I. General Information
School Name: Lochside Elementary
School District: SD#63 Saanich
Inquiry Team Members: Sarah Miller: sarahmiller@saanichschools.ca,
Jenni Erickson: jerickson@saanichschools.ca,
Laura Molloy: lmolloy@saanichschools.ca
Inquiry Team Contact Email: sarahmiller@saanichschools.ca
II. Inquiry Project Information
Type of Inquiry: Numeracy & Literacy Project
Grade Levels Addressed Through Inquiry: Primary (K-3)
Curricular Areas Addressed: Language Arts – Literacy, Language Arts – Oral Language, Language Arts – Reading, Language Arts – Writing
Focus Addressed: Indigenous Focus (for example, Traditional Knowledge, oral history, reconciliation), Literacy, Land, Nature or Place-based learning
In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? Our inquiry focuses on strengthening students’ oral and written literacy by connecting learners to local Indigenous stories, SENĆOŦEN language, and place-based storytelling, while also deepening our own learning and relationships with the W̱SÁNEĆ community.
III. Spirals of Inquiry Details
Scanning: During our scan, we found that students were deeply engaged with stories authentically connected to the land and places where we live, especially when paired with hands-on and collaborative learning experiences. They showed enthusiasm for working together to retell stories and share ideas, with locally rooted narratives proving especially meaningful. Guided by the First Peoples Principles of Learning, we are hoping to ground literacy development in the stories, language, and history of the W̱SÁNEĆ People and the land we are learning on.
Focus: We selected this area because we wanted to build meaning for our students by connecting their learning to stories of the land. By using First Nations stories tied to this place and community, we aimed to foster both oral language and literacy skills in a culturally responsive way. We hoped to see learning that felt meaningful, relevant, and connected to students’ lives. Through oral storytelling, play-based engagement, and opportunities for students to be storytellers themselves, we hoped to see increased confidence and growth in language and literacy.
Hunch: We had a hunch that students were eager to learn through stories and came with a strong foundation in Story Workshop from kindergarten. However, we noticed they didn’t always have a deep understanding of the stories from this land. We believed that grounding their learning in local First Nations stories would bring greater meaning to their story work, deepen connections to place and history, and strengthen their literacy development.
New Professional Learning:
– Focused on our own professional learning of Indigenous Storywork principles. As a group we read and discussed “Indigenous Storywork,” by Joanne Archibald. This deepened and transformed our cultural understanding of our own actions, and dramatically shifted our approach to this project.
– Met with district SENĆOŦEN teacher, Lorelei Mcevay, to deepen our understanding of local stories and the SENĆOŦEN language.
– Met with local elder, Sheila Austin, to deepen our understanding of local First Nations stories and cultural protocols
– Focused on learning SENĆOŦEN words and phrases from each story.
– Attended Network of Inquiry and Indigenous Education (NOIIE) learning bursts throughout the year.
– Attended the 2025 NOIIE Symposium: ‘Connections and Curiosity’. We had the chance to learn from presenters and network with other educators.
Taking Action:
– We invited our teacher librarian to join our team, collaborating as we explored local stories, accessed meaningful resources, and built connections to place.
– Learned W̱SÁNEĆ stories through the guidance of knowledge keepers, books, and oral retellings, with a focus on internalizing these stories so they can be shared authentically without relying on written texts.
– Partnered with the district SENĆOŦEN language teacher to deepen our understanding of the SENĆOŦEN language and support our students’ language learning.
– Engaged in thoughtful conversations with W̱SÁNEĆ knowledge keepers to better understand traditional storytelling practices, ensuring our work is culturally respectful and responsible.
– Shared Indigenous and place-based stories with our students that connected to local history, cultural teachings, seasonal changes, special community places, and classroom learning themes.
– Supported students in developing both oral and written language through experiences with local Indigenous stories, SENĆOŦEN language, and place-based storymaking.
– Shared our learning journey and insights with other educators at the 2025 NOIIE Symposium.
Checking: Our focus on connecting learners to local W̱SÁNEĆ stories and place led to learners forming their own meaningful connections, as they began learning SENĆOŦEN names for plants and places, engaged in storytelling, and retold stories collaboratively. As educators, we noticed that our own commitment to ‘storywork’ was deeply influencing our practice, encouraging us to approach stories with greater care and cultural responsibility. This shift led us to engage more intentionally and thoughtfully, fostering a more responsive and respectful approach to teaching and sharing Indigenous ways of knowing through story.
Reflections/Advice: This year, we realized how important it is to keep learning ourselves, especially when working with Indigenous stories. Our big ‘aha’ moment came from reading Indigenous Storywork by Dr. Jo-ann Archibald, which helped us see that we may have been using stories without fully understanding their cultural and sacred significance. This shifted our thinking and reminded us to approach this work with respect, care, and a commitment to ongoing learning.
We’re excited to continue deepening our understanding of W̱SÁNEĆ culture, stories, history, and the SENĆOŦEN language, and to keep building relationships with W̱SÁNEĆ knowledge keepers. We want to share this learning with our students in thoughtful and appropriate ways.
Our advice to other schools is to start small, be patient, and don’t feel pressure to finish in one year. Go slow, revisit your learning often, and grow your understanding alongside your students and colleagues.
Video Description: This video provides a glimpse into our 2025 NOIIE case study, part of the NOIIE Literacy and Numeracy Project. This learning takes place on the traditional territory of the W̱SÁNEĆ People, and involves Grade 1 students and educators at Lochside Elementary. Through a focus on oral storytelling, SENĆOŦEN language learning, and place-based experiences, our inquiry explores how connections to Indigenous stories and the land can enrich literacy development and deepen student connections.