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What Would They Have Said? A Role Playing and Interview Activity

An activity for use with the Canada in the Making site

Teacher Guide

This activity will give students the opportunity to study Canadian constitutional documents and historical figures. Students will play an historical figure in an interview. They will be required to answer questions about the events and documents in which they played a role.

Subject/Grade Level
Social Studies/History; Ages 14 and up

Overview

This is a group project in which students work on understanding different perspectives on the events surrounding various events and documents in Canadian constitutional history. The main portion of the activity should take two to four hour-long sessions online.

Note that the sources used in ECO can be printed from the browser and then photocopied.

Outcomes (WCP, APEF); Expectations (ON); Objectives (QC)
Table of Curricular Relevance by Course and Province
Alberta
British Columbia and Yukon Territory
Manitoba
Ontario
Québec
Saskatchewan
APEF
WCP

Materials/Resources Required
Computers with Internet access.
Materials for a presentation:

• Traditional print materials (card, paper, markers) or
  

• Multimedia tools (PowerPoint, overheads)
  

Student Work Sheet
Suggested Rubric
Extension Work Sheet

Links
Early Canadiana Online: Canada in The Making
URL: http://www.canadiana.org/citm/
Other links can be found in the Student Work Sheets.

Previous Knowledge
Students will need

• An understanding of Web navigation symbols, tools and terminology, particularly the tools used in ECO.
  

• Familiarity with research and interview skills.
  

• An understanding of the events leading to the 1837 and 1838 rebellions.

Lesson Opener

Ask about contentious constitutional issues facing Canadians today. Some examples include:

• Division of federal and provincial powers
  

• Québec's right to separate unilaterally
  

• Individual rights vs. collective rights
  

Ask about different viewpoints on these issues. Are there any historical or cultural roots to these views? Do students understand where their own attitudes come from?

Procedure

Step 1
Hand out Student Work Sheets and introduce students to the ECO Canada In the Making Web site. Read the assignment and discuss.

Step 2
Assign pairs/groups. Each group is to research one significant constitutional document and the events and people surrounding it.

Step 3
One person in the pair/group is to act as the interviewer and he or she must develop meaningful questions about the issues surrounding the historical document. The other student(s) are to act as a real or fictional historical figure and must research the life of the individual in order to represent that person's viewpoint and personality well. In groups, students may represent different historical views/personalities (eg.: William Lyon Mackenzie and Lieutenant Governor Sir Francis Bond Head).

Step 4
When research has been completed, students should practice their interviews. You may choose to pre-record the interviews for presentation to the class. Recordings may also be reviewed for self-assessment purposes. Students may be invited to develop a rubric and participate in evaluation.

Summary

Discuss: Which of the groups and individuals above achieved their goals, and to what extent? Who was the short and long-term "winner"?

Evaluation

See the rubric.

Homework/Extension

Prepare materials for a timeline of documents. Students can summarize their document, comment on key figures, and note the points of contention for each document. See the extension worksheet for details.