“I am not a number”

Social Studies
Room. 125, Ms Pearson
April 19, 2017
8:40-9:55
Grade 3 and 4
Lesson #1 of 2
~75 minutes

LESSON SEQUENCE
● Have students take out Social Studies notebooks and stay at table group
● Introduce book and ask about what students think it will be about based on the title and the image
on the front? (Pre-assessment)
● Write down the date in Social Studies 3 or more sentences what they think the story will be about;

Clear off desks - nothing but your Social Studies notebook and a pencil in front of you.
Ms. C will read aloud the “I am not a number” book stopping intermittently to ask discussion questions
● Prompt some listening strategies for the book:
● Make three headings in your notebook with the following questions (write them on the
smartboard):
○ How is the school in the book different from yours?
○ Think about how you would feel in Irene’s situation?
○ Write down words, emotions and/or thoughts that come to mind while listening to the
story.

Questions to ask intermittently while reading aloud:

○ How would you feel if you were forced to move away from home and go to a school?
○ Do you think the way the nuns treated the students was right?
○ How do you think the students in residential schools felt? (Ashamed, sad, lonely,
isolated, unequal, lesser)
○ Do you think it is right to force people to abandon their traditions?
○ What are some examples of traditions that Irene and her brothers had to abandon?
■ To speak a certain language
■ To cut their hair
■ To eat certain food
■ To change their religious beliefs

After the book has been read aloud, ask students to find a partner and share the ideas they wrote down
during the story.
Ms. H will bring students to the floor for a whole group discussion.
● Discussion around what makes a “Safe and comfy school”
● What are some things that you like about your school and how it makes you feel?
● Students will be asked to think like the characters in the book about the experience they had
● Group discussion will ensure that big ideas and take-away purpose is understood
Exit card:
Do you have any big questions about the story or residential schools?
● Lesson 2 will be a writing exercise

ACTIVITY

● Discussion, active listening, read aloud

● Answering the prompts (3) in their Social Studies notebooks

BIG IDEAS/TAKE-HOME MESSAGE/Objective of lesson

● Students will understand and begin to empathize with the experience of First Nations children
when they were placed in a residential school;
● Students will begin to understand and be able to put into words why forcing students into
residential schools was wrong;
● Students will begin to understand the feelings and loss of culture that First Nations people
experienced with colonialism and residential school experience.

PROGRAM OF STUDIES

Alberta: The Land, Histories and Stories

4.1 Alberta: A Sense of the Land 4.2 The Stories, Histories and People of Alberta
● Students will demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of the role of stories, history and
culture in strengthening communities and contributing to identity and a sense of belonging.
Dimensions of Thinking
● Use primary sources to broaden understanding of historical events and issues
Values and Attitudes
4.2.1 appreciate how an understanding of Alberta’s history, peoples and stories contributes to their own
sense of belonging and identity:
● Recognize the presence and influence of diverse Aboriginal peoples as inherent to Alberta’s
culture and identity (CC, I, TCC)
Knowledge and Understanding
4.2.2 assess, critically, how the cultural and linguistic heritage and diversity of Alberta has evolved over
time by exploring and reflecting upon the following questions and issues:
4.3 Alberta: Celebrations and Challenges
Values and Attitudes
4.3.1 appreciate the factors contributing to quality of life in Alberta:
● demonstrate respect for the rights, opinions and perspectives of others (C, I)

DIFFERENTIATION

● Oral and visual explanation will be provided;

● Students will participate in guided discussion.

ASSESSMENT

● Students participation in discussion, teaching will ensure that students are called upon in an
equitable way to achieve a response from most students.
RESOURCES/MATERIALS

● Social Studies notebooks

● “I am not a number” book
● Smart board or flipchart paper

“I am not a number”
Social Studies
Room. 125, Ms Pearson
April 20, 2017
8:40-9:55
Grade 3 and 4
Lesson #2 of 2
~75 minutes

LESSON SEQUENCE
● Gather at carpet; open the discussion with the question “Was the story about what you thought
it would be?”
● “Are you surprised this is part of Canada’s past?”
● Answer and discuss questions from exit cards gathered during the last lesson
● Create a mind map: “What makes a safe and comfy school?”
○ Think about Hawkwood School and what makes it a safe and comfy school for you?
○ Ask students to look at the map they’ve created, “Think about Irene’s experiences at
the residential school, do you think based on the mind map we created that she was in a
safe and comfy school?
● After this discussion students will be asked to reflect on residential schools and the book, and
what they have learned
○ They will need to write in their social studies notebook and answer the question; “How
have residential schools and the experiences of the Aboriginal people in Canada
changed our thinking in the present?
● End with a wrap-up and talking about the end of the book

ACTIVITY

● Generate discussion to further students’ understanding of residential school, and the

experiences of First Nations children that were sent to them. Students will create a mind map to
compare their school and a residential school, and write a reflection.

