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Guide to the City #12- Saamis Heights

Grade: 1
Subject: Social Studies
Unit: Moving Forward with the Past
Lesson Duration: 1 class

Lesson Goal: Reinforce classroom expectations by responding only to those students with their
hand up, remind students who call out to raise their hand.
OUTCOMES FROM 2013 MINISTERIAL ORDER: Cross-curricular Competencies
Outcomes (a to j from M.O.):
(a) Know how to learn: to gain knowledge, understanding or skills through experience,
study, and interactions with others
OUTCOMES FROM ALBERTA PROGRAM OF STUDIES
General Learning Outcomes:
1.2 Students will demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of how changes over time
have affected their families and influenced how their families and communities are today.
Specific Learning Outcomes:
1.2.1 appreciate how stories and events of the past connect their families and communities to
the present:
 Recognize how families their families and communities might have been different in the
past than they are today
 Acknowledge and respect symbols of heritage and traditions in their families and
communities
OUTCOMES stated in learner friendly language
Students will:
● Identify the origin of the word “Saamis”
● Identify features of the Saamis Heights neighborhood
ASSESSMENTS
Pre-assessment (prior Formative: Summative (if applicable):
knowledge) (if applicable): Observation Guide to the City Booklet
- Students guess the
location of the photos
Barnaby Bear took

LEARNING RESOURCES CONSULTED

Resource #1: Medicine Hat Children’s Guide to the City

Resource #2: https://www.medicinehat.ca/about-us

MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT

● Guide to the City Booklets
● Pencils
● Pencil Crayons
● Slideshow (Google slides)
 2

PROCEDURE
Student Differentiation:
Some students will only
need to complete 1
sentence rather than two.

Introduction (time:5 min )

Hook/Attention Grabber:
Hand out Guide to the city booklets. Have Google Slides up with Barnaby Bear’s photos of
Saamis Heights ready to show students (Barnaby Bear is our teddy bear who travels the city)

Transition to Body:
Show students the photos that Barnaby Bear took, one by one. Ask them to raise their hand
when they think they know where it is (Saamis Rotary Park).

Body (time: 20 min )

Learning Activity #1: “Saamis”

- Explain the origin of the word Saamis
- It is a Blackfeet word that means medicine man’s hat
- The Blackfeet people were an Indigenous group who lived in this area long before
Medicine Hat was even a city
- The medicine man would wear a traditional headdress, usually made out of feathers. His
role was to providing healing in his community.

Learning Activity #2: Students complete stop #12 in their booklets

- Share a bit more about Saamis heights: rotary park, water park, car/dog wash
- Write “Saamis Rotary Park is at stop #12. Saamis means medicine man’s hat in the
Blackfeet.”
- Students copy the sentences into their booklets.
- Display photos of Saamis Rotary Park for students to look at- they will use the photos to
draw a picture and color it.

*If students finish early, they work on their spring activity booklets until they are dismissed for
recess.

Closure (time: 2 min )

Feedback From Students on Learning:
Students hand in booklets and have them checked that they are complete.
Transition To Next Lesson(s):
- Students are dismissed by group to get ready/line up for recess

Reflection on lesson: