Truth and Reconciliation in Canadian Schools
by Pamela Rose Toulouse
Portage & Main Press, 2017
ISBN 978-1-55379-745-6 (sc)
$29.00, 147 pp, teachers’ resource
portageandmainpress.com
With school boards and provincial ministries of education throughout Canada becoming more interested in raising awareness about the history of residential schools, this teachers’ resource provides background information, lesson plans and resources that educators will find helpful. The book is divided into two sections. The first provides an overview of residential schools history, contributions of Indigenous peoples, treaties of Canada and the Sacred Circle. This section is detailed and informative, giving teachers the necessary background on which to base their instruction. The second section of the book provides lesson plans for all grades, centred mostly on the arts but also including connections to the science program. Reading lists for individual research and whole class activities are also provided.
As part of my own professional training, I participated with my whole school staff in the “Blanket Exercise” (grade 7 lesson) facilitated by the board consultant for Indigenous Studies. As we gained knowledge of the diminishing land rights of Indigenous peoples, teachers were visibly moved by the scope of colonization that has taken place.
Pamela Rose Toulouse, Ph.D., is from the Sagamok First Nation in Ontario. She is an associate professor at Laurentian University, with 24 years as an educator. Her background and teaching experience provide the insight, knowledge and expertise to make this a valuable text for both the novice and experienced teacher.
Review by Kent Miller.
This review is from Canadian Teacher Magazine’s Fall 2018 issue.
