3 Lesson Plans:

Based around the book Shi-shi-etko by Nicola

Campbell
1. What do we value?
Subject: ELA
Grade: 5
Date: October 22, 2014
Lesson length: 20 minutes
General learning outcome: (ELA 5.1) Students will listen, speak,
read, write, view and represent to explore thoughts, ideas, feelings and
experiences.
Specific learning outcomes:

5.1.1.1: Students will use appropriate prior knowledge and

experiences to make sense of new ideas and information.
5.1.1.2: Students will read, write, represent and talk to explore
personal understandings of new ideas and information.
5.S.5.2: (ICT) Students will demonstrate the ability to deal
constructively with diversity and disagreement.

Learning objectives:
1. Students will respond in writing to a pre-made opinionnaire on
values
2. Students will share and orally defend their reasoning together as
a class
Learning resources consulted:
50 Instructional Strategies to Develop Content Literacy by Douglas
Fisher et al.
List of Values (website): http://www.stevepavlina.com/articles/list-ofvalues.htm
Alberta Program of Studies
Materials and equipment:

Small, personal item of value (e.g. necklace, stuffed animal)

Pre-made opinionnaire on values
Stress-ball (or other small, soft object)

Introduction (7 minutes)

Hook/assessment of prior knowledge: At the front of the class, hold up

the small personal item in one hand, and the stress-ball (or other
impersonal item) in the other. Ask the class if they can guess which
items means more to you, personally. Push for why?
Expectations for learning: Instruct the class that today we will be
thinking about what it is that makes something valuable to us. Be clear
that we will be drawing on our own personal experiences today, that
there are no right or wrong answers, and that we need to be very
respectful of other peoples opinions and views.
Transition: Hand out the opinionnaire, instruct students to work silently
for 4-5 minutes as they fill it out; emphasize that they must include a
reason for agreeing or disagreeing.
Body (10 minutes)
Learning activity: Discussion/debate

After students have completed the opinionnaire, have them stand

up (and bring their worksheets with them)
Read out the questions from the opinionnaire, and have students
move to one side of the class to agree, and the other side to
disagree
For each question, toss the stress-ball to 2-3 students (ideally from
both sides) and have them verbally defend their response
o Encourage respectful debate for conflicting opinions
Tell the class that this opinionnaire was designed to give us ideas
about the things that we value
Emphasize that our values are often shaped by the people and
places we grow up around
Have students submit their opinionnaires for a completion check

ASSESSMENT: The opinionnaire combined with the discussion activity

are designed to give students several different ways to both gain and
show knowledge. Through the opinionnaire we are able to assess
students ability to use their prior knowledge and experiences in
forming opinions about a (potentially) new concept (values). The
discussion portion of the activity is designed to give students an
opportunity to defend their reasoning orally, as well as to gain
experience in dealing with and responding to divergent viewpoints.
For consolidation of learning, students are given the opportunity to
construct new knowledge by brainstorming different values, which we
then visibly list on the whiteboard. Students will use this list of values
to guide learning in future lessons.

Closure (3 minutes)
Consolidation of learning:

Based on the answers from the opinionnaire, list several values on

the whiteboard at the front (e.g. family, culture, nature)
o Probe students to think of a few more values not derived
from the opinionnaire (e.g. friendship, exercise)
o Excellent resource for brainstorming values:
http://www.stevepavlina.com/articles/list-of-values.htm

Feedback from students: Ask students if they think it is possible to rank

personal values in terms of importance. Why or why not?
Feedback to students: Because this lesson is so heavily based around
personal viewpoints and opinions, my feedback to students will consist
primarily of guiding students towards deeper thinking through
questioning and facilitating responses to the question of why do you
think that? For this lesson, I will also provide feedback to students by
clarifying what could be considered a value (e.g. family) and what is
probably not considered a value (e.g. eating cake).
Transition to next lesson:
Ask students to think about how they would feel if someone tried to
impose their personal values on them? Tell students that tomorrow we
will be reading a book about a girl named Shi-shi-etko, who
experiences this when she has to leave her home and travel to a
residential school.
[If necessary, take this opportunity to set up the context of residential
schools in preparation for tomorrows lesson.]

Opinionnaire
Name: _____________________________
______________________

Date:

Read each sentence below and mark whether you agree (A) or
disagree (D).
Make sure to include at least one reason for each of your opinions.
There are no right or wrong answers!
________________________________________________________________________
___ It is important to celebrate peoples unique backgrounds and
cultures.
Your reason:

___ We have strong connections to the places we were born.

Your reason:

___ It is important to stay close with your family members.

Your reason:

___ It is better to live in a wealthy city where there are more job
opportunities.
Your reason:

___ It is important to spend time in the outdoors and around nature.

Your reason:

________________________________________________________________________

Remember to submit your opinionnaire at the end of class for a

completion mark!

