Phyllis's Orange Shirt
by Phyllis Webstad & Brock Nicol
Description:
Publisher's description (Medicine Wheel Education, 2019):
When Phyllis was a little girl she was excited to go to residential school for the first time. Her Granny bought her a bright orange shirt that she loved and she wore it to school for her first day. When she arrived at school her bright orange shirt was taken away. This is both Phyllis Webstad's true story and the story behind Orange Shirt Day which is a day for us all to reflect upon the treatment of First Nations people and the message that 'Every Child Matters'.
Author biography (Medicine Wheel Education):
Phyllis Webstad (nee Jack) is Northern Secwepemc (Shuswap) from the Stswecem'c Xgat'tem First Nation (Canoe Creek Indian Band). She comes from mixed Secwepemc and Irish/French heritage. She was born in Dog Creek and lives in Williams Lake, BC, Canada. In 2018 Phyllis Webstad launched her children's book called "The Orange Shirt Story" to share her story in her own words. The Orange shirt story tells the story of young Phyllis having her orange shirt taken away on her first day of residential school and never to see it again. A simple orange shirt has become a conversation starter for all aspects of residential school across Canada and beyond. Phyllis has inspired thousands and thousands of people to honour residential school survivors and their families and share the call on September 30th of each year that "EVERY CHILD MATTERS." Phyllis is well respected for her work, her courage and for striving to heal our communities and Nation through speaking her truth.
Resource format: Picturebook
Age recommendation: grades K - 3
Keywords: September 30, orange shirt, Residential School, survivor, resilience, culture, cultural genocide, honour experiences, Conor, First Nations, government, community, support, Every Child Matters, history, stories, story, first peoples, gentler images, rhyme, grandma, Dog Creek Reserve, Reservation, Rez, berries, garden, fish, traditional, living off the land, land based learning, shopping, special, orange, delight, love, mood, negative, unfriendly, strange, haircut, stolen, read, write, sweet teacher, caring, miss, separation, summer return, orange shirt remembrance, respect, anti-racism, Shuswap, Canoe Creek Indian Band, Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation, Williams Lake, girl
Year of publication: 2019
Publisher information: Medicine Wheel Education
Teaching and Learning Ideas
Our team collaborated with new teachers, alumni of the Werklund School of Education’s Bachelor of Education program, to create teaching and learning plans for texts in this website. With audiences ranging from Pre-Kindergarten to Post-Secondary, lesson plans across this resource address a wide range of school subject areas, inclusive approaches, and Indigenous education topics, such as the revitalization of Indigenous languages. As this website was designed with Undergraduate Programs in Education instructors, as well as teachers in mind, connections to UPE courses have been flagged on each lesson plan. These lessons are intended as a starting place for educators, to help you envision ways in which you might bring Indigenous literatures, as well as ways of knowing, being, and doing, into your teaching contexts. Please adapt, use, and share these lessons in ways that are generative for your teaching practice. We offer our sincere thanks to the dozens of new teachers who gifted us with these creative ideas!
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