Lesson Plan Title: Borders Lesson

Date: February 17th, 2017

Subject: English Language Arts Grade: 12
Topic: Borders Essential Question: How are Indigenous people
affected by authority/the law, and why would they
want to resist or challenge authority/the law?

Materials: The short story (in print), and a variety of artistic and writing supplies
(can be digital or material).

Stage 1- Desired Results you may use student friendly language

What do they need to understand, know, and/or able to do?

From analyzing the short story Borders, students will need to understand that many
people resist in the system in different ways and these resistances are not black and
white in their morality (or lack thereof). They will also need to understand how
Indigenous peoples identities are oppressed under the law and authority. Students will
also need to be able to make a visual and textual representation of their thoughts and
opinions of the story.

Broad Areas of Learning:

Engaged Citizens Through this lesson, students will come to recognize that not all
authorities and laws are necessarily fair or just, especially when considering Indigenous
peoples. This knowledge will allow the students to assess their own communities and
the possible authoritative injustices that may exist: whether these are in their school,
their hometown or the province as a whole. Students will be able to use this knowledge
as a tool to assist them in advocating and fighting for the rights of those who may be
oppressed under authoritative systems.

Sense of Self, Community, and Place Students will be able to develop a sense of
empathy and understanding for Indigenous peoples and their ways of knowing. Through
the study of the short story, they will be challenged with a unique perspective on
borders from a Blackfoot point of view. Through engaging with this perspective, students
will be able to broaden their own worldview and knowledge of themselves, their
community and their place in the world.

Cross-Curricular Competencies:

Thinking Through their study of Borders, students will be able to utilize the ability to
think critically about the message of the story. They will be required to think outside of
the law (in particular, of the concept of borders), and consider this law from a different
perspective from what they may believe and/or have been taught. This will assist the
students to be able to look at situations critically from more than on point of view, and to
consider multiple perspectives when thinking about laws and authority.

Outcome(s):
CRB30.1 - View, listen to, read, comprehend, and respond to a variety of grade-
appropriate international, including indigenous, texts that address:
-identity (e.g., Sense of Self)
-social responsibility (e.g., Social Criticism), and
-social action (agency) (e.g., Addressing the Issues).
CCB30.1 - Create a range of visual, multimedia, oral, and written texts that explore:
-identity (e.g., Sense of Self)
-social responsibility (e.g., Social Criticism), and
-social action (agency) (e.g., Addressing the Issues).

PGP Goals:
1.3 - a commitment to social justice and the capacity to nurture an inclusive and
equitable environment for the empowerment of all learners

2.3 -knowledge of First Nations, Metis and Inuit Culture and History (e.g., Treaties,
Residential School, Scrip, and Worldview);

3.2 - the ability to use a wide variety of responsive instructional strategies and
methodologies to accommodate learning styles of individual learners and support their
growth as social, intellectual, physical and spiritual beings.

Stage 2- Assessment

Assessment FOR Learning (formative) Assess the students during the learning to help
determine next steps.

For the first day of the lesson, students will be asked a variety of questions pertaining to
the short story. These questions will assess their knowledge of the story and will
predominately focus on the two Essential Questions for this lesson (How are Indigenous
people affected by authority/the law, and why would they want to resist or challenge
authority/the law). Students will be given a handout with these questions, and will be
allowed to work in groups in order to answer the questions.

To ensure that everybody has a clear understanding of the questions/story before they
begin their assignment, I will go over the questions with the students at the end of the
class together as a large group. This will allow me to evaluate who has an understanding
of the essential questions needed for the second portion of the lesson and who does not.

If there are students who do not have a full understanding of the story/questions, I will
ensure to pair them with an individual who does have an understanding for the
summative assessment portion. I prepare an exit slip for the students to fill out, so that
they can inform me of any misunderstandings or confusion. If needed, I may meet with
the students who have misunderstandings/confusion briefly after class/during lunch/after
school, During this time, I will go over the questions again with them and ensure that
they have an understanding by the end of the day.

Assessment OF Learning (summative) Assess the students after learning to evaluate

what they have learned.

Students will be assessed summatively during the second lesson, in which they will be
required to make a visual representation of a scene from the short story that either
1) Displays how and why the Indigenous individuals in the story were oppressed by the
law or
2) Displays how and why the Indigenous individuals in the story resisted the law.
Through the formative questions completed in the first class, students should now have
an understanding of these aspects of the story. Thus, their job is to show be both visually
and textually that they have an understanding of the essential questions pertaining to
the story.
This can be completed in a variety of ways:
-Making a poster with accompanying dialogue/text
-Making a short comic strip/drawing with accompanying dialogue/text
-Writing a paragraph or two with a visual representation from the story

This summative assessment will not only show me what the students have learned from
the story, but will prepare them for their final assessment piece as it requires them to
have an understanding of social justice issues and to visually and textually represent
these issues which are both components of their final assessment piece for the units.
Stage 3- Learning Plan

Motivational/Anticipatory Set (introducing topic while engaging the students)

I will begin the lesson by showing the students a potted fern. I will then ask them to list
off what gives the plant its identity. The students will most likely describe it as being
green, being a fern, being in a pot, needing water to survive, etc. I will write their
answers on the board.

