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Speaking and engaging students in important and controversial topics, is important for their understanding of how the world works, and “develop a critical understanding of the world, and its history.” (Kiefer, Tyson et al., 2019 pg. 20) The ten-point model, according to Kiefer, Tyson et al., (2019) sets out clear guidelines for teachers, in helping students become involved in uncovering the information, like light research and being able to brainstorm ideas in the classroom. These sessions can provide some insight towards the teacher, in further steps they can take in trying to help students understand. Robertson, (2017) explains the importance of introducing indigenous concepts, traditions and culture into the educational curriculum. Robertson, (2017) describes how children connect to the literature, from his book ‘When we were alone,’ by asking their teacher, if the children were able to bring their belongings to Residential schools, or if they were able to contact their parents, and most students were not able to even imagine life without their parents. Robertson, (2017) also details that it is important to answer questions with respect to ages of children, and add layers as they get older, in order to understand Canadas harsh and hidden past. I think it is imperative to understand the perspectives of Indigenous people, and Residential schools and their legacy and impact on Indigenous communities. By using children’s literature to address tough topics, Shwartz, (2020) in order to build empathy and compassion in young students, in order to learn the basic learning blocks of respect and awareness.

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By reviewing the Ten Point Model, it is interesting to see that it begins with students answering questions of their prior knowledge. The latter steps guide students into discovering new things about the topic and narrowing down on some common or unique questions they might have about the topic. Some connections I made between the Ten Point Model. And Teaching Difficult Subjects with "When We Were Alone" is how teaching difficult subjects is easier when educators help students to draw in their prior knowledge or experience with these subjects. If these situations do not look exactly the same in their life as it does in the book, then students can explain how and why these instances may look different in their life. Robertson in the first video mentions strategies on how to answer difficult questions to students about a book that are hard for students to hear. He mentions that you answer the question by asking them the same question in regards to their life and how they would answer the question if it applied to their life. In my own teaching practice, I find this helps me speaking about controversial topics and answering tough questions by always trying to draw connections to the lives of the students in my classroom.

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Larry Swartz suggests using children’s literature to teach difficult topics, especially for teaching students about empathy and kindness. Swartz also comments that children’s literature can help deepen students’ understanding of social justice, diversity, and equity. The Ten-Point Model proposed in Kiefer et al. (2019) provides a framework teachers can use when teaching difficult topics. Various selections of children’s literature can be used to introduce difficult topics and act as a starting point to enact the Ten-Point Model. While I have used various points from the Ten-Point Model before, the one that stuck out to me the most was point 7. When teaching History, I often have students complete an inquiry project where they develop a research question centered around the mistreatment of Indigenous people in Canada. They must engage in the inquiry process by completing their own research, and the students share their findings with their classmates.

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It is critical for educators to create a safe space where students can learn and ask questions about difficult topics. Children are curious beings, and it is important to expose them to this information that is appropriate for their age and build on it over the years. My grade 6s are currently learning about human rights violations and they are very invested in the information and want to do something to make a change. This can allow them to build empathy and relate to their own experiences. When my grade 6s discovered about children their own age being forced to work or walk miles to get drinking water, they were able to relate it to their own experiences and be aware of things happening around the world. I don’t remember learning any about Residential schools until grade 10 and it was often brushed over. I remember asking questions and them not being answered. It is important that we teach students these difficult topics rather than avoiding them.

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I struggle to teach a historical person related to War in a multicultural classroom like an international school in Korea. The views or the roles of heroes and villains can differ from culture, norms and values. And the accomplishments or the victory of some events can be a failure and a devastating consequence for others. So we have to approach without any bias and provide only factual information, so no one feels attacked or ashamed of their identity and culture. And I think the Ten Point Model is an excellent tool to utilize. These models allow me to lift the burden off my shoulders and introduce and discuss complex topics with the students. However, I agree that we have to be very sophisticated with referencing and using the resources online, especially issues related to racism and sexism. People have the right to express their feelings or opinions online, but children need to be aware that not all words hold values.

