September 20

History 30 1.1 Inquiry Study: Would you Love it or List it?

Claiming sovereignty over Canada’s arctic north is an issue of conflict that’s come up recently. Research to learn about elements of the issue, including:

  • What area of the north is included in the dispute of ownership?
  • What other countries are at odds or in competition with Canada for control over this area?
  • Why is this land interest more important recently? Why is it in the news again?
  • What about the area under conflict makes it desirable by Canada and others?
  • What is gained or lost if Canada lost sovereignty over this area?

You have to make an ultimate decision: Love it or List it?

Love it or List it is a Canadian television show where homeowners unhappy with their homes decide if they’ll make over their homes and Love it (keep it) or if they’ll find another home elsewhere (sell/give up their old homes). Should Canada Love and keep their Arctic Northern area or List it and give it up to competing interested parties?
Image result for hgtv love it or list it vancouver

Is it important that Canada spend resources and efforts to maintain control over this arctic region or would it even be noticable if we lost it? Be prepared to defend your position with an informed response.

You’ll each individually either write up your position/defence of your position (2-3 paragraphs) or audio record an explanation and reasoning of your choice (6 minutes).

 

For Learning Activity: demonstrate your best of

  • Understanding the Content (ideas, concepts, interrelationship)
  • Use of Planning skills (gathering and organizing data, evidence, and information for focused research)
  • Use of Processing skills (evaluating data, evidence, formulating conclusions)
  • Communication skills in different forms for different purposes: peers/group for convincing/defending your position

Useful websites: 

 

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September 19

Social 10 Activity: Sorting News Events into Elements of Social Contract

We’ve discussed the Social Contract that exists in a society, the agreed upon rules citizens and leaders accept to help keep the society running smoothly. Four of the essential elements to maintain that balance and structure are:

  1. Freedom: practicing and protecting our freedoms
  2. Order: trying to establish/maintain order in society
  3. Equality: maintaining and fighting to keep equality among groups
  4. Hierarchy:  the levels of responsibility some take on to provide for society

To get a better sense of what each of these provides for society, a list of events are compiled below. Consider each and decide which of the four essential elements of our Social Contract they fall under.

  1. Read the title carefully
  2. Skim the beginning of the article to get a sense of what the news article is informing readers about
  3. Consider your four possible element options
  4. Discuss with your partner(s) – what decision do you come to together?

 

News events/articles – samples of events in society that show evidence of the Freedom, Order, Equality, and Hierarchy that exists in Canada.

  1. Teachers “warned off” from voicing concerns about pond where kindergarten student drowned 1 year ago (says lawyer)
  2. Case of Toronto van attack suspect put over to May
  3. B.C. stock promoter charged with tax evasion
  4. Second Canadian judge suspends (blocks) Quebec’s face covering ban
  5. Loblaw’s tax case goes to appeals court
  6. Animal-rights group PETA’s beef with lobster industry comes to Canada 
  7. Iranian Canadian woman says she’s trapped in her marriage
  8. Coerced-sterilizations a “crisis” that needs a public inquiry
  9. Canada has taken in almost 300 million extra in tariffs on US imports
  10. Trump/Trudeau praise USMCA trade deal saying it will grow the middle class 
  11. Ottawa prepares to squeeze US tech firms over loss of media revenue for Canadian news outlets
  12. October 2020 will shape Canada’s immigration for years to come
  13. Canada’s largest provinces seeking clamp down on social gathering as Corona wave spreads
  14. Army commander orders Canadian troops to call out racism in the ranks
  15. “Blind recruitment” would lead to a more diverse workplace
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September 18

ELA A30 Section A3 Links/Resources

Section A3 begins looking back at the darker parts of Canadian history that may make some proud Canadians uncomfortable to read and learn about. There are some scandals in our past. We have evolved as a nation and learned from past mistakes, but it is important that we face some of those mistakes. This section attempts to explore that process.

 

Before Reading/Viewing:

Activity B Links:

During Reading/Viewing:

    • Viewing Heritage Minutes (pg 4) video embedded

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before Reading the Play (pg 8)

    • Viewing: YouTube video of Canadian Member of Parliament discussing the Komagata Maru in the House of Commons (embedded)

    • Author Sharon Pollack comments on the play (embedded video)
    • Link to read the play “The Komagata Maru Incident” online
    • For Interest Sake (extention): A professional hockey player who won a Stanley Cup in Canada worked for Immigration Canada and saw first hand the condition of the people who were not allowed to leave the boat, in 1914. Read about his perspective in this article.

 

Additional images to consider:

Below is a certificate of a Head Tax paid for entry into Canada. To restrict the number of what was considered undesirable immigrants coming into Canada, prices were established, making entry more difficult.

