Abstract:

The purpose of this unit is to continue to develop student knowledge and awareness of the elements that constitute Canadian identity. Through historical examination of individuals and groups that gained prominence throughout the twentieth-century students will gain a greater understanding of both the social and political development of Canada, and the evolution of the national identity. This unit is designed for individual students or can be modified for groups of students (For more information, please see Rationale.)

Aim:

The aim of this unit is to develop a better understanding of the significance of individual Canadians throughout the twentieth-century. It is expected that students will achieve the following curriculum objectives.

Rationale:

In attempting to create a unit on Canadian Heroes I found many difficult questions arose concerning definitions, timelines, and themes. How do we, under a historical and philosophical rubric, define a hero, let alone a Canadian hero? Is there an axiom we can apply to these definitions? How do we maintain relevance to the Ontario curriculum and to the students? How do we assess and evaluate progress in this field of study? These questions were not easy to answer and in truth I think I have only scratched the surface.
And then things got difficult.
As a student of History I was forced to ask the traditional 5 W's. Who are possible candidates? What were their contributions? Where do I find the appropriate information? When did they live? Why are they significant? To these questions came more questions and as a result I decided to create an inventory. The development of this process, I hope, is reflected throughout this unit and was the primary inspiration for The Project
My goal was to create a VERY user-friendly, curriculum based unit incorporating the vast resources of Canada's Digital Collections Program. I hope I have succeeded in this endeavor. I have attempted to leave several areas of the lesson planning adaptable to teacher discretion. Items such as Time, Mindmaps, and Socratic dialogue can be easily adjusted to fit your classroom needs. In addition this unit can be modified to allow a group of students to research a Canadian hero. This can be done by simply assigning the project package - Project Worksheets 1-5, Peer Assessment, Peer Suggestion Sheets, project folder - to a group rather than an individual.

In my own attempts to uncover the mysteries locked within the great annals of History, I have often been humbled, and intimidated, by the vast amount of data and research available, particularly now with the advent of the Internet. Indeed, history is a nebulous character and our efforts to understand it can often be frustrated by this greatness. I believe my students have also had this experience. Many times they have expressed similar frustrations stating that because "everything has already been figured out" there are no new arguments to develop and therefore no new or original thesis to be formulated. I often find their logic quite intriguing and have had difficulty refuting their protests. I sympathize, as I too have read books, watched films (I must admit to being an avid film enthusiast), and seen Internet sites that are so informative they seemingly leave no work to be done.

It is when I come to this juncture, when the temptation to watch a movie begins to override my need to study history, that I remember history is just like a film with key players, crucial developments, climatic and anti-climatic scenes, heroes and villains …. It is truly amazing; as we watch this production the more we see how everything in it, every player, every scene, is interconnected through millions of strands of human development and achievement. It is the greatest screenplay ever written. I have often expressed this perception to my classes. As I see it, if my students talked about history with a fraction of the same enthusiasm found in various informal dialogues concerning their favorite movies and TV shows I might have a chance of creating an effective and stimulating educational environment.

This unit is designed to challenge history students by encouraging research and analysis, critical thinking, argument development, and effective communication skills both written and oral. Students will have the opportunity to explore the lives of a wide variety of Canadian heroes whose stories and beliefs are as diverse as the many people who constitute the Canadian Identity.

Another important aspect of this unit involves helping students develop a greater understanding of what it means to be Canadian. Throughout their studies students will learn how individuals contributed to development of modern day Canadian society and, hopefully, find heroes of their own to admire and learn from. Our country has a proud history that should be studied and enjoyed by our students.

Expectations:

Overall Expectations:

Students will:

• recognize the importance of a variety of twentieth- century Canadian ‘heroes’ to both the social and political development of Canada, and to the Canadian Identity.
• examine differing interpretations of the contributions of key individuals.
• come to understand the importance in historical studies of chronology and cause and effect relationships.
• learn to develop and support a thesis.
• learn to conduct research and analysis.
• learn to communicate the results of their inquiries in both written and oral presentations.
• demonstrate an understanding of the elements of Canadian identity.
• demonstrate an understanding, through the study of individuals, of the contributions of various social and political movements to Canadian history during the twentieth-century.
• demonstrate an understanding of how individual Canadians have contributed to the development of Canada and an emerging sense of Canadian identity.

Specific Expectations:

Students will:

• explain how individual immigrants have participated in and contributed to the development of Canada.l
• assess the scientific and technological innovations discovered or created by Canadian scientists and inventors.
• explain how significant individuals contributed to the growing sense of Canadian identity during World War I.
• assess the contributions of selected individuals to the development of Canadian identity since World War I.
• assess the backgrounds, careers, and contributions of twentieth-century Canadian prime-ministers, in both formal and anecdotal reports.