English First Peoples 12: A Window Into Indigenous Worldviews
In the 2023/2024 school year, the British Columbia Ministry of Education introduced a mandatory course or credits on First Peoples as a graduation requirement. In the 2024/2025 school year, these courses have been fully implemented at Brentwood through English First Peoples 10, English First Peoples 12, and Contemporary Indigenous Studies 12.
English First Peoples 12 allows senior students to prepare for post-secondary education using Indigenous texts and prioritizing the experiences, values, and beliefs of First Peoples within the curriculum. Mr Skardal, EFP 12 teacher, exclaims the value of the course, stating, “The course is designed to offer students a lot of opportunities to explore meaningful skills and ideas. Speaking personally, I hope students are finding value in studying so many Indigenous stories and themes.”
While continuing to participate in the school-wide Melhuish and Cross Grade assessments, this course emphasizes interacting with Indigenous texts. Writing activities and book studies focus on texts like “Braiding Sweetgrass” by Robin Kimmerer and “One Native Life” by Richard Wagamese. Myra L, Mack ‘25, notes, “As someone who hasn’t grown up in Canada, this course has been an immersive educational experience that has taught me so much about the First Peoples of Canada.”
Currently, EFP 12 students have been working on multimedia presentations on various topics, including clothing, traditions, language, and many more. In these presentations, pairs take an entire class to educate their peers on these subjects, incorporating diverse texts, finding personal testimonials, and posing discussion questions to engage their audience. Maren S, Alex ‘25 comments, “These presentations are a chance to explore topics outside of our curriculum and understand how some of our own interests connect to Indigenous cultures across the world,” connecting to presentations focused on the Inca and Māori people as well.
This course encourages students to shape their understanding of First Peoples' voices and expand their own worldviews. Similar to potters on a wheel or carvers of a totem pole, students are creating their own opinions, values, and beliefs, one reflection, one story, and one class at a time.
Brynn W, Mack ‘25