Exploring Inuit Culture Curriculum is a multi-media unit of instruction designed to teach students grades 4-6 about the Inuit, the native people of the Canadian Arctic, and Nunavut, the newest territory in Canada established in 1999. This curriculum is unique not only because of the subject matter, but because it explores a native culture through its own eyes, as opposed to through the eyes of outsiders.
Lesson plans aligned to elementary curricula are based on five DVDs and a music CD from the Igloolik Isuma Productions media collection. Following a 100-page curriculum guide written and field-tested by elementary school teachers, teachers and students explore the richness of Inuit culture and unique Canadian Arctic from an Inuit point of view.
Some of the lessons and educational documentaries are available online as part of the Exploring Inuit Culture ONLINE. The complete Exploring Inuit Culture Curriculum includes all items listed below and is available for purchase details at http://www.isuma.ca/buy or to order, please contact wandav [at] vtape [dot] org.
1. EICC Teacher Resource Guide
- 20 lesson plans on Inuit culture and life in the Canadian Arctic
- Detailed maps of Canada and Nunavut
- Access to SILA, an interactive website on Inuit culture
- Nunavut Facts at a Glance
- Exploring Inuit Culture – Word Search
2. Isuma. Teacher's Resource Guide by Deirdre Kessler
- The Inuit way of doing things
- Subject areas of Inuit life and culture
3. Isuma Inuit Studies Reader, a collection of historical and modern readings introducing students to the Inuit of the Arctic.
4. Four films on DVD, part of the Isuma Classics Video Collection:
- Qimuksik (Dog Team), 28 minutes
- Aiviaq (Walrus Hunt), 28 minutes
- Nanugiurutiga (My First Polar Bear), 48 minutes
- Artcirq (Circus School), 50 minutes
5. Unakuluk (Dear Little One), from Arnait Video Production, a documentary which takes an intimate look at the common Inuit practice of adopting a child from a relative, friend or acquaintance, 46 minutes.
6. Unikkaat Sivunittinnit (Messages from the Past), recording of traditional Inuit ajaja songs by Igloolik Island performers and drummers, 50 minutes.