Indigenous Educational Resources

The Moose Hide Campaign is a grassroots movement of Indigenous and non-Indigenous men and boys who are standing up against violence towards women and children. The Moose Hide Learning Journey is designed to support teachers in offering just such a learning environment while providing students with opportunities to explore alternative values and perspectives that respect and honour women and children. The site offers supports for teachers of K-12  and classroom supports.

Developed by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS) and funded by the Government of Canada’s Department of Heritage, Paths to Reconciliation includes a website and a suite of educational resources built from the first-hand accounts of residential school survivors.

Orange Shirt Day on September 30 is designed to commemorate the residential school experience, to witness and honour the healing journey of the survivors and their families, and to commit to the ongoing process of reconciliation. Lots of English and French teacher resources geared to Grades 5 and up and an Orange Shirt Day curriculum for K to Grade 6.

Medicine Wheel Education empowers Indigenous Storytellers and Elders to publish authentic cultural stories designed for the classroom. There are 20 books available as well as educational curriculum-based lesson plans and posters. Books and resources are available in English and French. Elementary focus.

The Legacy Schools Program is a free national initiative to engage, empower and connect students and educators to further reconciliation through awareness, education and action (#reconciliACTION).

The OISE Library has compiled a list of 50 freely accessible resources regarding Truth and Reconciliation and Indigenous Education for educators across the province. These materials are largely created by Indigenous authors and creators, and include films, mobile phone applications, websites, curricula and lesson plans.

Winnipeg artist Jaime Black has put together a thought-provoking artistic response to missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada

A grassroots, national campaign to raise awareness about Indigenous children impacted by the child welfare system in Canada.

An amazing collection of pieces gathered from residential schools across Canada. The exhibition itself is housed in the Canadian Museum of Human Rights in Winnipeg. A video explaining the installation can be found at https://youtu.be/6alxTwo2X84.

Rich selection of documentary films available for free from the NFB by Indigenous film makers and about Indigenous themes.

https://www.nfb.ca/education/educational-playlists/

A website with a virtual library of promising practices to improve educational success for Indigenous students.

This non-profit organization works with teachers, students, and communities everywhere, through online professional development, international events, and free library of classroom resources.

This guide is designed to help Initial Teacher Education students find materials that centre or focus on First Nations, Métis, and Inuit worldviews, experiences and knowledges for teaching in the K-12 classroom. Inspired by OISE’s Deepening Knowledge Project, the guide aims to help teachers infuse more Indigenous content into their practice. The guide includes information on how to find books, movies, music, activities, and lesson plans and links to further online resources.

Media Smarts focuses on many issues that are specific or unique to Aboriginal people in Canada, including the underreporting of crimes against Aboriginal people by news media and the unique challenges faced by Aboriginal people seeking to produce content for their own communities.

Frontier College works in communities across Canada to provide literacy support to the people who need it most. They provide programming directly to individuals and also help community groups set up and maintain programs, including reading circles and homework clubs.

Indspire’s K-12 Institute connects educators of Indigenous students with programs, resources, information, tools and a Professional Learning Community to improve educational outcomes and increase high school completion rates.

The Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF) presents elementary and secondary lesson plans, discussion questions and a list of resources, as part of its Imagineaction social justice program. Register for free to access these teacher resources and more.

Multi-media resources for secondary school teachers and students, aimed at promoting awareness and reconciliation. The student assignments, including many video links, are accessible without sign-up.

The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) was created to preserve the memory of Canada’s Residential School system and legacy. Its website contains excellent resources for educators and others.

Supporting the 2015 tour of the children’s play, Spirit Horse, this Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) site contains literally dozens of excellent resources for use in elementary classrooms and to better educate ourselves about the history and realities of Indigenous peoples in Canada.

Part of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation’s (OSSTF) Common Threads project, Full Circle, contains cross-curricular lesson plans and resources for secondary schools, designed for use in a wide range of courses, including civics, history, social sciences, English, geography, business, careers, physical education and science.

The National Centre for Collaboration in Indigenous Education connects communities with each other to share their stories about Indigenous education across Canada and around the world.

This adaptation of the gripping human rights project by the Canadian Teachers’ Federation includes testimonies by three Indigenous Canadians (Wilton Littlechild, Mary Simon and Tim Thompson), in English, French and the mother tongue of each activist (Cree, Inuktitut and Mohawk). Lesson plans can be used with students from Grades 5 to 12.

