Lesson Plans

DWF LIVE: POWWOW PROTOCOL WITH MANITO AHBEE

This lesson plan introduces powwows and why they’re important. Students learn how powwows create connection and can complete an activity that teaches them how to be a respectful guest at a powwow.

Watch on Youtube

Lesson Plan (English)

Plan de leçon (Français)

DWF LIVE: Tess’s Red Dress with Carolyn Roberts & Kelsey Mata Foote

This lesson introduces students to Tess’s Red Dress. It connects the story to Red Dress Day and the broader movement to honour Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People (MMIWG2S+). Students will explore themes of love, memory, belonging, and why every person deserves to be remembered.

Tess’s Red Dress, written by Carolyn Roberts and illustrated by Kelsey Mata Foote, is a
tender and powerful picture book that gently introduces young children to Red Dress Day —
a day to remember and honour missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and twospirit people. With heart, care, and language just right for a younger audience, this is a story
about love, family, and why every person deserves to be remembered.

Watch on YouTube

Lesson Plan (English)

Plan de leçon (Français)

DWF LIVE with Chef Zach Keeshig & Derek Blais

Zach Keeshig is the Owner and Chef of Naagan, an intimate dining experience in Owen Sound, Ontario, recently named number 9 on Canada’s 100 Best New Restaurants list. His experience working in top kitchens has helped him fuse his Ojibwa cuisine with modern culinary techniques and ingredients.

Derek Blais is an internationally award-winning creative whose work is anchored in storytelling, from projects like Missing Matoaka to his pop-up dining experience Sunfish. A proud member of Oneida Nation of the Thames, he explores Indigenous identity through the lens of two-eyed seeing.

In this DWF LIVE conversation, Zach and Derek come together to explore Indigenous food sustainability through storytelling, sourcing, and relationships to the land.

Watch on YouTube

Lesson Plan (English)

Plan de Leçon (Français)

DWF LIVE: Healing with Rachael Hunt

In this DWF LIVE as we sit down with Rachael Hunt to explore self-care, intergenerational trauma, and healing, and reflect on how nurturing emotional and nervous system well-being strengthens our ability to show up for ourselves and our communities.

Rachael is a member of the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation and the Founder and CEO of Freedom School Co. She is a keynote speaker, Indigenous Employee Empowerment Consultant, and Intuitive Mentor, specializing in helping organizations retain, empower, and elevate Indigenous talent. She works with companies to break systemic barriers, increase Indigenous representation in leadership, and foster workplace environments where Indigenous employees thrive. She also mentors Indigenous women and entrepreneurs to help them achieve their potential with greater confidence and clarity while walking in two worlds, personally and professionally. As the host of The Cycle Breakers Podcast, Rachael is leading conversations on Indigenous success, prosperity, and well-being in both corporate and entrepreneurial spaces.

Watch on YouTube

Lesson Plan (English)

Plan de leçon (Français)

DWF LIVE: Resident Orca

Resident Orca is a documentary that tells the story of the captive Southern Resident orca, Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut, also known as Lolita. The film explores the deep connections between Indigenous people and the orca, while examining the environmental threats these beings face and the obligations humans have to animals and the ecosystems around us. The documentary follows the decades-long journey to bring Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut home, highlighting an unlikely coalition of

Indigenous matriarchs, marine experts, and advocates working toward her freedom after more than 50 years in captivity. Grounded in relationship, respect, and reciprocity, Resident Orca offers a powerful reframing of conservation rooted in Indigenous worldviews and responsibility to land and water.

In this DWF LIVE we sit down with the film’s co-creator, Sarah Sharkey Pearce, and Executive Producer and Elder, Squil-le-he-le (Raynell Morris), who also appeared in the film, to speak about Indigenous knowledge, connection to animals, land, and water, and how Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut’s story parallels the history and ongoing truths about Indigenous Peoples.

Watch on Youtube!

Lesson Plan (English)

Plan de leçon (Français)

DWF LIVE with Dr. Tasha Hubbard

In this special DWF LIVE session, Dr. Tasha Hubbard, director of Singing Back the Buffalo, joins us for a Q&A to share insights from the film, her creative process, and the significance of buffalo restoration as a living expression of Indigenous sovereignty, responsibility, and kinship. This session is designed for grades 9-12 and adults.

Watch on YouTube!

