Day: January 27, 2022

Hello Everyone,

In class, we created a timeline on the board of many events that brought people to Canada, going back to 14,000 – 75,000 years ago when First Peoples first came into Canada via Beringia or the ice filled Bering Strait.

We asked the big question, “How did we get here?” To answer that, we discussed the many reasons people were drawn to Canada, such as searching for passage to other lands, seeking new resources and land, the fur trade, escaping war, creating the railway, the gold rush, and seeking new opportunities.

It is a complicated history! Even though Canada is a young country, we have a longer history of how we came to be here that ties in with our unit discussions about people’s need to explore. It also tells us a lot about the Canadian identity, as we have many groups of people who have come to Canada and contribute their cultures to the country we live in.

First, here are some more videos to explore, some of which we will watch in class:

YouTube TedEd What Does It Mean to be a Refugee?

YouTube The European Refugee Crisis from Syrian War

YouTube Cool Map of Early Human Migration

International Organization for World Migration Migration Interactive Map

YouTube History of Immigration to Canada

YouTube 2016 Census History of Immigration Facts

YouTube Great Review of Push Pull Factors for Immigration

YouTube PowToon Review of Types of Immigration

YouTube Curriculum Canada Fur Trade in Canada

Next, let’s each take on one character from Canada’s story, do more research, and then present a monologue to the class as that character!

1.  Pick an individual from Canadian history that we have discussed and get it approved by Ms. D. We each want to do someone different. You don’t have to have a famous person, you could create a person from a specific time period — a Chinese immigrant who is working on the railway in Canada, a person who came over for the fur trade, a farmer coming for new lands, etc.
2.  Do research on that individual, so you know what their story would be. What is the time period you live in? Who are you and where did you come from? What was the journey to Canada like? What were the challenges on the journey? What were the challenges when you arrived? What happened when you got here? Tell us some details that give us information about the push and pull factors of why the person is in Canada.
3.  Write a short script of one minute. Write the script in the first person as if you are the person yourself. Use I statements! Pretend you are in that time period, not telling us a speech about a historical figure. Tell us a story of how you came to Canada. Put the script on cue cards, practice it a lot, almost memorize the script so you can do more acting than reading. You will be presenting it as if you were that character! We will talk more about whether we do this in front of the whole class, or do it as a museum of characters, so it is less nerve wracking!  🙂
4.  Create a costume! You will need something to wear and some props to represent the story you are telling!
5.  Ms. D Help: There are books in the classroom to help with research, and as I know which characters we are interested in, I will post links on this blog entry to help if we need them. Please ask after you have taken time to find some info of your own.

Criteria:

• Your presentation is one minute long and is written in the first person.
• Your presentation contains solid evidence of having researched the time period or individual you are representing. We learn some facts about when this person was alive, what their challenges were, and how push/pull factors were involved in their immigration story.
• You made an effort to memorize your script and have it written on cue cards to help you.
• You have a costume and at least one prop to help tell your story.
• You are able to use volume, enunciation, pace, and expression so your audience is interested in your story and can understand you clearly.

Due Date:  Presentations will be made no later than February 24th.

Hello,

During our unit “The Way We Move” we are studying the concepts of EXPLORATION and IDENTITY. To do this, we are discussing the reasons people immigrate to other countries and/or become displaced from their countries to become a refugee.

Each student has chosen a book to read over the next 2-3 weeks which will help with the discussion. Our goal is to show a deeper understanding of our unit topics, and to practice and to show evidence of deeper, reading comprehension skills.

As we read, we are trying to help answer questions from our unit:

• What are the reasons people move from place to place? (push/pull factors)
• How does your identity move with you when you leave home?  (core competency of positive personal and cultural identity)
• What are the challenges of leaving one’s home?
• How do we adjust to a new culture?

Students have made themselves a schedule for reading, dividing the pages up into sections so they read a smaller section each day in class. The books cannot go home. Some students are away for a longer absence, and they are reading a book on EPIC and can do the activities listed here at home. Books need to be finished by Friday, February 11th.

Tasks while reading include:  (Students will need to show me these things in their journals when reading is complete.)

• Each day, record in your journal on the Literature Study Pages new vocabulary you find and look up the meanings of the words using an iPad or dictionary.
• As you read, determine what is unique about this story in terms of time, place, and culture. Find out more information about each and record it in your journal on your Literature Study Pages. For example, if you are reading a book about Egypt, research Egypt by looking up a map and finding out more about the country. If you are reading a story about Jewish and Muslim peoples, then find out more about their religious beliefs and their culture. If you are reading something about a specific war, then find out more about the war, such as when, where, and why it happened, and who was involved.
• If you have something in the book you don’t understand, ASK. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about new ideas or cultural references in the books that you may not understand. Some ideas in the books may be unfamiliar to you, and that is okay. Please ask for help!

What will we do after reading? Choose a manner to present information about your book from one of these options.

• Create a diorama with a written explanation. You can create a small model in a shoebox to illustrate the plot, setting, and immigration story in the book. Write 3 paragraphs to explain your model. Don’t tell me how you made the model, but tell me why you placed certain things in your diorama. You will need to find a shoebox or something if similar size. I can provide other art materials as needed.
• Create a poster with writing and pictures. The poster will need to include writing and pictures about the plot, setting, and immigration story in the book. It needs to have at least 3 full paragraphs of writing somewhere on the poster. Please get the poster paper from Ms. D.  If you want to type out writing, I can print it for you to put on poster.
• Create a piece of art with a written explanation. Talk to  Ms. D about options such as making a coloured drawing, watercolour painting, or 3D piece of art of your choice the represents the story, the culture presented, and the setting in some way. I will provide watercolour paper or art supplies. Have at least 3 paragraphs of writing to explain your artistic choices and to explain the book.

Criteria For All Choices: (we will reflect in a rubric at the end)

• Writing is well-edited for conventions and proper paragraph format has been followed including indents, introductory sentences, and concluding sentences.
• Writing shows evidence of interesting vocabulary and transition words.
• Both the project and the written explanation show solid evidence of having read the book, noticing details of plot, the culture or history presented, and the places involved.
• The project shows specific evidence of research beyond the book about the culture or place presented in the novel.
• The project focuses on the questions we are trying to answer in the unit in some way.
• The project has a book title and author visible, so others will know which book was read.
• The project shows evidence of planning (making a draft or sketch before starting, for example) and thinking about layout or aesthetics so information is clearly presented.

Approximate Due Date:  February 22nd