I. General Information
School Name: Hatzic Middle School
School District: SD#75 Mission
Inquiry Team Members: Lyn O’Grady: lyn,ogrady@mpsd.ca
Inquiry Team Contact Email: lyn.ogrady@mpsd.ca
II. Inquiry Project Information
Type of Inquiry: NOIIE Case Study
Grade Levels Addressed Through Inquiry: Secondary (8-12)
Curricular Areas Addressed: Language Arts – Literacy, Language Arts – Oral Language, Language Arts – Reading, Language Arts – Writing
Focus Addressed: Literacy, Core competencies (for example, critical thinking, communication, problem solving)
In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? To use Indigenous literature written by Indigenous authors with my Gr. 8 English class as they create and research an inquiry question.
III. Spirals of Inquiry Details
Scanning: I encouraged a whole class discussion about who the students considered would be a success in life; most students seemed to initially state their friends/family. They stated that they chose these people as that is who they felt comfortable with and spoke about any issues/problems to help them if they needed support. By the end of the year, most students stated the classroom teacher, Ms. O’Grady, as we had a small cohesive class, and they stated they were given good support and help for them to be successful. In groups of two, due to a small class size, students chose a First Peoples Principle of Learning and shared with the class, after discussion with their partner, how they related this principle to their life at school and at home.
Focus: Initially, I wanted the students to have access to Indigenous literature that were authentically written by Indigenous authors. Students let me know during our initial discussions that they really enjoyed graphic novels, as the graphics helped them understand the story. They also indicated they had not had the opportunity to read Indigenous graphic novels at school. In addition, they wanted to know how to identify an Indigenous author, as they hadn’t had opportunities in this area.
Hunch: Prior to this year, Indigenous literature has not been widely available at our school. I think one of the main reasons for this situation is there are many books/literature written with elementary and secondary students in mind but not so much for middle school students. In addition, it is not always easy to find literature that boys are interested in reading. Also, not everyone is comfortable/confident weaving/teaching Indigenous content within the curriculum. I have promoted the use of Indigenous books/novels for some time, and this year we seem to have a growing selection of Indigenous literature available to the students which is highly beneficial in a number of ways.
New Professional Learning: My main professional learning was to use literature that appealed to my Gr. 8 students with their varied areas of development and need. This year, I had a small class and the students had very diverse needs in their strengths and abilities with literature and just attending school on a regular basis. This was a professional learning challenge I have not encountered before. The resource I found most helpful was Tales from Big Spirit by David Alexander Robertson. I personally created forms and booklets that were user friendly with Indigenous literature and can be used in a number of ways.
Taking Action:
1. Students, prior to reading the story and by just looking at the book cover, wrote 5-10 sentences predicting the graphic novel story.
2. After reading the story on their own, or with an adult reading it to them when needed, students completed a ‘baseline’ of 5-10 sentences describing the story content.
3. In groups, the students completed a form writing a summary, timeline, topics and themes and vocabulary.
4. Students then created ‘big ideas’ using information from ‘topics and themes’ they identified in the story.
5. Students each chose a ‘big idea’ and used the internet to research and find detailed, historical facts to support their ‘big idea’.
6. Students chose how to ‘make their learning’ visible using a creative medium and including a written explanation.
7. Students, in their groups, shared their learning with the entire class.
8. Students wrote ‘exit slips’ after each class identifying their Indigenous learning.
Checking: I noticed I made a difference by the following:
1. Students were totally engaged as they read the graphic novel.
2. Students worked enthusiastically in their groups with planning, discussing, problem solving, critically thinking and creating a unique and interesting artifact to represent their learning.
3. Reading student ‘exit slips’ provided me with insight into the students learning and thinking towards the inquiry project.
I was pleased with the students engagement, enthusiasm and meaningful discussions and contributions towards their learning and working in a group.
Reflections/Advice: I learned that while I needed to support and guide the students, with many aspects of their learning, inquiry provides the students with many meaningful opportunities to extend their learning. I also learned what is involved in creating Indigenous booklets and forms to make curricular content more accessible to diverse learners. I needed to create these guiding forms as there were none available. I found this incredibly satisfying when I witnessed how they helped the student’s learning. In future, I would like these graphic novels to be used in chronological order to compare and contrast Indigenous historical figures and events across a wide range of time. I highly recommend the use of these graphic novels in any middle school classroom.