2. Stolen Values
Subject: ELA
Grade: 5
Date: October 22, 2014
Lesson length: 30 minutes
General Learning Outcome: (ELA 5.2) Students will listen, speak,
read, write, view and represent to comprehend and respond personally
and critically to oral, print, and other media.
Specific Learning Outcomes:

5.2.2.1: Students will experience oral, print, and other media texts
from a variety of cultural traditions and genres, such as historical
fiction, myths, biographies, poetry, news reports and guest speakers
5.2.2.2: Students will express points of view about oral, print, and
other media texts.
5.S.1.3: (ICT) Students will re-evaluate personal opinions to broaden
understanding of a topic or an issue.

Learning objectives:
1. Students will listen to and view a work of historical fiction (Shi-shietko)
2. Students will discuss their thoughts and feelings in relation to the
text
3. Students will compose a short letter to a the Prime Minister
related to the values observed in the story of Shi-shi-etko
Learning resources consulted:

Shi-shi-etko by Nicola Campbell

Alberta Program of Studies
Materials and equipment:

Copy of Campbell text

Stress-ball
Pre-made letter template

Introduction (5 minutes)
Attention grabber/assessment of prior knowledge: Ask students
whether anyone has heard of residential schools, or what are they
able to share about them?
Transition to body: In simple, gentle terms, explain the concept of the
residential school system to students. Key concepts to include would
be:

Occurred from late 1800s to 1996 (recent)

~30% of Native American children in Canada were placed in
residential schools
Separated from families
Forced to dress in a different way from what they were used to
Not allowed to speak their native language
Government apologized for residential schools only 6 years ago

Ask students whether they have questions about the residential school
system. Instruct them that we will now read a story about a girl named
Shi-shi-etko, who is preparing to leave to a residential school.
Body: (15 minutes)
Learning activity: Reading aloud/discussion

Read through the book Shi-shi-etko; display images from the text
When finished, initiate a class discussion based on the text and the
concept of yesterdays lesson on values
o Use stress-ball as a talking-tool to keep extra chatter down
Questions can include:
o How did this book make you feel?
o Do you think it was right that Shi-shi-etko had to go and
live at a residential school?
o (Devils advocate: but wasnt she going to get a good
education?)

o How do you think Shi-shi-etko would feel once she got to

the residential school?
[relate to concept of homesickness]
o Why do you think Shi-shi-etko wanted to create a memory
bag? [physical items for non-physical values]
o Based on the book, and recalling the list of values we made
on the board yesterday, what types of things do you think
Shi-shi-etko values?
How do we know? Supporting evidence from text
[answers can include nature, family, culture,
language, wildlife]
o Do you think creating her memory bag would help her to
remember the things she values from home?
o Why do you think Shi-shi-etko decided to leave the bag
behind?
ASSESSMENT: The first assessment piece here would be to ensure
that all students are listening attentively during the reading aloud. I
believe this observation alone is sufficient to ensure that the first SLO
(5.2.2.1) is met. The second SLO (5.2.2.2) should be met through the
class discussion, whereby thorough questioning will allow you to assess
whether students are able to proficiently express ideas in relation to
the historical text we just read. Field notes may be helpful here to keep
track if certain students are failing to express themselves or contribute
through the discussion.
Closure (10 minutes)
Consolidation of learning: Instruct students that they are to spend 5-7
minutes writing a brief letter (doubling as an Exit Slip) to the Canadian
Prime Minister in the past, explaining why they do or do not think that
Shi-shi-etko should have been forced to go to a residential school. In it,
they are to include at least:
1. Whether or not they believe Shi-shi-etko should have been forced
to leave.
2. Explicit reference to 1 value that Shi-shi-etko will be missing out
on by having to leave her home.
[see exemplar attached to worksheet]
Feedback from students: Collecting students completed letters will
allow me to see what they have taken from this text-based lesson in
combination with yesterdays lesson on values. This will allow me to
gauge whether the next lesson can proceed as planned, or whether I

will need to spend more time going over the concept of values before
the next learning activity.
Feedback to students: During this lesson, I will provide positive
feedback to students during the class discussion and guide students in
their thinking through constructive questioning. I will also float around
the classroom as they complete their Letters/Exit-Slips to see if there
are any areas requiring clarification.
Transition to next lesson: Tell students that next lesson they get to look
forward to creating their own memory [bags] posters!

EXEMPLAR:
Name: Miss Ewen
October 25, 2014

Date:

Dear Mr. Prime Minister,

I do not believe that Shi-shi-etko should have been forced to leave her
home to travel to a residential school. By leaving her homeland, Shishi-etko will not properly learn how to speak her native language, and
she may not be able to communicate well with her family when she
returns. All children should have the right to learn their native
language. Please consider your actions and how they are damaging to
the value of native language for Shi-shi-etko.
Sincerely, Miss Ewen

Name: __________________________
____________________

Date:

Dear Mr. Prime Minister,

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Sincerely, ______________________

3. Shared Values
Subject: ELA
Grade: 5
Date: October 22, 2014
Lesson length: 20 minutes
General learning outcome: (ELA 5.2) Students will listen, speak, read,
write, view and represent to comprehend and respond personally and
critically to oral, print and other media texts.
Specific learning outcome:

5.2.2.6: Students will compare characters and situations portrayed

in oral, print and other media texts to those encountered in the
classroom and community.
5.S.1.4: Students will generate original ideas and strategies in
situations of individual and group activities.