Lesson Plan (English)

Plan de leçon (Français)

Métis Santa

Students will:

1. Recognize how Métis Santa is similar to and different from other Santas.
2. Listen to and engage with Métis storytelling.
3. Ask thoughtful questions about Métis Christmas and culture.
4. Explore Métis customs through music, dance, and traditional crafts

Watch DWF LIVE on YouTube

Lesson Plan (English)

Nechako: It Will Be A Big River Again

In the 1950s, the Kenney Dam was built to power an aluminum smelter, drastically reducing the Nechako River’s flow and devastating the land and salmon and sturgeon populations. Nechako: It Will Be A Big River Again is a documentary following two Indigenous Nations and their decades long fight to reclaim the Nechako River and reclaim their way of life.

Watch DWF LIVE on YouTube

Watch Nechako: It Will Be A Big River Again on NFB

Lesson Plan (English)

Plan de leçon (Français)

NFB Discussion Guide

Singing Back the Buffalo

Singing Back the Buffalo follows Indigenous visionaries, scientists, and communities who are rematriating the buffalo to the heart of the North American plains they once defined, signalling a turning point for Indigenous nations, the ecosystem, and collective survival. Award-winning Cree filmmaker Dr. Tasha Hubbard combines her academic work with her goal to tell compelling Indigenous stories in a visual and connective way.

Register for access to the documentary here.

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Understand the historical and cultural significance of buffalo to Indigenous Peoples of the Great Plains
• Explain the concept of “buffalo consciousness” and Indigenous relationships with the natural world
• Analyze the near extinction of buffalo as a colonial strategy and its impacts on Indigenous communities
• Identify current buffalo rematriation efforts and their importance for ecological restoration
• Explore connections between Indigenous knowledge, environmental sustainability, and reconciliation
• Reflect on concepts of kinship with non-human beings and interconnectedness

Lesson Plan (English)

The Four Sacred Medicines

By the end of the lesson, students will:

• Recognize the significance of one or more of the Four Sacred Medicines in Anishinaabe culture.
• Understand the cultural protocols, Anishinaabemowin names, traditional teachings, and respectful practices surrounding the medicine(s).
• Reflect on the meaning of respect, relationship, and reciprocity in their own lives.
• Create cross-curricular connections (e.g., ecology, art, language, social studies, health).

Sarah Loretta Schuster (Zhaawashkwaa-Giizhigong-Biish-Kwe) is an Anishinaabe community organizer, hand drummer, traditional craft artist, and medicine gardener with maternal ties to Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation in Northwestern Ontario.

Sarah hosts this four-part series, exploring the spiritual, cultural, and practical significance of the Four Sacred Medicines – tobacco, sweetgrass, sage, and cedar – through storytelling, teachings, and hands-on demonstrations. Throughout this series, Sarah guides viewers through each medicine’s harvesting, preparation, ceremonial protocols, and living practices, emphasizing relationship, reciprocity, and connection to the medicine wheel.

Lesson Plan (English)

Plan de leçon (Français)

Secret Path Unit Plan

This seven-part Secret Path DWF Lesson Plan Series is designed to integrate the First Peoples’ Principles of Learning with the Four R’s of Indigenous Education — Respect, Relevance, Reciprocity, and Responsibility — within the
framework of the Ontario Curriculum.

Through an interdisciplinary, culturally responsive approach, these lessons aim to deepen students’ understanding of Indigenous histories, worldviews, and present-day realities. Grounded in relationship-building, art, history and storytelling, the series supports educators in fostering reconciliation through meaningful, action-oriented education.

Lesson Plan (English)

Plan de leçon (Français)

Walk for Wenjack Lesson Plan

• Learn about the life and legacy of Chanie Wenjack
• Understand the history and impact of residential schools throughout Canada
• Take reconciliACTION by participating in a student led Walk for Wenjack
• Inspire community awareness and personal commitment to reconciliACTION

Lesson Plan (English)

Plan de leçon (Français)

Gchitwaawendaagod Kiing, The Land is Sacred

Each year, the DWF Education team, guided by the Educator Advisory Committee, selects one transformative book to include in our Booster Kits. This year, returning Legacy Schools educators and schools have received Gchitwaawendaagod Kiing, The Land is Sacred, an Anishinaabemowin and English colouring book. To complement this resource, we’ve created an adaptable lesson plan available in English and French for Grades 3 to 6 and Grades 7 to 12. These lesson plans will support students while they learn new and beautiful words in the Anishinaabemowin language and understand Indigenous perspectives with regard to protecting the land, water, animals, trees, plants, fish, and people, including ourselves! The lesson plan will guide you through these areas using colouring, vocabulary building, different activities, and guided discussions.

Check out Bomgiizhik Isaac Murdoch’s welcome message to educators and learners!

