We Share the Seasons

Part of the series “From the Mountains to the Sea”, this resource supports English Language Arts, Social Studies and Science curricula for students K-2, and could be utilized as a reference for grades 3-7. It includes information for educators – details about each season, an outline for charts in the text, and background information on content for each section. This additional information could also be utilized as support material for secondary students. Framed in the context of a Talking Circle, the resource allows for discussion while honouring Aboriginal ways of knowing. Colourful photographs and illustrations provide details and highlight scientific and cultural elements of each season.

Cleverly organized to introduce key cultural themes and highlight scientific details, this resource takes readers through each season from First Nations’ perspectives. Topics include storytelling, the importance of ceremonies and other community events, as well as essential foods and how they are harvested. Facts for each season are presented alongside cultural understandings and questions created to generate discussion in a Talking Circle.

Created with purpose, this resource couples scientific details about each season with cultural details that enrich understanding and develop interest. It is developed to enhance teaching and allow students to access information in a straightforward manner. Each page is colour-coded and features beautiful photographs and illustrations, and gives information backed up with further material for teachers to utilize or introduce as they like.

This resource is distinctly laid out as an instructional resource for primary science and social studies with an Aboriginal approach, and achieves this skilfully with the use of symbols, colours and photographs to organize and shape understanding. There is a reference section for educators and confident readers which builds on the content with more detail, and allows for some differentiation of instruction. Featuring beautiful illustrations and photographs, as well as instructions and questions for facilitating a Talking Circle, this resource provides some opportunity to extend and personalize learning.

This resource highlights science and social studies topics centred on the seasons and cultural and community activities that take place throughout each season, appropriately detailed for primary-level students. It builds on students’ understanding by inviting recollections or understandings of seasonal events such as the experiences we celebrate or the people we visit at different times in the year. The beautiful photographs and accurate illustrations engage and reinforce concepts, as well as highlight the differences between the seasons.

We Share the Seasons has a teachers' guide at the beginning of the resource. The resource is part of a bundled package that includes related materials - salmon designs on bulletin board trimmers for classroom display, four moon posters representing Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter moons, season cards for sorting and categorizing. These supplementary items were not part of the evaluation.

This resource could be utilized on its own or with other books from the “From the Mountains to the Sea” series. Formulated to facilitate discussion in a Talking Circle model, it is also constructed to pair science and social studies content, create opportunities for critical thinking, and can be utilized to teach reading strategies, text features, and as an anchor for creative writing and art projects.