Aboriginal Perspectives
Tipi: Curriculum Ideas
Jessica Wesaquate and Andrea Rogers
As mentioned on the home page, a great idea for teaching about the tipi is
organizing a tipi raising for your students.
They will be able to physically
see how a tipi looks and how it is erected, as well they will be given the
opportunity to hear the teachings around the tipi from an elder. You will be
able to bring these teachings into your classroom across the curriculum. See
below for ideas:
Mathematics: |
estimations, weight, height,
circumference, shape, ways of measurement, |
Science: |
ecosystems, structures and designs, habitats,
animals |
Physical Education: |
doing a class tipi-raising, First Nations
and Metis games |
Language Arts: |
journal entries on the tipi raising, diary
entries as ancestors, research papers, oral storytelling, legends (being
sensitive of the season its being taught in), animals and the people,
literature |
Arts Education: |
creating their own tipis, exploring how paint and dies were made, the symbol system, looking at the tipi paintings of today, other Aboriginal art forms |
Social Studies: |
learning about the past, Canada's First
Peoples, province of Saskatchewan, identity, heritage, minority groups,
culture, significance of tipi to First Nations peoples |
Technological Literacy: |
students can search the internet for information
on the tipi (in particular the Aboriginal groups surrounding your area),
use book and community resources, field trips to the local archives |
Aboriginal Education: |
opportunity to bring an Elder into your
classroom, teachings surrounding the tipi, traditional ways of teaching/learning,
the tipi pole teachings |