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It is ironic that I am doing this response today, as I had a conversation about the segregation practices in the south today with a student in one of the classes I supply in. Swartz makes a key point of ensuring we create meaning by incorporating our world into the curriculum so that students are immersed in the world issues that surround us. In the case of a student above, she was doing a reading on Martin Luther King Jr. on raz kids, and wondered what segregation was. I explained that it was a rule in the USA that prevented students who were of colour from going to school with students who were white. It was relatable, and we were able to continue talking about why we thought those rules had changed, and why rules like that don’t exist anymore. This was not a case of exploring deeply, as is suggested in the 10 point model, but simply an application of the first step, the initial exploration. (167 words)

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Teaching globally difficult issues such as residential schools or war is really challenging when teaching very young children. The Ten Point Model is an excellent guide for educators that allows for thoughtful introduction, discussion, inquiry, and learning, surrounding these issues. I appreciate how this model allows for a gradual exploration of topics that is flexible throughout the process of learning and can be adapted to any age group. When my daughter was in grade 1 and introduced to residential schools, this approach clearly was not used. It was something they were briefly told about and then the class moved on. Students were left with terrifying unanswered questions and one of her friends didn’t sleep for a month, with nightmares, thinking someone was going to come and take her too. We have to introduce these topics in an age appropriate way that is mindful of where students are in their development.

Larry Swartz points out how important it is to intentionally use children's literature to teach those really tough topics and that by doing so we will build caring, compassion, and empathy in our younger students. Picture books like When We Were Alone do just that. This book presents tough issues to young students in an age appropriate way and students can empathize with what is happening. It sets a foundation for moving forward with the more horrific truths surrounding what happened. In their discussions throughout the video they highlight the book's accessibility for this age group. Students can relate to and empathize with these issues. The experiences of Margaret Pokiak in Fatty Legs dives into deeper issues that can then be introduced to students at an older age (junior grades) where they can have the more difficult discussions.
Keeping the literature relatable and age appropriate becomes key in engaging students in these tough discussions.

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The media selections for this week all center around introducing sensitive issues to younger children. The overarching idea from these sources is that it is important to introduce important topics to kids at a young age and continue building on these ideas each year. They discuss the idea of introducing Residential Schools to young students but agree that the whole story does not need to be discussed at that moment, laying the foundation for further discussion in later grades. “Fatty Legs” by Christy Jordan-Fenton offers an accessible, personalized account of Residential Schools as a way of bringing the knowledge to students who otherwise might not know anything about them. Larry Swartz (2020) talks about deepening a student’s sense of social justice through teaching them about a variety of sensitive topics in his book “Teaching Tough Topics”, which really resonated with me while reading through the Ten-Point Model for Teaching Controversial Issues (Kiefer et al., 2019). The Ten-Point Model instructs offers a step-by-step plan to encourage group discussion and tackling topics in manageable chunks in the classroom. It is a really logical way to talk about important issues.
I remember watching a movie in grade 7 called "Where the Spirit Lives" about Residential Schools. It was introduced without any context or background information, and then there was a lack of follow-up after the movie was finished. This is the scenario that the authors mentioned above wish to avoid, and a main reason why these topic need to be introduced to younger grades. If I had any foundational knowledge about Residential Schools, this movie would have had more of an impact.

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When we Were Alone (Robertson, 2016) plays a dual role of telling an important story and functioning as a conversation starter that can help young readers to identify and empathize with potentially difficult topics. Robertson's work aligns with the first step of the Ten-Point Model by Kiefer et al. (2019), as books are tools that allow educators to raise new topics and ask initial questions. (Swartz, 2020) emphasizes that stories that feature sensitive content empower learners to become social agents that can navigate their own political and social contexts. This notion aligns with the final step of the Ten-Point Model (Keifer et al., 2019), as children can understand how their classroom learning contributes to their communities. Although I appreciate the power and relevance of the Ten-Point Model in certain socio-political learning landscapes, in my own teaching context in Korea, this framework would not be greatly applicable. Korea is a collectivist culture with many deep rooted xenophobic view points due to years of colonization and dictatorship. As such, it would not be recommended or appropriate for educators in this context to follow steps 3, 8, 9 or 10 if dealing with themes that are still heavily stigmatized within the culture. Instead, I suggest that educators adapt this framework to suit their specific, relational, learning environment.

