Personal and Cultural Identity

ASSIGNMENT 1: First Peoples Oral Traditions

Learning Target (Curricular Competencies):

  • Explore the role of personal and social contexts, values, and perspectives in texts
  • Recognize and appreciate the role of story, narrative, and oral tradition in expressing First Peoples perspectives, values, beliefs, and points of view. 

Storytelling

"Oral tradition is the means by which cultural transmission occurs over generations, other than through written records.  Among First Peoples, oral tradition may consist of told stories, songs, and/or other types of wisdom or information, often incorporating dances or various forms of visual representation such as carvings or masks.  In addition to expressing spiritual and emotional truths (e.g., via symbol and metaphor), oral tradition provides a record of literal fact (e.g., regarding events and/or situations)." Source:  English 10 and 11 First Peoples Curriculum – 2010 – Ministry of Education

 

Task: 

Find an example of a First Nations, or Inuit, or Metis creation story in the oral tradition.  I suggest you choose video format here.  Then explain why you chose this story.  Explain what is being taught from the story.  How does the learning in the story support the well-being of the self, the family, the community, the land, the spirits, and the ancestors?  You could use the summary points in the article to explain why you chose this story.

Submit both your explanation and the URL - the link - to the story.

Assessment:  Below you will find the exemplary criteria used to assess the assignment.  

Learning Target: (Exemplary 6/6): Exemplary comprehension of the task and clear accomplishment of the objective.  Response is thorough and thoughtful and includes details from the story to support an opinion. 

Written Expression:  Exemplary (6/6):  Sentence structure and vocabulary are varied, skillfully written, and carefully chosen.  Work has been proofread and there are few or no errors in spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar. Content contributes to the central idea and makes insightful connections with logical organization.

Submission: 

Use the "3.1 First Peoples Oral Traditions" link on the main page of this section of the course to upload your assignment to your teacher for marking.

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