Instruction Hub
RCtv: Indigenous Realities — Preserving Community Through Culture
Welcome! This Instruction Hub is your one-stop shop for all the links, resources, and instructions your class will need to participate in the livestream.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at contactus@reelcanada.ca or at 1‑888‑508‑0881 ext. 250.
We hope you enjoy the programme.
Ce Centre d’instructions est également disponible en français. Il suffit de cliquer sur la langue désirée dans le menu supérieur.
If you need to share information about the livestream with parents, feel free to use this template letter. (Coming soon!)
1. Prepare Your Class
Our lesson plan was designed by educators like you to enrich your students’ learning experience before, during, and after the event. Feel free to use any or all of these included activities:
- Pre- and post-viewing activities
- Guiding discussion questions
- Suggested additional activities
- Student handouts
- Comprehension and discussion questions for the film
To help us demonstrate the positive impact of RCtv to our lead sponsor, Canada’s Youth Take Charge Program, we encourage you to send us photos of your students learning together, or samples of their group work, for a chance to have them featured in the livestream!
The group activities in this lesson plan are:
- Create an “art, culture, and land” Venn diagram
- Do a film analysis and discussion
- Draw a film snapshot from a single film
- Design a symbol to represent all the films
Submit photos or samples of student work to contactus@reelcanada.ca with “RCtv Photos” in the subject line.
Please feel free to use our media release form.
To provide a supported and safe learning environment during the film and livestream viewings, please use these guides, developed in collaboration with a diverse set of educators, including those who identify as Indigenous, Black and/or persons of colour.
The package includes best practices for teachers, a handout for students, and information about external support and counselling services for youth.
We’ll have lots of opportunities for engagement in the livestream itself through our interactive platform, but your students can also get involved with hands-on activities leading up to the livestream.
And if your students do get involved, we’d love to hear about it! Write or submit photos to contactus@reelcanada.ca.
Here are just a few ideas:
- Send us your video questions and comments, and they might be included in the show
- Print out this poster to put in your classroom or school to build excitement for the event
- Design your own event posters
- Build a creative activity around the film, like a visual art or music prompt
- Students can help set up the big screen and sound equipment for your group to watch. You can even use the school auditorium or theatre.
- Engage students in hands-on activities or group work based on our lesson plans
If your students do get involved, we’d love to hear about it – or even see photos. Write to us at contactus@reelcanada.ca.
2. Show the Film
Our livestream centres on an Indigenous short film programme, so be sure to watch that first. Screen the films for your students between November 17 and December 1 if you can (if not, see note below).
Please make sure to plan the date now. We recommend screening the film and the livestream close together to ensure the content is still fresh in students’ minds.
The film programme is 53 minutes long.
NOTE: You can watch the films and a recording of the livestream any time you’d like, up to the end of the school year. Our interactive platform (described in the section below) will be accessible to students all year, but please note that only questions and comments submitted by December 1 can be included in the show.
The film link will arrive in your email inbox on November 17– look for the subject line “Instructions #2: Your link for RCtv’s Indigenous Short Films”. The link will be active for 18 days, from the very first time you hit play.
For those of you teaching remotely, you may share the film link directly with your students, but please make sure to communicate that it is a private link.
If you ordered a DVD, you will receive that in advance of the date you requested.
*Please note: if you’ve requested to preview the films, we will send a separate link to your inbox shortly after you register.
- We highly recommend you test the system beforehand using the same computer, projector, and speakers you’ll be using on the screening day. You can test using this short preshow video.
- Connect your device to the projector or monitor using an HDMI cable or similar setup. This is much more reliable than connecting wirelessly through an application like Chromecast or AirPlay.
- How’s the aspect ratio? If the picture seems distorted, stretched, or squashed, try adjusting the aspect ratio settings on your projector.
- Project the film on the largest screen you can.
- Show the film in the darkest room you can. Draw the blinds or curtains, if possible.
- Be sure to make the video full-screen by double-clicking the centre of the video, or clicking the square full-screen button in the bottom-right corner.
- For detailed instructions and FAQ, please see our Streaming Platform Guide.
Want to extend the discussion after the livestream? These curated films provide additional opportunities for conversation in the classroom, either before or after viewing of the livestream. As completely optional viewing, these films won’t be addressed as part of the livestream, but can provide further entry points into the subject matter. To order a copy, just fill out the form below.
Note: For a personalised form prefilled with your information, please click on the “Order Films” button in any of our monthly newsletters, or write to contactus@reelcanada.ca.
Film list:
Grandfather on the Prairies (3 Min)
Jason meets his great-great-great grandfather and soon finds himself in a hilarious debate about what it means to be a hunter.
Jordan Gordon’s Guide to Kuujuuaq (4 Min)
Jordan Gordon is thrilled to show you around his hometown, taking you through the highlights with a wonderful mix of humour and charm.
My Friend the Green Horse (11 Min)
In her dreams, a young Alanis Obomsawin befriends a gentle creature who guides her through her Abenaki homeland, where she learns life’s most important lessons.
