Language Arts · Grade 11

Active learning ideas

Perspectives on Reconciliation

Active learning works for this topic because reconciliation demands more than passive reading. Students need to engage with the TRC’s Calls to Action as living documents, not historical artifacts. Collaborative analysis and role play build the empathy and critical thinking required to understand how national trauma is communicated and addressed.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.8
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.1

• 25–90 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Inquiry Circle
• 90 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Calls to Action

Groups are assigned one sector of the TRC Calls to Action (e.g., Health, Education, Justice). They must research the current progress of these calls and create a 'status report' poster to present to the class, evaluating the language used in the original document.

How do rhetoricians use emotional appeals to foster empathy in a diverse audience?

Facilitation Tip

During Collaborative Investigation: The Calls to Action, assign each group one Call to Action that relates to education or youth, as students can most easily connect to these.

What to look for

Facilitate a small group discussion using the prompt: 'Select one of the TRC's Calls to Action. How does the personal testimony you've read or heard strengthen the argument for this specific action? What emotional appeals are most effective in persuading you?'

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

Activity 02

• Role Play
• 45 min · Small Groups

Role Play: The Editorial Board

Students act as an editorial board for a major Canadian newspaper. They must decide which parts of a reconciliation speech to highlight in a headline and lead paragraph, discussing how their choices affect the public's perception of the urgency of the issue.

What is the relationship between personal testimony and national policy change?

Facilitation Tip

For Role Play: The Editorial Board, provide a sample editorial with biased language to model how tone and framing influence public perception.

What to look for

Present students with a short excerpt from a speech or essay on reconciliation. Ask them to identify one rhetorical device (ethos, pathos, logos) used and explain in one sentence how it functions to persuade the audience.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 25 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Analyzing Testimony

Students read a short excerpt of survivor testimony. They identify the primary rhetorical appeal used (pathos, ethos, or logos) and discuss with a partner why that specific appeal is necessary for the goal of reconciliation.

How does the choice of medium affect the urgency of a social justice message?

Facilitation Tip

During Think-Pair-Share: Analyzing Testimony, ask students to focus first on identifying emotional appeals before moving to logical arguments to build confidence.

What to look for

Students draft a brief response to a specific Call to Action, incorporating elements of personal testimony or rhetorical appeals. They then exchange drafts with a partner, providing feedback on the clarity of the message and the effectiveness of the persuasive strategies used.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Experienced teachers approach this topic by grounding abstract concepts in concrete, student-centered tasks. Avoid rushing through the historical context—give students time to sit with the emotional weight of testimonies before asking them to analyze rhetoric. Use small-group work to reduce the isolation students may feel when confronting difficult truths. Research shows that when students see their own voices reflected in the material, they engage more deeply with the ideas of justice and responsibility.

Successful learning looks like students confidently explaining how rhetorical strategies in TRC texts connect to specific Calls to Action. They should be able to articulate their own role in reconciliation and justify their position using evidence from personal testimonies or speeches. Participation in discussions and peer feedback should demonstrate growing awareness of collective responsibility.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Collaborative Investigation: The Calls to Action, watch for students assuming that all Calls to Action have been fully addressed. Redirect by asking them to check the current status of their assigned Call using the TRC’s final report or official updates.

  Assign students to research the status of their Call to Action and present a brief update to the class, emphasizing the ongoing nature of reconciliation.

• During Think-Pair-Share: Analyzing Testimony, watch for students believing that reconciliation is only the responsibility of Indigenous communities. Redirect by asking them to identify which Calls to Action address non-Indigenous Canadians and how personal testimony strengthens those calls.

  Have students highlight examples in the testimonies where non-Indigenous Canadians are directly addressed or called to action, then discuss in pairs how this shifts responsibility.

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Methods used in this brief

• Inquiry Circle
• Role Play
• Think-Pair-Share