Discussing Orange Shirt Day in Your French Class! 🧡

We teachers have a special chance to help our students learn about important events in a way that makes sense to them. 

Let's explore how we can discuss truth & reconciliation and talk about Orange Shirt Day on September 30th. 

As always, it’s important to navigate topics such as these with care, and consideration for the age of your students. It’s also incredibly important to take note of the make-up of your class and the indigenous students in your community.

It’s a great idea to contact the Indigenous lead educator within your school or board, as well as an equity lead, to ensure you’re teaching about this important day properly. 

C’est quoi la journée nationale de la vérité et de la réconciliation? 

• A day to remember Indigenous children who were forced to attend residential schools in Canada
• Happens every year on September 30th to help people learn and understand about the wrongdoings that occurred 
• Based on Phyllis Webstad's story about her orange shirt being taken away from her on her first day at a residential school
• A day to remind our students that every child matters 

Should I talk about Orange Shirt Day in my primary classroom? 

While the thought may cross your mind that this topic can be a little too heavy for primary students, it absolutely can and should still be talked about. 

During my first ever year teaching 1st grade, I wasn’t sure how to navigate this topic. Would my students even understand what Phyllis went through? I had a lot of doubts but we learned about the important day anyways.

I was pleasantly surprised by the conversations that were had and the ability for my students to feel empathy and compassion for students of residential schools. 

By beginning to discuss these deeper topics in the early primary years, it also allows students to gain more understanding and build on their knowledge from year to year. 

Finally, it is perfectly acceptable to take a pause sometimes with the French learning, to explain these topics with sensitivity in English (or the native language where you teach), where needed.

We know that primary French immersion students are still acquiring vocabulary, so I’d rather them be able to freely discuss their opinions and emotions surrounding such an important day like this, than sit in quiet confusion while I solely use French.

But that’s just me! 

Making Orange Shirt Day Meaningful in Class  

The key to getting students interested is helping them see why the things we celebrate are important. Here are some ways to make Orange Shirt Day come alive in your French class:

1. Tell Stories: Read picture books about Indigenous people's lives, like "When We Were Alone" by David A. Robertson, and talk about them in French.
2. Bring in Community: Invite an Indigenous elder or community member to share their story in person or through a video.
3. Get Creative: Have students make their own orange shirts with hopeful and healing messages, and describe their work in French.

French Resources for Orange Shirt Day

Using Picture books 

Picture books are great for discussing topics of truth and reconciliation in a primary-friendly way. You do not necessarily need to read books specifically about orange shirt day.

You could also read books that highlight the beautiful indigenous culture or feature a character of indigenous heritage to amplify indigenous voices in your classroom! 

• Le chandail orange de Phyllis 
• L’histoire du chandail orange 
• With our orange hearts 
• Stolen Words
• The Sharing Circle
• Quand on était seuls
• Quand j’avais huit ans  

Speaking of the latter book, did you know I have an entire FREE book companion to go along with “When I was eight” or “Quand j’avais huit ans” by Christy Jordan-Fenton?

This book companion provides you with meaningful discussion prompts and printable pages to use alongside the book, providing you tons of material that can be adapted for younger and older students! ‍

French videos about Orange Shirt Day 

There are a ton of great videos you can show your class to consolidate their learning about la journée du chandail orange. You can always slow down the speed of these videos on YouTube, to help with understanding.

Here are some great videos that would work in a primary French immersion classroom : ‍

• Orange Shirt Day French Dialogue 
• Journée du chandail orange
• Phyllis Webstad’s story (French subtitles) 
• Molly of Denali (Grandpa’s Drum) 
• Théo le loup (French cartoon about three indigenous kids and their adventures helping the community! While not directly related to Orange Shirt Day, there are lots of Indigenous cultural knowledge shared in each episode) 
• Journée nationale de la vérité et de la réconciliation
• Avec nos coeurs orange
• Le chandail orange

Additional ways to encourage students to think about Orange Shirt Day in the classroom: 

• Think pair share discussion activities after asking a question are a great low-stress way to get students to talk about their feelings surrounding this topic 
• Journal writing after watching a video or story, to see what information students retained and to hear more about their thoughts in a private way 
• Talking circles are not only a powerful way to allow everyone to share their thoughts, it is also an important Indigenous practice. Have your students sit in a circle with a talking piece, and ask them to share a personal thought, opinion or idea 
• Have students design an orange shirt craft or printable, where they can write positive messages or designs on their shirts to make for a beautiful classroom display 

I hope this blog post is a helpful guide on navigating teaching about Orange Shirt Day in primary French immersion.

Let’s remember to continue to have these conversations about truth & reconciliation and amplify indigenous voices in our classroom beyond September 30th!