Indigenising Perspectives and Practices Toolkit: Teaching Residential Schools in A Grade 10 Academic Class Caitlin Kalynchuk Lakehead University

RUNNING HEAD: Indigenising Perspectives and Practices Toolkit: Teaching Residential Schools in
a Grade 10 Academic Class

1
Indigenising Perspectives and Practices Toolkit:

Teaching Residential Schools in a Grade 10 Academic Class
Caitlin Kalynchuk
Lakehead University
Table of Contents
Indigenising Perspectives and Practices Toolkit: Teaching Residential Schools in a Grade 10
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Introduction..
Lesson 1..4
Lesson 2..8
Lesson 3....12
Lesson 4....16
Lesson 5....20
Lesson 6....24
Lesson 7....28
Lesson 8....31
Lesson 9....35
Conclusion.3
My IPPE Toolkit aims to teach the history of Indian Residential Schools in a grade 10
academic classroom. I have tried to make this collection of lesson plans cross-curricular and
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accessible to students of different learning styles. Each of the lessons here could be slightly
modified to be appropriate for grades 9-11.
I think teaching the IRS is highly important because this topic has gone largely unrecognised
in the Ontario public school system, and it is key to understanding the history of the
relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in this country. I believe
teaching this story is beneficial to students of all cultural background s because it gives a new
perspective to Canadian identity and encourages the cultivation of respect and empathy for
others, and also teaches us that now is the time to figure out how to move forward together in
a good way. The Indigenous peoples of Canada believe that it will take seven generations to
heal the damage done by IRS, so every student I meet in my teaching career in Canada will
learn to be part of the healing process.
In creating this toolkit, it was my intention to teach about the history of the IRS from
beginning to end, and then teach reconciliation. Eight teaching periods is enough time to do
this topic justice, and as a result of this I have designed several thorough lessons to teach
about IRS and a culminating project that allows the students to teach each other about healing
and put positive action out into the world.
The first lesson in my toolkit introduces the topic of IRS to the students; it asks them to
become familiar with several of Canadas First Nations and note their differences and
similarities. I adapted this lesson plan from Aboriginal Perspectives from

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resources4rethiking.ca. From the original, I have kept the film selection and deconstruction
and the idea of contextualising what the students see by asking where it happened and who it
happened to. I have added an introductory diagnostic activity that is used to gauge the classs
feelings towards Indigenous people and to parse out what knowledge they already have. This
activity is based on a the drawing activity in the original, but I think my way has less
opportunity to embarrass students, and enables them to speak freely and openly without
judgement.
My lesson decolonises the material by asking students to think critically about the film
artefact The Caribou Hunters and to interrogate it for narrative and production qualities.
Students will discuss whose story the film serves and who produced it, and whether or not it
accurately reflects Indigenous life and worldview. In this lesson, I try to avoid direct
instruction on encourage class discussion so that students can learn from each other and share
their ideas.
Though this lesson does not deal directly with IRS, it establishes a working familiarity with
the entities involved, such as various Indigenous groups and the media. I think establishing an
understanding of Indigenous peoples, their worldview, and their systems of education pre-
IRS is important for cultivating respect and empathy in the students. My aim is to show my
students that Indigenous peoples got along fine without European influence and that their
educational systems required no fixing.
TITLE: Indigenous Perspectives: Diversity Resources Referenced:

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SUBJECT: English http://www3.nfb.ca/ressources_educatives//010

TIME: 90 minutes 6.pdf
GRADE: 10 (Suitable for grades 9-11 with - - - - Bolded text in this lesson plan indicates
accommodations at your discretion) material taken from this source
- The Caribou Hunters
DESIRED RESULTS
LESSON DESCRIPTION
- Greet students at the door as they come in
- Lead the word association game through Poll.ev
- Display the map of Indigenous populations at Contact
- Show the excerpt of The Caribou Hunters; identify on the map where the events
occur, what may have changed since then
ONTARIO CURRICULAR OVERALL EXPECTATIONS

1. Listening to Understand
2. Speaking to Communicate
1. Reading for Meaning
1. Developing and Organizing Content
1. Understanding Media Texts
2. Understanding Media Forms, Conventions, and Techniques
ONTARIO CURRICULAR SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

1.1 identify the purpose of a variety of listening tasks and set goals for specific
tasks
1.2 select and use appropriate active listening strategies when participating in a
variety of classroom interactions
1.5 develop and explain interpretations of oral texts, including increasingly
complex texts, using evidence from the text and the oral and visual cues used in it to
support their interpretations
2.1 communicate orally for a variety of purposes, using language appropriate for
the intended audience
2.2 identify a variety of text features and explain how they help communicate
meaning
1.4 identify, sort, and order main ideas and supporting details for writing tasks,
using a variety of strategies and organizational patterns suited to the content and the
purpose for writing
1.1 explain how media texts, including increasingly complex texts, are created to
suit particular purposes and audiences
1.3 evaluate how effectively information, ideas, issues, and opinions, are
communicated in media texts, including increasingly complex texts, and decide whether the
texts achieve their intended purpose
1.5 identify the perspectives and/or biases evident in media texts, including
increasingly complex texts, and comment on any questions they may raise about beliefs,
values, identity, and power
LESSON GOALS
- Students will learn about several different Indigenous Groups from across Canada
- Students will confront stereotypical representations of Indigenous peoples
- Students will research Indigenous groups and explore how they represent
themselves
SUCCESS CRITERIA
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- Students will participate in a response explaining the culture of an assigned

Indigenous group
- Students will be able to explain how that Indigenous group reflects its culture in its
art
ASSESSMENT
Assessment Mode: Oral / Performance / Written

Assessment Strategy: Observe students during discussions
MATERIALS
- The original lesson plan may be found at

http://www3.nfb.ca/ressources_educatives//0106.pdf
- The films and excerpts may be found at
http://www3.nfb.ca/enclasse/doclens/visau/index.php?language=english
- The Caribou Hunters
http://www3.nfb.ca/enclasse/doclens/visau/index.php?
mode=view&filmId=13896&language=english&sort=title
- iPads or laptops for the Poll
- SMARTBoard
- Poll Everywhere: PollEv.com/LOVELYFERN813
LESSON FORMAT: WHAT TEACHERS DO / SAY
Motivational Hook / Engagement / Introduction - Minds on

