Nunavut Art: Planning a Unit to the Nunavut Education Program

Quick answer: Plan from Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit outward, not from a project you then decorate with local content. The Nunavut Education Program treats IQ as a foundation across every subject, so an art unit should name which principle it works through, what students will make, and what evidence you will keep. Four sessions, one finished piece, one written or spoken reflection.

Where does an art unit in Nunavut begin?

With the framework, not the materials. Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit runs through the whole Nunavut Education Program rather than sitting in one course, so the first planning question is which principle a unit actually works through and how a student would recognize it in what they make. Write that in a sentence at the top of the plan before choosing a technique or ordering anything.

Then check the outcomes in the curriculum documents for your own grade and pick one to assess. The territory is rolling out new Inuktut-language curriculum alongside the existing program, so wording varies between the documents in circulation; quoting the exact outcome you are using keeps your plan readable for whoever teaches the course next year.

How do I plan around materials that are hard to replace?

Design the unit around what is already in the cupboard, then add one ordered item at most. A plan depending on a delivery arriving mid-unit is a plan with a hole in it, and substitutions made under pressure usually cost more instructional time than they save. Teachers here tend to keep a short list of projects that run entirely on paper, pencil and what the school reliably stocks.

Printable Garland Craft – Final Touch Activity for Grades K–4 belongs in that category as a printable craft for the K to four range that finishes in one session, which makes it useful for a short week or a day when the class list changes. Two or three tasks of this kind held in reserve keep the room working when the rest of the plan has to wait.

What works with senior students in a small school?

Senior classes in small schools are often mixed in age and experience, so choose projects where the concept carries the work and technique varies by student. Christo and Jeanne-Claude – Wrapping and concept art suits that setting, since wrapping and concept art let a beginner and an experienced student answer the same question with very different objects, and the discussion afterwards is the real assessment.

Bring community knowledge in deliberately rather than as decoration. If an elder or a family member can visit, plan the visit as a lesson with a task attached, so students arrive with questions and leave with notes. That structure respects the visitor's time and gives you evidence of learning that a finished object alone would not provide.

How do I assess without a territorial exam?

Nunavut has no territory-wide graduating examination, and graduation runs on credits, so course grades and the folder behind them are the record. Keep three items per unit: process evidence, the finished work, and a reflection in whichever language the student is most comfortable explaining their thinking in. That folder answers most questions a parent or a receiving school will ask.

Teachers building a full senior program rather than single units will find Complete Art Education Bundle for High School Teachers useful, since it collects high school art material into one ready sequence. Grade-banded resources for local classrooms are listed on Nunavut Curriculum Teaching Resources (K–12), and Canadian Curriculum Navigator: Resources by Province brings together comparable material from other territories and provinces when you are adapting something to fit your own community.

Frequently asked questions

Are these resources connected to the Department of Education?

No. They are independent teaching materials and are not affiliated with, endorsed by or reviewed by the Government of Nunavut Department of Education or any other education authority. Statements in this article about the Nunavut Education Program and graduation requirements come from publicly available territorial information.

Do these units include Inuit content?

They are general art resources, so the local knowledge and language come from you, the school and the community. Use them for technique and structure, and build the Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit connection into the questions you ask and the work you display. That division of labour is usually more respectful than a purchased attempt at local content.

How do I handle a class with a wide range of ages?

Keep the materials and the question shared, and change what you expect back. Younger students describe and make; older students explain choices and connect the work to a principle or a tradition. One demonstration then serves the whole room, which matters when preparation time is short and the group changes between terms.

Related reading

• Assessment and Reporting in Nunavut Art Without a Provincial Exam
• Nunavut: Teaching Art on No Budget
• Nunavut Curriculum Teaching Resources (K–12)