Grade 8

The National visits an inner city high school in Saskatoon, SK, where teacher Allison Cameron tests the theory that vigorous daily exercise improves academic performance. City Park Collegiate is considered a high school of last resort for kids who haven't been able to make it anywhere else. The G...

Aboriginality re-imagines the strength and spirit of First Nations culture through narrative mediums that connect urban First Nations youth to their rural ancestral histories. Dallas Arcand, world champion hoop dancer and hip-hop artist, is inspired by both new and traditional elements of First N...

Ontario sculptor Kai Chan discusses his artistic philosophy of economy and repetition with young students. Kai challenges everyone to see the beauty in ordinary things. He has the ability to transform mundane materials into delicate and delightful works of art. Kai guides the students as they bui...

In this program, young students explore the work and life of abstract painter and stained glass maker, Quebec born, Marcelle Ferron. They experiment with the texture and tranparency of cellophane and paint as they create their own art works.

Ontario installation artist and sculptor, Ron Noganosh inspires a class of middle level students to turn found objects into art. Students talk about their individual projects and how they feel about art. Includes themes of personal and cultural identity.

Andrew Qappik is a world-renowned printmaker from Pangnirtung, Nunavut who was originally inspired by images in the comic books he read as a child. Today, Andrew finds his subjects in the stories, traditions, and day to day events of his world. Andrew captivates his student audience by creating a...

A class of 16 Grade 6 students learns about the life and work of renowned Nova Scotia folk artist Maud Lewis. Guided by folk artist Kyle Jackson, they create a folk art painting of their own Halifax neighborhood. The power and simple pleasure of folk art is explored.

Emily Carr is one of Canada's most recognized and appreciated artists who was a painter, a writer and a free spirit influenced by the coastal forests of British Columbia and the Northwest Coast First Nations art and culture. In this program, students look at Emily Carr's unusual world and the ins...

This video is set in a classroom where students are engaged in an exercise about bullying, stereotypes and the harmful effects that language can have on people. The students create pictures that portray sensitive situations, such as a young girl who has two moms and two boys whose friendship come...

The First World War's terrible Second Battle of Ypres has just broken out in Belgium. Canadian troops, stationed along the Yser canal, are under heavy fire and the number of casualties is mounting. Among the dead is Alexis Helmer, killed early on the morning of May 2, 1915 - the victim of a direc...

Poitras, an installation artist, examines the everyday experiences of culture as a Métis artist. His work can be described through historical, spiritual and political references, engaging the viewer on many levels.

Sisetski, a prolific and compelling painter, takes us on a journey through small town life - an environment critical to his development as an artist.

Thompson, motivated by her relationship with history through her investigation of abandoned houses and churches, infuses her paintings with significance, moods and emotions. This program focuses on Thompson working in the small community of Outlook.

Pelkey examines how making a personal environment with personal meanings conveys the magic of the imagination and inserts our individuality and humanity into our living spaces.

In his surrealistic work, Crate is concerned with the history he has lived and seen and the places, from the coastal villages to the prairie and the far north, that have deeply influenced the directions of his life.