The Truth and Reconciliation Commission

Active learning works for this topic because the TRC’s mandate requires students to engage with complex emotions and ethical questions, not just facts. By moving beyond lectures into collaborative tasks like tracking Calls to Action or simulating reconciliation circles, students confront the legacy of Residential Schools in a way that honors both truth and respect.

• Grade 11
• Canadian & World Studies
• 3 activities
• 30 min–60 min

Learning Objectives

1. Explain the historical context and purpose of Canada's Residential School system.
2. Analyze the lasting impacts of Residential Schools on Indigenous peoples' health, culture, and socio-economic status.
3. Evaluate the extent to which the TRC's 94 Calls to Action have been implemented by governments and institutions.
4. Critique the concept of reconciliation and propose concrete actions for achieving it in a Canadian context.

Inquiry Circle

⏱ 60 min·Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Calls to Action Tracker

Groups are assigned a 'category' of the 94 Calls to Action (e.g., Education, Health, Justice). They must research what has been done since 2015 and present a 'Progress Report' to the class, identifying the biggest 'barriers' to success.

Prepare & details

Explain the significance of 'Truth' before 'Reconciliation' in the TRC's mandate.

Facilitation Tip: During the Calls to Action Tracker, assign each group a specific Call to Action to research so they bring back concrete examples to the class.

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

Simulation Game

⏱ 50 min·Small Groups

Simulation Game: The Reconciliation Circle

Students act as members of a community (Indigenous elders, youth, government officials, teachers) and must brainstorm a 'local' reconciliation project (e.g., a new curriculum, a monument, or a land-sharing agreement). They must find a 'consensus' on the best way to move forward.

Prepare & details

Analyze how the legacy of Residential Schools has affected intergenerational health.

Facilitation Tip: In the Reconciliation Circle simulation, provide sentence stems and protocols for speaking to model respectful communication.

Setup: Flexible space for group stations

Materials: Role cards with goals/resources, Game currency or tokens, Round tracker

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

Think-Pair-Share

⏱ 30 min·Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Truth Before Reconciliation

Pairs discuss why the word 'Truth' comes before 'Reconciliation.' They brainstorm why it's impossible to 'make things right' without first 'acknowledging what went wrong' and share their 'reflections' on the importance of history.

Prepare & details

Evaluate the progress made on the Calls to Action and remaining challenges.

Facilitation Tip: For the Think-Pair-Share prompt, give students 2 minutes to reflect individually before discussing with a partner to ensure everyone contributes.

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

Experienced teachers approach this topic by centering Indigenous voices and survivor testimonies, using primary sources to humanize the history. Avoid framing reconciliation as a finished process or something that can be 'fixed' quickly. Instead, model critical thinking by asking students to analyze gaps between the TRC’s Calls to Action and government responses. Research suggests students need structured reflection time to process emotional content, so build in journal prompts or exit tickets regularly.

What to Expect

Successful learning looks like students making direct connections between historical policies and their ongoing effects on Indigenous communities. They should articulate how truth-telling differs from reconciliation and identify at least one personal or collective action they can take. Evidence of this understanding will appear in their discussions, reflections, and responses to the Calls to Action.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During the Calls to Action Tracker, watch for students who minimize the timeline. Redirect them by asking them to add the closing year of the last school (1996) to their timeline and compare it to modern events they know.

What to Teach Instead

Use the tracker’s research phase to have students compare the timeline of Residential Schools to recent policies like Jordan’s Principle or the MMIWG inquiry to highlight how recent this history is.

Common Misconception

During the Personal Pledge activity, watch for students who frame reconciliation as solely a government task. Redirect them by having them reflect on how their own families or communities could contribute.

What to Teach Instead

During the Personal Pledge activity, ask students to share their pledges in small groups and discuss which actions are within their immediate control, such as learning a greeting in an Indigenous language or attending a local event.

Assessment Ideas

Discussion Prompt

After the Reconciliation Circle simulation, facilitate the discussion prompt: 'The TRC's mandate was 'Truth' before 'Reconciliation.' Why is this order significant? What does 'truth' mean in this context, and what are the challenges in establishing it?' Use student responses to assess their understanding of the TRC’s process and the difference between truth and reconciliation.

Quick Check

After the Calls to Action Tracker, provide students with a graphic organizer listing 3-4 TRC Calls to Action. Ask them to research and briefly summarize one specific action taken (or not taken) by a government or institution in response to that Call to Action, using evidence from their tracker research.

Exit Ticket

During the Think-Pair-Share activity, collect exit tickets where students write one sentence explaining how the legacy of Residential Schools has affected intergenerational health, and one sentence proposing a concrete step a non-Indigenous Canadian could take towards reconciliation, based on their pair discussions.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge students who finish early to research a local Indigenous organization and draft a letter to a community leader expressing solidarity with one of the TRC’s Calls to Action.
• Scaffolding for struggling students: Provide a partially completed graphic organizer for the Calls to Action Tracker with key terms filled in to help them identify themes.
• Deeper exploration: Invite a guest speaker from an Indigenous-led reconciliation initiative to share how they address the legacy of Residential Schools in their work.

Key Vocabulary

Residential Schools	A system of boarding schools for Indigenous children in Canada, established by the Canadian government and various churches, intended to assimilate them into mainstream society and forcibly remove them from their families and cultures.
Cultural Genocide	The deliberate destruction of the cultural heritage of a group of people, often through the suppression of language, traditions, and spiritual practices, as described in the TRC's findings regarding Residential Schools.
Calls to Action	The 94 recommendations issued by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada in 2015, outlining steps needed to address the legacy of Residential Schools and advance reconciliation.
Intergenerational Trauma	The transmission of historical trauma and its effects from one generation to the next, often manifesting in mental health challenges, substance abuse, and disrupted family structures among survivors and their descendants.
Reconciliation	The process of establishing mutually productive relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, involving acknowledgment of past wrongs, respect for Indigenous rights and cultures, and commitment to systemic change.