BIG IDEAS/TAKE-HOME MESSAGE/Objective of lesson

● Students will understand and begin to empathize with the experience of First Nations children
 when they were placed in a residential school;
● Students will begin to understand and be able to put into words why forcing students into
residential schools was wrong;
● Students will begin to understand the feelings and loss of culture that First Nations people
experienced with colonialism and residential school experience.

PROGRAM OF STUDIES

Alberta: The Land, Histories and Stories

4.1 Alberta: A Sense of the Land 4.2 The Stories, Histories and People of Alberta
● Students will demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of the role of stories, history and
culture in strengthening communities and contributing to identity and a sense of belonging.
Dimensions of Thinking
● Use primary sources to broaden understanding of historical events and issues
Values and Attitudes
4.2.1 appreciate how an understanding of Alberta’s history, peoples and stories contributes to their own
sense of belonging and identity:
● Recognize the presence and influence of diverse Aboriginal peoples as inherent to Alberta’s
culture and identity (CC, I, TCC)
Knowledge and Understanding
4.2.2 assess, critically, how the cultural and linguistic heritage and diversity of Alberta has evolved over
time by exploring and reflecting upon the following questions and issues:
4.3 Alberta: Celebrations and Challenges
Values and Attitudes
4.3.1 appreciate the factors contributing to quality of life in Alberta:
● demonstrate respect for the rights, opinions and perspectives of others (C, I)

DIFFERENTIATION

● Oral and visual explanation will be provided;

● Students will participate in guided discussion;
● Teachers will circulate the classroom and provide assistance as needed

ASSESSMENT

● Students participation in discussion, teaching will ensure that students are called upon in an
equitable way to achieve a response from most students
● Students will be required to respond to questions in their Social Studies notebook, and self-
assess their work using their writing checklist
● Formative assessment creating a mind map about what a safe and comfy school is

RESOURCES/MATERIALS

● Social Studies notebooks

● “I am not a number” book
● Smart board or flipchart paper
Questions from Exit Cards:
Themes from Questions- to answer in class
Why did they feed them bad food?
- The government wanted to save money and the schools were “institutions” which means like
hospitals they receive the same food and money to pay for things they needed
- Back then, the railroad or horse drawn carriages were how things (like food) were transported
- It took a long time to get things across the country or to other places so they had to use food
that did not spoil and could be easily prepared
- Porridge/Oatmeal, just add water
- Bread, add water and or Milk

Why didn’t they just talk to the kids or lose their job/say no to treating kids so badly?
- The Nun’s thought that punishing them would teach them to accept the new language and
customs
- They were told to do their best to force the children to change their traditions, they were not
trained how to talk to kids or discipline them without being cruel

Why did they punish them?

- They wanted to make sure the children understood that they were to change their ways and
understand the new traditions (English or French language, Christianity, European values)
- They did not want them to practice any of their aboriginal traditions, language or values. They
thought the aboriginal people were “savages” and needed to be tamed and taught how to be
good people.

Do nuns still exist? Do these schools still exist?

- Nun’s do still exist, and are often good people who do good things. We have learned from the
past and now know that we do not treat children the way they did in residential schools
- Residential schools do not exist anymore - the last one closed in 1996 (which is not that long
ago)
- Over time the schools became less harsh but were still Government run and did not provide the
best education for students.

Who started these schools?

- The Federal Government of Canada in 1884, mandated education for children who were living
on Reserves
- They had previously had no formal schooling, and learned from their parents, grandparents and
communities
- They were used to living on the land and had a communal way of living that benefitted their
whole community
- People did not have “jobs” but instead had roles and responsibilities that were taught to them
and passed down through generations

Why did they take the kids?

- The Government of Canada wanted to educate young people so that they would assimilate to
European values
- The Government felt that they had discovered the land and therefore owned the land and should
work toward integrating the First Nations people who were already here
- Get jobs off the reserve, and become members of the European style communities that were
being created in Canada by settlers and the influence of Colonialism
 - Integrate the First Nations children into the community

What language did they speak?

- Ojibway way was the language that Irene and her family spoke on the Nipissing Reserve in
Ontario
- Alberta has a number of First Nation Tribes all across the province
- Some of the First Nations people live on Reserves - which is land they own and is ‘reserved’
for them
- Other First Nations people lives in cities or towns that are not part of the reserve
- You may have heard of the Tsuut’ina and Stoney tribes that are around Calgary, they may
speak Sarcee and Stoney languages as well as English

Why were they a number? Why did they cut their hair?
- They assigned the students a number as a way to classify them and take away some of their
identity
- If the students were called a number they would feel less like themselves and feel isolated from
their families and culture

Are the schools for boys the same? Where did they sleep? Why were boys and girls separated?
- The boys had the same types of experiences.
- They slept in dorms, big rooms filled with beds, no privacy, no place to keep your things, so
toys, no possessions, straw mattresses with simple sheets/covers
- They were separated because back then they believed that boys and girls were suited to
different types of jobs
- Boys would do manual labour - digging, gardening, working outside
- Girls would do domestic labour - sewing, cooking, cleaning, laundry

How long do they go to that school?

