Critical Thinking Activities

All grades (There are a few suggestions on how to use the site for critical thinking activities)

ACQUIRE KNOWLEDGE

Contribution ( Railway: Miss Ella Emma Dunn box)

Settlement (People of Southern Alberta: why certain groups came to Lethbridge)

Adapt to environment ( Irrigation: the four types of irrigation)

China ( People of Southern Alberta: read about what type of jobs Chinese people had in Lethbridge at the turn of the century)

Multiculturalism ( People of Southern Alberta: What type of groups came to settle in early Lethbridge)

INTERPRET INFORMATION

Railway: Read the time line. Choose one time that you feel brought large changes to Lethbridge. Explain why you think this way?

Create your own time line based on the one on the site, using pictures and graphics to make it more interesting.

Coal: Use the primary sources in the site [horse/incline/ railway/natives]

Read the primary source. Was it useful to you? Why do you think it was included in the site? Did you find that you liked reading the information that way or was it more difficult to understand? Why?

Irrigation: Read the box on the four types of irrigation. Which type of irrigation would be the most expensive, take the most man power, be the most effective.

SOLVE PROBLEMS/MAKE DECISIONS

Railway: Examine the chronological events

If you were part of the development of Lethbridge suggest what you would have done differently or if you would have not done anything differently- support answers with 3 reasons. (Will need to use more than this site as a source)

Coal: Pretend you were an early settler and answer the following questions:

What industry {coal or other} would you have gone into? Why?

Would have Lethbridge developed differently because of you?

Would you want to be a famous individual or a nameless person who contributed to a community?

Why- support your reasoning with at least 3 reasons.

Irrigation: Role play that you are a farmer settling in the Lethbridge region.

Create a dialogue between two people that would try to address the following questions: 1. What type of irrigation do we want to use?

2. How can we pay for it? [consider the type of crops you would haven grown]

3. Who will maintain/be in charge of the irrigation system?

COMMUNICATE INFORMATION/COOPERATION

Social and Cultural Advancements: Have the students find one of the items from this section and present how it was use as a type of communicate when Lethbridge was developing?

Have groups then go out to talk to people that are involved in the organization now for example CJOC radio or a theater group at the Yates.

Coal: Create a mini exhibit using the information from the coal site. You could go to the Sir Alexander Galt Museum for advice and assistance. There is exhibits that deal with this there, so could use it for ideas. This would be an excellent group project and then could be put up in a school show case for the rest of the school to enjoy.

People of Southern Alberta: Choose a group from this section. Then have the students create a play that tells the story of the group.

Ask students to consider 1) What was the motivation for the group to immigrate 2)Who came from that group e.g. Males only or families Why those types of people came? 3)What did they find when they got here? 4) How did they help settle Lethbridge and southern Alberta? 5) Is the group still part of this area - yes/or no state why? Could contact Southern Alberta Ethnic Association or Lethbridge Immigration Settlement Association for more information.