Canadian Studies · Grade 10

Active learning ideas

Indigenous Resistance & Activism

Active learning helps students engage with the emotional weight of this topic while building critical analysis skills. By working collaboratively on real-world issues like MMIWG, students move beyond passive listening to grapple with evidence, perspectives, and systemic connections in ways that promote deeper understanding.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• ON: Canada since 1982 - Grade 10
• ON: Identity, Citizenship, and Heritage - Grade 10

• 25–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Inquiry Circle
• 50 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: Systemic Factors

In small groups, students use a 'root cause analysis' tool to identify the different factors (e.g., poverty, lack of safe transportation, police bias) that contribute to the MMIWG crisis. They then match these factors to specific Calls for Justice from the National Inquiry.

Analyze how the 1969 White Paper catalyzed Indigenous political organizing.

Facilitation Tip

When leading the REDress Gallery Walk, invite students to move slowly, observe details in the dresses, and jot down questions or reactions on sticky notes to post near each piece.

What to look for

Facilitate a class debate: 'Was the 1969 White Paper a catalyst for positive change in Indigenous political organizing?' Ask students to cite specific arguments from Indigenous leaders of the era and connect them to later activism.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Activity 02

• Think-Pair-Share
• 25 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: The Role of the Media

Students compare the media coverage of a missing Indigenous woman with that of a missing non-Indigenous woman. They discuss with a partner how media bias can affect public perception and the urgency of police investigations.

Compare the strategies and goals of various modern Indigenous protest movements.

What to look for

Provide students with short case studies of three different Indigenous resistance movements (e.g., Oka Crisis, Idle No More, Wet'suwet'en protests). Ask them to identify one key goal and one primary tactic for each, writing their answers in a T-chart.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Gallery Walk
• 35 min · Pairs

Gallery Walk: The REDress Project

Display images of the REDress Project (hanging red dresses in public spaces). Students move through the gallery, discussing in pairs how art can be used to raise awareness for MMIWG and the impact of these visual symbols on the public.

Evaluate the impact of the Oka Crisis on land rights negotiations in Canada.

What to look for

On an index card, have students write one sentence explaining how a specific historical event (like the White Paper or Oka Crisis) influenced a modern Indigenous protest movement. They should also list one key demand of that modern movement.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teaching this topic requires balancing emotional exposure with intellectual rigor. Start with the facts of the National Inquiry to ground the discussion, then scaffold toward more complex questions about accountability and change. Use primary sources and survivor testimonies to center Indigenous voices, while avoiding graphic details that may cause harm. Research shows that structured reflection after emotionally charged activities helps students process what they’ve learned without overwhelming them.

Successful learning looks like students connecting historical injustices to present-day realities through evidence-based discussion and creative analysis. They should demonstrate empathy while maintaining academic rigor, using inquiry to challenge assumptions and deepen their understanding of Indigenous resistance.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Collaborative Investigation, watch for students who frame MMIWG as solely a 'police problem.'

  Use the group’s 'web of factors' artifact to redirect their focus. Ask them to add connections from their research on housing, child welfare, or economic factors, then discuss how these systems interact with policing to create risk for Indigenous women and girls.

• During the Think-Pair-Share on the media, listen for students who dismiss the National Inquiry’s use of 'genocide' as exaggerated.

  Use the Inquiry’s report to guide a close reading. Have students highlight passages that define the term 'genocide' in the legal sense, then compare those definitions to the Inquiry’s findings about systemic violence and state failure.

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Methods used in this brief

• Inquiry Circle
• Think-Pair-Share
• Gallery Walk