- From Grade 1 (Age 7) until they were approximately 15 years old
- They often were not allowed to go home for holidays or any occasion and spent years at these
schools
- Irene and her brothers avoided going back the next year but a lot of students went for years and
did not escape the schools until they were older

Why wasn’t there more rebellion?

- The Government mandated/ordered/made it law
- Just like we have laws today about you all of you going to school, parents would get in trouble
for not sending their children
- The Government did not mean to do harm but they did not know any better way to have the
First Nations children assimilate and integrate into the community.
 “I am not a number”
Social Studies
Room. 125, Ms Pearson
April 25, 2017
8:40-9:55
Grade 3 and 4
Lesson #3 of 3
~75 minutes

LESSON SEQUENCE
● Gather at carpet; bring their social studies books with them
● Begin lesson by asking them if they remember the question we asked them to respond to after
our last discussion
○ “How have residential schools and the experiences of First Nations people
changed our thinking in the present?”
● Ask them why they had a difficult time answering this question, even though the past two
lessons provided answers to this question and we had brainstormed about the topic
○ Was it because it was phrased differently or used different words?
○ Was it such a big concept and question that it was too hard to write a quick response?
Ask if any students want to share their response to the question.
Ask is any students have questions since our last discussion.

From our brainstorming last week we came up with ideas about what a safe and comfy school
is like, we will now be comparing those ideas to what we know about residential schools and
creating a Venn Diagram.
Explanation of activity:
● Do you remember what a Venn Diagram is? It shows the similarities and differences between
two things.
● We have Hula Hoops for each table group to create a visual Venn diagram so when you go
back to your table group clear your whole table off and we will provide the hoops once it is
clear, put your social studies notebook on your chair.
● Once you have the hoops you will be provided words and pictures that describe or show
residential schools and schools today.
● You must also identify a title or label for each group of things.
● You will have to categorize the words and images and agree as a group where they belong.
● Once you have placed all the words and images we will come around.
● We will come around to give two blank strips per person at your group that you must fill in
(one for each section) - must be a new word or sentence to describe residential schools and your
modern day school.
If students complete their individual Venn diagram they will be brought back to the floor.
● Discuss how the groups came to a consensus
● Were there any images, words or phrases that were hard to classify?
● Did your group disagree about any of them?
Complete the Venn diagram as a class using the Smartboard and taping the words/images to it.

**Lesson#4- Read the back of “I am not a number”

ACTIVITY

● Creating a Venn diagram in groups based on the concepts we have been discussing.
● Categorizing words and images.

BIG IDEAS/TAKE-HOME MESSAGE/Objective of lesson

● Students will be able to identify and categorize characteristics of residential Schools and their
modern day schools.
● Students will collaborate and reach agreement on where the different words and images belong.
● Students will understand similarities and differences between residential schools and schools
today.

PROGRAM OF STUDIES

Alberta: The Land, Histories and Stories

4.1 Alberta: A Sense of the Land 4.2 The Stories, Histories and People of Alberta
● Students will demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of the role of stories, history and
culture in strengthening communities and contributing to identity and a sense of belonging.
Dimensions of Thinking
● Use primary sources to broaden understanding of historical events and issues
Values and Attitudes
4.2.1 appreciate how an understanding of Alberta’s history, peoples and stories contributes to their own
sense of belonging and identity:
● Recognize the presence and influence of diverse Aboriginal peoples as inherent to Alberta’s
culture and identity (CC, I, TCC)
Knowledge and Understanding
4.2.2 assess, critically, how the cultural and linguistic heritage and diversity of Alberta has evolved over
time...
4.3 Alberta: Celebrations and Challenges
Values and Attitudes
4.3.1 appreciate the factors contributing to quality of life in Alberta:
● demonstrate respect for the rights, opinions and perspectives of others (C, I)

DIFFERENTIATION

● Individual support will be provided as Ms. C and Ms. H circulate the classroom.

ASSESSMENT

● Students will provide peer feedback as they discuss and agree where images and words go.
● Formative assessment will be provided as needed to groups and individual students to ensure
students are on the right track.

RESOURCES/MATERIALS
● Hula- Hoops.
● Words and images representing residential schools and modern schools.
● Smartboard.