Teaching Mathematics in a First Peoples Context: Grades 8 and 9
This document provides unit planning guides for courses that satisfy grade 8 and grade 9 mathematics requirements in British Columbia. Each unit includes preparation guides, suggested texts, external resources, and suggested writing assessment materials or assessment rubrics, as appropriate. All units include connections to First Nations.
The purposes of this resource are effectively stated and generally well met. The units and mathematics instructional activities generally appear to be taken or adapted from dependable sources. However, evidence of alignment to any standards, either provincial or national, is not provided. As with other First Peoples resources, the length of each unit, links to other resources, and design are very high. Teachers are most likely to find utility in single examples from the wide variety of units and activities described, rather than trying to incorporate entire sections. Some of the logistical requirements may not be feasible, such as those that require shifting desks within a room, or access to a First Nations Elder (or an American Indian Elder in the United States). Evidence of effectiveness is not provided, although most of the activities appear to reasonably incorporate many traditional mathematics skills while incorporating a better understanding of First Peoples.