First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Studies · Grade 10

Active learning ideas

Indigenous Worldviews and Connections to Land

This topic introduces students to the foundational worldviews of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples, emphasizing that land is not merely a resource but a relative and a source of identity. In the Ontario Grade 10 curriculum, this exploration moves beyond surface-level facts to help students understand the interconnectedness of all living things and the spiritual responsibilities inherent in these relationships. By comparing these perspectives with Eurocentric views of land ownership, students begin to see how different foundational beliefs shape law, governance, and social structures.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• A1.1 Explore Indigenous connections to the land and environment
• A2.1 Describe the diversity of Indigenous identities and worldviews

• 20–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Concept Mapping
• 45 min · Small Groups

Concept Mapping: Interconnectedness

In small groups, students use large chart paper to map the relationships between land, language, family, and spirituality based on specific Indigenous teachings. They use string or drawn lines to show how a change in one area, such as loss of land, impacts all other aspects of identity.

What are the core elements of Indigenous worldviews?

• Understand
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management

Activity 02

• Think-Pair-Share
• 20 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Perspectives on 'Ownership'

Students individually reflect on what 'owning' land means in a Western context versus 'belonging' to land in an Indigenous context. They then pair up to discuss how these different definitions might lead to different ways of treating the environment before sharing their conclusions with the class.

How does the land shape First Nations, Métis, and Inuit identities?

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Gallery Walk
• 40 min · Small Groups

Gallery Walk: Regional Diversity

Stations are set up around the room representing different nations (e.g., Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabe, Inuit). Students rotate to examine images and short quotes that illustrate how specific geographies, like the tundra or the Great Lakes, uniquely shape the worldviews of the people living there.

In what ways do these worldviews differ from Eurocentric perspectives?

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• Indigenous worldviews are 'primitive' or 'simple' compared to Western science.

  Indigenous Knowledge Systems are complex, empirical, and have sustained civilizations for millennia. Using collaborative investigations into Traditional Ecological Knowledge helps students see the sophisticated scientific observations embedded in these worldviews.

• All Indigenous peoples across Canada share the exact same worldview.

  While there are common themes like interconnectedness, worldviews are deeply tied to specific territories and are diverse. Station rotations featuring different nations help students recognize the distinctiveness of various cultural perspectives.

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Methods used in this brief

• Concept Mapping
• Think-Pair-Share
• Gallery Walk