After they have given me about 5 or so answers, I will then erase all of the answers, and
write the word Canadian on the board. I will inform the students that they are wrong.
What matters most is that this plant was grown in Canada. Its actually identity and what
it may perceive itself to be does not matter not in the eyes of the law. It is a Canadian,
first and foremost.

I would then ask the students how they would feel if their identity was completely
pushed aside just for the sake of Canadianess, just as I did to this plant. I will then
explain that this type of situation was something that actually happened to someone,
and will hand out the short story Borders by Thomas King.

Main Procedures/Strategies:
Day 1 (story + formative assessment):
I will read the short story Borders to the students. I will then invite the students to join
in on the reading by using the strategy of Popcorn Reading, in which a student reads a
paragraph and another student volunteers and immediately reads the next one. (20
minutes).

After the story is read, I will then hand out the question sheet for Borders and allow for
the students to complete the questions in groups. I will circulate the room and give
assistance if need be. (20 minutes).

During the last 10-20 minutes of class, I will go over the questions with the students as a
group to ensure that everybody understands them. If time allows, I will introduce their
assignment for the next day.

Day 2 (summative assessment assignment):

The next day, I will introduce the assignment for their summative assessment on
Borders, if it has not already been introduced. This will be in the form of a short lecture
and a handout. I will explain to the students that they need to make a visual
representation of the short story, and that they can use their questions from the day
before as guidance.

Their job will to make a visual representation of a scene from the short story that either

1) Displays how and why the Indigenous individuals in the story were oppressed by the
law or
2) Displays how and why the Indigenous individuals in the story resisted the law. Their
job is to show be both visually and textually that they have an understanding of the
essential questions pertaining to the story.

This can be completed in a variety of ways:-

-Making a poster with accompanying dialogue/text

-Making a short comic strip/drawing with accompanying dialogue/text

-Writing a paragraph or two with a visual representation from the story

If the students can think of any other way to show their learning both visually and
textually, they can feel free to let me know.

Students will also be allowed to work in groups of no more than 3 for this assignment or
alone if they prefer. They only get the hour to complete the assignment, so they must
use their time wisely. I will book the computer lab/library for the students who wish to
type or digitally represent their assignment.

Adaptations/Differentiation:

I will differentiate this lesson by allowing students to read aloud only if they
volunteer/ae comfortable. This will allow the students who have anxiety/struggle with
public speaking to participate in the reading with ease. I will also have the story
represented both textually (on paper) and orally (through my own/the students oral
reading). This will allow students with vision or hearing impairments to still be able to
engage successfully with the story.

I will also allow the students to either work in groups or alone for both the formative and
summative assessment pieces. This will allow them to have a choice in how they want to
approach their learning, as some students need the support of their peers while others
flourish better by themselves.

Closing of lesson:

I will close the lesson by encouraging the students to share their assignments with the
rest of the class (if they feel comfortable doing so). Allowing the students to share their
ideas and thoughts about the story will enable them to have a deeper understanding of
the essential questions and the struggles that Indigenous peoples face.

Personal Reflection:

Name: ________________
Date: ________________

Borders Questions
Miss Britz, ELA 30
1) How does the main characters mother resist
the authority in this story?

2) Do you think she was justified in resisting the

authority of the border guards? Why or why not?

3) Why did the mother insist on telling the border

guard that her citizenship was Blackfoot when it
caused her so much trouble?

4) What is the significance of the guns in this

story? What do they represent?

5) Why do you think the American border guards

finally let the family through?

Borders Assignment Handout Sheet

Miss Britz, ELA 30
 For this assignment, you will be required to choose a
scene from the short story borders by Thomas King. When
choosing the scene, keep in consideration at least ONE of
these two questions:

1)How are the Indigenous people in the story affected by

authority/the law?
2)Why would the Indigenous people in the story want to
resist or challenge authority/the law?

Once you have chosen the question that you wish to address,
you will be required to make a visual and textual
representation of the story based off of the question.
You will be required to ANSWER the question in your
representation- you can do this either visually or textually, but
you must display evidence that you understand what the
question is asking.
You can do this assignment in a variety of ways: a poster, a
Power-point presentation, a short comic, or a paragraph
accompanied by visuals. If you have any other ideas on how
to represent your question both visually and textually, see
me.