An action that we have taken to support our school's learning focus is beginning the year engaging deeply with Indigenous stories.  Our intention was to engage meaningfully with stories from Indigenous authors, allowing us to listen to Indigenous voices, increasing empathy and understanding in the lead up to Orange Shirt Day.  By working with these texts, we supported students with critical literacy skills- decoding and comprehending (summarizing, making connections, responding, questioning, and more).  

Our teacher librarian selected texts that featured Indigenous authors and voices.  Classes read the texts with teacher support, guidance, and class discussion.  The class chose one word that represented a theme from the texts.  Students then summarized a text they read on a slip of paper designed to look like a piece of a quilt block.  Each class together completed one quilt block, each representing their class's work at "witnessing"- hearing the voices and stories of Indigenous people sharing their histories, experiences, and feelings.  This activity was inspired by the Witness Blanket- an art installation that incorporates artifacts from every residential school in Canada into a wooden "quilt."