Missing & Murdered Indigenous WomenActivities & Teaching Strategies
Active learning works for this topic because it transforms an abstract human rights crisis into tangible, student-led exploration. Students confront systemic oppression not as distant facts but as interconnected patterns requiring their analysis and action.
Learning Objectives
- 1Analyze the historical and ongoing systemic factors contributing to the MMIWG crisis in Canada.
- 2Evaluate the findings and 231 Calls for Justice from the National Inquiry into MMIWG.
- 3Critique the responses of government bodies and law enforcement to the MMIWG crisis and the Inquiry's recommendations.
- 4Explain the designation of the MMIWG crisis as a national human rights and gender-based violence crisis.
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Jigsaw: Systemic Factors
Divide class into expert groups on factors like racism, poverty, and child welfare. Each group researches one factor using inquiry report excerpts, then reforms into mixed groups to teach peers and co-create a vulnerability map. Conclude with whole-class synthesis.
Prepare & details
Explain why MMIWG is recognized as a national human rights crisis.
Facilitation Tip: During the Jigsaw Protocol, assign each expert group a specific systemic factor from the Inquiry report and require them to prepare a one-minute summary using plain language before teaching their peers.
Setup: Flexible seating for regrouping
Materials: Expert group reading packets, Note-taking template, Summary graphic organizer
Gallery Walk: Calls for Justice
Post 10 Calls for Justice around the room with prompts. Pairs visit each station, note government responses, and add sticky notes with analysis. Regroup to prioritize three calls and draft a class action plan.
Prepare & details
Analyze the systemic factors contributing to the vulnerability of Indigenous women and girls.
Facilitation Tip: For the Gallery Walk, post Calls for Justice statements at eye level and place student-generated responses on sticky notes directly beside them to create visible dialogue between evidence and interpretation.
Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter
Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback
Fishbowl Discussion: Police Accountability
One small group discusses inquiry findings on policing in the center circle while others observe and note key points. Rotate roles twice, then debrief as a whole class on systemic reforms needed.
Prepare & details
Assess the government's and police's response to the National Inquiry's findings.
Facilitation Tip: Structure the Fishbowl Discussion with a clear circle of discussants and an outer circle that rotates every five minutes, ensuring all students participate in both roles and hear diverse perspectives.
Setup: Inner circle of 4-6 chairs, outer circle surrounding them
Materials: Discussion prompt or essential question, Observation notes template
Timeline Mapping: Crisis Response
Individuals or pairs create timelines of MMIWG events from 1980s reports to 2023 updates, plotting government actions. Share in a whole-class digital map, assessing progress gaps.
Prepare & details
Explain why MMIWG is recognized as a national human rights crisis.
Facilitation Tip: Use the Timeline Mapping activity to have students physically place key events on a large shared timeline, allowing them to see gaps in crisis response and recognize historical patterns they might otherwise miss.
Setup: Chairs arranged in two concentric circles
Materials: Discussion question/prompt (projected), Observation rubric for outer circle
Teaching This Topic
Approach this topic with care and intention, avoiding sensationalism while maintaining academic rigor. Balance emotional engagement with critical analysis by grounding discussions in evidence from the Inquiry report rather than graphic individual cases. Research shows students learn best when they see themselves as part of the solution, so design activities that move from understanding to actionable response.
What to Expect
Successful learning looks like students moving beyond sympathy to identify root causes, challenge misinformation, and propose accountable responses. They should connect personal stories to structural analysis, then translate that understanding into realistic advocacy or systemic change ideas.
These activities are a starting point. A full mission is the experience.
- Complete facilitation script with teacher dialogue
- Printable student materials, ready for class
- Differentiation strategies for every learner
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Common MisconceptionDuring the Jigsaw Protocol, watch for students treating cases as isolated incidents.
What to Teach Instead
Use the Jigsaw Protocol to require students to explicitly connect their assigned systemic factor to real cases from the Inquiry report, forcing them to see patterns rather than individual stories.
Common MisconceptionDuring the Gallery Walk, expect students to assume the government has fully addressed the crisis.
What to Teach Instead
Use the Gallery Walk materials to have students annotate the Calls for Justice with evidence of partial implementation, gaps in funding, or unmet commitments they identify in news articles or government reports.
Common MisconceptionDuring the Timeline Mapping activity, anticipate students thinking the crisis only affects remote communities.
What to Teach Instead
Have students use the timeline to plot cases from urban, rural, and northern communities, then analyze geographic distribution to recognize the national scope of the crisis.
Assessment Ideas
After the Jigsaw Protocol, have students discuss in small groups: 'Based on the Inquiry's findings, what are the top three systemic factors that most significantly increase the vulnerability of Indigenous women and girls?' Collect and analyze their justifications using evidence from the Inquiry reports or other course materials.
After the Gallery Walk, ask students to write a brief response to: 'Identify one Call for Justice from the National Inquiry and explain one specific action a government or police service could take to implement it.' Use these responses to assess understanding of the Calls for Justice and the feasibility of proposed actions.
During the Timeline Mapping activity, present students with a short case study describing a scenario involving an Indigenous woman or girl. Ask them to identify which systemic factors discussed in class are at play and how they contribute to vulnerability, then discuss their responses as a class.
Extensions & Scaffolding
- Challenge: Have students research and present on one community-led initiative that addresses MMIWG and evaluate its effectiveness using the Inquiry's Calls for Justice as criteria.
- Scaffolding: Provide sentence stems for the Fishbowl Discussion to support students who need structure, such as 'One systemic factor contributing to this issue is... because...'
- Deeper exploration: Invite students to draft a mock policy brief addressed to a government official, incorporating evidence from the Inquiry and proposing specific implementation strategies for one Call for Justice.
Key Vocabulary
| Systemic Racism | Prejudice and discrimination embedded within the laws, policies, and practices of institutions, leading to disadvantages for racialized groups. |
| Intergenerational Trauma | The transmission of historical trauma and its negative effects from one generation to the next, often stemming from events like residential schooling. |
| Calls for Justice | Specific actions recommended by the National Inquiry into MMIWG to address the root causes of violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. |
| Jurisdictional Gaps | Areas where responsibility for policing, social services, or legal matters is unclear or contested between different levels of government, often leaving Indigenous communities underserved. |
Suggested Methodologies
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