National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day: Teacher Resources
September 30th is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day; a day to remember, reflect and educate ourselves on the trauma and legacies left behind by colonial institutions like residential “schools”. KBI believes that knowledge, education, and understanding are crucial parts of making reconciliation a daily action, and using appropriate, supportive learning materials is a part of that learning process.
To support the important recognition happening within educational settings across Canada, here are a number of teacher resources designed to help with reconciliation teaching for Orange Shirt Day, and every day.
Orange Shirt Day Teacher Centre (English and French)
Mixed resources for grades K-12.
National Film Board - Indigenous Cinema
Dozens of freely available films made by Indigenous filmmakers.
National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (English and French)
Over 300 unique English-language resources and 100 French-language resources related to residential schools and other closely related topics. Resources for grades K-12.
Reading list from the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation
Indigenous reading list suggestions that are organized by grade. For grades K-12.
Illuminating the hidden history of Indian Residential Schools in BC.
This resource includes lesson plans tailored for each grade level, K-12.
First Nations Education Steering Committee
Teacher Resource Guides for grades 5, 10 and 11/12 developed to engage young people to take part in the journey of reconciliation. Applicable across the country, but focussed on BC.
Academic organizations
School boards and associations across the country are recognizing Orange Shirt Day in many ways. Here are just a few examples of how organizations are showing support and recognizing the important day.
Waterloo Region District Schoolboard
McGill University: Analyzing Kent Monkman’s The Scream (2017)- Middle & Senior Years