Bring “The Orange Shirt Story” by Phyllis Webstad into your classroom with this meaningful, ready-to-teach 5-day read-aloud unit.

Through interactive read-alouds, layered texts, discussion, collaborative learning, and purposeful writing, students explore belonging, identity, language, family, community, resilience, truth, and the importance of remembering and learning from the past.

What’s Included

• 5 complete interactive read-aloud lessons
• Carefully selected layered texts
• Learning goals and success criteria
• Before-, during-, and after-reading discussion prompts
• Community Circle discussion questions
• Collaborative anchor chart activities
• Differentiated writing prompts for Grades 1–3
• Oral language and discussion opportunities
• Teacher observation and assessment tools
• Connections to Gholdy Muhammad’s 5 Pursuits
• Ontario Language Curriculum (2023) connections
• Ready-to-print materials

Students Will Explore

• Belonging, identity, and connection
• The importance of names and language
• Family and community
• Truth and remembering
• Resilience and hope
• Why stories from the past matter
• Truth and Reconciliation
• How we can listen, learn, and contribute to a caring community
• The importance of learning from authentic Indigenous voices

Perfect For

• Orange Shirt Day
• National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
• Indigenous Education
• Interactive read-alouds
• Reading comprehension
• Oral language and discussion
• Writing
• Social-emotional learning
• Grades 1–3

This low-prep unit provides a thoughtful way to engage students with an important story while strengthening literacy skills and creating space for meaningful discussion, reflection, and learning.