How To Be A Good Ancestor to Water by Shannon Smith

Purpose Statement

The purpose of this project is to encourage middle school students to explore and reflect

on how they take the waters from their community (Sturgeon Creek) for granted. This project will support students by deepening their connection to the land and water within their school division. In return, the hope is that students become ambassadors of Sturgeon Creek and work collaboratively to show gratitude for access to a healthy water system within their community.

Essential Question

How can we be good ancestors to the waters of Sturgeon Creek?

About This Project

Participants: Grade 8 English Language Arts students

Place/ Context: This project will take place at École Ness in the St. James Assiniboia School

Division, as well as along Sturgeon Creek and the Sturgeon Creek Parkway. Sturgeon Creek was selected as the context/place for this project for several reasons. First, the creek is found within the land on which the school division sits. Second, many students live in the Sturgeon Creek area and have a personal connection to the creek. Third, the creek is easily accessible; it is within walking distance of the school. Last, students will use the creek to inspire/create their own land and water acknowledgements to be shared with the schoolwide community.

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to encourage students to explore and reflect on how they take the water from Sturgeon Creek for granted. Upon reflecting, students will express how they can become good ambassadors to the creek by creating a multimodal land and water acknowledgement for the waters of Sturgeon Creek, to show their connection to, and gratitude for the creek.

Goals:

1. To (re)connect students to nature/water, at a local level. To build a strong sense of community and connection to the water.

2. To further students’ journey along their individual paths towards reconciliation.

3. To engage students in an authentic writing process. To write for a real audience and for a real purpose.

Project Description

• Introduce the Ripple Effects Place Project criteria (photo, writing, publication)

  • Students will create a multimodal land and water acknowledgement to explain their connection to and gratitude for the waters of Sturgeon Creek. The purpose of this acknowledgement is to demonstrate how the students are good ancestors to the waters of Sturgeon Creek.

  • This multimodal land and water acknowledgment will include a photograph of Sturgeon Creek and a written acknowledgement that will be published

    somewhere within the school community (e.g., school assembly, bulletin board,

    school or classroom library).

  • Provide students with the opportunity to walk to the creek to take photos of

    Sturgeon Creek and its waters. Perhaps use one of the A Walking Curriculum walks

    as inspiration for taking photos. For example, the Slow Walk (p. 56).

  • Use the St. James Assiniboia School Division Land Acknowledgement as a model

    text during the writing process.

• Ideas for publication of the multimodal land and water acknowledgements include:

  • School assemblies

  • A bulletin board display

  • Publish the photos and written acknowledgements in the form of a book for either

    the school or classroom library, or both.

• Sharing and displaying the multimodal land and water acknowledgements provides an authentic audience and purpose for this project.