Lessons from Mother Earth
by Elain McLeod & Colleen Wood
Description:
Publisher's description (House of Anasi Press, 2010):
Tess has visited her grandmother many times without really being aware of the garden. But today they step outside the door and Tess learns that all of nature can be a garden. And if you take care of the plants that are growing, if you learn about them -- understanding when they flower, when they give fruit, and when to leave them alone -- you will always find something to nourish you. This gentle story demonstrates the First Nations' tradition of taking care of Mother Earth.
Author biography (Strong Nations, 2010):
Elaine McLeod is a teacher who has lived and worked in many parts of the world. She was born in Mayo, Yukon, and is a member of the Na-Cho Nyak Dun First Nation. The stories she writes were originally told to her children so that they would know their history and understand their roots. Elaine lives in Whitehorse with her husband and four children.
Resource format: Picturebook
Age recommendation: Grades 1-6
Keywords: grandma, land, garden, plants, nature, family, Mother Earth, respect, food, oral tradition, lessons, land-based learning, gifts, collection, care, kinship, learning, family, patience, tradition, prayer, reciprocity, blueberries, rosehips, mushrooms, thankful
Year of publication: 2010
Publisher information: Groundwood Books
Teaching and Learning Ideas
Our team collaborated with new teachers, alumni of the Werklund School of Education’s Bachelor of Education program, to create teaching and learning plans for texts in this website. With audiences ranging from Pre-Kindergarten to Post-Secondary, lesson plans across this resource address a wide range of school subject areas, inclusive approaches, and Indigenous education topics, such as the revitalization of Indigenous languages. As this website was designed with Undergraduate Programs in Education instructors, as well as teachers in mind, connections to UPE courses have been flagged on each lesson plan. These lessons are intended as a starting place for educators, to help you envision ways in which you might bring Indigenous literatures, as well as ways of knowing, being, and doing, into your teaching contexts. Please adapt, use, and share these lessons in ways that are generative for your teaching practice. We offer our sincere thanks to the dozens of new teachers who gifted us with these creative ideas!
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