- I will greet the students at the door as they come in to class
- I will start the Poll, asking students to respond with what words or images they
associate with the word Indian or Indigenous
- Ask the students if there are any stereotypical responses, and what myths or
misconceptions might underlie those responses
- Challenge the students to look beyond the stereotypes and learn about the realities
of Canadas Indigenous peoples, correct any misinformed terminology
During / Working on it / Action - Hands on

- Show students the map of Native peoples at the time of European contact
- Use the map to make students aware of where the people who are shown in the
film excerpts are from
- View excerpt of The Caribou Hunters (6 min 37s - 8 min 20s), acknowledging
that it was made in 1951, ask if the representation results in any problems, if anything has
changed, if any of the stereotypes match those that came up in the introductory activity
- Ask students to identify on the map where in Canada the events occur. For
older students, ask who may have produced this artefact, and what narrative they may be
trying to advance, and why
After: Consolidation: Reflect and Connect

- Ask students to connect ideas from the poll to what they saw in the movie. What
about the film could be changed? What was problematic? Would something like this work
today? What has this film been replaced by? Do the ideas presented here survive?
Extension Activities / Next Steps

- In the next class we will watch a more modern, Anishinaabe-produced film and
apply the same questioning to it.
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This second lesson continues the work of the first, but shows students a different, Indigenous
film instead of the propoganous The Caribou Hunters. I use the same process and line of
questioning that I adapted from the original lesson plan, but then ask students to show what
theyve learned and link it to an assigned story from Trickster: Native American Tales. This is
a fantastic resources put together by Indigenous authors and illustrators to tell cultural stories
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in a visual medium. In this lesson, I avoid direct instruction and have students conduct their
own research together to give short presentations about the culture they learn about. In this
model, students learn from each other and take agency other their own learning. I include a
research model sheet from the original lesson plan to help guide students towards relevant
information.
This lesson also introduces students to Indigenous visual storytelling, as opposed to the
European text-based forms of storytelling that are usually relied on in schools. This helps
break down the dichotomy placing written texts above spoken or illustrated texts, which will
be helpful later when examining the dichotomy between written history and oral history.
Again, this lesson does not teach directly about IRS, but is instrumental in setting students up
to learn about them. This lesson enriches student understanding of Indigenous cultures and
diversity and introduces them to visual storytelling, an important aspect of Indigenous
education.
TITLE: Indigenous Perspectives: Diversity Resources Referenced:

Day 2 http://www3.nfb.ca/ressources_educatives//010
SUBJECT: English 6.pdf
TIME: 90 minutes - - - - Bolded text in this lesson plan indicates
GRADE: 10 (Suitable for grades 9-11 with material taken from this source
accommodations at your discretion) - Trickster: Native American Tales (available in
LU Education Library)
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- Where the Spirit Lives
DESIRED RESULTS
LESSON DESCRIPTION
- Show the excerpt of Where the Spirit Lives; identify on the map where the events
occur, what may have changed since then
- Students will be divided into groups to prepare short research-based responses to
assigned stories from Trickster: Native American Tales

1. Developing and Organizing Content

tasks
2.2 identify a variety of text features and explain how they help communicate
meaning
purpose for writing
LESSON GOALS
- Students will learn about several different Indigenous Groups from across Canada
- Students will confront stereotypical representations of Indigenous peoples
- Students will research Indigenous groups and explore how they represent
themselves
SUCCESS CRITERIA
- Students will participate in a response explaining the culture of an assigned
Indigenous group
- Students will be able to explain how that Indigenous group reflects its culture in its
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art
ASSESSMENT

Observe students during discussions, give constructive feedback for group work
MATERIALS
- The original lesson plan may be found at

http://www3.nfb.ca/ressources_educatives//0106.pdf
- Where the Spirit Lives https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Os5KqErc7XY
- Trickster: Native American Tales; copy the tales you want to assign (Anishinaabe
tales include Raven the Trickster and Waynaboozhoo and the Geese, but also include
tales from other Indigenous groups)
- iPads or laptops for research
- Research sheets may be found in the appendix of the original lesson plan
- SMARTBoard
- Poll Everywhere: PollEv.com/LOVELYFERN813
- Direct students to http://www3.nfb.ca/enclasse/doclens/visau/index.php?
language=english and https://aboriginalcanada.ca/en/ for research purposes

- Do a quick refresh from yesterday, asking what film they saw and what happened
in it, what they thought of it. Ask what the results of the poll were
- Show the word cloud generated by the poll, ask if anything new
could be added

- View the excerpt from Where the Spirit Lives. Ask students to identify on the
map where in Canada the events occur. How are the people in this film different from
the people in The Caribou Hunters? How are they similar?
- For older students, ask who may have produced this artefact, and
what narrative they may be trying to advance, and why
- Divide students into groups of four and distribute the research sheet, assigning each
student a story from Trickster: Native American Tales
- Students will have the rest of the period to do research on the culture presented in
the story and prepare a short response to how that culture is reflected in the story

- Students will reflect on how The Caribou Hunters and Where the Spirit Lives differ.

