I chose to share this lesson plan because it intertwines Indigenous knowledge with contemporary environmental stewardship, resonating deeply with my Squamish roots and passion for ocean conservation. The Whale Child by Keith Egawa and Chenoa Egawa illustrates this integration by inspiring students to embrace collaboration, advocacy, and respect for diverse perspectives when addressing environmental challenges. Throughout the lesson development process, I embraced opportunities to Indigenize my teaching practice, integrating elements such as talking circles and objects sourced from the land. By fostering collaboration, advocacy, and respect for diverse perspectives, this lesson cultivates skills essential for addressing environmental challenges. By integrating Indigenous perspectives and encouraging meaningful dialogue, this lesson empowers students to become stewards of the environment and advocates of Indigenous knowledge and traditions.
This was the first lesson plan I had ever done, it was for my Language and Literacy class and it was about the reading strategy “Book Boxes”. With the book box method, students are provided with visual and sensory stimulation in order to enhance their learning experience. Using the book “Pumpkin Pumpkin” about the life cycle of a pumpkin, my partner and I used an actual giant pumpkin from her garden as our book box. This interactive approach enabled students to fully grasp the concept of the pumpkin life cycle in an enjoyable and engaging manner, facilitating deeper understanding. One thing that would have been helpful to know before using an actual giant pumpkin as our book box was that our professor is allergic to pumpkins! Luckily, we didn’t lose any marks for this.