Aboriginal
Self-Government

Grade: 10
Time: two 72 minute classes

Expectations:
Students will:

Knowledge

• produce an evaluation (i.e. timeline) of the contributions to Canadian society by its regional, linguistic, ethnocultural (i.e. Aboriginal), and religious communities;
• evaluate the impact of social and demographic change on Aboriginal communities;
• describe the contributions of Aboriginal Peoples in forming national organizations to gain recognition and rights for Aboriginal Peoples;
• assess the backgrounds, careers, and contributions of twentieth-century Canadian prime ministers (i.e. Prime Minister Brian Mulroney), in both formal and anecdotal reports

Skills

• use terms related to historical organization and inquiry correctly (i.e. Process of Inquiry);
• formulate different types of questions;
• formulate a thesis statement and effectively use it to research an historical topic;
• use computer-stored information and the Internet effectively to research Canadian history topics;
• record and organize information effectively using charts;
• identify different viewpoints and explicit biases when evaluating information for a research report or participating in a discussion;
• use relevant and adequate supporting evidence to draw conclusions;
• demonstrate competence in research and writing;
• express ideas and arguments in a coherent manner during discussions and debates, or in graphic displays;

Preparation:

• refer to Process of Inquiry by Tom Puk (1993) (This is not necessary however, you may find it helpful for pedagogical information.)
• develop sample process of inquiry similar to the one to be used in class
• copy the articles used in lesson on aboriginal self-government
• prepare overhead sheet with outline of Process of Inquiry  showing topic and blank frame
• copy Instructions: Process of Inquiry handout
• copy Sample Process of Inquiry handout
• prepare a dictionary definition of self-government

Lesson Plan:

1. Briefly review previous lesson on AFN and the reason for its formation.
2. Write the heading "Self-Government" on the board. Ask the students to brainstorm what they perceive self-government to entail. Write ideas on board as they are given. At the end of this process have the class come up with a definition of self-government and write it on the board. Write the dictionary definition next to it and compare the two definitions.
3. Provide background on aboriginal desire for self-government and some of the conflicts surrounding this idea. Ask for student input and discuss the idea of aboriginal self-government.
4. Raise topic of "Process of Inquiry".⁵  Discuss how this process can be used to raise different facets of issues and create methods for organizing and using data to support thesis statements. Hand out Instructions: Process of Inquiry listing the steps involved in a Process of Inquiry and use an overhead of the chart provided.
5. Go through the instructions from developing the question, framework, through to writing the concluding paragraph. Use a topic other than self-government that can be discussed in a similar manner such as, "Should grade 10 students be able to have spares?", or other topics that will gain class interest. This Process of Inquiry does not have to go into great depth as it is just an example, but highlight for students different ways of creating more depth through the Process as this will be an expectation for their Process of Inquiry on aboriginal self-government (see Sample: Process of Inquiry handout).
6. Once the Sample Process of Inquiry is completed, start to discuss creating a Process of Inquiry for aboriginal self-government. Step 1 of Part A has already been completed as a class discussion on self-government. Devise the question as a class to be used for the Process of Inquiry on self-government (e.g. "Should self-government be instated in Canada for aboriginal people?"). As a class develop the basic framework to be used in collecting information or the different views towards self-government. Make sure to give the class at least three areas to research when looking for information. They will need to come up with others on their own.
7. Hand out three articles discussing aboriginal self-government in Canada. Three suitable articles are:
   1. Mulroney, Brian, Right Hon. First Ministers' Conference on the Rights of Aboriginal Peoples Opening Statement (April 2-3, 1985) published on SchoolNet's Canada Speaks (a collection of speeches by Canadian Prime Minister) site
   2. "The Battle for Self-Government Continues." Saskatchewan Indian. 21:8 (1992) published on SchoolNet's Saskatchewan Indian site (a collection of full text journal articles from 1970s to 1990s).
   3. Reform Party of Canada. "Shedding Some Light on Nisga'a".
   
   Divide the class into groups no larger than four and have them read the articles and fill in the framework. The group should work together to finish steps four through six of the Process of Inquiry.
8. Once steps four to six are verified by the teacher for completion, the students should then individually finish steps seven and eight. Step seven should reflect the student's opinion of self-government in two or three sentences. Step eight should consist of an essay of at least three paragraphs in length supporting the view expressed in step seven and supported by the information gathered in the framework. The original question in the Process of Inquiry should serve as the student's thesis statement.
9. Ask each student to hand in a copy of their work once the Process of Inquiry is completed.

Possible Extensions:

1. Try using Process of Inquiry activities to teach analytical and essay writing skill.
2. Hold a debate on the issue of Aboriginal self-government initiatives in Canada.
3. Create a comparison chart (see Lesson 1) to contrast the aspirations of Aboriginal self-government and Québécois separatism

Evaluation:
Informal:

• observe student work habits and participation during sample Process of Inquiry and group activities

Formal:

• Suggested Rubric: Process of Inquiry Assignment