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 third activity, Auassat unuitakanuat minashkuat (Children go out in the woods), are described in detail on pages 17-23.
- During this teaching sequence, an Elder tells the legend of Auass ka nakatakanit, The Abandoned Child.
- The educator may choose another legend or story, as appropriate.
- Following the presentation of the legend, the children go snowshoeing or tobogganing nearby on the land.
- Depending on the season, the educator may choose another sports activity, as appropriate.
- In addition to their educator and family members, the children are accompanied by Elders. During the outing, the children will learn about a particularly symbolic place of the traditional land.
- The location is chosen by the school or educational childcare centre.
- During the activity, a video is recorded that will be used to go back over the activity one week later.
- Children aged 0 to 18 months: As the legend is told, the educator can act as an interpreter for the children who may not understand certain words or expressions while illustrating them with flashcards and gestures, as needed.
- Children aged 18 months to 2 years: As the legend is told, the educator can act as an interpreter for the children who may not understand certain words or expressions while illustrating them with flashcards and gestures, as needed. Following the presentation of the legend and the sports activity, the educator asks the children to pronounce some of the words shown earlier on the flashcards.
- Children aged 3 to 5 years: As the legend is told, the educator can act as an interpreter for the children who may not understand certain words or expressions while illustrating them with flashcards and gestures, as needed. Following the presentation of the legend and the sports activity, the educator asks a few questions about the story or legend they heard.
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.