Lesson Plan Facilitation Guide Why Orange Shirts Matter
Lesson Plan & Facilitation Guide
Duration
30 min
Why This Lesson?
Understanding Orange Shirt Day helps students learn about the history and legacy of residential schools, fostering empathy, respect for Indigenous peoples, and a commitment to reconciliation. This lesson promotes a more inclusive and informed perspective on Canadian history.
Audience
Kindergarten – 6th Grade Students
Approach
Interactive discussion, engaging story, hands-on activity, and cooperative game.
Preparation
Review all generated materials and the slide deck.
Gather orange paper or construction paper for the activity.
Prepare markers, crayons, or colored pencils.
Arrange classroom space for the relay race.
Objective
Students will understand the significance of Orange Shirt Day, the history of residential schools in Canada, and the importance of truth and reconciliation through age-appropriate learning and engaging activities.
Lesson Materials
• Warm Up: What Color is Your Heart?
• Slide Deck: Why Orange Shirts Matter
• Script: Why Orange Shirts Matter
• Reading: Phyllis's Story
• Discussion Guide: Sharing Our Stories
• Activity: Every Child Matters Hearts
• Game: Reconciliation Relay Race
• Cool Down: One Small Step
Instructional Sequence
01
5 min
Warm Up: What Color is Your Heart?
Begin by asking students to think about what color their heart feels today and why.
Encourage a few students to share their responses, focusing on feelings and empathy.
Transition by explaining that today, we will be talking about feelings and a special color: orange.
02
5 min
Introduction (Slides & Script)
Display the Slide Deck and follow along with the Script .
Introduce Orange Shirt Day and its significance, explaining "Every Child Matters."
Briefly explain the concept of residential schools in an age-appropriate manner, emphasizing separation from family and culture.
03
7 min
Phyllis's Story (Reading & Discussion)
Read Phyllis's Story aloud to the students.
After reading, use the Discussion Guide to facilitate a short discussion.
Focus on questions that encourage empathy and understanding of Phyllis's experience.
04
8 min
Activity: Every Child Matters Hearts
Distribute orange paper and ask students to trace and cut out their hearts.
Have them write or draw something on their heart that shows what "Every Child Matters" means to them.
Collect the hearts to display as a symbol of their commitment to reconciliation.
05
5 min
Game: Reconciliation Relay Race
Divide students into small groups and guide them through simple actions.
Emphasize working together and supporting each other as a metaphor for reconciliation.
06
5 min
Cool Down: One Small Step
Ask students to reflect on one small step they can take to be kind or show respect to others.
Reinforce the lesson's message: every small act matters in reconciliation.
Orange Shirts Presentation Slides Why Do We Wear Orange?
Today we are going to learn about Orange Shirt Day. It's a day to remember important things and make sure everyone feels safe, loved, and heard.
Every Child Matters
Orange Shirt Day reminds us that "Every Child Matters."
It's a day to honor Indigenous children who went to schools called residential schools.
These schools took children away from their families and their homes.
They couldn't speak their own languages or practice their own cultures.
Learning and Caring
It's important to listen to the stories of those who went to residential schools.
We learn so we can be kind and respectful to everyone.
We want to make sure every child feels important and loved.
Truth and Reconciliation
Learning the truth about the past to build a better future together.
Our Promise
By wearing orange and learning today, we promise to listen, to care, and to make sure "Every Child Matters."
"What can you do today to make sure everyone feels important?"
Lesson Talk Script Teacher Guide Teacher Script
Why Orange Shirts Matter
Slide 1
Introduction: Why Do We Wear Orange?
Teacher Prompt:
"Good morning, everyone! Today, we're going to talk about something very important—about why we wear the colour orange today."
"Orange Shirt Day is a day where we remember something very important, and we say a special phrase: 'Every Child Matters.' It means every single one of you matters. Your feelings matter, your ideas matter, and your safety matters."
Slide 2
The Context: Every Child Matters
Teacher Prompt:
"A long, long time ago, many Indigenous children in Canada were taken away from their families and their homes. They were sent to schools called residential schools. Imagine being sent far away from your mom, dad, or grandparents, and not being allowed to speak your own language or share your family's traditions. This happened to many children, and it made them feel very sad, lonely, and scared."
"One of these children was a girl named Phyllis Webstad. When she was six years old, she was excited to go to school for the first time. Her grandma bought her a brand new, bright orange shirt. But when she got to the residential school, they took away her beautiful orange shirt and made her wear a uniform. Phyllis felt like she didn't matter, and that her feelings were ignored. Her orange shirt was taken, just like so much else was taken from her and other children at these schools."
Slide 3
Meaning: Learning and Caring
Teacher Prompt:
"Orange Shirt Day is about remembering Phyllis and all the children who went to residential schools. It's about saying 'Every Child Matters' loudly and clearly, so something like this never happens again. We listen to their stories so we can learn how to be kind, how to be respectful, and how to make sure every child today feels important, loved, and heard."
"This learning and caring is part of something called Truth and Reconciliation. Truth means we learn what really happened, even if it's sad or hard to hear. Reconciliation means we work together to make things better, to heal, and to build a future where everyone is treated with respect and kindness."
Slide 4
Call to Action: Our Promise
Teacher Prompt:
"By wearing orange, by listening to stories, and by learning today, we are making a promise. We are promising to remember, to care, and to make sure that 'Every Child Matters' every single day. We want our classroom, our school, and our community to be a place where everyone feels valued and safe."
"Think about it: what is one thing you can do to make sure someone around you feels important and loved today?"