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The video “Teaching Difficult Subjects” and the Ten-Point Model by Kiefer et al. (2019), share similar thoughts of threads about teaching controversial issues. One of them is using Children’s literature books to bring forth controversial issues which children might not have yet a full grasp of, but yet are still able to connect in authentic ways As an example, the way I would see implementing such connections would be to bridge their own personal stories to that of the book Fatty Legs. Raising questions such as “How do you think students felt when they had to leave home, or dress the same, how would that make you feel in this situation?”.  They begin to empathize to what has occurred, but yet at the same time teachers don’t have to tell the whole story and ramifications of what has occurred. This can be addressed later on when children are more mature.

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In this week’s media, Larry Swarz explains the importance of teaching “tough topics.” What was important to me was his discussion on how teachers need to make an intentional effort in order to teach these topics, as some are not included in curriculums. He explained that, as educators, we have to look at what is happening in our world and our lives and how that is being reflected back at us through students and decide what is important to teach in regards to tough topics. This stood out to me because making the learning relevant for students is how that learning will have the largest impact on student lives. Using books to teach these topics help teachers “look inside and outside the issues,” (Swarz, 2020). I think the reading of the book “When We Were Alone,” was a great example of how this can be achieved, especially for younger learners. Pamela Dirkson, the teacher here, used the book to bring the subject of Residential School’s to the children and the book itself, helped bring this difficult topic to the children’s level as well as help them to identify with the characters in their own individual ways. I think, in this case, the educator did a great job of approaching a subject that could have teachers unsure how to approach the topic, what is appropriate to discuss for younger children and provides an example that we can immediately use in our own practice. The authour of the book, David Alexander Robertson, and the teacher, Pamela Durkson, have a discussion that explains that children should be exposed to these topics from an early ages so that they have foundational knowledge. Just like how younger children learn the basis of skills in literacy and math, so should they learn the basis of knowledge in regards to these issues and they will continue to develop them and think critically about them as they grow older and continue their learning journey. As educator’s we often hear that books are windows or mirrors into another perspective, and this is very true in this case.  As Swarz (2020) said, tough topics are essential in order to create “caring citizens of the world,” and including these topics, in a welcoming and open environment, is important for students of all ages.

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In the first video about featuring David Alexander Robertson about his book, "When We Were Young", it mentioned how the picture book (which is about a young child going off to a residential schools) is a great way to have children connect with the story, issue, character, etc. in a real way.

After reading the chapter on teaching controversial issues using the ten point model, there was a quote that made me instantly connect to what the teacher and author were mentioning in the first video. The quote states, "teaching controversial issues allows for content across the curriculum to be related in authentic ways to children's lives, providing an opportunity or children and teachers to reflect, analyze, and critically comprehend more deeply."

After reading the article and watching the videos, I can see how important it is that the books I am reading to my students about these difficult topics need to be relatable to the children I am reading to, it also has to be something that they can connect to, and can empathize with.

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Teaching difficult issues through children’s literature allows for students to become caring citizens (Swartz 2020). It is important for teachers to make a deliberate and intentional choice to address tough topics (Swartz 2020), and Kiefer et al. (2019) provides educators with a framework to teach difficult issues through the Ten Point Model. This model allows students to question, research, collaborate and evaluate information. After the initial question is asked, Kiefer et al. (2019) as educators to begin a separate list of “things to find out more about”. As Swartz (2020) also states this is an opportunity to define the language and terms that the students need to understand such as the term equity. Just as Margaret Olemaun shared her story with Christy Jordan-Fenton, about her residential school experience, Kiefer et al. (2019) asks students to gather information as the next step of the Ten Point Model. In this example students would find a story of a strong and intense Indigenous spirit going through a difficult situation. After listening and learning, student have the opportunity to reflect about a particular question and then most importantly take action. I personally appreciate this method as it connects closely with my school’s purpose of being an International Baccalaureate school. Having students take action with their learning to contribute to the larger world is its main goal and philosophy. Ultimately through this process, and through children’s literature such as Robertson’s When We Were Alone, educators can effective teach difficult issues in the classroom.

