Please see the instructions below:

Hello Parents,

In Social Studies we are learning about why stories are so important to indigenous people.  We have spoken of the importance of the Elders who hold the responsibility of telling these stories as accurately and carefully as when the story was first told to them.

As an extension, we are also learning about Oral History and how the collection of these stories gives voice to those who often don’t have a lot of representation in typical history books.   Children’s voices can often be lost because their experiences are rarely documented in writing.  The students were charmed by the idea of Children’s History.

So….   Homework….

I have asked the students to do a simple timeline of their life, with your help (they should have brought home a long strip of paper).  The example above is helpful and a good guide but lacks some soul.  It would be good if your child included what is in the example, but also included 2-3 other moments that were meaningful to them.  You can add dates in the form of, “When I was 3, I moved to Canada”.    Please do not make the timelines too long as the students will be turning them into an oral story to be shared in a small group and I am hoping they can do that without reading off their paper.  This is a “rough copy” type of document.  It should be in chronological order and neat enough to read, but no other frills.  

Thank you for your support, as always,

Mrs. Marto