- Students will have the next class to present their work and explain their thinking,
teaching their peers about their assigned group.
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The third lesson centers on a Karios Blanket Exercise. The lesson starts with a discussion on
Shelley Niros photograph series The Shirt, which tells the ongoing story of Indigenous
land and asset appropriation by settlers. After this, we do the Kairos Blanket Exercise as a
class to help students achieve a fuller understanding of the Indigenous story and experience in
Canada.
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I have recommended that the teacher brings in an Indigenous Knowledge Holder or an Elder
they know to lead the exercise, and also to let students know that this exercise may be very
emotional and that they have avenues to express any feelings brought on through this. In
addition to this, I recommend that the teacher involves other classes in this exercise to make
it as communal as possible.
I have not changed the material in the Kairos Blanket Exercise, and I suggest using the
teacher uses the most appropriate iteration of the exercise available on their website for the
age group and number of the students.
The Kairos Blanket Exercise makes the process of learning about IRS experiential and gives
teachers the opportunity to take students out of the classroom. This is the first lesson that
directly teaches about IRS, but it does so in the form of an engaging activity that helps
students retain what they learn as they become active participants. The exercise also includes
a section that teaches post-IRS history, so the students know that this issue is ongoing. It is
important to end on a hopeful note, so I included a talking circle to help students express how
they feel and what they have learned.
TITLE: Kairos Blanket Exercise Resources Referenced:

SUBJECT: English - Shelly Niros The Shirt, a
TIME: 90 minutes series of pictures from my collection
GRADE: 10 (Suitable for grades 9-11 with (also available as a short film at
accommodations at your discretion) http://www.isuma.tv/imaginenative/shi
rt)
- Wab Kinews 500 Years in 2
Minutes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
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v=L7LY-fXzhZI
- Kairos Blanket Exercise
file:///home/chronos/u-
76af84d7a32a7bf9f53d1085e78079fb1
bf6d569/Downloads/Standard-
Edition.pdf
NOTE: The Kairos Blanket Exercise can be distressing to participants. Be sure to let students
know there are avenues to deal with troubling emotions available through the school. Make
yourself available to talk if needed, and also remind students that guidance counsellors are
available. Find a safe space for students who feel like they need to leave the exercise, such as
the Library.
FURTHERMORE: It would be great to invite an Indigenous Knowledge holder or Elder who
you have a relationship with to open/ close the activity, or to lead it; it would also be great to
invite other classes to participate in the activity.
DESIRED RESULTS
LESSON DESCRIPTION
- Start the class with Shelley Niros The Shirt
- Do the Kairos Blanket exercise in the gym, or outside if the weather permits
- Hold a sharing circle to reflect on the experience

3. Reading With Fluency

1.3 select and use appropriate listening comprehension strategies before, during,
and after listening to understand oral texts, including increasingly complex texts
2.5 identify a variety of vocal strategies, including tone, pace, pitch, and volume,
and use them appropriately and with sensitivity to audience needs and cultural differences
1.8 identify and analyse the perspectives and/or biases evident in texts, including
1.2 interpret media texts, including increasingly complex texts, identifying and
explaining the overt and implied messages they convey
LESSON GOALS
- Students will gain a deeper understanding of Canadas history of oppression against
Indigenous Peoples
SUCCESS CRITERIA
- Students will participate in the Kairos Blanket exercise and will be able to respond
to it by confronting the histories it represents
ASSESSMENT
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Assessment Strategy: Observe the students during the exercise and the reflection period; there will
be a written response to this activity to be assessed in a future class
MATERIALS
- SMARTBoard
- Shelley Niros The Shirt, photos from my collection, or as a video at
http://www.isuma.tv/imaginenative/shirt
- Blankets or towels for the Kairos Blanket Exercise
- Instructions found here: file:///home/chronos/u-
76af84d7a32a7bf9f53d1085e78079fb1bf6d569/Downloads/Standard-Edition.pdf
- Or download them here:
http://www.kairoscanada.org/resources/order
- Yellow, blue, and white index cards as per the instructions
- Printed scripts
- Guidelines for a sharing circle: http://www.fwii.net/profiles/blogs/guidelines-for-
talking-healing-and-sharing-circles-and-principles
- Wab Kinews 500 Years in 2 Minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7LY-
fXzhZI

- Show Shelley Niros The Shirt; what narrative is she telling? How is she telling
it? What happens in the last picture? Is the piece effective? How do you think Niro is
involved in the issue?

- If weather permits, do a Kairos Blanket activity outside.
- Hand out index cards and scripts to each student according to the instructions and
read through the narrators role
- It would be great if you could get another class in on this; there are
instructions available for larger groups that include roles for Europeans. This would
take longer, but would give a deeper learning experience

- Use the remainder of class to reflect on the activity; hold a sharing circle to address
what students have learned, what they would like to explore further, how their perceptions
of Canada have changed, how they have remained the same
- Take the last few minutes of class to show the students that progress is being made
and that there is hope for reconciliation
- Show Wab Kinews 500 Years in 2 Minutes
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7LY-fXzhZI

- Next class, students will be asked to create a graphic organiser contrasting
Indigenous and national stereotypes and realities, and include their own perceptions and
how they may have changed in this unit, then write a short response including this
information
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The fourth lesson in this toolkit deals with stereotypes and how they come to be formed. I
adapted the bolded activities in this lesson from a lesson called Understanding Stereotypes
from discoveryeducation.com. The original lesson plan focuses on stereotypes that might be
found in schools, but I have modified the activity to shift to racial stereotypes.
I have included KC Adams photograph series Perceptions to draw attention to the
stereotypes associated with Indigenous peoples and to contrast those assumptions with
realities. We end the class by reflecting on how the history of the IRS may be connected to
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lingering stereotypes about Indigenous peoples and call back to the teaching in the Kairos
Blanket Exercise that it will take 7 generations to heal the damage from the IRS.
This lesson relies on student input and they are largely responsible for generating discussion
and contributing ideas. There is little direct instruction, but the teacher acts as a facilitator and
guide to the students. The flip chart paper activity on stereotypes gets students moving
around and generating content for analysis during the discussion.
TITLE: Stereotypes Resources Referenced:

SUBJECT: English - This lesson combines and adapts days 1 & 2
TIME: 90 minutes from this unit plan:
GRADE: 10 (Suitable for grades 9-11 with http://school.discoveryeducation.com/lessonpla
accommodations at your discretion) ns/pdf/stereotypes/stereotypes.pdf
- - - In this lesson plan, the text in bold is
taken directly from this source
- KC Adams photo series Perception
http://www.kcadams.net/PLPhotos.html
DESIRED RESULTS
LESSON DESCRIPTION
- Discussion on social groups in school & stereotype activity
(This lesson may run long, but could be split at this point)
- Show students KC Adams photo series Perceptions
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- Students will have time to work on a short response paper to the Kairos Blanket &
Stereotype activities

