Language Arts · Grade 11

Active learning ideas

Indigenous Futurisms in Literature

Active learning works well for this topic because speculative fiction invites creative, hands-on engagement with complex ideas. Students connect emotionally and intellectually when they collaborate on futures they can see and discuss, making abstract concepts of Indigenous resurgence tangible and meaningful.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.7
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.3

• 20–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Jigsaw
• 50 min · Small Groups

Jigsaw: Futurist Excerpts

Divide class into groups, each assigned an excerpt from a different Indigenous futurist text like The Marrow Thieves. Groups note unique challenges to tropes and key themes. Regroup into expert-share circles to teach peers and co-create a class comparison chart.

How do Indigenous futurist narratives challenge conventional dystopian tropes?

Facilitation Tip

During the Jigsaw Reading, assign each group a different excerpt and a specific focus question to ensure all voices contribute meaningfully.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'How do the futures imagined by Indigenous authors differ from typical dystopian narratives, and what does this tell us about their values?' Facilitate a class discussion where students cite specific examples from texts to support their points.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Activity 02

• Think-Pair-Share
• 20 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Tech Implications

Present the question on technology's societal impacts through Indigenous lenses. Students think individually for 3 minutes, pair to discuss predictions for 5 minutes, then share with the whole class to build collective insights.

Predict the societal implications of technology when viewed through an Indigenous lens.

Facilitation Tip

For the Think-Pair-Share, provide sentence stems to scaffold responses, especially for students less familiar with speculative fiction analysis.

What to look for

Provide students with a short excerpt from an Indigenous futurist text. Ask them to identify one element that challenges a common dystopian trope and one element that reflects traditional Indigenous knowledge or values. They should write their answers on a sticky note.

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

Activity 03

• Project-Based Learning
• 45 min · Pairs

Narrative Design Workshop: Concept Creation

In pairs, students brainstorm a short narrative outline merging traditional Indigenous knowledge with future tech. They sketch key scenes and present concepts to the class for feedback. Refine based on peer input.

Design a narrative concept that integrates traditional Indigenous knowledge with future technologies.

Facilitation Tip

In the Narrative Design Workshop, circulate with guiding questions like, 'How does your technology serve the community?' to keep concepts centered on Indigenous values.

What to look for

Students work in pairs to brainstorm a narrative concept that blends a traditional Indigenous teaching with a future technology. They present their concept to another pair, who provide feedback on clarity, originality, and the successful integration of the two elements.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills
• Decision-Making

Activity 04

• Gallery Walk
• 30 min · Whole Class

Gallery Walk: Visualized Futures

Students display their narrative concepts as posters around the room. Class members circulate, post-it noting shared themes or questions. Debrief as whole class to synthesize patterns.

How do Indigenous futurist narratives challenge conventional dystopian tropes?

What to look for

Pose the question: 'How do the futures imagined by Indigenous authors differ from typical dystopian narratives, and what does this tell us about their values?' Facilitate a class discussion where students cite specific examples from texts to support their points.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Approach this topic by building a safe space for cultural sharing, using protocols that honor lived experiences while pushing critical reflection. Avoid presenting Indigenous futurisms as purely academic; instead, connect them to students’ own communities and futures. Research suggests that grounding speculative discussions in local knowledge first helps students engage more deeply with global Indigenous narratives.

Successful learning looks like students confidently discussing how Indigenous futurist texts challenge mainstream sci-fi tropes while grounding their arguments in textual evidence. They should also demonstrate creativity in blending traditional knowledge with futurist concepts, showing deep understanding through collaboration and presentation.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During discussion, a student claims, 'Indigenous futurisms reject all technology.'

  During the Think-Pair-Share: Tech Implications activity, invite students to compare their assigned futurist text’s technology use with a mainstream dystopian example. Ask them to identify how each technology serves—or isolates—the community, redirecting the conversation toward relationality.

• A student says, 'Indigenous futurisms follow the same dystopian formulas as mainstream works.'

  During the Jigsaw Reading: Futurist Excerpts activity, have expert groups present a chart comparing their excerpt’s narrative structure to a classic dystopian text. Point to specific elements like hope or community resurgence as counterexamples to dystopian tropes.

• A student assumes this topic suits only Indigenous students.

  During the Gallery Walk: Visualized Futures activity, prompt all students to reflect on how these futures challenge their own assumptions about technology and society. Use whole-class protocols to ensure every voice is heard and valued.

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Methods used in this brief

• Jigsaw
• Think-Pair-Share
• Project-Based Learning
• Gallery Walk