Grade 8 Residential Schooling Assignment

Hello Class, 

Now that you have a brief understanding on the history of Canada's residential schooling, it is your job to put yourself in a key characters shoes of this time period.  Residential schools were introduced in the Indian Act of 1867 and you will now write a 1 page letter from the perspective of someone who either attends, who once attended, or someone involved in residential schools.

"Chiricahua Apaches Four Months After Arriving at Carlisle," black-and-white photographic portrait of a group of Apaches at the Carlisle boarding school. Image courtesy of the Richard Henry Pratt Papers, Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Chiricahua_Apaches_Four_Months_After_Arriving_at_Carlisle.jpg

You can pick one of the following scenarios for your letter and then research the topic online to find enough background information to write the letter from the perspective of your chosen character.

The topics are as follows:  
1)   An aboriginal who attended a residential school, writing a complaint or praise to the Canadian government.
2)   An aboriginal writing a letter home to their parents, sharing their experiences currently in the residential school.
3)   A Priest of Nun writing the Department of Indian Affairs on the progress of a residential school. 
4)   A government official reporting on the conditions within a residential school (some were better than others!)
5) An opinion letter of your choice, just check with the teacher first!

      Remember you are writing from this characters opinions and views, consider all the historical information and the views being represented and who you are writing too.
     
      Here are some links to helpful resources, however feel free to explore yourself.  Just remember to use your time effectively! 

       Where are the children?- An interactive resource on everything you want to know about residential schooling.

      CBC on residential schools- More current news on residential schooling

      

      Early Canadiana Online- Use this to search for primary sources, I suggest searching "Reports on the Department of Indian Affairs.

      Also try searching "The Story of Our Missions" Janet T. MacGillivery- She offers a seemingly sincere approach at the assimilation of Aboriginals.

      For those not having any luck, come talk to me and I can lead you in the right direction. 

      Take a look at the Check Brick for the assignment, make sure you are fitting all the criteria!

   

Good Luck,

Mr. Hulton