1. Developing and Organizing Content: generate, gather, and organize ideas and
information to write for an intended purpose and audience;
1. Understanding Media Texts: demonstrate an understanding of a variety of media
texts;

1.2 generate, expand, explore, and focus ideas for potential writing tasks, using a
variety of strategies and print, electronic, and other resources, as appropriate
purpose for writing
1.5 determine whether the ideas and information gathered are relevant to the topic,
accurate, and complete and appropriately meet the requirements of the writing task
2.5 explain how their own beliefs, values, and experiences are revealed in their
writing
2.1 identify general and specific characteristics of a variety of media forms and
explain how they shape content and create meaning
LESSON GOALS
- Students will identify and confront stereotypes about different groups of people
- Students will deconstruct and interrogate stereotypes
SUCCESS CRITERIA
- Students will recognize stereotypes and understand how and why they are formed
ASSESSMENT

Assessment Strategy: Observe students during discussion, collect responses to be marked
MATERIALS
- SMARTBoard
- KC Adams photo series http://www.kcadams.net/PLPhotos.html
- Flipchart paper & markers

- Discuss with students how people often use labels or categories to describe
others and how these labels can be based on such characteristics as clothing, looks, the
way a person talks, or the groups to which an individual belongs. Elicit examples,
reminding students that it is important to be respectful of others. Explain that categorizing
things or people is a natural human inclination; however, people often make
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assumptions about groups of people they dont know

- Together, brainstorm categories that are used at school (or in media depicting
school) to group people. Categories could include labels such as jocks or brains.
Write each category the class generates onto the board and then have students narrow
that list down to five major categories
- Write these major categories on five separate pieces of flipchart paper and
post these around the room. Give the class 10-15 minutes to travel to each posted sheet
and write down adjectives related to the category headings. Remind students that they
should only add new descriptions to the list.
- When they are finished, ask students to take a moment and look at the
adjectives that the class has generated under each group heading. Use the following
questions to lead a discussion about what they recorded: Do assumptions apply to
everyone in a group? Do most people hold the same assumptions about a group? Why
or why not? Do assumptions tell us anything definite about a categorized individual?
How do assumptions affect your behavior toward others?
- Show students KC Adams photo series Perceptions, focusing on Hayley Stewart
and walks a good path
- What does that mean? Is it the same for everyone? What does it
mean to be a cultural representative? Are you one? Why? How did you come to be
one? Do you think others judge your race based on you individually? Is that fair?
- Students will have the option to create a visual organiser contrasting stereotypes
and realities of either Canada or another specific population

- Ask students to share points from their graphic organiser
- Ask students how the history of the Indigenous peoples of Canada, and their
treatment, may influence the stereotypes associated with them today, and if this is fair
- Important to reference 7 generations teaching from Kairos
Blanket Exercise

- Using the graphic organiser, students will write a short response outlining these
contradictions in an argumentative essay format (two arguments, two paragraphs) in next
class
- This could be shortened to one paragraph for grade 9s
- It may be helpful to brainstorm points for this response together,
i.e. taxes, alcoholism, education, family structure, diversity, assimilation, freedom,
acceptance
- Ask students to consider what they learned in the Kairos Blanket
Exercise and include some of this new knowledge in their response
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This lesson familiarises students with methods of Indigenous education that were common
before IRS, and that are still used today. We use resources from Turtle Island Conservation
Kit which is available in the LU Education Library to learn about Indigenous education
through stories. These stories promote a theme of conservation, but also togetherness and the
idea of interconnectivity. Students have time to discuss what they already know about local
Indigenous culture and worldview, and how this translates into Education. It is important to
note that the stories used in this lesson should be relevant to local traditions, so this kit would
be appropriate for Ojibwe nations, but there is also a kit geared towards Mikmaq nations
available in the Library.
Though students are expected to complete some written work in this teaching period, there is
also room for discussion and group work to make the experience more communal and to give
students the opportunity to share knowledge with each other. This lesson is meant to highlight
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the effectiveness of Indigenous teaching methods to help make the point later that IRS were
unnecessary and harmful. At the end of the lesson, there is a reflection period for students to
discuss the benefits of Indigenous education, and how it may differ from Western education
methods or what they have experienced in school.
TITLE: Pre-IRS Education Resources Referenced:

SUBJECT: English -http://www.fnesc.ca/wp/wp-
TIME: 90 minutes content/uploads/2015/07/IRSR10-Part1.pdf
GRADE: 10 (Suitable for grades 9-11 with (Lesson 1.2)
accommodations at your discretion) - - - - Bolded text in this lesson plan indicates
material taken from this source
- Transmission of Worldview and Values &
Storytelling from Turtle Island Conservation
Kit (available in the LU Education Library)
- Aboriginal People and Education from
They Came for the Children
http://www.myrobust.com/websites/trcinstituti
on/File/2039_T&R_eng_web[1].pdf
DESIRED RESULTS
LESSON DESCRIPTION
- Reading activities from the Ways of Knowing Guide, discussion on key aspects
of Anishinaabe culture and worldview
- Time to read and work on sheets
- Sharing period

1. Reading for Meaning: read and demonstrate an understanding of a variety of
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literary, informational, and graphic texts, using a range of strategies to construct meaning;
2. Understanding Form and Style: recognize a variety of text forms, text features,
and stylistic elements and demonstrate understanding of how they help communicate
meaning;
3. Reading With Fluency: use knowledge of words and cueing systems to read
fluently;

