An Educational Companion to We Are of Water

In recognition of National Indigenous History Month, we are excited to share “An Educational Companion to We Are of Water”.

The graphic novel We Are of Water, illustrated by Chenoa Gao provides visuals connected to voices and knowledge shared by Indigenous Elders, youth and community members, throughout British Columbia, and highlights the significance of watersheds and water. We hope these illustrated stories will amplify Indigenous voices and experiences, embrace and advance inter-generational learning between youth and elders, and foster future generations of water champions and stewards.

To make these stories more accessible to youth throughout BC we have provided different resources for teachers to use in and outside the classroom. The Educational Companion includes teaching resources, reading guides, worksheets and various hands-on activities including a wetland field trip guide and building a watershed activity.

The Educational Companion allows teachers to pick and choose the worksheets and guides that best suit their lesson plan while leaving space for them to adapt these resources to their unique teaching style and the learning style of their class.

We are grateful for the passion, creative energy, and time educators Dhakāle Hayle Gallop and Savannah Bergenhenegouwen put in to develop these educational resources to accompany reading We Are of Water. We hope these stories and resources will spark one’s curiosity to connect with the land and water and learn more about this land’s history and those who have stewarded it since time immemorial.

Curriculum Alignment for We Are of Water

In addition to the Educational Companion, Open School BC created a Curriculum Alignment for We Are of Water which looks at the Big Ideas of the curriculum from grades 6 to 12 including in the following subject areas:

Applied Design, Skills and Technologies
Arts Education
English language Arts
English First peoples
Physical and Health Education
Science
Social Studies

We would also like to offer this as a resource for educators to support them in sharing these stories in their classes.

These resources were created on behalf of the Real Estate Foundation of BC and the B.C. Wildlife Federation, with support and input provided by illustrator Chenoa Gao. We are truly grateful for all those who have put their time and energy into creating these resources to amplify the voices and knowledge shared in We Are of Water.

You can learn more about We Are of Water and access the online copies of the graphic novel, the Educational Companion, and Curriculum Alignment at: https://healthywatersheds.ca/news/we-are-of-water/