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It is never easy to discuss certain topics especially with younger children. Watching the video, Teaching Difficult Subjects with When We Were Alone, I found the connection between their approaches to talking about residential schools and the ten point model about the initial question being asked and more topics wanting to be discussed like what happened if the students got into trouble and turned the question around to ask them what their personal experience was with consequences or if they got into trouble. Especially at a young age, books are a great conversation starter that can push for future conversations later on with parents or other teachers. As mentioned in the ten point model, let others know what you are doing which is always mentioned in Larry Schwartz video about having a group of people come together to discuss these important topics but also keep the door open to always be learning. Children need to always a character that they can connect to and empathize with, younger children are very forgiving as mentioned in Teaching Tough Topics podcast when Christy says she had to approach the topic as a child of residential school and not from the anger of an adult. The connection to a certain character could lead to potential homework assignments, interviews etc that the children could have a voice about what touched or affected them with this topic which can also be found in the ten point model. OVerall, I think the classroom needs to be a safe place to discuss hard topics but also for children to find a voice within these topics

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Even with lists and suggestions about how to approach teaching difficult issues in the classroom, it is never an easy task. As mentioned in the Teaching Difficult Subjects with When We Were Alone clip, books are a great conversation starter and allow students to connect with the issue at hand in a real and meaningful way. Author Larry Schwartz piggybacks on this idea, expressing that in dealing with difficult topics, it is important that the teaching is intentional and done in a caring classroom environment where children feel safe.

I found the models provided in the module helpful, but I would be interested in seeking out a list for how to teach “difficult topics” as opposed to just “controversial topics,” because not all difficult topics are controversial (Residential schools, Terry Fox, Loss of a Loved one, etc.)

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David Alexander Robertson’s When We Were Alone exposes very young students to Indigenous culture and difficult Canadian history. The book can be used to provoke age-appropriate questioning (How would it feel to: be away from your family, learn in a different language, be forced to wear the same clothes or have the same haircut as everyone else). This line of questioning promotes empathy as students relate their feelings to the basic answers of these questions and encourages further questioning and opportunities for conversation. That said, an adapted and simplified version of the Ten-Point Model is still possible at the Kindergarten level and, importantly, establishes the intention of keeping the conversation going (or starting the conversation in the first place) which, as Robertson states, is reconciliation in action.

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I appreciate Larry Swartz approach to teaching tough topics through children's literature. I recognize the importance of discussing these topics and using literature as a jumping off point. There are connections to the curriculum that can be made through literacy. There does need to be a greater and deeper learning and having resources to support teachers in feeling secure. Part of the challenge is the uncertainty in where conversations and questions may go. Having children research and inquire into topics is one approach I have not considered, in part because there is so much disinformation and without vetted resources, I am concerned what path students may find themselves on. Recognizing children's abilities and validating their questions makes space for critical conversations and should not be avoided. We have a responsibility to support students' development and tackling difficult conversations is part of the learning journey.

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With a picture book, the illustrations are “an integral part of the whole experience” of the book (Crawford & Hade, 2000) and the sequence of the illustrations and their relationship one to the other can have a purposeful effect on the movement of the story from page to page. In the video of David Alexander Robertson, a picture book is great a start to engage in meaningful conversations with the children. In my classroom, I have used picture books that depict culture, love, race etc. which leads to engagement and discussions. The discussion is always the fun part as it creates connections to the story and questions and answers section are satisfactory. Just as David Alexander Robertson mentioned in the video, connection to stories by children is an important aspect of storytelling. The ten-point model can be readily implemented by Kiefer et al. (2019) using a picture book. Personally, point 7 is a great way to engage the children especially while storytelling a picture book. For instance, having the children to draw a love heart and share their experience how they show love and how they know they have received love in return.

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Larry Swartz and Beth Lyons on their respective podcasts use “tough”, “sensitive” or “challenging” to describe the teaching of these difficult issues. It made me realize that the simple use of our vocabulary is essential with our students as these are not controversial issues that are up for debate. This September, for Truth and Reconciliation Day, I read Fatty Legs by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton with my Grade 5 students. I sent the digital story home for parents to openly discuss with their children to enrich our discussions at school, similarly to point 9 of the Ten Point Model for Teaching Controversial Issues (Kiefer et al., 2019). I even sent it to my own parents so we could discuss it, and even they were unaware of some of the atrocities. Following the reading, we did a few written assignments such as "How did this story make you feel", as well as "What other questions do you have for the authors"? In retrospect, I wish I would have ended my project with something "public" as Kiefer et al. suggest. I think it would have been significant to either send our letters to the authors detailing our thoughts, or even reach out to see if they could do a virtual visit to our school. This would lead to a bigger picture where the students could see how impactful and relevant what they are learning about is.

