Lindsay Hall’s Governor General’s award-winning World War II summative assignment for CHC2P, Canadian History Since World War I, Grade 10 applied

Historical Sources for the 21st Century: Significant Canadian World War II Battles and Contributions

Background Information

In this section of the World War II unit, students have the opportunity to hone their skills in source evaluation and experience using alternative historical sources, such as video games, films, comics, etc. They also gain knowledge and understanding of the significant Canadian battles/contributions in World War II.

Throughout the previous units studied in the course, students have practised the “say something” reading strategy, which has been modified to become a research strategy for this course. This strategy encourages students to show their thinking while compiling research. So often when conducting research, students simply record quotations excerpted from sources but do not comment on, connect or question the material they have gathered. “Say something” provides support for those students who do not naturally perform these tasks while reading.

To contextualize, when this portion of the World War II unit begins, the students will have already studied the causes of World War II, the rise of Hitler, the declaration of war and Canada’s preparations. The remainder of the unit (not included in this package) further examines the home front, the role of women in World War II and the Holocaust.

Ontario Ministry of Education Learning Objectives

A. Evaluate Canada’s participation in war and contributions to peacekeeping and security.

• Describe some of the contributions Canada and Canadians made to the war effort overseas during World War I and World War II.

B. Formulate questions on topics and issues in the history of Canada since 1914 and use appropriate methods of historical research to locate, gather, evaluate and organize relevant information from a variety of sources.

• Gather information on Canadian history and current events from a variety of sources.
• Evaluate the credibility of sources and information. Organize and record information gathered through research.

C. Communicate the results of historical inquiries using appropriate terms and concepts and a variety of forms of communication.

• Express ideas, arguments and conclusions as appropriate for the audience and purpose, using a variety of oral, written and visual forms.
• Use an accepted form of documentation.

Recommended Time Frame

The formative section of this project requires six (75 minute) periods:

• significant Canadian Battles in World War II
• the Battle of Britain
• the Battle of Ortona
• D-Day Stations
• D-Day Stations (continued)
• the liberation of the Netherlands.

The summative task requires five (75-minute) periods:

• introduction/planning/research
• research (continued)
• final product creation
• final product creation (continued)
• gallery tour and peer assessment.

Formative Period 1

Introduce to students the summative evaluation Historical Sources in the 21st Century: Significant Canadian World War II Battles and Contributions. Allow students an opportunity to consider their options prior to making decisions in terms of role, format and topic selection.

Students will participate in an expert group activity focused on Significant Battles in World War II (see Appendix A and Appendix B). Each expert group will gather information about a different significant Canadian battle from World War II (Canadians in Hong Kong, the Dieppe Raid, Canadians at sea, Canadians in the air, the Italian Campaign). Using their textbook (Spotlight Canada, see Appendix K), each group will summarize the Canadian involvement in their assigned battle.

Once they have completed the expert group portion of the task, students will be rearranged into jigsaw groups consisting of one member from each expert group. They will share their findings with their classmates and record the other groups’ summaries.

Formative Period 2

Students will view a newsreel related to the Battle of Britain (found on YouTube). The class will review the importance of historical film footage. Pose the following questions:

• How does seeing the air raids help us to better understand the experiences of the British people in World War II?
• Is newsreel footage more reliable than a feature film? Why?

Using information from the film and from their textbook, students will improve The Battle of Britain Comic Life exemplar (Appendix C). Students will attach sticky notes to the exemplar with additional information, making it more effective as a historical source. They will be asked to look for the 5Ws + H and add any missing information, including the role of Canadians in the battle. Students will compare their improved comics, and the class will discuss the information the comic was missing and how they chose to make it more effective.

Formative Period 3

Students will view a slide show on the Battle of Ortona. After viewing, discuss the significance of this battle in relation to Canada’s contribution to World War II.

In order to practise the “say something”strategy, students will complete the Reading for Meaning: The Battle of Ortonaassignment (Appendix D). They will be assessed on their ability to show their thinking while reading.