Variety of Texts 1.1 read a variety of student- and teacher-selected texts from
diverse cultures and historical periods, identifying specific purposes for reading
1.3 identify the most important ideas and supporting details in texts, including
increasingly complex texts
1.4 make and explain inferences about texts, including increasingly complex texts,
supporting their explanations with well-chosen stated and implied ideas from the texts
1.5 extend understanding of texts, including increasingly complex texts, by making
appropriate connections between the ideas in them and personal knowledge, experience,
and insights; other texts; and the world around them
3.2 use appropriate decoding strategies to read and understand unfamiliar words
LESSON GOALS
- Students learn that First Nations people lived in successful, dynamic and diverse
societies for countless generations and that education was integrated into daily, ceremonial
and spiritual realms of life
- Students learn about how Indigenous education works and how information is
transmitted through experience and storytelling
SUCCESS CRITERIA
- Students are able to list some of the major features of traditional First Nations
societies before colonization, with respect to connection with the land, spirituality,
technology and values
- Students can describe the role of Elders in Indigenous communities
ASSESSMENT

Assessment Strategy: Students will submit their responses to the given questions for a completion
mark
MATERIALS
- Copies of Transmission of Worldview and Values & Storytelling from Turtle Island
Conservation Kit (pages 66-67, 71-73 of The Ways of Knowing Guide available in the
LU Education Library)
- For younger classes, the same questions sheet could be used with
Miskwaadesi Races Makwa (pages 75-77) from Miskwaadesi and An:wara in
the same kit
- Copies of the Reading Questions sheet
- https://docs.google.com/a/lakeheadu.ca/document/d/1Q2515Y-
BI_vnwpB88B8-vinfJylsBlmVQ-Xa1djknds/edit?usp=sharing
- Copies of Aboriginal People and Education from The Came for the Children
http://www.myrobust.com/websites/trcinstitution/File/2039_T&R_eng_web[1].pdf (pages
6-9)
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- Hand out copies of Transmission of Worldview and Values & Storytelling from
Turtle Island Conservation Kit (pages 66-67, 71-73 of The Ways of Knowing Guide
available in the LU Education Library)
- Students will read both stories and answer questions on the sheet. Allow students to
work in groups or individually. This should not take more than 20 minutes.

- Review with students significant factors of traditional First Nations culture
and education. This will depend on your local situation and previous course work.
Identify and use resources relevant to the local First Nations. Topics to discuss include:
- examples of connections with the land, through language,
particularly personal and place names;
- ceremonial and spiritual life, which includes passing knowledge to
younger generations;
- health and medicine: how specialised knowledge of medicinal
plants was passed on;
- resource harvesting and utilization: what unique skills and
technologies were used, and how were these skills learned?
- It would be terrific to invite an Elder to the
classroom to teach this; consider contacting Jerry Martin, an Elder in
Residence at Lakehead.
- If you have an Elder visit, save the
readings for another time
- Ask students to read the section Aboriginal Peoples and Education (They
Came for the Children pages 7-9) to find out how learning was integrated into daily
life
- Ask students to summarize the types of things children
typically learned, and what methods were used to teach them

- Ask students to share their responses to questions 4 & 5 of the Ways of Knowing
Questions sheet

- Students should now have a working knowledge of pre-IRS Indigenous education.
This class may run long and could be divided between two classes, but the following lesson
will deal directly with IRS
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The following lesson introduces stories dealing directly with IRS and the legacy thereof. I
chose to use the graphic novel 7 Generations not only because it explicitly deals with the
theme of healing IRS damage over 7 generations, but also because it is an excellent resource
with several books dealing with different aspects of Indigenous culture and the challenges
faced by Indigenous peoples. I focus specifically on book 4, Ends/Begins because it
features the protagonists fathers experience in an IRS.
I start the lesson by showing the Heritage Minute on Chanie Wenjack, hoping that students
will be familiar with his name and story after the recent success of Gord Downies and Jeff
Lemires Secret Path. This, combined with the Nationals video on the importance of
teaching IRS history serves as the students introduction to a heavy lesson.
Of all the lessons in this toolkit, this one includes the most independent work and relies on
students to stay still and reflective for the longest period of time, but it is to set up for a day of
discussion and group work in the next class.
I designed a worksheet of questions relating to Ends/ Begins for students to look at in
preparation for tomorrow, but not to work on. The questions in this worksheet are based on
Academic Class
24
summary questions from the Highwater Press 7 Generations Teachers Guide found here. I
think the heavy material the students will deal with in the book requires some quiet time and
some time to reflect before we discuss it, and I want students to have time to consider the
events in the book before having to talk about it.
TITLE: IRS Setup Resources Referenced:

SUBJECT: English - 7 Generations Graphic Novel
TIME: 90 minutes (Ends/Begins)
GRADE: 10 (Suitable for grades 9-11 with - Heritage Minutes: Chanie
accommodations at your discretion) Wenjack
- Teaching the history of
residential schools
- Questions in worksheet are
adapted from topics of interest in this
teacher's guide
DESIRED RESULTS
LESSON DESCRIPTION
- Review important aspects of Indigenous education pre-IRS
- Introduce the IRS with the Teaching the history of residential schools video
- Ask the students what they know about the IRS
- Watch Heritage Minutes: Chanie Wenjack
- Introduce 7 Generations
- Read Ends/Begins

1. Listening to Understand: listen in order to understand and respond appropriately
in a variety of situations for a variety of purposes;
2. Speaking to Communicate: use speaking skills and strategies appropriately to
communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes;
2. Understanding Form and Style: recognize a variety of text forms, text features,
and stylistic elements and demonstrate understanding of how they help communicate
meaning;

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1.6 extend understanding of oral texts, including increasingly complex texts, by
making connections between the ideas in them and personal knowledge, experience, and
insights; other texts; and the world around them
1.7 analyse oral texts, including increasingly complex texts, focusing on the ways
in which they communicate information, ideas, issues, and themes and influence the
listeners/viewers response
1.1 read a variety of student- and teacher-selected texts from diverse cultures and
historical periods, identifying specific purposes for reading
1.6 analyse texts in terms of the information, ideas, issues, or themes they explore,
examining how various aspects of the texts contribute to the presentation or development of
these elements
LESSON GOALS
- Students will start to develop and understanding about what IRS were
- Students will start to understand the significance of the IRS and how they still
affect Canadians through intergenerational trauma
- Students will develop sympathy for those who have been affected by IRS
SUCCESS CRITERIA
- Students will participate in discussions about IRS
ASSESSMENT

