{"id":1182,"date":"2021-12-07T12:12:35","date_gmt":"2021-12-07T20:12:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comoxvalleyschools.ca\/nalaatsi\/?page_id=1182"},"modified":"2025-09-13T10:05:12","modified_gmt":"2025-09-13T17:05:12","slug":"unit-4-informational-essay-contemporary-indigenous-issues","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.comoxvalleyschools.ca\/nalaatsi\/english-first-peoples-12\/unit-4-informational-essay-contemporary-indigenous-issues\/","title":{"rendered":"Unit 4: Informational Essay \u2013 Contemporary Indigenous Issues"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Unit 4: Informational Essay \u2013 Contemporary Indigenous Issues<\/h1>\n
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Andy Everson \u2018Idle No More\u2019 (Comox Valley)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

The informational essay \u2013 also called a research essay \u2013 is an important tool in your English arsenal. It is quite simple: you choose a topic, research and collect information concerning your topic, then present that information in a concise, logical, and intelligently structured fashion. You are essentially becoming an expert on a specific topic and reporting your findings to a general audience.<\/p>\n

Once again, you will be expected to present your ideas in the standard 5 paragraph essay format. A short, simple introduction to the 5 paragraph essay format: 5 Paragraph Essay <\/a>For more detail & some examples check out this link:\u00a05<\/a>\u00a0Paragraph<\/a>\u00a0Essay (more detail)<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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Brian Jungen \u2013 Assorted Masks<\/em><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

Activity 1: Choosing a Topic:<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is really important to choose a topic that is not too general. For example, writing a 5 paragraph essay about PLANET EARTH is probably too broad. You could easily write a \u2018Game of Thrones\u2019 length essay on Planet Earth. You want a topic you can actually cover in 5 paragraphs. This is a skill in itself, but you\u2019ll get better with practice. Your topic can be anything that relates to contemporary Indigenous issues. You can choose from the list below or, I would love it if you presented your own idea \u2013 something you are particularly passionate about.<\/p>\n

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  • Conditions on reserves across Canada (drinking water, housing, etc)<\/em><\/li>\n
  • Acts of Resistance (including but limited to): North Dakota protests, Idle No More, Muskrat Falls, Oka, Ipperwash, etc.<\/em><\/li>\n
  • Indigenous Musicians \/ Rappers<\/em><\/li>\n
  • Indigenous actors, politicians, authors, and activists<\/em><\/li>\n
  • Treaty Issues \/ Land rights issues<\/em><\/li>\n
  • Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women<\/em><\/li>\n
  • Cultural resurgence in First Nations communities<\/em><\/li>\n
  • Issues concerning Indigenous women in Canada<\/em><\/li>\n
  • Influential Indigenous women in Canada<\/em><\/li>\n
  • Contemporary M\u00e9tis issues in Canada<\/em><\/li>\n
  • Cultural Appropriation<\/em><\/li>\n
  • Education funding for Indigenous peoples in Canada<\/em><\/li>\n
  • Fish farming\u00a0<\/em><\/li>\n
  • Decolonizing & Indigenizing Schools<\/em><\/li>\n
  • Justin Trudeau\u2019s UN speech concerning Canada\u2019s treatment of its Indigenous peoples<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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    		Activity 2: Informational Essay \u2013 Outline<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Have you ever started writing an essay and it turned into a sprawling mess that went places you never expected or wanted it to go?\u00a0In my experience, it really, really helps to have an outline. Once you\u2019ve decided on a topic and cleared it with Rory, your first job is to create an outline using the 5 Paragraph format. This includes:<\/p>\n

    1) Intro<\/strong><\/p>\n

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    • \u2018hook\u2019 that you start your essay with<\/li>\n
    • Thesis statement (where you tell the reader what your paper is about)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      2) Body Paragraph 1<\/strong><\/p>\n

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      • intro sentence<\/li>\n
      • point form what your main points are<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        3) Body Paragraph 2<\/strong><\/p>\n

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        • intro sentence<\/li>\n
        • point form what your main points are<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          4) Body Paragraph 3<\/strong><\/p>\n

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          • intro sentence<\/li>\n
          • point form what your main points are<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            5) Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n

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            • intro sentence<\/li>\n
            • how you\u2019re ending your essay<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

              *** I always recommend starting by thinking of your 3 MAIN POINTS. What are the 3 central points you\u2019re going to write about? Those will be your 3 body paragraphs. That helps you organize the essay and things tend to fall in place naturally.\u00a0Before starting to write your essay PLEASE have a staff member look at your outline and give you the okay. A good outline is key to a good essay!<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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              Activity 2: 5 Paragraph Essay<\/strong><\/p>\n

              Wow, guess what, you\u2019ve already done most of the work! Aren\u2019t outlines amazing??? Now you just fill in the gaps and complete the essay. Make sure to go over the guidelines for 5 paragraph essays and to proofread before submitting. I am happy to give your essay a quick look-through with some suggestions.<\/p>\n

              *** Requirements for Informational Essay: 3 sources that you CITE in your paper. I do not expect a formal bibliography, but I do want a list of your sources.<\/p>\n

              Another unit down, holy crap, you\u2019re on fire!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"parent":1141,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1182","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-23 09:02:53","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"post_tag","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comoxvalleyschools.ca\/nalaatsi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1182","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comoxvalleyschools.ca\/nalaatsi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comoxvalleyschools.ca\/nalaatsi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comoxvalleyschools.ca\/nalaatsi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comoxvalleyschools.ca\/nalaatsi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1182"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.comoxvalleyschools.ca\/nalaatsi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1182\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2361,"href":"https:\/\/www.comoxvalleyschools.ca\/nalaatsi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1182\/revisions\/2361"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comoxvalleyschools.ca\/nalaatsi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1141"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comoxvalleyschools.ca\/nalaatsi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1182"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comoxvalleyschools.ca\/nalaatsi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1182"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}