The Assembly of First Nations has developed the It’s Our Time First Nations Tool Kit as the basis of a comprehensive strategy to reach out to First Nations students, teachers, schools, communities and the Canadian public at large. The resource is designed to bring together First Nations and non-First Nations people and foster a spirit of cooperation, understanding, and action.

A multimedia toolkit developed by COPA and OTF, with an educator’s guide and 10 short animated films in six Indigenous languages. Topics include pride and identity, understanding racism and discrimination, building and strengthening relationships with families and nurturing safe and healthy schools and communities.

The Indian Residential Schools and Reconciliation Teacher Resource Guides for grades 5, 10 and 11/12 were developed by the First Nations Education Steering Committee and the First Nations Schools Association. They are a response to the call by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada for education bodies to develop age-appropriate educational materials about Indian Residential Schools.

This project is an innovative educational tool kit designed to engage students in a deeper exploration of indigenous traditions in Canada and the history of Indian residential schools. It is a journey for understanding through the heart and spirit as well as facts and dates.

Classroom resources and links that support teaching about the history, customs and traditions of First Nations, Inuit and Métis. Kids’ Stop is a fun zone for kids with lots of information about Aboriginal history, culture and languages, games and stories.

The strategy includes initiatives that support learning and achievement for Aboriginal students. It also raises awareness about First Nation, Métis and Inuit cultures, histories and perspectives in classrooms across Ontario.

News and special reports from an Aboriginal perspective

The Teacher’s Toolkit is a new collection of electronic resources from the Ministry of Education to help elementary and secondary teachers bring Aboriginal perspectives into their classrooms.

Part I: Great ideas for teaching and learning: Elementary expectations; Secondary expectations

Part II: Practical teaching strategies: Elementary teaching strategies; Secondary teaching strategies

The Aboriginal Multi-Media Society of Alberta (AMMSA) publishes a national newspaper, classroom editions, and various regional publications.

News and social services for status Indians across Ontario

News, events, issues and policy directives from the organization that represents Canada’s status Indian population Also available from the Assembly of First Nations –  The State of Aboriginal Learning in Canada: A Holistic Approach to Measuring Success and Redefining How Success is Measured in First Nations, Inuit and Métis Learning.

This French-language website contains videos and music from Innu musicians in Quebec and Labrador.

Features, profiles and special reports on Aboriginal peoples, communities and issues

Information, tools and resources from the Government of Alberta on Aboriginal learning styles, worldviews, school-community engagement, assessment and teaching students who have been labelled as learning disabled.

Photo gallery, videos, history and testimony/teachings from elders of the Mushkegowuk Cree and Anishinaabe Ojibwe nations in Northern Ontario.

Resources and Links, Ministry Publications, and “Quick Facts” provide information, video and photos on Aboriginal organizations, education, artists, friendship centres, health, housing and land claims from government perspective.

Programs and services for urban Aboriginal people across Ontario; includes list of Friendship Centres throughout the province

This website contains news, research, data and reports

Databases, research aids and virtual exhibitions on Aboriginal peoples in Canada.

Complete films (documentary and drama), television episodes and testimony from an Inuit perspective

Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) is the national Inuit organization in Canada, representing four Inuit regions – Nunatsiavut (Labrador), Nunavik (northern Quebec), Nunavut, and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region in the Northwest Territories.

The annual film festival offers dozens of documentary and dramatic films appropriate for classrooms; website archives previous festivals, with full descriptions of each film.

Aboriginal-owned and -operated bookseller; reviews and recommendations on appropriate classroom and educational resources; online catalogue

Lesson ideas, cultural information and teachings from knowledge keepers and elders from the Blackfoot, Cree, Ojibwe, Mohawk and Mi’Kmaq nations

The First Nation, Métis and Inuit Education Policy Framework is a key part of the Ontario Ministry of Education’s Aboriginal Education Strategy.
First Nation, Métis and Inuit Education Policy Framework (PDF, 264 KB)
Aboriginal Education in Ontario: New Resources and Opportunities for Parents, Educators and Students (PDF, 117 KB)

News and information to promote healthy Aboriginal children, families and communities

News and information on environmental issues across Canada and the Americas from an indigenous perspective