A note from Arika Fleguel, Student Success Coordinator, Curve Lake First Nation
“A Day at Henry’s”
We were visited by our partners from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, which included educators from the Robertson Program for Inquiry-based Teaching in Mathematics and Science, Natural Curiosity and the Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study. They led each class to the boardwalk at the marshlands of Henry’s Gaming. Students were asked to observe everything in the area and charcoal sketch anything they saw that sparked their interest and wonder. It was amazing to see the marshlands through the children’s eyes – the observations they made were remarkable. They noticed pollution on the surface of the water and theorized about where the rising bubbles in the water originated.
Following the tour, everyone gathered on the grassy shore to share their ideas. Classroom teachers spent some time over the remainder of the year looking at ways to explore the topics and ideas from this experience in their classrooms. We are looking forward to continuing this journey in the fall with plans for linking our students with the students from Jackman ICS, perhaps through Skype, letters, videos and visits!
Thanks again for taking time to contribute!
Aricka
Miigwech to the teachers and children of Curve Lake First Nation School for sharing a beautiful day of learning with our team on May 24! We were so inspired by the children and their excitement, engagement, pride, knowledge and respect for this very special marshland. We were impressed by the way the children seamlessly incorporated Anishnaabe language and Indigenous ways of knowing in their study of the plants and animals of the marshland. Hats off to the teachers for providing such a rich learning environment for the children in Curve Lake First Nation School!
Spending the day with this amazing group of children and teachers made it possible for us to see how land-based pedagogy and inquiry-based learning can bring school science to life.
The school is a model of what is possible when students are given a strong foundation in cultural understandings, content knowledge and respectful teaching practices.
We can’t wait to continue our learning journey with the teachers and students of Curve Lake First Nation!
– Bev and the Robertson team
A note from Carol Stephenson, JICS Kindergarten teacher
The Robertson team had a fabulous time being escorted to Henry’s beautiful wetland, just a short walk from the school. To have such a treasure on your doorstep is a gift worth exploring, as the children’s interest and excitement showed. Their eager questions and thoughtful observations started great conversations that we look forward to hearing more about. Many thanks to the children of Curve Lake for sharing!
– Carol