Assessment Strategy: Observe students during discussion.
MATERIALS
- 7 Generations Graphic Novel (Ends/Begins;) if you have not addressed any of the
other stories in this book, start on page 70 and explain that the boys grandfather is
narrating)
- Heritage Minutes: Chanie Wenjack
- Teaching the history of residential schools
- Handout (ask students to look it over for tomorrow)

- Review important aspects of Indigenous education pre-IRS
- Ask the students what they remember, what they thought was
important, how that model differs from what theyve experienced
- Introduce the IRS with the Teaching the history of residential schools video
- Acknowledge that this is difficult material and that it may give rise
to negative emotions. Review with your students ways they can express these
feelings and who they could talk to about them. Make sure they know they can
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leave if they feel uncomfortable.

- Ask the students what they know about the IRS
- Watch Heritage Minutes: Chanie Wenjack
- Introduce 7 Generations; explain that this is a story of one man told through the
stories of his ancestors. Explain that well be looking at Ends/Begins, the story of the
mans fathers experience in IRS
- Look at some of the praise on the back cover, especially Murray
Sinclairs, explain who he is

- Warn students that there is some disturbing material in this story. If you think it is
appropriate, tell them what happens on page 95 to prepare them.
- Have students read Ends/Begins independently (pages 70-95)

- As a class, go back and read the introduction (pages 67-70) and the conclusion (96)
and brainstorm who the characters here might be and how they fit into the story. Hand out
the response pages to be completed tomorrow.

- Next class we will do the response page
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This lesson continues with 7 Generations, but starts with a class analysis of two videos. The
first video is a news spot for IRS from 1955, which shows happy children enjoying the
schools, while the second is an interview with an IRS survivor, who tells us about his
experiences in school, his loss of identity, and his methods of coping afterwards. This last
video is meant to mirror what the students see in Ends/ Begins. If the teachers has a
relationship with an Elder, or someone who has experience or has been affected by IRS, it
would be a great learning opportunity to ask them to come in and share their story for this
lesson.
During this class, we work on and discuss the questions in the Ends/ Begins handout. I
think it is important for students to have the option to work together during this period so that
they can support each other and help one another learn. This medium may be unfamiliar to
students who have never been exposed to the visual text medium before, so allowing them to
work through it together may give them a better chance to understand the text.
In this lesson, we confront the medias portrayal of IRS and what narrative this portrayal
serves. This will be useful later when we do the Ask the Experts activity on public response
to IRS. This lesson also connects to the stereotypes lesson in that we look at how some
survivors deal with the trauma of attending IRS, but also deals directly with the idea of
intergenerational trauma.
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TITLE: IRS Continuation Resources Referenced:

SUBJECT: English - 7 Generations Graphic Novel
TIME: 90 minutes (Ends/Begins)
GRADE: 10 (Suitable for grades 9-11 with - Canadian Residential School
accommodations at your discretion) Propaganda Video 1955
- A residential school survivor
shares his story of trauma and healing
- Questions in worksheet are
adapted from topics of interest in this
teacher's guide
DESIRED RESULTS
LESSON DESCRIPTION
- View the Canadian Residential School Propaganda Video 1955
- View A residential school survivor shares his story of trauma and healing
- Ask students to retrieve handout from yesterday, work on it together

1. Understanding Media Texts: demonstrate an understanding of a variety of media
texts;
2. Understanding Media Forms, Conventions, and Techniques: identify some media
forms and explain how the conventions and techniques associated with them are used to
create meaning;

1.2 interpret media texts, including increasingly complex texts, identifying and
explaining the overt and implied messages they convey
1.4 explain why the same media text might prompt different responses from
different audiences
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1.5 extend understanding of texts, including increasingly complex texts, by making

appropriate connections between the ideas in them and personal knowledge, experience,
and insights; other texts; and the world around them
LESSON GOALS
- Students will develop and understanding of intergenerational trauma resulting from
IRS
- Students will use their knowledge of conventional storytelling and their predictive
skills to guess what will happen in the next book
SUCCESS CRITERIA
- Students will complete the handout and participate in class discussion
ASSESSMENT

Assessment Strategy: Observe students during discussions, assess handout for completion
MATERIALS
- 7 Generations Graphic Novel (Ends/Begins;) if you have not addressed any of the
other stories in this book, start on page 70 and explain that the boys grandfather is
narrating)
- Canadian Residential School Propaganda Video 1955
- A residential school survivor shares his story of trauma and healing
- Handout

- View the Canadian Residential School Propaganda Video 1955
- Who might have made this video? What story does it tell? Who
might have seen this video? If you had seen it in 1955, what would you think?
- View A residential school survivor shares his story of trauma and healing
- Where did this man go to school? Does the experience he describes
align with what you saw in the first video? If you had seen the first one, would you
imagine that stories like his were possible? How does he feel about IRS? How did
he heal? How long did that take?

- Ask students to complete independant portion of the handout from yesterday

- As a class, answer the following questions, encouraging discussion:
- James is repeating a cycle of violence that he learned in residential
school. What other evidence is there that he is living in trauma from his
experiences at the residential school? How might Edwin inherit Jamess trauma?
- James clearly cares for Edwin, but he is going to hurt him. Why
would he do this? Why do people hurt those who they care about?
- What do you think is going to happen? Do you think James can
stop himself from hurting Edwin? What role will Edwins mother play in this
situation? What leads you to these conclusions?

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- The next classes will deal with the end of the IRS and prepare students for the
culminating task in this unit focusing on Reconciliation.
This lesson groups students up to do in-class research on the response to and fallout from
IRS. We then use what we have learned in research groups to do an Ask the Experts teaching
rotation. Students work together to answer questions on their groups worksheet and then go
on to teach other groups about what they have learned. This form of teaching makes students
accountable for mastering their topic in order to teach it to a group of their peers. I move
away again from direct instruction and have the students break off into small groups to teach
each other and learn from each other.
We end with a video from Murray Sinclair, who we also talked about when introducing 7
Generations, talking about what Reconciliation means and how we can move towards it
together as Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. This serves as the classs introduction to
the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and acts as the basis for their culminating project
on methods of healing and reconciling.

