Honouring Our Heritage at Deep Cove Elementary
Grade 4 and 5 students at Deep Cove Elementary School explored the themes of immigration, heritage, and identity through a reconciliation-focused lens. With guidance from the Anti-Racism Working Group, teachers supported students in researching where their ancestors originated and where they first arrived in Canada. Using the Indigenous Peoples of Canada floor map, students then identified the Indigenous territories their ancestors immigrated to and settled on. This learning culminated in the creation of personalized territorial acknowledgements that reflected students’ family histories, as well as their developing understanding of place, responsibility, and reconciliation. Students shared their learning with peers and families during a celebratory open house, and each day a different Grade 4/5 student begins the school day by sharing their personal territorial acknowledgement during morning announcements.