Elder

Definition: An Elder is a respected Indigenous person who shares their knowledge about their culture, traditions, and life experiences with their community, regardless of their age.

An Elder might visit a classroom to share a traditional story or song with the students.

How to teach this in 30 seconds

Try this analogy: An Elder is like a special teacher for a whole community, who holds their most important stories and traditions.

Ask your child: Who is someone you trust to ask for help or advice?

Common mix-up: Kids might think an Elder is just any older person. An Elder is someone whose wisdom is recognized by their community, no matter their age.

Examples

A community might ask an Elder for guidance on how to care for the land.
An Elder could teach younger people how to speak a traditional language.

Elder is a term used in Ontario’s Kindergarten to Grade 8 curriculum.

+5 more mentions across the curriculum

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The descriptions on this page are SmartStudy’s own original, plain-language writing — not the Ministry’s wording. They are aligned to the Ontario Curriculum, © King’s Printer for Ontario. For the Ministry’s official wording, see the source link below. SmartStudy is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the Government of Ontario or the Ministry of Education. Ontario Curriculum and Resources ↗

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