INTRODUCTION

Curricula across Canada require teachers to include Aboriginal perspectives in their lessons. The richness and diversity of Canada's Aboriginal peoples present challenges and opportunities for teachers in meeting this requirement. First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples constitute Canada's Aboriginal peoples and there are currently over 600 recognized First Nations governments or bands in Canada. Canada’s First Nations represent at least ten language families, the Inuit languages form a separate language family, and the Métis have a unique mixed language. The Aboriginal peoples have many different cultural practices, traditions and beliefs.

The Aboriginal Perspectives web site contains information that will aid teachers in including Aboriginal perspectives in their lessons.

• We have used video material featuring Aboriginal people and cultural activities as a base for constructing teaching resources and we invite teachers to use these resources. We also encourage teachers to use this video material to construct their own lessons.
  
  
• We have conducted workshops with teachers from grades 3 to 6 to help them include an Aboriginal perspective in their mathematics lessons. On this web site are the lessons, background material on the Aboriginal themes for the lessons, and a description of the material in the kits that the teachers received at the workshops.
  
  
• Included is a collection of Aboriginal games which provide a rich source of material for the construction of lessons.