Summary: Orange Shirt Day began in Williams Lake in 2013 and has since spread to schools across B.C. and Canada. (Orangeshirtday.org)
Orange Shirt Day (September 30th) is a day when we honour the Indigenous children who were sent away to residential schools in Canada and learn more about the history of those schools.
Orange Shirt Day is held every September 30th. The Manitoba Teachers’ Society – together with Manitoba’s education partners and many Indigenous organizations – will be honouring residential school survivors.
Source: Learn Alberta
Focus: Grades 1-9
Summary: These sample lesson plans support Education for Reconciliation through the inclusion of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit perspectives; treaty education; and residential schools ’ experiences, with learning outcomes identified in the current Alberta Programs of Study for Grades 1 to 9 in Fine Arts.
Each sample lesson plan includes content(s) or context(s) related to one or more of the following aspects of Education for Reconciliation:
Links and relevant information in Guiding Voices: A Curriculum Development Tool for Inclusion of First Nations, Métis and Inuit Perspectives throughout Curriculum and Walking Together: First Nations, Métis and Inuit Perspectives in Curriculum are provided to support understandings of First Nations, Métis, or Inuit ways of knowing. Both online resources are accessed through www.LearnAlberta.ca.
Source: Historica Canada
Summary: Historica Canada’s Indigenous Arts & Stories contest provides an opportunity for Indigenous youth to explore their heritage and culture and aims to encourage them to create their very own work of art or piece of writing.
This learning tool has been created for students ages 6 to 12. This tool gives step-by-step directions on how to create different art and writing projects to submit to the contest. Teachers can use the guide to help choose activities for their students and to assist youth in the creative process of developing their art and writing.
Source: Historica Canada
Focus: Intermediate History
Summary: Students will explore different types of First Nations and Aboriginal architecture and submit a model to a simulated architectural firm.
Students will:
Source: David A. Robertson, Author
Focus: Primary Students
Summary: A read-a-long book that introduces the history of Residential Schools to primary students.
Source: Speak Truth to Power Canada, Karihwakè:ron Tim Thompson
Focus: Grades 5-12
Summary: How to use this lesson
Global and Canadian Defenders for human rights have changed societal conditions and provide inspiration for students. The overall goal of Speak Truth to Power Canada is to raise student awareness that advances in human rights come through the actions of individuals.
In this lesson plan on Equitable Education for All you will find:
To support the lesson on Equitable Education for All, you will also find:
Source: The Grade 7 Métis Cross-Curricular Teacher Guide was developed by Métis Nation British Columbia.
Focus: Grade 7
Summary: The Grade 7 Métis Cross-Curricular Teacher Guide has been created to assist teachers in delivering lessons that focus on the Métis people of British Columbia. There are over 60,000 Métis people in British Columbia and of that over 21,000 are of elementary school age. (Statistics Canada Census 2006). Métis people settled in B.C. over the last two hundred years and are a large part of the Aboriginal population in British Columbia.
The main objective of the Grade 7 Cross-Curricular Teacher Guide is to provide teachers with lessons and resources that focus on the contemporary Métis in British Columbia. It is important that Métis people are noted for their roles in communities in B.C. and are recognized as one of the three distinct Aboriginal peoples of Canada.
The activities within the Grade 7 Métis Cross-Curricular Teacher Guide were created using “inquiry based” learning. Inquiry based learning is a process where students are involved in their learning, formulate questions, investigate widely and then build new understandings, meanings and knowledge.
Source: Indigenous Education BC
Focus: Grades 3-6
Summary: Learning Intentions for the students:
Source: Métis Nation British Columbia
Focus: Grade 4
Summary: The Grade 4 Métis Cross-Curricular Unit provides teachers and students with information and instruction on the Métis people and their culture. The objective of the Unit is to answer the question “Who Are the Métis?”, and to introduce the distinct characteristics of the culture, including food, clothing, language, technology, music and dance, traditional values, family and community. The students will have the opportunity to learn about the origins of the Métis culture and the significant contributions the Métis people have made in Canada historically and continue to make today. The Unit will also illustrate the influence the Métis have in the cultural diversity of Aboriginal peoples in Canada.
The Grade 4 Métis Cross-Curricular Unit stresses the blending of the Aboriginal and European cultures to create the unique Métis culture. The lessons examine and study the adaptations the Métis have made throughout history to ensure the survival of Métis people. Each of the eight lesson plans is designed to explain a specific element of Métis culture and illustrates how and why the Métis are a distinct Aboriginal people. The lessons are structured to allow the teacher to: teach the whole unit, choose individual lesson plans, or choose parts of the lessons to supplement their existing lessons. The unit lessons can be taught in the subjects of Social Studies, English Language Arts, Fine Arts, Science, Math, Social Responsibility and Physical Education.
