Origins of Residential Schools

Active learning transforms this difficult history from abstract facts into human experience. Students engage directly with primary documents, survivor voices, and policy artifacts, which builds empathy and deepens understanding in ways passive reading cannot. Movement, collaboration, and reflection help students process complex emotions while grounding their learning in evidence.

• Grade 10
• Canadian Studies
• 3 activities
• 25 min–45 min

Learning Objectives

1. Analyze primary source documents, such as the Davin Report, to identify the stated justifications for the residential school system.
2. Evaluate the discrepancy between the stated goals of assimilation and the actual outcomes of cultural destruction and trauma experienced by Indigenous children.
3. Critique the legislative and policy frameworks, including the Indian Act, that facilitated the establishment and enforcement of residential schools.
4. Synthesize information from survivor testimonies and historical accounts to explain the profound suffering caused to Indigenous individuals, families, and communities.
5. Compare the roles and responsibilities of the Canadian government and various religious institutions in the operation of residential schools.

Inquiry Circle

⏱ 45 min·Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Davin Report

Students work in small groups to analyze excerpts from the 1879 Davin Report, which recommended the creation of residential schools. They identify the specific language used to justify the system and compare it to the actual experiences of children as told by survivors.

Prepare & details

Explain the historical context and motivations behind the creation of residential schools.

Facilitation Tip: During the Davin Report investigation, circulate and ask guiding questions like, 'What words in this document reveal the government's true intent?' to keep students focused on evidence of assimilation.

Setup: Groups at tables with access to source materials

Materials: Source material collection, Inquiry cycle worksheet, Question generation protocol, Findings presentation template

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

Gallery Walk

⏱ 40 min·Individual

Gallery Walk: Survivor Testimony

Set up stations with short, age-appropriate quotes or video clips from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's survivor archives. Students move silently through the room, recording their reflections on the impact of the schools on identity and family.

Prepare & details

Analyze the stated goals versus the actual outcomes of the residential school system.

Facilitation Tip: For the Gallery Walk, provide sentence stems on index cards at each station to help students frame their responses to survivor testimonies before discussing as a group.

Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter

Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback

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

Think-Pair-Share

⏱ 25 min·Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: The Indian Act and Education

Students read the sections of the Indian Act that made residential school attendance compulsory. They discuss with a partner how these laws removed parental rights and what that reveals about the government's view of Indigenous families.

Prepare & details

Critique the role of government and religious institutions in establishing these schools.

Facilitation Tip: In the Think-Pair-Share on the Indian Act, assign pairs based on prior knowledge to ensure mixed readiness levels and encourage peer teaching during the discussion.

Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor

Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs

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

Teaching This Topic

Teachers should approach this topic with both clarity and sensitivity, balancing factual rigor with emotional safety. It is important to frame the content as part of a broader system of colonial oppression, not as isolated incidents. Avoid framing the topic as 'history' without connecting it to present-day impacts. Research shows that structured reflection after emotionally intense activities prevents overwhelm and deepens learning.

What to Expect

Students will connect the stated goals of assimilation to the lived experiences of Indigenous children and families. They will analyze documents and testimonies to identify contradictions between policy and practice. By the end, they should articulate how residential schools were part of a systematic effort to erase Indigenous cultures, not simply isolated failures of individual schools.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During the Collaborative Investigation of the Davin Report, watch for comments that minimize the schools' purpose, such as 'They were just trying to give kids a better education.' Redirect students to the report's language about 'aggressive assimilation' and ask them to find evidence in the text that contradicts the idea of education as the primary goal.

What to Teach Instead

During the Gallery Walk, correct the misconception that 'Residential schools happened a long time ago and don't affect people today' by pointing students to the timeline of closures (the last school closed in 1996) and the personal stories in the testimonies. Ask them to share a detail from the testimonies that shows how recent the harm still is for families.

Assessment Ideas

Discussion Prompt

After the Collaborative Investigation of the Davin Report, pose the question: 'Based on the Davin Report and survivor testimonies, what were the primary motivations for establishing residential schools, and how did these motivations conflict with the lived experiences of the children?' Guide students to cite specific evidence from their readings during the discussion.

Exit Ticket

After the Think-Pair-Share on the Indian Act and Education, ask students to write two sentences explaining the role of the Indian Act in the residential school system and one sentence describing a specific negative outcome for Indigenous families. Collect and review for comprehension of key concepts.

Quick Check

During the Gallery Walk, present students with three short statements about the goals or impacts of residential schools. Ask them to label each statement as 'Stated Goal' or 'Actual Outcome' and provide a one-sentence justification for their choice using evidence from the testimonies they read.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge early finishers to research and present on one Indigenous-led organization working to address intergenerational trauma from residential schools.
• Scaffolding for struggling students: provide a partially completed policy vs. practice chart with key terms filled in to guide their analysis of the Davin Report.
• Deeper exploration: invite a local Indigenous elder or knowledge keeper to share their perspective on how this history connects to current education systems and reconciliation efforts.

Key Vocabulary

Assimilation	The process by which a person or group's language and/or culture come to resemble those of another group, often involving the loss of the original culture.
Indian Act	A Canadian law passed in 1876, and frequently amended, that governs the management of reserves, First Nations individuals, and band governments, and historically mandated school attendance.
Cultural Genocide	The deliberate destruction of the culture of an ethnic group, often through measures like forced assimilation, suppression of language, and removal of children.
Davin Report	A report from 1879 by Nicholas Flood Davin that recommended the establishment of industrial schools for Indigenous children, heavily influencing the residential school system's design.