Lesson 1: Beadwork as Recreation Lesson 2: The Hoop and Pole Game Lesson 3: A Game of Chance Lesson 4: Trapping in Bush Land Lesson 5: Researching the Trap

Lesson 5: Researching the Trap

Teacher Information:

Lesson 5 is intended to be a continuing exercise from the information students were introduced to in Lesson 4.

You will need to preview the video The Little Trapper that is an approved Alberta Learning resource. It was produced by the National Film Board in 1999 and it is a chronicle of the life of a 13-year-old Cree boy in Alberta. The video focuses on the positive qualities of respect, initiative, and respect for hunting and trapping and the Cree way of life. The product number is 525595.

You will also need to preview the short video Aboriginal Reflections: School in the Bush (approximately 15 minutes long). The film is available from LRC order no. 525644 at 780-472-5775 or online at www.lrc.learning.gov.ab.ca. The film examines the traditional Cree teaching of values and culture as was taught in the bush.

There are many branches of the Cree nation spread across the country. The groups are typically identified as the Plains Cree, Woodland Cree, Swampy Cree, and Moose Cree. Originally, they were all woodland people and spoke the Algonquian language of eastern Canada.

The Teacher resource material for this is History of the Cree:

Objectives:

Students will:

• Discuss what they know about life in the bush
• Appreciate Cree culture and traditions
• Analyze two videos that focus on life in the bush
• Develop a research project that focuses on hunting and trapping lifestyle in the bush
• Express an opinion on contemporary hunting and trapping practices through gathering research

Main Lesson:

Begin by reviewing material presented from Lesson 4. Do the students have any questions?

Prepare the students by providing a brief overview of the Cree people.

Show The Little Trapper video and have students either make notes or create a worksheet for them to fill out while viewing. This will help keep them accountable.

Initiate a class discussion regarding the video. Follow up with the short video Aboriginal Reflections: School in the Bush.

Students should use the information they will receive from the two videos as a starting point for a research project on "life in the bush: hunting and trapping." Students may present their report in one of two ways: a large poster that depicts life in the bush using photos and written commentary or a written essay that describes life in the bush. Students must also explore the role of hunting and trapping in contemporary times. Questions they will want to ask are:

1. How was the hunting and trapping lifestyle affected by the disappearance of the fur trade economy?
2. How has the lack of traditional training affected hunting and trapping?
3. What are the rights of Aboriginal hunters and trappers today? How is this similar or different from in the past? What is your position on this?
4. How can hunting and trapping be viewed as recreation or sport?

It is up to your discretion to create a marking rubric. Students may begin their research in the Student Zone section of the Edukit.

Concluding Activity:

Throughout the five lessons, students have been learning about different forms of sport and recreation in Aboriginal communities. Ask students to create a list (you can do this as a class if you have younger students) of all of the reasons why it would be important to an Aboriginal community to participate in sport or recreation. Ask students to list five things that they learned in this unit.