How to teach about residential schools in a way that is appropriate?

I have always struggled with the heavy topic of residentials and knowing how to properly teach it in my classroom. I found some good resources online but I would love to have more or any advice if anyone has any!
http://www.fnesc.ca/irsr/
https://facingcanada.facinghistory.org/how-to-teach-about-canadas-residential-schools-a-model-for-truth-and-reconciliation/

I think when teaching about residential schools, you need to be very aware of your audience. Making sure you do not expose very young children to such a heavy topic is important. I think mentioning it starting upper elementary is the best bet. Although these children are still young, residential schools are such an important topic to bring up because they are real life events that changed the ways of history. An appropriate way to teach about them could be to show a kid friendly video introducing the topic. Students could do a write up about its historical impact and share it with the class in a sharing circle.

At times it can be very hard for an Indigenous student to talk about or learn about residential schools due to trauma in their families or friends. However, if you have a student or the students family member who needs to talk to another Indigenous individual to connect with them there is the Residential School Survivors Society and can be contacted toll-free at 1-800-721-0066.

Discussing topics such as Residential Schools is a very triggering subject, so I completely understand your concern Tamara! This is a topic that I have asked many teachers, indigenous people, and parents for advice on. I was not surprised to learn that every person had advised me differently and had different opinions, but I found that everyone I had talked to agreed on one thing: it is a difficult subject to approach but a necessary one. It is a difficult line teachers must walk on, not wanting to shatter their young student’s innocence while actively trying to break the cycle of ignoring and suppressing indigenous experiences in Canada. Based on what I was told, I decided that embedding Residential Schools within themes such as belonging in one’s community for early elementary, and social justice for older grades could be a natural and purposeful way to approach it. By using themes, teachers can scaffold the subject material rather than just launching their students into Canada’s dark history and these themes can easily be made into units or discussed throughout the year, rather than addressed and then forgotten.