Active learning ideas
This topic addresses the dark legacy of the residential school system and the Sixties Scoop, focusing on their roles as tools of cultural genocide. Students examine the state-sponsored attempt to 'kill the Indian in the child' by forcibly removing children from their families and communities. The curriculum explores the physical, emotional, and spiritual abuse survivors faced and the long-term intergenerational trauma that continues to impact Indigenous families today.
Activity 01
Students read a short excerpt from the TRC Final Report, discuss the concept of 'cultural genocide' with a partner, and share how this term applies to the school system.
What were the goals of the residential school system?
Activity 02
Students move silently through the room reading quotes from survivors of the residential school system and the Sixties Scoop, recording their emotional and intellectual responses.
How has intergenerational trauma affected contemporary Indigenous communities?
Activity 03
Groups research how the disruption of family structures in the past leads to contemporary challenges in health, education, and social services, presenting their findings as a 'ripple effect' diagram.
What role did the government and churches play in these systems?
A few notes on teaching this unit
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Residential schools were just 'bad schools' or a product of their time.
They were a deliberate, systemic policy designed to eliminate Indigenous cultures. Active analysis of government documents from the era helps students see the intentionality behind the system.
The Sixties Scoop was done with good intentions to help children.
While individuals may have had various motives, the system was rooted in the racist belief that Indigenous families were inherently unfit. Peer discussion of the 'scoop' statistics helps surface the systemic bias.
Methods used in this brief
Treaties and the Indian Act
Students critically analyze the historical context and ongoing legacy of the Indian Act and the treaty-making process in Canada. The focus is on the shift from nation-to-nation agreements to assimilationist policies.
8 methodologies
Resistance and Resilience
Students highlight the historical and ongoing resistance of Indigenous peoples against colonial policies. The topic focuses on key historical figures, movements, and the enduring resilience of communities.
8 methodologies