Phyllis Story Reading Passage Phyllis's Story
When Phyllis Webstad was just six years old, she was a happy little girl living with her grandmother on the Dog Creek Reserve in British Columbia, Canada. It was a very special time because Phyllis was going to start school for the first time! Her grandmother, who loved her very much, bought her a brand new, bright orange shirt for the occasion. It was a shiny, orange shirt with laces up the front, and Phyllis loved it so much.
Phyllis was so excited to wear her beautiful new orange shirt to school. She imagined all the fun she would have and how pretty she would look. But the school she was going to wasn't like the schools we have today. It was called a residential school. Many Indigenous children were sent to these schools, far away from their families and their homes.
"Phyllis felt like her feelings didn't matter. She felt like no one cared about her or her beautiful orange shirt."
When Phyllis arrived at the residential school, something very sad happened. The people at the school took away her orange shirt. They took away her new clothes, and they made her wear a plain uniform. They also cut her hair, and they didn't let her speak her own language, Shuswap. She wasn't allowed to see her grandmother very often, and she missed her family terribly.
Phyllis felt like her feelings didn't matter. She felt like no one cared about her or her beautiful orange shirt. That orange shirt was a symbol of her grandmother's love and her culture, and when it was taken, she felt like a part of her was taken too.
Many other children at residential schools had similar experiences. They felt lonely, scared, and like they didn't matter. This happened for many years in Canada.
Today, we remember Phyllis and all the children who went to residential schools by wearing orange shirts on September 30th. It's a day to say, "Every Child Matters." It means we believe that every child is important, every child deserves to be loved, and every child should feel safe and proud of who they are and where they come from. By remembering Phyllis's story, we learn to be kind, respectful, and make sure that something like this never happens again.
Every Child Matters
Sharing Stories Discussion Guide Sharing Our Stories
Discussion Guide
After hearing Phyllis's story, let's think about what we learned and how it makes us feel. Remember, there are no wrong answers, only honest feelings and thoughts.
1
How do you think Phyllis felt when her orange shirt was taken away? Why do you think she felt that way?
2
What does the phrase "Every Child Matters" mean to you?
3
Why do you think it's important for us to learn about what happened at residential schools?
4
What is one way you can show kindness and make sure someone in our class feels like they matter today? Every Child Matters Hearts Activity Every Child Matters Hearts
Art Activity
Name: ___________________________________
Date: _______________
Our Goal
To create a visual representation of what "Every Child Matters" means to you and contribute to our classroom's promise of reconciliation.
Instructions
1
Understand the Message
Remember what we learned about Orange Shirt Day. "Every Child Matters" means every single person is important and deserves kindness.
2
Prepare Your Heart
Using the orange paper provided, trace and cut out a large heart shape. This heart represents your care and respect for others.
3
Write or Draw Your Message
On your heart, show what the phrase means to you. You can:
Write a word like Kindness, Love, Respect, or Safe.
Draw a picture of people helping each other or a happy scene.
Write a short sentence about why every child is important.
4
Display Your Promise
Hand your heart to your teacher. We will display these hearts together as a symbol of our commitment to making everyone feel valued.
Every Child Matters
A promise from our classroom to the future.
Reconciliation Relay Game Guide Reconciliation Relay Race
Teamwork & Cooperative Game
Group Size: Small teams of 3-5
Materials: Soft ball/beanbag, Cones
"This race represents our journey of reconciliation. Just like reconciliation means working together to heal and build a better future, this race needs teamwork and support from everyone."
1 Round 1: The Listening Walk (Truth)
The first person walks gently to the cone and back holding the ball.
2 Round 2: The Helping Hand Hop (Support)
The second person hops on one foot. Teammates offer verbal encouragement if they wobble.
3 Round 3: The United Walk (Moving Forward)
The third person links arms with a teammate and walks together to the cone and back.
Debrief Questions
What was challenging about this race?
How did you help your teammates?
How is this like working towards reconciliation in real life?
Heart Color Warm Up Teacher Guide What Color is Your Heart?
Lesson Warm-Up Guide
Objective
To activate students' emotional awareness and create a safe space for sharing feelings, connecting to the empathy required for understanding Orange Shirt Day.
1
The Introduction
"Good morning, everyone! Let's start our day by thinking about our feelings. Sometimes, when we feel a certain way, it's like our heart has a color."
2
The Visualization
"Close your eyes for a moment. Think about how your heart feels right now. Is it bright like yellow? Peaceful like blue? Excited like red? Or quiet like grey? There are no wrong answers."
3
Personal Reflection
"Now, open your eyes. Imagine or quickly draw the color your heart feels today on a piece of scrap paper."
4
Group Sharing
Encourage a few students to share. Focus on modeling empathy.
Teacher Prompt Examples:
"That's an interesting color, can you tell us a bit more?"
"It sounds like you're feeling [emotion related to color]."
Transition to "Why Orange Matters"
One Small Step Cool Down Guide One Small Step
Lesson Cool-Down Guide
"Reconciliation is a big idea, but it also starts with small actions, right here in our classroom and in our lives."
01
Silent Reflection
Ask students to think quietly: "What is ONE small step you can take today to show kindness or respect?"
"Sharing your crayons"
"Inviting someone to play"
"Listening carefully"
"Saying thank you"
02
The Thumbs Up Check
When you call their name, students can share their "one small step" out loud or simply give a thumbs up to show they've committed to a positive action.
03
The Closing Mantra
"Thank you all for your thoughtful participation today. Remember: Every Child Matters."