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I have been looking forward to this week's readings because I think this is a topic that all of us teachers face at some point. We ask ourselves how to incorporate a potentially sensitive topic in our classrooms and how deep can we bring the conversations. I enjoyed the first video with Ms. Pamela where she modeled good strategies to use literature with her early year students (Robertson, 2017, 3:30-4:15). In the part where David, the author, and Ms. Pamela discussed how to answer student questions based on sensitive topic books, they suggested to re-ask the question back to the student and seeing what they say. Making their own connections in their mind allows them to feel a sense of connection and empathy to the topic in an age-appropriate way. During Black History Month read-aloud in my class, I had a student ask me why we were only reading books about people with dark skin. Instead of providing an answer, I should have re-asked her why she thinks we are, in order to engage in an open-ended discussion with myself and her peers. I will take this new knowledge with me as other situations will always arise.

In the ten-point model in the Kiefer et al. (2019) textbook, this framework allows teachers to adapt to their grade level and ensure they are meeting the steps. I think step 9, letting others (parents, colleagues, media) know what we are doing is a great way to bridge the home and school connection to allow for further questions and knowledge to be passed on to the families. Posting pictures on the school Facebook page or on Class Dojo are ways I like to keep the community involved.

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Picture books are an incredible way to teach difficult topics to children (Robertson, 2017). To switch gears slightly, my experience with this recently has been as a parent. A close friend of mine recently opened up my eyes to the necessity of discussing these matters at an early age with children, and picture books are the first step to this dialogue. Although only a toddler, when we read a book we now ask "critical questions". Age appropriate questions are key, while remaining authentic in a way that children can contextualize the material. In my kindergarten classroom, we often finish a book with asking the children how the story relates to them before discussing the difficult topics.

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The historian in me always wants to cover as many aspects of history as possible to form a complete picture of a historical event – but this isn’t necessary or even remotely achievable. One of the things that the Teaching Difficult Subjects with When We Were Alone video brings up is that “you don’t have to tell the whole story right now at this age but even the exposure that this actually happened and that you can talk about it with your kids and then as they go through school the topic gets revisited.” This is important because students and children do not need to become subject matter experts on difficult topics, the idea is that they get some exposure to a topic and slowly develop those critical thinking skills over time and become active citizens. In early years, we are laying the groundwork which can then be built up. As Swartz (2020) mentions, using literature to teach tough topics is essential for helping create caring citizens. Further Swartz discusses how educators may be required to teach tough topics as a result of a curriculum initiative. This is exemplified by the fact that teaching indigenous knowledge and perspectives is now included in the new Canadian curriculum guide and one of the TRC calls to action includes integrating residential school history as early as kindergarten (Teaching Difficult Subjects with When We Were Alone). The videos and podcast relate to the Ten-Point Model (Kiefer et al, 2019) by providing a jumping off point for the conversation, the entire conversation shouldn’t be driven by the educator by rather, informed by info-gathering conducted by students. The Ten-Point model provides students with ample opportunity to build their own knowledge, skills and abilities by researching from home, conducting open dialogue in the classroom, search for more sources, conducting group projects, drive conversation at home, and presenting their findings to their peers (either in the school community or local community) (Kiefer et al, 2019).

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Literature is a wonderful way to introduce children to difficult subjects. Larry Swartz explains that some of these topics include: racism, refugees, special needs, and residential schools. In the first video, the teacher explains how a picture books can be a great launching point to have meaningful conversations in their classroom. For example, the book "When We Were Alone" is a picture book written for young students to help understand residential schools in Canada. In my own classroom, I have used books to addres topics of residental schools and bullying in my classroom. They always lead to a lot of discussion and questions. I can at times be nervous because I never know what my students will ask. It can be difficult to know how to answer them in a way they will understand and will not be too deep for their age level. The first video mentioned that if children can make a connection then they will usually be satisfied with that answer.

