As part of our continued efforts to embed Indigenous Education into all subject areas, grade 6 teachers were invited to participate in a read aloud initiative featuring David A. Robertson’s novel, The Barren Grounds. By participating in the read aloud in their class, students had the opportunity to explore Indigenous connections to the text and develop valuable listening and critical thinking skills.
On November 25, 2022, 20 grade 6 classes participated in the final part of a three-part interactive presentation on The Barren Grounds. This novel has been described as Narnia meets traditional Indigenous stories of the sky and constellations in an epic fantasy series about two Indigenous foster children in Winnipeg who are struggling to connect to their culture until they discover a magical portal that in the attic brings them to the frozen barren grounds. They are transported to Aski, where they find themselves on a mission that they could never have imagined, which allows them to learn about their culture along the way.
Being supported by Indigenous community partners, through this learning experience, students make deep and meaningful connections to the text.
During this learning session, York Catholic District School Board students were lucky to have a surprise visit from the book’s author, David A. Robertson! He answered questions from students and gave his personal insights into the book. He shared his reasons for writing the book which include discussing climate change, highlighting the struggles of Indigenous children in foster care, and most importantly to show that Indigenous kids can save the world.
It was truly a marvelous afternoon. Thank you to all the teachers and their classes who participated, and a special thanks to both Mim Harder and David A. Robertson for their support of this initiative.