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I Am Not a Number

Elementary, Middle

Description

I Am Not a Number recounts the story of Irene Couchie, a young Ojibwe girl who gets sent to a residential school. At school, she faces many cruelties, she is punished for speaking her native language and not allowed to use her real name. Instead, she is called by a number, 759. During her time at school, Irene struggles to remember who she is, and she wonders "why everything I knew and loved about who I was and where I had come from was slowly being taken away." This story brings the history of residential schools to a younger audience in a manner that can be shared and understood.

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General Assessment

Recommendation of how and where to use it

I Am Not a Number makes the story of residential schools more accessible to a younger audience. The book could be used as a read aloud to begin a conversation about residential schools and opens the door to conversations and questions regarding this part of Canadian history. With older students it could be used in a unit about social justice.

Relevant Curriculum Units

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        • Questioning what we hear, read, and view contributes to our ability to be educated and engaged citizens.
      • Social Studies
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        • Fist peoples and European Contact: British Columbia followed a unique path in becoming a part of Canada.
    • Grade 5
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      • English/Language Arts
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Exploring stories and other texts helps us understand ourselves and make connections to others and to the world
        • Questioning what we hear, read, and view contributes to our ability to be educated and engaged citizens
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        • Canadian Issues and Governance: Canada’s policies and treatment of minority peoples have negative and positive legacies
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      • Step 3Select a subject
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        • Exploring stories and other texts helps us understand ourselves and make connections to others and to the world
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Themes Addressed

Human Rights (2)

  • Cultural Diversity
  • Social Justice

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