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Picturebooks are a wonderful tool for teachers to use when teaching controversial topics. In the first video, a grade one teacher explains how she teaches about the residential school system through David Alexander Roberston's book "When We Were Alone". She notes how students are able to emphasize with the characters in the story at an age appropriate level. Lisa Lewis explains in the podcast that children are looking to connect to the characters they are reading about. Once connected, they begin wanting to understand their situations more. When fielding difficult questions, the first grade teacher reflects them back to her students. This directly relates to the Ten-Point Model (Kiefer et al., 2019) as students are given the opportunity to ask questions, research the answers, and share them with one another. In my own grade 2 classroom, I am reminded how engaged my students become when learning about something "controversial". They are eager to know the truth about the subject, and what they can do to solve or help the issue.

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Larry Schwartz introduces sensitive material as essential for young students to grow into socially conscious and active citizens. Kiefer et al illustrates the ways that sensitive materials can bring attention to greater social justice issues. Reviewing the offensive expressions, attitudes and stereotypical representations can support a child's critical thinking. As a parent, it is valuable to use books that do not depict events or situations in a way that illustrate one single cause or a simple answer to socio-historical dilemmas. It seems valuable to critically read the pictures, expand on character perspectives and use literature as a starting point for initiating interest, while making it clear that the history depicted is not as easily deconstructed as one may assume. There is no single answer, the world is complicated, however, there are ways to move within the world, as a good samaritan, responding to injustices with advocacy, activism and social equality as they grow up in the world.

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There is a little girl named Irene in the story. I am not a number who was forced to attend the Canadian Residential Schools as a child, and the reader becomes attached to her throughout the story, while also learning the horrible atrocities that were committed against Indigenous children in these institutions. Pokiak-Fenton shares the story of her childhood experiences attending residential schools in this non-fiction, biographical work. I also agree with the opinions expressed in the videos, podcast, and textbook, according to which "difficult topics" have a place in the classroom. Due to this, they are provided with a sense of connection with Margaret and are more likely to understand the plot. The ten-point model can be readily implemented by Kiefer et al. (2019) through the use of a picture book. Using a model, I determine the students' prior knowledge of a book in order to get them interested in it. Regardless of the grade level I teach, I never avoid challenging topics, and I find that class discussion and reader response are useful teaching strategies.

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Kindergarten students are familiar with picture books making them perfect resources for teachers to use when discussing difficult topics (Robertson, 2017). In the Podcast, Lisa Lewis (2021), indicated children seek characters they connect with and upon doing so, become fully infused in the story. With a picture book, the ten point model in Kiefer et al. (2019) can be easily implemented. Techniques I use in my kindergarten classroom from the model are before reading a book I ask questions about the topic to understand their prior knowledge. This helps me facilitate a discussion afterward to clarify misconceptions and build on knowledge. When students express greater interest, I develop lesson plans to expand on the topic. Teachers must determine authentic, honest and age appropriate methods to discuss these difficult yet important topics.

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In the Podcast, Chrissy Jordon-Denton discussed her book Fatty Legs, and she mentioned another book she wrote called When I was Eight. I read this book to my class at the beginning of the year and my class reacted strongly to it. I have an Indigenous boy in my class who took the story to heart. Students began asking questions and wondered where the location was. I made a list of these questions, a technique that is mentioned by Kiefer et al (2019) in The Ten-Point Model for Teaching Controversial Issues. This boy then went on the computer and searched up his village where he used to live, and we talked about the local store and where he played. It was a hard issue to discuss in grade 4 however the students we ready to discuss the issues especially since their classmate had a connection. The power of literature helped ease a tricky topic with some curious students.

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The videos, podcast, and textbook all share the perspective that there is a role for “difficult topics” in the classroom, and this a view that I also share. David Alexander Robertson in his story When We Were Alone (2016) addresses the importance of learning about Residential Schools and encourages students to make personal connections to the content—this can be in the form of contrasts and comparisons. Larry Swartz agrees with the potential to build empathy and also have students, armed with this new knowledge, become better citizens. Both Robertson and Swartz look at this as a learning journey, and perhaps even a starting point for students to grapple with some of these events. The Ten-Point Model by Kiefer et al (2019) provides a method which maximizes student input and hopes to clarify issues through inquiry and research. In my own classroom, I don’t shy away from difficult topics and I find that class debates and reader response are useful tools. In essence, must of this work comes back to bringing us closer together which is a very worthwhile pursuit.