Paws, Claws & Stars
Coming Fall 2024

Paws, Claws & Stars

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Weaving together Indigenous and Western/Global sciences!

Look into the night sky - what do you see? Find the wolf’s eyes and learn from our animal relatives, exploring how Indigenous Science and Western/Global Science complement each other and how science and storytelling can walk hand in hand (or hand in paw)! Watch a telling of a gifted Blackfoot story, explore constellations and black holes in a portable planetarium, and investigate reciprocity and interconnectedness through the story of wolves as a keystone species.

 

Paws, Claws & Stars is a collaboration between the Indigenous Science Connections and School Science Connections teams at TELUS Spark with guidance from the Indigenous Advisory Circle and Blackfoot Elders. It was piloted in Indigenous communities from 2023-2024 and is coming to a wider audience in October 2024. 

Cost

$400 for 2 classes

Additional classes: $100 each

Maximum: 4 classes per day

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AN EXPERIENCE IN FOUR PARTS

Part 1: Blackfoot Skies

Watch the 20-minute film guided by Blackfoot Elders and created with TELUS Spark by an all-Indigenous cast and crew. It is an adaptation of Wolf Trail (Milky Way) stories that originated in the Blackfoot language and have been told for thousands of years by the Niitsitapi. It tells of a time, many moons ago when humans were starving, and it was the wolf ancestors that guided humans back to a life within the circle, to live in reciprocity with the Land and animals.

Time: 45-minutes including introduction and debrief 

Equipment: Screen and Projector 

Done assembly-style with all participating classes

Learn more about Blackfoot Skies

Part 2: Ways of Knowing the Sky

Journey into Spark’s portable planetarium to examine diverse perspectives of the night sky, including constellations, planets, and black holes.  

Time: 30 minutes 

Equipment: room with at least 12-foot ceiling 

Done with single class 

Part 3: Paws & Claws

Using the story of wolves as keystone species in Yellowstone National Park and related animal biofacts to frame the discussion, students will consider what we can learn from animals and the interconnectedness of all species, including their own.

Time: 30 minutes 

Equipment: in classroom

Done with single class

Part 4: Connections

In circle, students will discuss the program’s core lessons of humility, perspectives, interconnectedness, and reciprocity. 

Time: 20 minutes 

Equipment: chairs in a circle in classroom 

Done with single class

Example Schedule (with 4 classes)

  • 8AM - Spark Educator team arrival and set-up.
  • 9AM - Blackfoot Skies film and discussion in Gymnasium/Theatre  
    All 4 classes in attendance.   
  • 10-11AM - Class 1: Portable Planetarium (brought in person, features a 12-foot ceiling)  
    Class 2: Paws & Claws in the classroom  
    * Classes switch stations after 30 minutes  
  • 11-11:30AM - Connections Wrap-up for Classes 1 & 2 
  • 12:15-1:15PM - Class 3: Portable Planetarium (brought in person, features a 12-foot ceiling)  
    Class 4: Paws & Claws in the classroom  
    *Classes switch stations after 30 minutes  
  • 1:15-1:45PM - Connections Wrap-up for Classes 3 & 4 
  • 2-2:30PM - Spark Educator team take-down and depart. 

Equipment Requirements 

Space for screen and projector assembly – needed for film.

Location with a minimum 12-foot ceiling – needed for Portable Planetarium

Room with seating for one class (i.e. own classroom)

Curriculum Enhanced 

Grade 4 

Science  

Space  

K: Constellations have names that come from a variety of sources.  
U: Many cultures connect observations of objects in space to time, place, and daily life in various ways.  

SP: Examine constellations in relation to location in the sky.  

 

Earth Systems 

K: First Nations, Métis, and Inuit hold understandings of Earth systems that sustain life, including that all things are interconnected. 

K: Conservation is the preservation and protection of Earth’s systems from pollution, depletion, or extinction.    

U: Earth’s systems are interconnected and can be impacted by small changes. 

English & Language Arts  

Oral Language

K: Stories presented in oral traditions can reflect connections to spirit, land, universe, time, and people.

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Grade 5   

Science  

Space 

K: First Nations, Métis, and Inuit ways of living and significant events are connected to many astronomical phenomena, such as the association of seasons to ceremonies.   

K: Astronomical phenomena can be represented in various ways that connect to daily life  

SP: Explore Indigenous representations of astronomical phenomena, past and present.    

English & Language Arts  

Oral Language

K: Oral traditions include diverse types of stories, including tales of everyday life, sacred stories, stories of extraordinary experiences, trickster stories or tales

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Grade 6 

Science 

Space 

K: Celestial bodies are natural bodies located beyond Earth’s atmosphere. 

U: Information about Earth can be acquired through exploration of the solar system. 

SP: Interpret physical, pictorial, or digital models of the solar system. 

 

Living Systems 

K: All components of an ecosystem influence each other either directly or indirectly 

U: The components and characteristics of an ecosystem affect the diversity of the organisms that live in it. 

English & Language Arts  

Oral Language

K: First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communication processes and protocols can preserve shared knowledge and include practices such as sharing circles, waiting to take turns, active listening.

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Explore Indigenous Ways of Knowing Science at Spark

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