Lesson 2: Indigenous Rights/Residential Schools

The Residential School System from Indigenous Foundations

The Secret Path by Gord Downie and Wenjack by Joseph Boyden

Before You Begin:

Consider the following:
- What do you already know about indigenous rights?
- Have you already learned about residential schools before?
- Why is this important?

The Residential School System from Indigenous Foundations

Guided Reading Questions:

1. List some ways in which residential schools worked to destroy indigenous culture and identity.

2. Explain the conditions at many residential schools.

3. When did the government decide to close the residential school system? Was the transition successful?

4. What was the “60s Scoop”?

5. What are some long-lasting effects of residential schools on indigenous peoples?

6. What is your reaction to the stated purpose of the schools being “to kill the Indian in the child”?

7. Even though residential schools are now closed, why is this still a social justice issue?

"I Lost My Talk" by Rita Joe

Guided Reading Questions:

1. Who is this poem addressed to?

2. What is the meaning of the title?

3. What is the mood of this poem at the beginning and at the end?

4. The narrator still has some hope. What is it and why is this significant?

5. Why is the loss of the narrator’s first language significant? In what ways does it limit the narrator?

"the second time" by Rosanna Deerchild

Guided Reading Questions:

1. Explain what the narrator might mean by, “the third time / I stop listen / to her silence”.

2. What is the purpose of listing the narrator’s mother’s ailments (arthritis, high blood sugar, broken hearing aid, etc.)?

3. What is the mood and tone of the poem?

The Secret Path by Gord Downie and Wenjack by Joseph Boyden

Guided Questions:

1. What is the first indication that Chanie does not have the same chance for survival as the brother that he runs away with?

2. Why does Chanie refer to the teacher at the residential school as “Fish Belly”?

3. What is the most important reason that the uncle and aunt of the brothers do not want to keep Chanie with them?

4. Look at Chanie’s last words on page 88. What does the order of those words indicate about his final thoughts and emotions?

5. Did Chanie ever have any real chance of escape? Why or why not?

6. Why do you think that Joseph Boyden chose to include the observations and voices of the animals in his retelling of Chanie Wenjack’s journey?

Note: Wenjack is a novella that is not available online. If you have access to this resource, please take a look at it! If not, don't worry and listen to Gord Downie's story about Chanie.

Journal Response

Respond to and reflect on what you have learned from these texts/media through a written response. You should aim to write 400-500 words on the topic, including things such as what you learned, what surprised you, how these topics made you feel and how they relate to social justice. Is this a resolved issue?

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse