First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Studies · Grade 9

Active learning ideas

The Residential School System

The Indian Residential School system was a state-sponsored, church-run program designed to 'kill the Indian in the child.' For over a century, more than 150,000 Indigenous children were removed from their families to attend these schools, where many faced abuse and the systematic erasure of their culture. This topic is a critical part of the Ontario curriculum, requiring a sensitive and thorough investigation of the schools' goals, the experiences of survivors, and the lasting intergenerational trauma.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• NAC1O B3.1
• NAC1O B3.2

• 40–60 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Inquiry Circle
• 60 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The TRC Reports

In small groups, students examine excerpts from the TRC's 'Principles of Reconciliation' and survivor testimonies. They identify the specific ways the schools attempted to sever the link between children and their culture, then present a summary of the 'resilience' shown by survivors in reclaiming their identities.

What were the goals of the residential school system?

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

Activity 02

• Save the Last Word
• 40 min · Whole Class

Reflective Circle: The Meaning of 'Home'

Using a talking circle format, students discuss the impact of being removed from one's home and family at a young age. This activity focuses on building empathy and understanding the foundational importance of family and community in Indigenous cultures.

How did these schools impact Indigenous children and families?

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 03

• Gallery Walk
• 45 min · Individual

Gallery Walk: The Witness Blanket

Students view images of 'The Witness Blanket' (a large-scale art installation made of items from residential schools). They use a guided worksheet to reflect on how physical objects can hold the 'truth' of history and why preserving these stories is necessary for reconciliation.

What is intergenerational trauma?

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• Residential schools were just 'bad schools' with strict teachers.

  They were part of a deliberate government policy of cultural genocide intended to eliminate Indigenous cultures. Using the TRC's definition of cultural genocide helps students understand the systemic nature of the schools beyond individual 'bad' actors.

• The impact of residential schools ended when the last school closed.

  The schools created intergenerational trauma, affecting the children and grandchildren of survivors. Peer discussions about the 'Sixties Scoop' and modern foster care rates help students see the continuity of these colonial impacts.

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Methods used in this brief

• Inquiry Circle
• Save the Last Word
• Gallery Walk