Surviving Residential School

Following a lesson on the effects of imperialism in Canada, including analyzing the Indian Act, Stephen Harper’s apology and the creation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, students watched the documentary We Were Children as an introduction to the experience of residential schools. We had previously discussed what residential schools were as well as why the TRC was created to right Canada’s historical wrongs. This has been created for a Social Studies 10 classroom with many ELL and special needs students but could be easily adapted to suit the needs of an honours class.
 
Students were asked to research the stories of residential school survivors. They were then asked to place themselves in the shoes of survivor and pretend they had attended residential school while responding to several required aspects of “their” residential school experience. This promotes historical and critical thinking as well as consequence and historical significance. Students were then asked to present their stories in a creative format including, but not limited to: diary, documentary, biography, talk show, scrapbook, or the creation of “collected” correspondence.
 
As a follow up activity to assess each student’s application of knowledge at the end of the unit (several weeks after this project was completed by the class), students completed a written response source analysis modelled after Assignment #2 of the Alberta Education Diploma Examination. This was centered around Stephen Harper’s apology to the victims of residential schools and the impact it has had on First Nations’ people living in Canada today.
 
This project fits several different aspects of the Alberta Social Studies 10-2 Program of Studies, including both skills & processes and knowledge & understanding outcomes.
Surviving Residential School

Lindsay Fichter

10

Edmonton, Alberta

Students explore and understand how residential schools were a negative consequence of Canadian imperialism and ethnocentrism.

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