Truth and Reconciliation CommissionActivities & Teaching Strategies
Active learning helps students engage deeply with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission because it transforms abstract policies and historical facts into personal, memorable experiences. By participating in role-plays, analyzing primary documents, and collaborating on timelines, students process reconciliation as a lived experience rather than distant policy work.
Learning Objectives
- 1Analyze the historical context and primary findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
- 2Evaluate the extent of progress made in implementing specific Calls to Action from the TRC final report.
- 3Critique the role of educational institutions in addressing historical injustices and promoting reconciliation.
- 4Synthesize information from survivor testimonies and TRC reports to articulate the impacts of residential schools.
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Gallery Walk: Calls to Action Progress
Divide class into groups, assign each 8-10 Calls to Action. Groups research status using government reports and post summaries, evidence, and one question on wall charts. Students rotate to read, add sticky-note responses, and vote on priority Calls. Debrief with whole-class priorities list.
Prepare & details
Summarize the key findings and recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Facilitation Tip: During the Gallery Walk, circulate with a clipboard to listen for students making connections between Calls to Action and current events in their provinces.
Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter
Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback
Jigsaw: TRC Key Findings
Form expert groups to study report sections like Legacy or Calls summaries. Experts teach home groups through visuals and quotes. Groups then assess one Call's progress collaboratively and report out. Provide TRC summary sheets for reference.
Prepare & details
Assess the progress made on implementing the 94 Calls to Action.
Setup: Flexible seating for regrouping
Materials: Expert group reading packets, Note-taking template, Summary graphic organizer
Role-Play: Reconciliation Summit
Assign roles like government official, survivor, educator, or youth advocate. Groups prepare positions on three Calls, then debate implementation in a simulated summit. Rotate roles midway and vote on action plans. Use rubrics for preparation and participation.
Prepare & details
Justify the role of education in advancing reconciliation in Canada.
Setup: Flexible seating for regrouping
Materials: Expert group reading packets, Note-taking template, Summary graphic organizer
Timeline Challenge: Personal Reconciliation Pledge
Individually create timelines of TRC events and personal connections to Calls. Pairs share and refine, then contribute to class mural. End with pledges for school-based actions like language weeks. Supply timeline templates.
Prepare & details
Summarize the key findings and recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Setup: Long wall or floor space for timeline construction
Materials: Event cards with dates and descriptions, Timeline base (tape or long paper), Connection arrows/string, Debate prompt cards
Teaching This Topic
Approach this topic with care and clarity. Avoid overwhelming students with heavy content by breaking lessons into manageable segments and pairing discussions with structured activities. Research shows that students retain information better when they apply knowledge through role-play or timelines rather than passive listening.
What to Expect
Successful learning looks like students confidently connecting survivor testimonies to specific Calls to Action, identifying gaps in implementation, and articulating their personal role in reconciliation. You will see evidence of critical thinking when students debate implementation progress and propose actionable next steps based on their research.
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 Timeline: Personal Reconciliation Pledge activity, watch for students suggesting the 2008 apology fully resolved reconciliation.
What to Teach Instead
Use the timeline cards to map the apology alongside the 94 Calls to Action, prompting students to mark which calls had no progress or were only partially addressed by 2023.
Common MisconceptionDuring the Gallery Walk: Calls to Action Progress activity, watch for students assuming most calls have been fully implemented.
What to Teach Instead
Have students tally completed, in-progress, and not started calls on sticky notes, then analyze why certain sectors lag in implementation during the gallery walk debrief.
Common MisconceptionDuring the Role-Play: Reconciliation Summit activity, watch for students viewing reconciliation as only relevant to Indigenous communities.
What to Teach Instead
Assign diverse stakeholder roles including educators, health workers, and policymakers, and require each group to propose actions that address a Call to Action affecting their sector.
Assessment Ideas
After the Jigsaw: TRC Key Findings activity, ask students to present one finding and evaluate whether their stakeholder group’s proposed solution matches the severity of the harm described.
During the Gallery Walk: Calls to Action Progress activity, collect one sticky note from each group noting one Call to Action they found surprising or under-discussed, and use these to guide a whole-class discussion.
After the Timeline: Personal Reconciliation Pledge activity, ask students to write one sentence explaining how their personal pledge connects to a specific harm identified in the TRC’s final report.
Extensions & Scaffolding
- Challenge early finishers to draft a letter to a local representative proposing a community-based reconciliation initiative tied to one Call to Action.
- Scaffolding for struggling students: Provide sentence starters for survivor testimony analysis and pre-selected excerpts from the TRC report grouped by Call to Action themes.
- Deeper exploration: Invite students to research and compare Canada’s TRC process with another country’s transitional justice model, such as South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Key Vocabulary
| Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) | A Canadian commission established to inform Canadians about the history and legacy of residential schools and to guide reconciliation efforts. |
| Calls to Action | The 94 recommendations made by the TRC in its final report, aimed at redressing the legacy of residential schools and advancing reconciliation. |
| Residential Schools | Government-funded, church-run boarding schools for Indigenous children in Canada, designed to assimilate them into mainstream society. |
| Cultural Genocide | The deliberate destruction of the cultural elements of a group of people, as stated in the TRC's description of the residential school system. |
| Reconciliation | The process of establishing respectful relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada, based on mutual understanding and recognition of rights. |
Suggested Methodologies
More in Residential Schools & Indigenous Rights
Origins of Residential Schools
Students learn about the establishment, operation, and stated goals of the residential school system, and the profound suffering it caused to Indigenous children, families, and communities.
3 methodologies
Experiences of Residential School Survivors
Students engage with survivor testimonies and historical accounts to understand the daily realities and abuses within residential schools.
3 methodologies
Intergenerational Trauma & Legacy
Students examine how the trauma of residential schools has been passed down through generations, affecting Indigenous communities in areas such as health, education, and family life.
3 methodologies
The Sixties Scoop & Child Welfare
An investigation into the mass removal of Indigenous children from their families into the child welfare system, and its lasting consequences.
3 methodologies
Indigenous Rights & Self-Determination
Students explore the movement for Indigenous self-determination in Canada, including land claims, self-governance, and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
3 methodologies
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