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15 Fatty Legs

Christy Jordan-Fenton
British Columbia
Margaret Pokiak-Fenton
British Columbia / Northwest Territories
Christy Jordan-Fenton,  British Columbia

Christy Jordan-Fenton is the co-author of Fatty Legs, named a 2011 USBBY Outstanding International Book. The memoir is based on the childhood of her mother-in-law, Margaret Pokiak-Fenton. The much anticipated follow-up to this story is A Stranger at Home. Christy lives with her husband, three children, three dogs, a llama and various other animals on a farm near Fort St. John, British Columbia. Read more

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Margaret Pokiak-Fenton,  British Columbia / Northwest Territories

Margaret Pokiak-Fenton spent her early years on Banks Island in the Arctic Ocean. She now lives with her son and his family near Fort St. John, British Columbia. Margaret is well known for her beautifully beaded and adorned Inuit crafts, which she sells in the local farmers’ market. Read more

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Wednesday, October 19, 2011 - 10:00am - 11:30am
Studio 1398
$17 / $8.50 for student groups

As a young Inuit girl in the 1940s, Margaret Pokiak-Fenton spent two years in Catholic residential school in the Arctic, learning to read, learning English, but more importantly learning resilience against the oppression she encountered at the hands of her so-called teachers. Working with her daughter-in-law, Christy Jordan-Fenton, Pokiak-Fenton retells her story in Fatty Legs, named one of the Ten Best Children’s Books of 2010 by the Globe and Mail. Sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes awe-inspiring, Pokiak-Fenton’s courage and curiosity brings the residential experience to life for children who cannot imagine such treatment. Come and meet a brave and inspiring woman who will bring a dark part of Canada’s past to life.

Suitable for grades 3–5

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View the study guide for this event.

Fatty Legs

As a young Inuit girl in the 1940s, Margaret Pokiak-Fenton spent two years in Catholic residential school in the Arctic, learning to read, learning English, but more importantly learning resilience against the oppression she encountered at the hands of her so-called teachers. Working with her daughter-in-law, Christy Jordan-Fenton, Margaret retells her story in Fatty Legs, named one of the Ten Best Children’s Books of 2010 by The Globe and Mail. Sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes awe-inspiring, Margaret’s courage and curiosity brings the residential experience to life for children who cannot imagine such treatment. Come and meet a brave and inspiring woman who will bring a dark part of Canada’s past to life.

Curriculum Connections:

  • Bullying, prejudice, self-esteem, abuse, community, ethics.
  • First Nations Studies and Canadian History.
  • Using literature as a key to understanding oneself, culture and community.

Activities:

  1. Class Discussion to expand opinion building, debating and public speaking skills – 'What is your reaction to the piece?' Students must identify how the story made them feel and why.
  2. Writing Skills/Personal Reflection: Expanding on the theme of literature as a means of processing trauma, as well as introducing the genre of the memoir, students can write a reflection or story about a time when they have triumphed over a difficult situation.
  3. Have students write a letter to Margaret Pokiak-Fenton asking her about her life and telling her about theirs. OR have students write a diary entry from Margaret's point of view, exploring events in her life at residential school and explaining how she felt.
  4. Come together as a group and discuss what students have written and the difficulty of imagining how Margaret felt; encourage students to read out their letters or diary entries.

More Resources:

Fatty Legs lesson plans: http://teachwithpicturebooks.blogspot.com/2011/02/fatty-legs-true-story.html

Approaches to teaching about residential schools: http://www.lspc.ca/pdfs/SEII-ER2-9.pdf\

Teaching resources: http://www.aboriginalcanada.gc.ca/acp/site.nsf/eng/ao31045.html

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