Namid (5 Min)
Struggling with a tragic loss in her family, Namid finds new meaning in her Grandfather’s teachings and is inspired to reconnect with those who have passed through fancy shawl dancing.
The Orphan and the Polar Bear (9 Min)
In this adaptation of an Inuit legend, an orphan is adopted by a polar bear elder who teaches him the skills he needs to survive.
The Visit (3 Min)
The charming “true” story of an encounter between extraterrestrials and a Cree family.
Zaasaakwe (5 Min)
A powerful call to action to all Indigenous people to shout for joy and celebrate their identity.
3. Participate in the Livestream
We know students love seeing themselves and their peers on the big screen – so we’re offering an exciting opportunity for students to submit their questions and comments by video. We’ll select a handful of your videos for the show, where they’ll be addressed directly by director Christopher Auchter.
Submitting videos is totally optional, but it’s a great way to get students even more engaged in the programme. Either way, there will still be plenty of opportunities to share written comments and questions using our interactive platform (see the next section).
Sending us a video is a great option for classes that are watching the livestream recording afterwards, rather than participating live.
All videos must be received by Tuesday, November 24. See here for more details.
We’ve created an engaging and easy-to-use platform for students across the country to interact with one another, and with our special guest, Christopher Auchter.
Whether you’re joining live or watching a recording of the livestream, this is an important way to get your students participating through discussion boards, quiz questions, chat, and of course, asking questions.
It’s really easy – your students simply go to this link to participate: www.reelcanada.ca/Forum2026/
If you’re watching the livestream on December 1:
Use Meeting Pulse during the livestream to engage, share, and interact in real time.
If you’re watching the livestream as a recording after December 1:
Use Meeting Pulse in two ways:
- For a chance to have your students’ comments included in the livestream, make sure to watch the film and engage on Meeting Pulse BEFORE December 1. You can log on right after watching the film.
- Then, connect again on Meeting Pulse for new activities while you’re watching the livestream recording.
Students can use Meeting Pulse individually at their seats or as a class on one screen at the front.
And don’t worry, everything on Meeting Pulse is anonymous, and all discussions will be moderated by our team.
🔴 TIP: Be sure to test out the interactive platform beforehand using your school network. If Meeting Pulse is blocked by your school board, please put in a request with your board to have it unblocked for a few days.
The livestream airs on Tuesday, December 1. If you’re watching live, make sure to check the time in your region, and if you’re planning to watch the recording, it will be available immediately afterwards at all the same links below.
Here are your links to participate:
A. Watch the Livestream:
B. Use the Interactive Platform:
C. Livestream & Interactive Platform side-by-side on one screen:
🔴 TIP: For the best experience, make sure students use our interactive platform while watching.
About The Guests:
Christopher Auchter (Haida), director of The Mountain of SGaana and Now is the Time
Auchter grew up on Haida Gwaii in British Columbia, and frequently features Haida land and stories in his work. He has worked extensively with the NFB, and his films offer an essential record of Indigenous storytelling in Canada. His NFB credits include the animated short The Mountain of SGaana, the feature documentary The Stand, and the short documentary Now Is the Time, which premiered at TIFF and was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award in 2020. He has also directed several episodes of Not Quite Narwhal and has numerous credits as an animator.
Kelly Boutsalis (Mohawk), host
Kelly Boutsalis is a Mohawk freelance journalist from the Six Nations of the Grand River reserve. Currently living in Toronto, she devotes the bulk of her work to highlighting Indigenous stories in film, television, fashion and beyond. Her byline has appeared in The New York Times, Vogue, Toronto Star, and The Walrus. She is also Programmer, International, Canadian features for TIFF.
REEL CANADA’s livestreams are generously supported by funders like the Youth Take Charge Program, who want to hear what your students have to say about the event. Help keep this programme free-of-charge by having each student complete a short, anonymous feedback form right after watching the livestream.
This year, feedback forms are more flexible than ever!
OPTION 1
PDF Student Survey
- Print them out
- Have each student complete a form
- Send them back by scanning and emailing them to feedback@reelcanada.ca
- Or, send them via regular mail to:
REEL CANADA
596 Rhodes Ave.
Toronto, ON
M4J 4X6
Email feedback@reelcanada.ca to be reimbursed for postage.
OPTION 2
Online Student Survey
- Use our new paperless option on Google Forms (please only use this method if every student can access it)
- www.reelcanada.ca/Survey2026
OPTION 3
Paper Student Survey
- Reach out to feedback@reelcanada.ca before November 17 and we will send printed student feedback forms to your school via Canada Post, along with return postage
TEACHER FEEDBACK FORM:
- The teacher form is online only
- You can complete the form here (coming soon), or check your inbox for a pre-filled, personalized feedback form
Please reach out to contactus@reelcanada.ca if you have any questions or concerns!
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to write to contactus@reelcanada.ca
Or give us a call toll-free at 1-888-508-0881 ext. 250