Source image: Macleans article: The Enduring Legacy of Canada’s Racist Head Tax on Chinese-Canadians The enduring legacy of Canada's racist head tax on Chinese-Canadians - Macleans.ca

For the following chart, you can see the volume and speed of immigration to Canada. Spikes occurred while there was conflict or wars in other countries, like World War I and slowed considerably during other global eras, like The Great Depression in the 30s & 40s.

 

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September 10

History 30 1.1 Geography Sets the Stage

Before you can study and contemplate the history of Canada, you need to fully understand the unique elements of the landmass that makes up our country, to understand what limitations may have existed for decision-makers at the time, or what prompted certain decisions based on utilizing certain resources. Map Canada political-geo.png

And understanding Canada in this specific regional and geographic way is different than understanding the breakdown of Canada by provinces or territories.

Instructions:

  1. We’ve read about a Cross Canada Tour from a humourous perspective.
  2. You took on the Map challenge to try, by memory, to fill in many of the elements of Canada’s make up.Now, do the following.
  3. Read the given handout for Chapter 1: Geography Sets the Stage. 
    1. You can listen along to an audio recording of the chapter here if it helps with your comprehension.
      Open Audio Recording of Chapter Here (Sign into your Sunwest Acc to Access)
    2. As you listen, or after, fill in jot notes on the Summary Handout that goes with it.
    3. Comprehension Questions on Cause and Consequence: Alone or with others, try answering the questions that follow in your handout. How did the geographic realities of Canada’s landmass impact the early development of our country?
  4. Watch the video on Canadian geography (embedded below). If you can add anything to your list of Canadian geography elements you think are noteworthy, do so.
  5. Understanding the seven regions of Canada: Alone or with peers, develop summary notes of the significant pros/cons and resources available in each of the regions. Consider, as well, how the geography of each may have impacted where settlement did and didn’t happen in the early development of Canada.
    1. Landforms PDF – a teacher’s slides online (some differences in title, but informative)
  6. Activity and Personal Response: Canada’s Arctic Sovereignty
    Will you Love it or List it? Swipe Right or Swipe Left?

    Does Canada need to maintain and protect it’s Arctic Region or would it lose anything to let it go to other interested countries? 
    Research the issue and area involved, what other countries are at odds with Canada for control of the area, and find out what Canada benefits or gains by keeping that control.

    You will either record an audio defence of your position or write out your position and submit.

    Article Options to Start With:

    1. Read and discuss the article “The Melting Arctic Heats up the Question of who Governs the Northwest Passage”. Use the guiding questions in your handout to help guide your discussion, if necessary.
    2. Note: You can Rewordify this article – read it with more common word use – if you feel the reading level is too challenging for you. Copy and paste the article contents into the website at this link. 

canada-population

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Video:

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September 10

ELA A30 A2 The Land or the People?

At some point, you feel Canadian. Whether you were born in Canada or immigrated here, you eventually develop a sense of what it feels like to be Canadian. For high school students, it can be challenging if you haven’t experienced other countries or really much of your own country. It can be complicated trying to put your finger on where it came from, your sense of Canadian-ness, but it’s there.

Two well-known Canadians, relevant to contributing to Canadian nationality and culture, both have considered this question and put their finger on different sources.

One feels their sense of nationality has come from their community, their cultural roots from an immigrant source.
The other feels his sense of belonging in Canada is rooted in the land, the harsh northern land he grew up on.

There is a video for each writer below to get a sense of who they are. Each of their messages in these videos is connected to their sense of belonging in Canada.

The David Suzuki Essay Supports:

If you’re curious to learn more about David’s experience of the internment camps as a child you could listen to some of his interview about it, posted below.

 

 

 

 

 

The Pierre Berton Essay Supports:

Click the image below to watch Berton on the Rick Mercer show explaining how to roll a joint.

 

One of the tasks in your Comprehension work is to go through the short Berton essay and remove what is “unnecessary” to the writing. His writing in particular is very descriptive and poetic, despite being in essay form. Remove the “style” from his writing by crossing out the words not needed to simply make his points. An example is provided below:

 

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September 3

A1 Mystery and Suspense – Writing Challenge Samples

What makes a good mystery story? Is it something different than the key elements that make a good regular story?

We reviewed the plot diagram of stories: starts with a problem, rising action, a climax point of tension, the falling action, and a resolution of some time at the end. It always includes a character in a situation they don’t want to be in.

You were challenged to write your own mystery story, but with a catch – you only had 8-9 minutes to do it and were restricted to a max of 10-12 sentences. Now we want to see how everyone did!

These are the stories you each developed.

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