Watch: Gchitwaawendaagod Kiing, The Land is Sacred Read Aloud

Watch: Pronunciation Guide

Lesson Plan (English)

Plan de leçon (Français)

Gchitwaawendaagod Kiing, The Land is Sacred

Each year, the DWF Education team, guided by the Educator Advisory Committee, selects one transformative book to include in our Booster Kits. This year, returning Legacy Schools educators and schools have received Gchitwaawendaagod Kiing, The Land is Sacred, an Anishinaabemowin and English colouring book. To complement this resource, we’ve created an adaptable lesson plan available in English and French for Grades 3 to 6 and Grades 7 to 12. These lesson plans will support students while they learn new and beautiful words in the Anishinaabemowin language and understand Indigenous perspectives with regard to protecting the land, water, animals, trees, plants, fish, and people, including ourselves! The lesson plan will guide you through these areas using colouring, vocabulary building, different activities, and guided discussions.

Check out Bomgiizhik Isaac Murdoch’s welcome message to educators and learners!

Watch: Gchitwaawendaagod Kiing, The Land is Sacred Read Aloud

Watch: Pronunciation Guide

Lesson Plan (English)

Plan de leçon (Français)

Ten Years Later

By the end of this lesson, students will:

• Understand the purpose and impact of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) on Indigenous Nations and communities
• Learn from the perspective of Knowledge Keepers, intergenerational Survivors, leaders, and youth about the impact of residential schools and the work happening with regards to reconciliation throughout Canada
• Reflect on their own role in reconciliation
• Take at least one reconciliACTION

Watch: Truth and Reconciliation Week Videos on YouTube

Lesson Plan (English)

Plan de leçon (Français)

The Truth in Truth and Reconciliation

The Truth in Truth and Reconciliation with Darin Corbiere

The lesson plan offers a preview of the full board game experience. It features sample questions from the game and includes a customizable template for students to develop their own meaningful questions, encouraging critical thinking, dialogue, and deeper learning.

Lesson Plan (English)

Plan de leçon (Français)

Plains Cree Language Lessons

To celebrate National Indigenous Languages Day on March 31, DWF team member Nancy Hollman walked us through some words in Plains Cree on our DWF social media channels.

Watch: Animal Words in Plains Cree on YouTube

Watch: Numbers in Plains Cree on YouTube

Watch: More Words in Plains Cree on YouTube

Lesson Plan

DWF LIVE with Willie Poll

Prepare for World Water Day with a DWF LIVE featuring Métis author Willie Poll. Willie will read her book “Minnow: The Girl Who Became Part Fish” and answer questions from DWF’s host. This session will explore the spiritual, cultural, and ecological significance of water in Indigenous communities in Canada. The first half of the session can be shared directly to students in JK – Grade 6, and the Q&A afterwards is designed to support adults in teaching children about water rights and Indigenous water protectors.

Watch on YouTube

Lesson Plan (English)

Plan de leçon (Français)

DWF LIVE with Jaelyn Terriak

Join us this Black History Month for a special conversation with Jaelyn Terriak. This session will focus on the rich tapestry of intersecting identities, highlighting her experience as an Afro-Inuk in Canada and the importance of representation in the arts.

Watch on YouTube

Lesson Plan (English)

Plan de leçon (Français)

Biboon

Biboon, the Anishinaabe word for winter, marks the longest night of the year and symbolizes a time of reflection, renewal, and reconnection to the land. Boon, is a word in Anishinaabemowin that means “stop,” reflecting the season’s call for rest and recharging. During the winter solstice, many Indigenous communities honour ancestors, share stories, prepare for winter, and hold ceremonies.

Watch: Biboon Mino Waabanoowiwin: Winter Solstice by Jodie Williams

Lesson Plan

Mauna Kea

Through the lens of mothers and daughters in three Native Hawaiian families, Standing Above the Clouds is a documentary that explores intergenerational healing and the impacts of safeguarding Mauna Kea, a sacred mountain in Hawai’i under threat of destruction from the development of a massive Thirty Meter Telescope. In this special DWF LIVE, we will hear from Jalena Keane-Lee, director of Standing Above the Clouds, and Pua Case, film protagonist, co-producer, and founder of Mauna Kea Education & Awareness (MKEA).

Watch on YouTube

Lesson Plan

Plan de leçon

Storytime with Nicola Campbell

Nicola I. Campbell is a Nłeʔkepmx, Syilx, and Métis author from British Columbia. Her stories weave cultural and land-based teachings that focus on respect, endurance, healing, and reciprocity. She will be joining us for a special storytime session where she will read her book Shi-shi-etko, which was featured in DWF Legacy Schools Booster Kits this year.

