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Whitecap Dakota Lessons shares history, culture and language with students

October 09, 2018

dakota_news5.jpgWhitecap Dakota Lessons is a collaborative project between Saskatoon Public Schools and Whitecap Dakota First Nation designed to foster reconciliation by educating students on Dakota perspectives of their history, culture, and language.

Dakota education material and resources were compiled into lessons for kindergarten to Grade 8 students. The material features videos in the Dakota language, Dakota cultural stories, key moments and people in Whitecap Dakota history, as well as lessons designed for use with the interpretive walls located at Chief Whitecap School. Links to vetted sources or supporting documents are also provided within each lesson package.

The school's interpretive walls lessons have been designed to target a variety of grade levels. These lessons are meant to attract student groups to visit the Chief Whitecap School to learn more about Dakota history and culture; a variety of activities can be planned to fill either half or full day visits, including a walking tour featuring the archaeological history of the Stonebridge area.

The resources were developed with the guidance and knowledge of Whitecap Dakota Elders and educators to ensure the project was owned and guided by the community. Whitecap Elders and educators came together as part of an advisory committee, which met regularly throughout the duration of the project. This Whitecap advisory committee chose which lessons to feature, provided information and knowledge for the lesson content, and provided feedback as the resources were developed.

All lessons have been designed in consultation with education professionals to meet Saskatchewan curriculum requirements. Supporting resource material has been compiled and evaluated by professional historians. A variety of contributors shared their knowledge as part of the project.

All relevant resources are located on the website dakotalessons.ca and the project is on Twitter @dakota_lessons