Amy Ardley

These are some of the resources that I have come across while doing research for lesson plans.

Resource Room: Outdoor Education from the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation

Literacy and the Great Outdoors: 10 Outdoor Literacy Ideas by Childhood 101

K-12 Evaluated Resource Collection from Focused Education Resources

Education Programs from The Central BC Railway and Forestry Museum

Resources for Educators from Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Teacher Resources from BC Heritage Fairs

An Education Guide by Native Land
Territories and Language Map by Native Land

Resources from the BC Ministry of Education
Shared Learnings: Integrating BC Aboriginal Content K-10
Sustainability Course Content: A Curriculum Framework
The Environmental Learning & Experience Curriculum Maps
The Rush to BC: Teacher’s Social Studies Guide
B.C. History in Action for Kindergarten to Grade 7
B.C. History in Action for Grades 8 to 12

Resources from the Prince George District Teachers’ Association (PGDTA)
Lheidli T’enneh Historical Timeline
Additional Indigenous Resources
Teaching Green: Sustainable Resources

Their Voices Will Guide Us: Student and Youth Engagement Guide by the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Women and Girls

Educational Presentations through Huble Homestead Historic Site

School Programs through Two Rivers Gallery

Field Trips to the Exploration Place: Museum and Science Centre

Global Citizenship and Storyworlds through Lyfta

Esti-Mysteries Math Resource by Steve Wyborney

The Carrier (Dakelh) Language from the Lheidli T’enneh website (includes O’ Canada in Dakelh)

Resources from First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC)
In Our Own Words – Bringing Authentic First Peoples Content to the K-3 Classroom
Science First Peoples, Gr. 5-9
Science First Peoples Teacher Resource Guide (Secondary)
Math First Peoples
English First Peoples
Authentic First Peoples Resources (K-9)

Digital Citizenship Curriculum: Digital Safety and Literacy by Common Sense Education

Teacher Resources from Science World

Story Kits from the Prince George Public Library

Indigenous Land-Based Learning from Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario

Indigenous Books and Resources from Strong Nations

Land Based Educational Resources from Take Me Outside

Indigenous Education and Outdoor Learning Lesson Plans from Comox Valley Schools

Indigenous Land-based Learning Programs by Christine Irvine

Land Based Learning by Canadian Education Association

Educational Resources to Support Reconciliation by Empowering the Spirit

A few of my favourite educational books and resources:

My time at UNBC in the Education program has been nothing short of amazing. Over the past two years I had the opportunity to learn from some of the most passionate educators I have ever met. My professors had a lasting impact on me and my excitement to become part of the educational world. My experience in the education program and the three practicums I completed over the past two years have solidified my belief that my purpose in life is to be an educator. I was fortunate enough to be placed in three very different schools and across multiple grade levels, first in a Grade 1/2 class at a venturing school, then in a Grade 6/7 class, and finally in a Kindergarten class. I cannot wait to get my own classroom and begin making an impact on my students’ lives as my coaching teachers and professors did for me. One of the most beneficial things that I gained during my time in the education program is the connections I made to the other teacher candidates. I formed real friendships with several of the other students and I could not have made it through the program without their support and kindness. This program not only prepared me for the world or teaching but also gave me a sense of belonging. I will be forever grateful for my time in the program and I cannot wait to see what lies ahead.

For my posts on my four week practicum and my ten week practicum please visit: Practicum Experience.

October 23rd

What I enjoyed most about this conference was the emphasis on connecting to place. At the beginning of the day there was the “Koh-learning in the Nechako Watershed: Honouring Seasonal Voices among Youth, Communities and Waterways”. The Koh-Learning project is a partnership between UNBC and SD91. It focuses on teaching students about their environment by getting them out into nature and learning first-hand from the land. It allows students to become connected to their environment which supports independence and fosters a sense of responsibility to take care of their land and advocate for its future and their own. I really loved this seasonal wheel that was shared. It is child centred and explores many great topics and subtopics that can be done through the year, connecting to people, place, land and the self. This is something I would like to explore when I have my own classroom one day.

One of the workshops I attended was “Land Based Libraries: Our Stories Live Here” with Mardelle Sauerborn. In this workshop, Mardelle spoke about how important it is to let students connect to their land and communities by getting the students outside of the classroom and into nature. In this way they can gain first-hand knowledge about the land, seeing what nature has to offer, taking in the sounds and smells, and exploring their community. She also talked about how, while books are a great source for learning, oral storytelling is equally important and offers more inclusivity for indigenous learners. This workshop was a great learning experience and I am grateful to have been a part of it.

September 25th

The Indigenous Day of Learning Pro-D Day was amazing. I really enjoyed the first keynote speaker, Dr. Dustin Louie, and his piece on presenting yourself as a learner alongside your students. I thought that was such great advice and something that I plan on doing during my next two practicums. Not only does it humanize teachers, it gets students excited because instead of “being taught” something by the teacher – almost like a one-way street of knowledge – they get to learn about it together. His speech really made me think about how I can be an ally for Indigenous Education.

One of the workshops I attended was “Oral Stories Through Puppetry” with Dora Himmlespach. During the workshop, Dora spoke about how she uses puppets to teach social emotion learning. Her main points were to always acknowledge where a story is from and to not be afraid to change some elements of the story to make it relevant to the audience. After her talk she put on a puppet show for us about the “Me Monster”. It was about a wolf who didn’t realize how his selfish behaviour was effecting others and making them not want to be friends with him. It was quite cute. My four year old watched it with me and she loved it. The big learning I took away from this workshop was that puppets can help students engage more in the learning. It is fun and interactive. It is definitely something I would like to try the next time I am in a primary classroom.

My teacher metaphor is a heart. Every year when my parents asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up it was always the same answer: a teacher. Being a teacher and helping children develop their interests and passions has always been at the centre of my heart. I created this collage to show what is important to me as an educator: being outdoors in nature, exploring, kindness, reading, developing creativity, mindfulness, and connecting to people, place and land.