Learning objectives:
1. Students will discuss the notion of homesickness
2. Students will create a Venn diagram to compare aspects of
homesickness for themselves and for the character Shi-shi-etko
Learning resources consulted:
Shi-shi-etko by Nicola Campbell
Alberta Program of Studies
Materials required:

Copy of Campbell text

Large sheets of paper
Felt markers
Online Venn-diagram creation website:
(https://www.lucidchart.com/pages/examples/venn_diagram_maker)

Introduction: (2 minutes)
Hook/assessment of prior knowledge: Ask students (hands up) who has
ever gone on a vacation or trip. Ask students if any of them have gone
on a vacation/trip for longer than a week; what about a month? Ask
whether they have felt what it is like to experience homesickness.
Transition to body: Split the class into 5 groups (~4 students per group)
and divide the sheets of paper and markers between them.
Body: (15 minutes)
Learning activity: Brainstorming + Venn diagrams

Instruct students to brainstorm a list of things that they would miss

if they had to leave home for a while
o Float around the class to check for understanding and offer
suggestions
Have students flip the page over
Instruct students to brainstorm a list of things that Shi-shi-etko
would miss when she has to leave home in the story

o Float around the class to offer suggestions based on the

text
Open the lucidchart.com website, and create a Venn diagram
labeled as things we would miss and things Shi-shi-etko would
misses
o Call on students to contribute based on the ideas they
brainstormed together as a group
o Discuss the results of the Venn diagram with the class it
should be that most/all of the things Shi-shi-etko misses
would also fall in the middle of the diagram
o Use the results of the Venn diagram to reinforce the
concept of shared values
Despite being a historical, fictional figure, we find
that there are still a good number of shared values
between our class and the character of the book

ASSESSMENT: For this learning activity I will observe students as they

brainstorm their lists on paper and watch for whether they contribute
meaningfully to the creation of the Venn diagram. In terms of assessing
through questioning, my focus for this lesson will be on linking
information back to the book Shi-shi-etko and pushing students to
support their answers with reference to the text (outcome 5.2.2.6).
Written evidence will be collected from the exit slips, and to a lesser
extent from the brainstorming lists (though these will be less valuable
for individual assessment because they were created collaboratively).
Closure: (3 minutes)
Consolidation of learning/feedback from students: Exit slips have
students complete an exit slip in the following format:
1. Shi-shi-etko and I share the common value of _______________.
2. I know this because _____________________________________.
Encourage students to draw on evidence from the story to support
their conclusion.
Transition to next lesson: Time to create our own Memory [bag]
Posters!

Building Memory Bags

Subject: ELA
Topic/focus: Representing our values

Performance task overview: Students will design and create their

own memory bags (similar to the character Shi-shi-etko) in order to
represent both their personal and shared values.
Materials:

Poster paper
Pencils, pens, markers
Scissors
Magazines with pictures

General learning outcomes:

(ELA 5.1) Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent
to explore thoughts, ideas, feelings and experiences.
(ELA 5.2) Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent
to comprehend and respond personally and critically to oral, print,
and other media.

Specific learning outcomes (linked to assessment criteria):

Understanding of the meaning & significance of values [5.1.1.1.,

5.1.1.2.]
Relation of personal values to values of fictional character [5.2.2.1.,
5.2.2.2., 5.2.2.6]
Appropriate and meaningful self & peer assessment [5.S.1.3.,
5.S.1.4.]

Student Task Description

Name: ____________________

You are about to leave your home and family to go study abroad for
several months. While you are gone, it is important for you to be able
to remember the place you come from, and the things you value from
home. To help with this, your job is to identify 5 personal values, and
to construct your own Memory Poster to reflect the values you
identified.
You must relate 2 of your values to those of character Shi-shietko.
You must include (at least) the following images and information on
your Memory Poster:

5 small items (that could fit in a bag) you can draw, or cut out a
collage!

An explanation of which value each item represents for you

For 2 items, you must relate your values to the values of Shi-shietko

You must explain how you know that Shi-shi-etko shares this value
with you

Here is an example of what each entry could look like:

Item: EARPLUGS
This item represents the value of rest.
Rest is important to me because without enough rest I am not able
to have enough energy to do all the things I would like during the
day.
I know that Shi-shi-etko shares this value with me because she
likes to count down the number of sleeps, and we see lots of
pictures of her in her bed.

________________________________________________________________________
To receive a full grade for this assignment, you must include evidence
of self and peer assessment. The Evaluation Checklist on the following
page is designed to give you an idea of whether you have
demonstrated enough evidence of learning as you complete the task.

Complete Evaluation Checklists must be submitted along with your

final poster.

Self and Peer Evaluation Checklist

Name: _______________________________
As you work through this performance task, you must take the
opportunity to self-assess your work, and have your work peerassessed.
Put a checkmark in the right-hand column if you believe you have
completed each portion of the assignment. Have a peer from the class
do the same.
SELF

PEER

I included 5 items
I related my items to values
I related 2 values to those of Shi-shi-etko
I explain why each value is important to me
I support my conclusions with evidence from
the book
For this project, I need to work on
__________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________.