Teacher’s lesson plan goes national
Immaculate Conception School teacher uses Gord Downie’s Secret Path project to teach about residential schools, reconciliation
A lesson plan centred on the late Gord Downie’s final project is now available to teachers across Canada thanks to a local elementary school teacher.
Mitch Champagne, a Grade 6/7 teacher at Immaculate Conception School in East City, is behind the Secret Path lesson plans and artwork.
The plans teach literacy and Canadian history, with a focus on Indigenous history, using Ontario’s curriculum.
Mr. Downie, the lead singer of The Tragically Hip, created Secret
Path. It includes a 10-track album and an animated film and graphic novel illustrated by Jeff Lemire.
Secret Path was Mr. Downie’s last undertaking. He died of brain cancer Oct. 17.
Mr. Downie’s work was inspired by the story of Chanie Wenjack, a 12-year-old Indigenous boy who died on his walk home after escaping an Ontario Indian residential school in the 1960s (Trent University’s Wenjack Theatre is named in his memory).
Champagne first introduced his students to The Hip and Mr. Downie last year. He created lesson plans based on Hip songs, teaching geography, literacy, history and art through lyrics and melodies.
Then last October, Secret Path came out and Champagne decided to work it into his teachings at Trent University, where he’s a part-time faculty member.
He saw it as a way to do his part towards truth and reconciliation.
“I never learned any of this stuff in elementary or high school – it’s kind of a shame. It’s a big part of our history that was glossed over completely,” Champagne said.
The father of four helped his Trent students create lesson plans using tracks from the Secret Path.
He later modified those plans – with the help of Trent faculty – to develop Secret Path lesson plans.
“I saw this as an opportunity to keep working with Gord’s work because the students really responded to it,” said Champagne, 37.
Many of Champagne’s students today are 12-year-olds – the same age Chanie was when he died.
“These kids hear this story and they feel genuine emotion and that’s what it takes. You have to really feel the story to understand it.”
Grade 7 student Shawn Fitzgerald said the Secret
Path delivers a very powerful message.
Shawn, 12, thinks it’s “insane” that Chanie tried to walk that far to be with his family, (Chanie’s trek, if he’d made it, would have been 400 kilometres, mostly through the woods).
“It’s too bad that he didn’t get to be with them the whole time,” said Shawn.
Isabella Bowen, a Grade 6 student in Champagne’s class, said Chanie’s story made her feel sad.
“But it’s also very interesting to learn about what happened to him and several different kids. I’m glad that it stopped, too,” Isabella said, referring to residential schools.
Isabella, 11, also thinks it’s sad that most Canadians don’t know Chanie’s story.
“I think that people should know that he was very brave and special,” she said.
With months left to live, Mr. Downie dedicated his remaining days to promoting Indigenous issues.
To Champagne, who was already a huge fan of Mr. Downie, that dedication was inspiring.
“For someone to give the last months of his life promoting First Nations issues is just outstanding. He wanted this to be his legacy,” Champagne said.
The teacher is doing his best to see Mr. Downie’s efforts furthered, offering his Secret Path lesson plans to teachers across Canada.
It’s available for download, for free, on Trent’s School of Education website at www.trentu. ca/education/resources.
Websites for the Downie Wenjack Fund and the National Centre for Truth Reconciliation are also housing links to the lesson plans.
“My end goal is to get this into people’s hands.”