Watch on YouTube

Lesson Plan

Plan de leçon

Inuit Traditions with Qattuu

Qattuu is an Ontario-based, Inuk throat-singer, originally from Pangnirtung, Nunavut. In this session, Qattuu will focus on the rich traditions of Inuit arts and storytelling, with a focus on Throat Singing. Learn about the power of Inuit Throat Singing in preserving history, culture, and values.

Watch on YouTube

Lesson Plan

Plan de leçon

The Art of the Canoe

Talon Pascal is a member of the Lil’wat Nation and an archaeology student at Simon Fraser University. He has been learning about traditional Lil’wat practices since he was a child, and his goal is to pass his skills and knowledge on to preserve his traditions. In this mini-series, Talon will share traditional Lil’wat practices. Available with French subtitles.

Watch on YouTube

Lesson Plan

Plan de leçon

The Art of Flint Knapping

Talon Pascal is a member of the Lil’wat Nation and an archaeology student at Simon Fraser University. He has been learning about traditional Lil’wat practices since he was a child, and his goal is to pass his skills and knowledge on to preserve his traditions. In this mini-series, Talon will share traditional Lil’wat practices. Available with French subtitles.

Watch on YouTube

Lesson Plan

Plan de leçon

The Art of Bow Making

Talon Pascal is a member of the Lil’wat Nation and an archaeology student at Simon Fraser University. He has been learning about traditional Lil’wat practices since he was a child, and his goal is to pass his skills and knowledge on to preserve his traditions. In this mini-series, Talon will share traditional Lil’wat practices. Available with French subtitles.

Watch on YouTube

Lesson Plan

Plan de leçon

DWF LIVE with Dallas Soonias

Join us for a candid conversation with Dallas Soonias, former professional volleyball player and CBC Olympic Commentator for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Dallas will offer a recap of the 2024 Olympics, sharing his favourite moments from the Games, and draw from his experience representing Team Canada at the World Championships and the Pan American Games. This session will also explore the theme of sports and reconciliation, and how this medium can be used as a way to bring people together and create more inclusive spaces for Indigenous people. Dallas lives in Calgary, AB, and is a proud member of Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation.

Watch on YouTube

Lesson Plan

Plan de leçon

Secret Path Lesson Plans

All Legacy Schools Educators receive the graphic novel Secret Path written by Gord Downie and illustrated by Jeff Lemire. The book tells the story of Chanie Wenjack, a 12-year-old Anishinaabe boy who died trying to escape Cecilia Jeffrey Residential School.

These lessons were created by a group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous teachers from across Manitoba for the Manitoba Teachers’ Society.

Watch Secret Path on YouTube

Lesson Plans (EN/FR)

Teaching Guide

Chi miigwetch, thank you, for joining the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund (DWF) for the panel discussion, “Learn with Your Head, Lead from the Heart & Speak Your Truth: Teaching Young Children about Residential Schools”. You may be asking if your child is too young to learn about residential school history. We get that question a lot. According to Bonnie Schiedel, author with Today’s Parent, talking honestly about hard things in a way kids can understand helps open a door to the empathy that’s part of being a good human being.

Watch on YouTube

English Guide

Français

Kookum and Shoomish Magnets

In Cree, Kookum means grandmother and Shoomish means grandfather. The Elders in our lives carry wisdom, stories, and traditions that are meant to be cherished and passed down through generations. In this lesson plan, students will use magnets, yarn, patterned paper, and a glue stick to create their very own Kookum and Shoomish Magnets — a beautiful reminder of the special bond between generations and the importance of honouring those who guide us.

Download the Lesson Plan

DWF LIVE with Murray Sinclair

The Honourable Justice Murray Sinclair is a former Senator of Canada and was Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He has been a champion for Indigenous rights, having served as Manitoba’s first and Canada’s second Indigenous judge. He also oversaw the Truth and Reconciliation Commission from June 2009 to December 2015, where he heard the testimonies of more than 7,000 residential school Survivors. For this DWF LIVE, Jared Visitor, Chanie Wenjack’s great-nephew, hosts a candid conversation with Senator Sinclair on education, business, and reconciliation.

Watch on YouTube

Lesson Plan

Plan de leçon (Français)

DWF LIVE with Becky Han

Becky (Koonoo) Han is an Inuk singer, songwriter, and author originally from Arctic Bay, Nunavut, and now residing on Treaty 6 territory. Primarily written for adults, Han’s music focuses on the themes of life, love, and struggle and are written in her native language, Inuktitut. In 2021, Becky became an author when her award-winning song, “Qaariaq,” was made into a children’s book through Inhabit Media. Sharing music that is written in Inuktitut is something Becky is very passionate about; not only does it help keep the language alive, but it also helps her feel closer to the community she grew up in.