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TITLE: Reconciliation & the end of IRS Resources Referenced:

SUBJECT: English - What is Reconciliation -
TIME: 90 minutes Murray Sinclair
GRADE: 10 (Suitable for grades 9-11 with - BLM: Running Away
accommodations at your discretion) - BLM: Parents Protest
- Report of RCMP Corporal R.
W. Clearwater, June 13, 1922: pg 155-
156
- Elizabeth Shaws Letter
- 100 Years of Loss booklet
- The Road to Reconciliation
Timeline
- Indian Residential School
Settlement Agreement
- They Came for the Children
DESIRED RESULTS
LESSON DESCRIPTION
- Take up worksheet from yesterday
- Give students time to research in groups about the end of the IRS, then do a an ask
the expert rotation
- Take up the results of the research, allowing students to contribute additional
information
- Show the What is Reconciliation video


1.4 identify the important information and ideas in oral texts, including
increasingly complex texts, in a variety of ways
1.8 identify and analyse the perspectives and/or biases evident in oral texts,
including increasingly complex texts, and comment on any questions they may raise about
beliefs, values, identity, and power
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2.2 demonstrate an understanding of a variety of interpersonal speaking strategies

and adapt them to suit the purpose, situation, and audience, exhibiting sensitivity to cultural
differences
2.3 communicate in a clear, coherent manner, using a structure and style
appropriate to the purpose, subject matter, and intended audience
LESSON GOALS
- Students will know that residential schools were a self-perpetuated system that was
recognised as a failure
- Students will learn together to teach their peers about a chosen topic
- Students will communicate what theyve learned with their peers
SUCCESS CRITERIA
- Students will research and be able to speak about a given topic
- Students will be knowledgeable about the end of IRS
ASSESSMENT

Assessment Strategy: Observe students during research period, circulate to monitor and assess Ask
the Expert rotation teaching
MATERIALS
- Handouts (must be accessed by computer, all of the resources are linked to)
- What is Reconciliation - Murray Sinclair
- BLM: Running Away
- BLM: Parents Protest
- Report of RCMP Corporal R. W. Clearwater, June 13, 1922: pg
155-156
- Elizabeth Shaws Letter
- They Came for the Children readings
- 100 Years of Loss booklet
- The Road to Reconciliation Timeline
- Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement
- Computers / iPads

- Take up the worksheet from yesterday
- Divide students into six groups and give out sheets for each group. Each group will
get a topic to research together for 40 minutes. When the research period is over, students
will be numbered off to form another six groups, with one expert from each topic in each
group. The experts will teach their peers about their topic.

- Students will work in their groups using the resources available to them to become
experts in their topic. At the end of 40 minutes, they will reform into six new groups to
teach their peers about their topic.

- Take up results of the research, allowing students to contribute additional
information
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- Show the What is Reconciliation video

- In the next class we will focus on reconciliatory action
This is the final lesson in my toolkit. It focuses on ways to help heal the damage from historic
injustices and abuses against Canadas Indigenous peoples and results in a culminating
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project meant to involve the class in putting positive action out into the world by engaging
with a campaign to directly affect those who live with this trauma.
We start the lesson with a video by Cindy Blackstock, explaining 7 ways to make a positive
difference in communities affected by the IRS. We then hold out second talking circle of the
unit, where students share what they have learned, how they have changed, and what they
hope to do with their new knowledge. I think this second talking circle is an important aspect
of this unit because it helps students express whatever they may be feeling, and when dealing
with such a heavy unit, this may be necessary.
The lesson ends with the teacher handing out the culminating activity, where students get into
groups and design a campaign for the class to lead in support of one of the organisations
Cindy Blackstock describes in her video. This project gives students agency to be active in
actually creating change and seeing improvement in the situation left in the wake of the IRS.
TITLE: Reconciliation Resources Referenced:

SUBJECT: English - 7 Ways to Make a
TIME: 90 minutes Difference
GRADE: 10 (Suitable for grades 9-11 with - First Nations Child & Family
accommodations at your discretion) Caring Society of Canada
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DESIRED RESULTS
LESSON DESCRIPTION
- Watch 7 Ways to Make a Difference
- Arrange desks in a circle / sit in a circle
- Explain that even though IRS are gone, there is still work to do towards equality.
- Repeat the Poll Everywhere from Lesson 1
- Hold a talking circle to share feelings about what we have learned,
how our opinions have changed
- Hand out Reconciliation Project sheet

3. Reflecting on Skills and Strategies: reflect on and identify their strengths as
listeners and speakers, areas for improvement, and the strategies they found most helpful in
oral communication situations.

tasks
Using Listening Comprehension Strategies 1.3 select and use appropriate listening
comprehension strategies before, during, and after listening to understand oral texts,
including increasingly complex texts
1.4 identify the important information and ideas in oral texts, including
increasingly complex texts, in a variety of ways
2.2 demonstrate an understanding of a variety of interpersonal speaking strategies
and adapt them to suit the purpose, situation, and audience, exhibiting sensitivity to cultural
differences
2.3 communicate in a clear, coherent manner, using a structure and style
appropriate to the purpose, subject matter, and intended audience
2.4 use appropriate words, phrases, and terminology, and several different stylistic
devices, to communicate their meaning and engage their intended audience
2.5 identify a variety of vocal strategies, including tone, pace, pitch, and volume,
and use them appropriately and with sensitivity to audience needs and cultural differences
LESSON GOALS
- Students will understand that there is hope for the future and that things are getting
better
- Students will have strategies to take action to improve equity in Canada
- Students will communicate what they have learned and how they have changed in
this unit
SUCCESS CRITERIA
- Students will participate in discussion
- Students will communicate clearly
- Students will reflect on this unit and be able to point to changes in their own
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perceptions
ASSESSMENT

Assessment Strategy: Observe students during discussion. The project given out in this class will be
evaluated formally.
MATERIALS
- 7 Ways to Make a Difference

- First Nations Child & Family Caring Society of Canada
- Reconciliation Project Handout
- Poll: https://pollev.com/LOVELYFERN813

- Watch 7 Ways to Make a Difference
- Arrange desks in a circle / sit in a circle
- Explain that even though IRS are gone, there is still work to do towards equality
and equity for Indigenous peoples.