Formative Periods 4 and 5

Set up stations prior to students arriving. Provide students with the D-Day Stations package (Appendix E). As a class, view the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan. Students will complete the associated tasks and debrief the scene before breaking into stations.

Station 1: Television, PlayStation 2, copy of the game Medal of Honor: Frontline
Station 2: Copy of the book Canadians at War, 1939–1945 (Appendix K)
Station 3: Copy of the book The D-Day Experience (Appendix K)
Station 4: Computers, copy of the DVD Secrets of the Dead: D-Day (found at www.shoppbs.org è History è War & Military è Secrets of the Dead: D-Day
(http://www.shoppbs.org/product/index.jsp?productId=1799547&cp=2883345)

Form four groups. Each group will spend approximately 15 minutes at each station. Stations are designed to take approximately the same amount of time.

After the associated tasks have been completed at each station, students will evaluate the source using the CHC2P Source Evaluation Template (Appendix K). At the end of the second period, students will complete the D-Day Reflection chart (Appendix F) to check for understanding.

Formative Period 6

Students will examine two photographs of the liberation of the Netherlands (Appendix G) and use the “say something” strategy to critically examine the sources provided.

Form groups of four. Each member of the group will be assigned a specific task based on the colour coded“say something” prompt card on her or his desk.

Students are instructed to carefully examine the photos located on the chart paper at their station. Each member must use one prompt from their “say something” prompt card to ask a question, make a comment, prediction or connection to do with the photos. Using the assigned colour (blue, red, yellow or orange), students will circle the area of the picture their question, comment, prediction or connection relates to. They will then draw a line out to the margin around the image and write their question, comment, prediction or connection in the margin.

When directed, students will rotate positions, leaving the “say something” prompt card and the associated marker on the desk. Each member will now become responsible for a new set of prompts and must record a different question, comment, prediction or connection in the margin surrounding the pictures. This process will be repeated until all members have made use of all of the “say something” prompt cards.

As a group, students will now read a selection from their textbook focusing on the liberation of the Netherlands. The group is now required to review all questions asked about the pictures. Using the green “clarify something” card provided, along with the green marker, the group will attempt to clarify or answer all of the questions posed.

The class will now view a short video that further examines the liberation of the Netherlands (Canada Remembers Holland, Appendix K) and the unique bond this event created between Canadians and the Dutch. Students will complete the Before Viewing section on the Canada Remembers Holland Comprehension Constructor (Appendix H).

Discuss the Before Viewing responses.

Remind students that they are required to complete the During Viewing section while the film is being viewed. Finally, after the film has ended, they will complete the After Viewing section on the Comprehension Constructor (Appendix H). Discuss responses.

Summative Periods 1 and 2

Students will require access to computers and other sources related to Canada’s role in World War II.

Review the expectations of the assignment, including the rationale. Students will select a Role, Format and Topic from the RAFT chart. If a student is interested in researching a Canadian battle or contribution not listed, he or she may, with permission, explore an alternate topic.

Students will use the Research Notes Template (Appendix I) provided to record their research and the “say something” strategy to show their thinking. They will be evaluated on their ability to process the information gathered through research and their ability to use critical and creative thought. Typically, a minimum of one period will be dedicated to research. As previously mentioned, students already have background knowledge of the topics offered.

Students will be expected to record the sources they use during the research process on the Bibliography Templateprovided (Appendix J). They are required to submit a bibliography in Chicago Manual of Style format with their final product. A minimum of three sources must be consulted.

All images taken from electronic sources must also be cited. Students will record bibliographic information for each image used on the Image Bibliography Template provided (Appendix J).

Summative Periods 3 and 4

Students will require access to computers with a variety of media-related programs, such as Comic Life, Windows Movie Maker, Adobe Flash and WordPerfect.

Based on the information gathered through the research process, students will create a final product. They have the option of using Comic Life to create the visual portion of their final product. Some students have utilized other programs, such as Windows Movie Maker, Adobe Flash, etc. Students are expected to use a word processor to complete the written portion of their assignment.

