Residential Residential

LESSON TITLE (LINE OF INQUIRY 2, C.C. 2):
CANADIAN AUTHORITY OVER FIRST NATIONS
How do we understand the concepts of “power” and “authority”?Who
held the power to control the lives of First Nation people?
Recommendation: Introduce mentor text in language.
BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE FOR TEACHERS/BOOK SUMMARY:
Teacher should review Brief Colonization Timeline of how Canadian governance changed from
first contact to the enactment of the Indian Act.
This lesson provides an opportunity to apply the concept of disciplinary thinking of perspective.
The Colonial Clash article allows students to see the way that the settlers viewed the
First Nation peoples and vice versa; they can think about why these groups viewed each
other’s rights differently and how this difference contributed to the formation of to Residential
Schools.
The Secret of the Dance is a fictional story that introduces students
to the authority held by the government (through the person of the
Indian Agent) over the First Nation communities in making and
enforcing laws against cultural practices like the potlatch. Through
the story, the students will be introduced to the laws of the Indian
Act. The Secret of the Dance also reinforces the First Nations’
connection to ceremony and traditional education, and their
relationship with the land. 7
ORCA BOOKS, 2006
MATERIALS
• SmartBoard lesson: “Canadian Authority over First Nations” in Line of Inquiry 2
• 2 group copies of sets of Decisions Cards (attached at end of file) - in two colours
(one set for the Activation, one set for the main lesson)
• Chart paper for each small group of students (optional - see lesson step 6)
• Class set of post-its
• Copy of Secret of the Dance, by Andrea Spalding and Alfred Scow
• Student Thinking Journals
LESSON GOAL:
STUDENTS WILL:
• Understand what “power” and “authority” mean in a personal context.
• Understand who held the power to control the lives of First Nation people, and think
about possible causes.
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