Becky shares music, her story about a bee, and the Inuktitut language with us in this fun and engaging DWF LIVE.

Watch on YouTube

Lesson Plan

DWF LIVE with Candace Linklater

Candace Linklater is an Ililliew Cree from Moose Cree First Nation on Treaty 9 territory. She was born and raised on her reservation and returned to her community after completing post-secondary school to serve as an educator, elected official, and community volunteer. Candace comes from a legacy of revolutionary leaders, as her great-great-grandfather was a signatory to Treaty 9, and her grandfather was a Chief that served for three terms. Breaking glass ceilings is in her veins. Candace began a social media platform on Facebook called Relentless Indigenous Woman, which grew in followers exponentially, going from 3,000 to nearly 700,000. She pushes the envelope when discussing issues caused by patriarchy, white supremacy, capitalism, colonization, and racism and its impacts on Indigenous women, girls, two spirit, transgender, and gender diverse (WG2STGD) people. She emphasizes that such discussions are necessary to achieve meaningful justice, reconciliation, decolonization, and Indigenous resurgence.

Candace and Sabrina talk about International Women’s Day and what it means to them. Candace speaks about accidentally becoming an influencer and what that’s meant for her social media platform, Relentless Indigenous Woman.

Watch on YouTube

Lesson Plan

DWF LIVE with Classic Roots

Classic Roots is an award-winning producer and DJ who is impacting the global music community with his fresh sound and collaborations with diverse artists. Drawing inspiration from his life and culture, Classic Roots developed his original sound by combining traditional Anishinaabe drumming and singing with the unique sound of techno/house. This unique fusion has established a sense of Indigenous cultural freedom that echoes throughout the electronic music scene.

Watch on YouTube

Lesson Plan

DWF LIVE with Fawn Wood

Fawn is a recording and performing artist born into the respected multi-generational traditional singing Wood family. Fawn Wood’s singing reflects her Cree and Salish tribal lineage. Her perspective brings Indigenous women’s voices to light through her music. She has won multiple awards for her music including the 2022 JUNO Award for Traditional Indigenous Artist. In this video, students and educators will learn about Fawn Wood, language, and the importance of learning about missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people.

Fawn Wood starts the session with her traditional introduction and introduces herself as a musician, radio host, and mother. The song Fawn opens with is a favourite of hers and her sisters. She opens her performances with this song to start it in a good way.

Watch on YouTube

Lesson Plan

DWF LIVE with Julian Taylor

After 25 years in music, building an unimpeachable reputation as a truly independent artist and entrepreneur, Julian Taylor now owns his legacy. From the formative rock of Staggered Crossing to the genre fusion of Julian Taylor Band, and now his revered work as a solo singer-songwriter, Julian owns the rights to it all and it couldn’t have happened at a better time. In this session, Julian talks about how music has helped him heal, what it means to be Black and Indigenous, and the importance of spirituality in his family and life. He also talks about his daughter’s Indigenous name, his family history, and how he became a professional musician.

Julian performs several songs and talks about his experiences as an Afro-Indigenous artist. He shares a teaching about the creation of the world, and all forms of life. He sings a song about the circle of life entitled, Back Again. Julian speaks about how to take pain and negative energy and turn it into something beautiful through song.

Watch on YouTube

Lesson Plan

DWF LIVE with Julian Taylor

Julian Taylor is a Canadian singer-songwriter of West Indian and Mohawk descent. Formerly associated with the band Staggered Crossing, he has continued to record and perform as a solo artist. He is a prolific artist who has released nine studio albums since 2001.

Julian shares his music and interesting stories about his career with us in this engaging DWF LIVE.

Watch on YouTube

Lesson Plan

DWF LIVE with DJ O Show

Orene Askew, also known as DJ O Show, is an
energetic DJ of Afro-Indigenous descent and a proud
member of the Squamish Nation. On February 27,
2024, DJ O Show joins us on DWF LIVE to share
how she has incorporated both of her cultural
backgrounds in everything she does, especially her
music.

Watch on YouTube

Lesson Plan

DWF LIVE MMIWG2S+ with Natasha Fisher

In this DWF LIVE, Natasha Fisher talks about how her music connects to her activism. Her songs capture the intensity of heartbreak, healing, and self-discovery, while incorporating Indigenous (Anishinaabe) elements that add depth and authenticity. Natasha shares important messages around the MMIWG2S+ crisis and explore how Indigenous arts serve as both storytelling and healing.

Watch on Youtube

Lesson Plan

Plan de leçon