Throughout this course, students have developed their ability to summarize and synthesize information gathered through research – a necessary skill for students of history. While this is a creative assignment, the final product is expected to be a usable source for future classes; therefore, it is mandatory that certain information be conveyed in the final product. That information includes the following:

• Who was involved (nations, specific regiments, significant individuals)?
• What happened?
• Where did the battle/contribution take place?
• When did the battle/contribution occur?
• Why does the battle/contribution matter to Canadians?
• How did this battle/contribution impact the war overall?

Summative Period 5

Following the completion of the assignment, students will have an opportunity to share their work with their classmates using a gallery-tour format. Students will travel around the classroom in small groups, exploring and experiencing their classmates’ Historical Sources for the 21st Century. This strategy not only provides an opportunity to showcase student work, it also supports those students who are intimidated by large-group presentations. Additionally, the gallery tour acts as an opportunity for students to review the significant Canadian World War II battles and contributions, further reinforcing the enduring understandings of the unit.

Students will select one source created by a classmate and complete a peer assessment, explaining why it is a reliable, usable and effective example of a Historical Source for the 21st Century. (Students have previously used these criteria to evaluate sources.) The peer assessment will be used to provide feedback to the students regarding their success in appealing to their specified audience.

Evaluation

Students will be evaluated based on the following rubric.

Comments:

 

Course Description

Canadian History Since World War I is the only required history credit for Ontario secondary school students. This course covers the period from 1914, at the onset of the Great War, to the present. The material included in this package has been designed for students at the applied level of study.

As defined by the Ontario Ministry of Education:

Applied courses focus on the essential concepts of a subject and develop students’ knowledge and skills through practical applications and concrete examples. Familiar situations are used to illustrate ideas, and students are given more opportunities to experience hands-on applications of the concepts and theories they study.

Skill and content are equally important when teaching at the applied level. Each lesson, concept and unit is structured around building enduring and transferable skills. Throughout this course, students learn the content while honing their skills in the following areas:

• making connections between the past and the present
• formulating questions
• locating, summarizing and evaluating information
• developing informed opinions
• communicating through written, visual and oral forms.

Our department has structured this course around the idea of defining moments in Canadian history. Students are asked to consider what moments have made Canada the nation it is today. We begin the course by exploring our personal defining moments in order to familiarize students with the concept. By making connections to their own life, students begin the course already engaged in the process of discovery.

Additionally, we spend time at the beginning of the course expanding our definition of history. So often, students believe that history is only concerned with war, government and economics. At various points throughout the course, students have the opportunity to study topics that go far beyond their initial, limited definition. Students activate their prior knowledge by brainstorming and mind mapping examples of historical moments or individuals that fit our new definition of history, which includes not only politics, economics and conflict but also arts and entertainment, religion, science and technology, sports and under-represented groups such as women and racial/ethnic/religious minorities.

The content is generally studied in a chronological fashion, however, some thematic units are also embedded in the course.

Unit 1: What is history? – introduction to defining moments
Unit 2: The Great War
Unit 3: The interwar period – boom and bust
Unit 4: World War II and the Holocaust
Unit 5: The postwar period and the Cold War
Unit 6: French-English relations
Unit 7: Canadian-American relations

Students are challenged to make links and connections between each of the units and identify those moments in Canadian history that caused fundamental change. This course is challenging, engaging and necessary. Students arrive with very little prior knowledge of the significant events in 20th-century Canadian history. In a few short months, they are able to map the evolution of our nation from its infancy.

This course allows students to engage in meaningful debates and ask important questions, such as “Why is there still tension between English- and French-speaking Canadians?” or “How much influence does America really hold over Canada?”

By exploring our historical past, students develop empathy for those who came before and those who have had different experiences. They learn to imagine life in another time or place. Most importantly, this course provides an opportunity for students to develop a love of and passion for history as a discipline.

Through investigation and critical analysis, students are offered a new look at the Canadian experience. Through the lens of a historian, they see our nation and the discipline in a new light.