Indigenous Science Outreach Workshops

Location: Workshops are held in various K-12 schools in Indigenous communities or schools with high proportions of Indigenous students within Treaty 7, southern Alberta.

Dates: The program launched in 2008 under Alberta Innovates Health Solutions and transitioned to our office in 2016. It is an ongoing program which fits within the Alberta Curriculum. Please note: in person workshops have been paused for 2020 due to COVID-19.

 

Project description:

Hands-on science workshops have been co-designed with and delivered in K-12 classes to foster a link between science and Indigenous ways of knowing. Since 2016, 549 students have taken part in this program. Core offerings include: 

 

  • Kindergarten – Grade 1:
  1. Hand Washing. This workshop focuses on the importance of hand washing and proper techniques for hand washing. Objectives are to learn proper hand washing techniques, about germs and how they are transmitted. 
  2. Senses. This workshop focuses on the different senses. Objectives are to learn to identify different objects via touch, learn to identify ingredients via smell, discuss how animals in nature use their senses.

 

  • Grade 5: What is DNA? The concept of DNA is introduced and explained with hands-on activities. Genes are introduced as sentences and the complementary DNA strand then becomes the words written in reverse. Learning focuses on DNA base pairing, DNA replication (gene sentences), isolating DNA from a banana, and Building a Model of DNA with candy.

 

  • Grade 8: 
  1. The Cell. This workshop deals with the components of the cell. Students will build a cell from food, for example, pudding is the cytoplasm and jellybeans are the mitochondria. Different cell types will be examined under the microscope. Objectives are to learn about different parts of the cell, build a model of the cell, view different types of cells under the microscope. 
  2. Components of Food: Traditional Versus Modern. This workshop identifies the different components in food, such as salt, sugar, fat carbohydrate and protein. Several different foods are compared, for instance pemmican vs. chips, to look at their nutritional profile. Objectives are to learn how to test for different components of food using chemical analysis.

 

  • Grade 11/12: Who committed the crime? This is a DNA fingerprinting workshop where students will find the “criminal” using DNA analysis. Students will learn to pipette and work in groups to perform gel electrophoresis. Learning involves DNA base pairing, DNA replication, learning how  to pipette DNA into an agarose gel, gel electrophoresis, mutations and genetic variation, and isolating DNA from a banana.

 

Key contacts:

 

Project partners:

School partners have included: Piitoayis (Eagle Lodge) Family School, Red Crow Community College, Saipoyi School- Kainai Blood Reserve and Tsuu T'ina Junior/Senior High. Internally, we are pleased to partner with the Department of BioChemistry and Molecular Biology.

 

Opportunities available:

 

If you are a school interested in our Indigenous Science Outreach Workshops, contact us. Workshop material can be adjusted to suit various grade levels and custom workshops can be developed to meet specific student needs or interest.