The Canary Effect-et undervisningsopplegg om urfolk i USA

Hello everyone,

Through reading the discussion entries in this site I came across the Top Documentaries website in which it is possible to watch online documentaries on a variety of topics.

The Canary Effect ( http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/canary-effect/)is an awarded documentary from 2006 that discusses the effects the US policies have had on the Native Americans.  It lasts around one hour and seems like it might serve as an excellent tool to teach the students about the history of the Native Americans and the troubles they face today.  I have created the following worksheet to use in the classroom. 

You might as well try this out and leave your comments on how it worked in your class or what sort of modifications you have done with the content.

Best.

Mål for opplæringen er at eleven skal kunne:
•    beherske et bredt ordforråd
•    forstå lengre framstillinger i skrift og tale om ulike personlige, litterære, tverrfaglige og samfunnsmessige emner
•    drøfte litteratur av og om urfolk i den engelskspråklige verden

Native Americans
The Canary Effect: (2006) (63 minutes)
 
The Canary Effect is a 2006 documentary that looks into the effects of the United States and its policies have on the Indigenous peoples (Native Americans) who are residents.
It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and won the Stanley Kubrick Award at the 2006 Traverse City Film Festival (Michael Moore hosts).
The movie was directed by Robin Davey and Yellow Thunder Woman, who are both members of LA Based alternative pop group The Bastard Fairies.
Delving deeply into the often misunderstood and frequently over looked historic realities of the American Indian, The Canary Effect follows the terrifying and horrific abuses instilled upon the Indigenous people of North America, and details the genocidal practices of the US government and its continuing affects on present day Indian country.
Featuring interviews with the leading scholars and experts on Indian issues including controversial author Ward Churchill, the film brings together the past and present in a way never before captured so eloquently and boldly on film.
(Source:  http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/canary-effect/ 20.02.2012)



A.     Before You Watch the Documentary :

Find brief information about the following terms:

a.    Indigenous
b.    Genocide
c.    Scalp bounty
d.    Trails of tears
e.    Indian Removal Act
f.    Indian Reservations
g.    Tribal Sovereignty in the United States
h.    Kill the Indian-Save the Man

B.     Answer the following questions while you watch the documentary:

1.     Columbus describes the indigenous people as _________ people of ____________ structure.
2.     Americans celebrate the Columbus Day on ____________________________.
3.     When Columbus arrived, there was an estimated ___________________ million Indians in what is now the USA.
4.    In ____________, there was under 250,000.
5.    ___________% were gone.
6.    The Indians were force marched 1500 miles to _______________.
7.    Andrew Jackson’s Indian Removal Policy resulted in the deaths of an estimated _______________ Indians.
8.    How many Indian Reservations are there in the USA?_________________
9.    Children at Boarding schools died of _______________, _____________, and_____________.
10.     Family planning act was aimed at preventing the growth of ________________ and _____________ populations.
11.    How does Ronald Reagan, the US President in the 1980s define the life style of the Native Americans?________________________________.
12.    In 1999, ________________________ became the first president over 50 years to go anywhere in Indian Country.
13.    What was the unemployment rate on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in 1999?________________.
14.    What is the unemployment rate on the Pine Ridge  Indian Reservation now?________________.
15.    The Red Lake tragedy claimed lives of ___________ people.  It became the __________ worst school shooting in American history.
16.    Native youth suicide rates are up to ____________ times higher than the national average.