SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
If you were asked to picture a group of kindergarten students playing a game, chances are you may conjure up images of children playing duck, duck, goose.

Jedidiah Kehler, 5, holds up a ptarmigan before it is plucked and gutted. - Cody Punter/NNSL photo

On Wednesday morning, some kindergarteners from J.H. Sissons School put a slight spin on the time-honoured classic, by playing duck, duck, ptarmigan. The obvious difference between the two is that rather than sitting in a circle and tapping each other the shoulder, the students were up to their elbows in feathers and guts of recently-hunted ducks and ptarmigans, which were brought in to teach the students the basics of anatomy.

"In kindergarten they have to learn human body parts so we use the animals to do that," said teacher Jacqueline Beland.

Although dissecting animals is not technically part of the school program, Beland said she has been promoting this hands-on way of learning since she came to the school seven years ago.

"It's not in the kindergarten program per se, but we like to do it because it's fun."

Under the guidance of elders Verna Crapeau and Mike Crapeau, students took turns learning about the various steps involved in dissecting a bird, from plucking their feathers, to gutting them and removing their wings.

Meanwhile, Beland let the students examine the animals' organs - hearts, wings, beaks, intestines and livers - as she explained to them how they worked or why they were a certain shape. She also took the time to tell them about the differences between the anatomy of a ptarmigan and a duck while encouraging them to ask questions of their own. Beland said having students learn about anatomy by handling the organs and seeing where they come from allows them to have a better idea of how they actually work.

"We get so much bang for our buck," she said. "They'll know the parts because it's so real to them."

Five-year-old Aidan Smith, who asked a fair share of questions on Wednesday morning said he learned a great deal by seeing the birds' organs up close.

"I'd never seen any hearts before today," he said.

Although not every student was as enthusiastic as Smith at first, Beland and the other teachers went to great lengths to ensure they were respectful of the animals at all times. As such any student that used words like "gross" or "disgusting" was told to talk about the bird's with more appropriate terms.

"It's about teaching respect. It's one of those basic values that govern life," she said. "All of a sudden it doesn't become a gross thing. It becomes a part of what we do."

Sheila Stewart, the Dene Kede facilitator for Yellowknife Education DIstrict Nol 1 who helped organize Wednesday's session, said J.H. Sissons is the only school where kindergarten students are currently dissecting animals.

She said the decision is at the discretion of the teacher and she is willing to set up similar opportunities for other teachers.

Beland said the class also dissects fish and other animals such as beavers and muskrats throughout the year.

Each time they cut up the animals the food is cooked up and served to students the following day.

When asked if she thought students were too young to be exposed to dead animals, Beland was quick to dismiss the suggestion.

"I think the exact opposite," she said. "The three-year-olds should be gutting fish."

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