitate stories from the Elders), are described in detail on pages 10-16.
- During this teaching sequence, Elders (or other adults from the community) are invited to talk about traditional activities relating to bears, from hunting them to how they are used once caught.
- The educator may choose other traditional activities, as appropriate.
- During the presentation, the educator can act as an interpreter for the children for certain words and expressions while illustrating them with flashcards and gestures, as needed.
- Children aged 0 to 18 months: The educator then shows a video illustrating the practice of traditional activities relating to bears. During this time, the Elders or adults can provide comments and explanations.
- The educator may choose a video illustrating the practice of other traditional activities, as appropriate.
- Children aged 18 months to 2 years: The educator asks the children to play roles associated with traditional activities relating to bears. During this time, the Elders or adults can act as mentors for the children.
- The educator may choose roles associated with other traditional activities, as appropriate.
- Children aged 3 to 5 years: The educator asks the children to identify roles associated with traditional activities relating to bears and choose the roles they want to play. During this time, the Elders or adults can act as mentors for the children.
- The educator may choose roles associated with other traditional activities, as appropriate.
- If it is not possible to separate the groups according to age (0 to 18 months, 18 months to 2 years, and 3 to 5 years), the activity can be presented simultaneously for two or three different age groups by assigning to each group at least one educator who will be applying the relevant instructions.
Acknowledgement Protocol
Please read this Acknowledgement before the start of this lesson to respect the knowledge that is being shared and the Land of the People where the knowledge originates.
Innu-aimun mak innu-aitun are the foundation of the identity as well as social and spiritual values of the Innu Nation. Their relationship with their land, Nitassinan, is legendary. Elders have had the privilege of transmitting this knowledge for thousands of years. We are grateful to the members of the Innu Nation, the Tshakapesh Institute, and the communities of Uashat mak Mani-Utenam and Ekuanitshit for their generosity and for sharing their knowledge through this activity.
Contributors
| Name | Role / Job Title | Place |
|---|---|---|
| Louis Lalo | Elder | Ekuanitshit |
| Julie Mestokosho | Elder | Ekuanitshit |
| Patrick Michel | Elder | Ekuanitshit |
| Anne-Philomène Mollen | Elder | Ekuanitshit |
| Réal Vollant | Elder | Uashat mak Mani-Utenam |
| Julie Basile | School Principal at Teueikan School | Ekuanitshit |
| Joyce Basile | Teacher at Teueikan School | Ekuanitshit |
| Anita Mestokosho | Teacher at Teueikan School | Ekuanitshit |
| Tania Courtois | Community Health Coordinator | Ekuanitshit |
| Mario Piétacho | Member of the Board of Directors for the Uatik Daycare Centre | Ekuanitshit |
| Kate Benjamin | Educator at Uatik Daycare Centre | Ekuanitshit |
| Lise Mestokosho | Educator at Uatik Daycare Centre | Ekuanitshit |
| Marie-Ève Piétacho | Educator at Uatik Daycare Centre | Ekuanitshit |
| Desanges Vollant | Elder and Educator at Ka-Ussi Nametat Daycare Centre | Uashat mak Mani-Utenam |
| Sylvianne Fontaine | Educator at Ka-Ussi Nametat Daycare Centre | Uashat mak Mani-Utenam |
| Nathalie Ouellet | Aboriginal Head Start Program Manager, Ka Ussi-Nametat | Uashat mak Mani-Utenam |
| Josée Vollant | Administrator of the Auassis Childcare Centre | Uashat mak Mani-Utenam |
| Francis Ishpatau | Director, Innu-aimun mak innu-aitun | Institut Tshakapesh |
| Judith Mestokosho | Innu Language Development Advisor | Institut Tshakapesh |
| Sandra Mestokosho | Innu Language Development Consultant | Institut Tshakapesh |
| Kathleen André | Cultural Programs Coordinator | Institut Tshakapesh |
| Marie Tshernish | Consultant | Institut Tshakapesh |
| Annie Pilote | Regional Lead (Québec) | National Centre for Collaboration in Indigenous Education (NCCIE) |
| Jean-Luc Ratel | Regional Curriculum Coordinator (Québec) | National Centre for Collaboration in Indigenous Education (NCCIE) |
Lesson Plan
The documents that make up this lesson plan. Open Info for a summary of what each one covers.
- Innu-aimun mak innu-aitun (English)PDF · 785 KB
Info
To view details of each of the four activities in this series, click on this document to open it. You can also download and print it. This series of pedagogical activities (i.e., lesson plans) focus on teaching Innu-Aimun (the Innu language) to children in Early Childhood Education (ECE), kindergarten for 4-year-olds, and kindergarten for 5-year-olds. There are four different activities in this series, which can be spread over a school year, according to the calendars of each community. The series, when taken as a whole, aims to support learning in young children by creating connections between the different activities.