Time frame: two to three weeks

Author: David Butler

Aim:

For students to use Internet resources to gain an understanding of the achievements and sacrifices of Canadians who served in World War II.

Rationale:

The World War II unit is extremely important in any twentieth century Canadian history course.  It represented the first time that Canada conducted a war in its own name and marked a new era in our relationship with both Britain and the world.

In a country frequently plagued by a lack of national identity, we can look back to W.W.II as an experience which bind Canadians together.  Experiences, from the Battle of Britain to the doomed Dieppe Raid to the liberation of the Netherlands provide exciting stories of the honourable deeds done in the name of Canada.  Our participation in this war set the stage for our future actions in U.N. Peacekeeping Missions, another important element to our national pride.  Thus, studying W.W.II helps explain what being Canadian means.

As the number of years since the war grows larger and larger, it is also important that future generations be kept aware of the achievements of their ancestors.  To be a member of a democracy, one must understand the sacrifices that made it possible, and learn that freedom is a privilege that sometimes must be fought for.

Canada's Digital Collections allow students to study these subjects while applying a variety of critical research skills to Internet sources.  Materials which were once completely out-of-reach to the classroom teacher are suddenly available for us all.  We can thus teach history, research skills, critical thinking, and Internet navigation simultaneously.  The result will be a generation of graduates who are better informed about yesterday and better prepared to use the technology of tomorrow.

Expectations

This unit is designed to meet with the standards of the Ontario Curriculum (1999) in terms of both content and skills learned.

Knowledge - Students will be able to:

Communities: Local, National, and Global

1. Canadian Identity
   • produce an evaluation of the contributions to Canadian society by its regional, linguistic, ethnocultural, and religious communities.
   • demonstrate an understanding of how artistic expression reflects the Canadian identity.
2. External Forces Shaping Canada's Policies
   • evaluate the influence of Great Britain and Europe on Canadian Policies from 1900 to the present
3. Canada's Participation in War, Peace, and Security
   • explain how Canada became involved in World War I and World War II, after researching the causes of the two wars
   • demonstrate a knowledge of Canada's military contributions to World War II
   • describe how Canadians of various ethnocultural backgrounds, individually and as communities, contributed to the war effort during World War II

Change and Continuity

1. Canada's International Status and Foreign Policy
   • summarize the early evolution of Canadian political autonomy from Great Britain for the period from World War I to the present.

Skills - Students will be able to:

Methods of Historical Inquiry

1. Investigating Historical Topics and Issues
   • use terms related to historical organization and inquiry correctly (chronology, cause and effect)
   • formulate a thesis statement and effectively use it to research an historical topic
2. Researching, Recording, and Organizing Information
   • use historic sites and government resources to gather information on Canadian history
   • use computer-stored information and the Internet effectively to research Canadian history topics
   • record and organize information effectively using notes, lists, timelines, charts and maps.
   • use computer-based systems effectively to organize information for research and report preparation.
3. Analysing and Evaluating Information
   • identify different viewpoints explicit biases when evaluating information
   • use relevant and adequate supporting evidence to draw conclusions.
4. Communicating Research Results and Applying Insights
   • make reasoned generalizations or appropriate predictions based on research.
   • demonstrate competence in research and writing (e.g. gathering information, building an argument, supporting the argument with evidence, writing clearly, editing).
   • express ideas and arguments in a coherent manner during discussions and debates
   • demonstrate, after participating in dramatizations of historical events, insights into historical figures' situations and decisions.