A Teaching Resource for Personal Development
by Terri Mack and Bill Helin
illustrated by Bill Helin
Strong Nations Publishing, 2022
ISBN 978-1-77174-597-0
$16.95, 32 pp, teacher’s resource
www.strongnations.com
This teaching resource uses storytelling as a way to impart knowledge and initiate discussions and activities that support social and emotional learning. The book contains six interrelated stories that teachers can read aloud to their elementary school students. Embedded in the stories are Tsimshian words, and each story is accompanied by a full-page, full-colour illustration by Tsimsian artist, Bill Helin. In the first story, Ganaw (Frog) discovers a leaking oil can at the edge of Pine Forest Pond. He overcomes misgivings about his own safety when he asks Xsgyiik (Eagle) and Gaak (Raven) to help remove the polluting oil can. Other animals in the forest pitch in to clean up around the pond. In the following stories, the animals work through issues related to the incident, developing character strengths and social responsibility in the process.
Classroom Connections: Comprehensive support materials are provided for each story, including lesson plan ideas and activities. Science-based information about a plant that has significance in Tsimshian culture is also included in the support materials for each story.
Review by Diana Mumford.
This review is featured in Canadian Teacher Magazine’s Spring 2023 issue.