Using Eden Robinson’s novel Monkey Beach as a primary text, the students will explore the issue of lost people that is so resonant in First Peoples communities; beyond the novel, students will have the opportunity to examine other texts such as short stories, poetry, and essays that complement this theme. When studying the novel, the instructional methods will focus on literature circles (small-group, student-centred approach to the novel that allows all students in the class to have a voice) and reader response (writing to learn, not always as a finished, polished draft). When studying the other texts, the instructional methods will be a mixture of large-group and small-group activities that invite student voice for interpretation.