ORCA Classroom Connections
January 2020
Welcome back to Orca’s quarterly teacher resource newsletters!

With the holidays behind us and school back in session, we’ve got you covered for free lesson plans and activities, discount codes and book suggestions.
Talking about Indigenous history and reconciliation:
 
This month we’re encouraging teachers to have conversations in their classrooms about the history of Indigenous people in Canada, the troubling legacy of residential schools and ways we can work towards reconciliation. 
 
Orca is proud to publish many Indigenous voices and support reconciliation efforts. Awareness can begin at any age by having open and honest conversations.
 
We recommend the following ready-to-use activities if you’re looking for new strategies to begin these conversations with your students and create a supportive community in the classroom.
Artwork by Danielle Daniel from
Stay Connected!
Check out previous editions of Orca Classroom Connections on the Orca Teacher Resources section of our website.

Know someone who might like discount codes, free lesson plans and classroom activities? Share this newsletter with teachers in your community.

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for your next newsletter in March 2020.
Elementary School—Classroom Activity
In this vividly illustrated picture book, a curious young girl begins to ask her grandmother questions about the way she dresses and the language she speaks. Her grandmother tells her about life in a residential school a long time ago, where these things were taken away from her. Published by Portage & Main, When We Were Alone is a story about a difficult time in history and, ultimately, one of empowerment and strength.
When We Were Alone
by David A. Robertson, illustrated by Julie Flett
Picture Book
Looking to engage your students in the books they’re reading and encourage them to participate in discussions? Think-Pair-Share allows for students to think individually about a question, share ideas with classmates and build oral communication skills. 

The When We Were Alone activity questions will help students think about perspectives and experiences that may be different from their own. The questions cover topics such as cultural differences and language barriers.

Download and print out the questions below to begin this activity in your classroom.
Middle School—Classroom Activity
Speaking Our Truth: A Journey of Reconciliation
by Monique Gray Smith
Nonfiction Ages: 9 – 12
Canada's relationship with Indigenous people has suffered as a result of both the residential school system and the lack of understanding of the historical and current impact of those schools. Healing and repairing that relationship requires education and awareness.

In the Claiming the Calls to Action activity, students will review the calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and consider how they might be applied in your school to create positive change.
In Speaking Our Truth , readers will learn about the lives of Survivors and listen to allies who are putting the findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission into action.
High School—Classroom Activities
Picking Up the Pieces tells the story of the making of the Witness Blanket, a living work of art conceived and created by Indigenous artist Carey Newman. It includes hundreds of items collected from residential schools across Canada, everything from bricks, photos and letters to hockey skates, dolls and braids. Every object tells a story.
Picking Up the Pieces: Residential School Memories and the Making of the Witness Blanket
by Carey Newman and Kirstie Hudson
Nonfiction Ages 12+
Applicable to different courses and subjects, this set of classroom activities will build writing and research skills while educating students about the history of residential schools and encouraging discussion.

The activity worksheet includes a glossary of keywords as well as links to useful resources such as the complete Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and the UNICEF Convention on the Rights of the Child.
A Reading Roundup (and Discount!) on Dual-Language Indigenous Books
Looking for books to spark conversations with your students about Indigenous history and reconciliation? This month, we’re offering a 30% discount on all our dual-language titles, including a majority in Indigenous languages.

Visit the dual-language category at orcabook.com to view titles and apply the discount code at checkout.
Discount code: DUAL30
Save 30% on all dual-language books at us.orcabook.com until
January 20, 2020.
@orcabook