- Discuss inequalities that students are aware of
- Repeat the Poll Everywhere from Lesson 1
- Discuss what has changed, what has been added
- Hold a talking circle to share feelings about what we have learned, how our
opinions have changed

- Hand out Reconciliation Project sheet

- Consider doing a Project of Heart workshop in the class:
http://projectofheart.ca/ontario/step-1-investigation-into-the-history-and-legacy-of-indian-
residential-schools-in-canada/
- In the next class we will select groups and build a rubric
This toolkit has aimed to teach the history and relevance of the Indian Residential School
system in Canada in a grade 10 academic English classroom. The lessons here make students
aware of the broad diversity of Indigenous peoples in Canada, and the atrocities committed
against them in IRS. I have used several different resources to support my lessons, most of
them created by Indigenous artists and storytellers who offer insight into their worldview,
Academic Class
37
values, and history. Through this unit, students learn both the history of Indigenous education,
and ways to move forward as Indigenous peoples and non-Indigenous peoples, together,
towards a more coherent and equitable future in a land we share.
I have tried to move away from traditional Western forms of direct instruction, and to give
students agency in their learning by allowing them to lead discussions and to generate
content. I have tried to include resources that are visual, audible, and experiential in addition
to more common written texts.
Though these lessons are geared towards a grade 10 audience, each lesson could be used in a
grade 9-11 classroom with minor adjustments. The lessons I have created here are highly
cross-curricular, dealing with heavily in history, sociology, anthropology, philosophy, and
English, and in some places touching on science.
I hope to be able to use these lessons in my next placement and in my future teaching careers.
I believe Indigenous culture, and the history of the IRS should be addressed in any class I
teach because it is such an integral part of Canadian culture. It is unfair and wrong that this
topic has gone unrecognised for so long. As an IPPE teacher, it is my responsibility to make
sure my students cultures are reflected in their classrooms, and to acknowledge and forefront
Indigenous culture and worldview as often as I can. Holistic Indigenous methods of education
benefit students from all cultural backgrounds, as they support the universal design of
learning, emphasising experience, storytelling, interconnectivity, and harmony.

Indigenising Perspectives and Practices Toolkit: Teaching Residential Schools in A Grade 10 Academic Class Caitlin Kalynchuk Lakehead University

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Indigenising Perspectives and Practices Toolkit: Teaching Residential Schools in A Grade 10 Academic Class Caitlin Kalynchuk Lakehead University

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RUNNING HEAD: Indigenising Perspectives and Practices Toolkit: Teaching Residential Schools in

a Grade 10 Academic Class

Indigenising Perspectives and Practices Toolkit:

modified to be appropriate for grades 9-11.

relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in this country. I believe

learn to be part of the healing process.

and put positive action out into the world.

similarities. I adapted this lesson plan from Aboriginal Perspectives from

educational systems required no fixing.

TITLE: Indigenous Perspectives: Diversity Resources Referenced:

SUBJECT: English http://www3.nfb.ca/ressources_educatives//010

ONTARIO CURRICULAR OVERALL EXPECTATIONS

ONTARIO CURRICULAR SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

- Students will participate in a response explaining the culture of an assigned

Assessment Mode: Oral / Performance / Written

- The original lesson plan may be found at

LESSON FORMAT: WHAT TEACHERS DO / SAY

Motivational Hook / Engagement / Introduction - Minds on

During / Working on it / Action - Hands on

After: Consolidation: Reflect and Connect

Extension Activities / Next Steps

diversity and introduces them to visual storytelling, an important aspect of Indigenous

TITLE: Indigenous Perspectives: Diversity Resources Referenced:

- Where the Spirit Lives

ONTARIO CURRICULAR OVERALL EXPECTATIONS

ONTARIO CURRICULAR SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

Assessment Mode: Oral / Performance / Written

- The original lesson plan may be found at

LESSON FORMAT: WHAT TEACHERS DO / SAY

Motivational Hook / Engagement / Introduction - Minds on

During / Working on it / Action - Hands on

After: Consolidation: Reflect and Connect

Extension Activities / Next Steps

age group and number of the students.

they feel and what they have learned.

TITLE: Kairos Blanket Exercise Resources Referenced:

ONTARIO CURRICULAR OVERALL EXPECTATIONS

ONTARIO CURRICULAR SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

Assessment Mode: Oral / Performance / Written

LESSON FORMAT: WHAT TEACHERS DO / SAY

Motivational Hook / Engagement / Introduction - Minds on

During / Working on it / Action - Hands on

After: Consolidation: Reflect and Connect

Extension Activities / Next Steps

I have included KC Adams photograph series Perceptions to draw attention to the

around and generating content for analysis during the discussion.

TITLE: Stereotypes Resources Referenced:

ONTARIO CURRICULAR OVERALL EXPECTATIONS

ONTARIO CURRICULAR SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

Assessment Mode: Oral / Performance / Written

LESSON FORMAT: WHAT TEACHERS DO / SAY

Motivational Hook / Engagement / Introduction - Minds on

assumptions about groups of people they dont know

During / Working on it / Action - Hands on

After: Consolidation: Reflect and Connect

Extension Activities / Next Steps

available in the Library.

methods or what they have experienced in school.

TITLE: Pre-IRS Education Resources Referenced:

ONTARIO CURRICULAR OVERALL EXPECTATIONS

ONTARIO CURRICULAR SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS

Assessment Mode: Oral / Performance / Written

LESSON FORMAT: WHAT TEACHERS DO / SAY