Historica Canada Education Portal

This activity is based on exploring the role of Camp X during the Second World War. Camp X was a secret spy training school located on the Whitby-Oshawa border in Ontario. The camp trained hundreds of allied secret agents for working behind enemy lines.

Based on Howard Gardner's theories on multiple intelligences, this activity gives students a choice on how they wish to present the information they have researched, and also to showcase their particular intelligence.

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Canada participated in many battles during the Second World War. Some are well known and detailed in the majority of our history textbooks—Dieppe, Juno, Ortona are well documented as battles of some importance for various reasons. Other battles are lesser known and studied. One such battle was code named Operation Windsor and its objective was to gain control of the area of Carpiquet. This battle is not well known by Canadians. It was a challenging fight. Many consider it a failure....

This is a culminating activity which will be done after teaching the Canadian History unit. Use this activity to have students research additional biographical information on an important Canadian historical figure. Students will be given time to use the library and computer lab to research and develop their multimedia presentation. Through this research, the students will learn the contributions their historical figure made to Canada.

Students will develop and demonstrate the...

This lesson is based on viewing the Anna Leonowens biography from The Canadians series. It focuses on the facts behind the mystique of Leonowens, whose adventures in Siam (now Thailand) in the late nineteenth century have inspired several films and musicals.

Students will study the remarkable life of Anna Leonowens within the larger context of women's history, and "East-West" relations, while also considering the reliability of biographies as sources of historical record.

This activity will help students become more aware of the terms Shell Shock, Battle Exhaustion, and PTSD.

The stress that comes from soldiers fighting under the conditions they faced was extremely difficult to deal with. This lesson outlines the development of the concept of battle exhaustion, from the initial understanding of shell shock during the Great War to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in our current Canadian missions.

To develop the students' understanding of the...

This lesson is based on viewing the Angus Walters biography from The Canadians series. Walters built and raced the Bluenose schooner. Racing and preserving the Bluenose became a lifelong passion for Walters, and its image is one of Canada's enduring symbols.

Students will study the life and leadership of Angus Walters, as well as learning about the historical context and importance of the Bluenose. Students will also achieve a greater understanding of the issues involved with...

The student will create a document demonstrating empathy with the experiences of immigrants to Canada.

Time Allowance: 3 hours

Procedures:

Activity: An Immigrant’s Letter Home

Outcome
The student will create a document demonstrating empathy with the experiences of immigrants to Canada.

Content
Immigrants underwent a variety of experiences as they adjusted to life in a new land. Many would never return to their countries of origin, and their only contact with family was through...

This lesson is based on viewing the Bill Miner biography from The Canadians series. It explores the life and legend of this American train robber. Among his many heists, Miner robbed a CPR train and was sentenced to life in prison, although he managed to escape and eventually died in a Georgia jail at the age of 69.

Bill Miner's life spanned the late 1800s and the turn of the century. Students will use Miner's life as a way to explore the significant social, environmental,...

This lesson is based on viewing the Bobbie Rosenfeld biography from The Canadians series. Rosenfeld won several medals at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics, the first time women were permitted to compete in track and field events. The lesson explores Rosenfeld's career and the level of acceptance for female athletes in the 1920's.

In a variety of creative activities, students will assess and evaluate Rosenfeld's accomplishments while considering both the historic and comtemporary role...

This lesson is based on viewing the Bob Edwards biography from The Canadians series. Edwards was an outspoken newspaperman at the beginning of the twentieth century.

Studying the life and career of Edwards will provide students with the opportunity to explore a variety of historical and contemporary themes including: political commentary, corporate responsibility, prohibition, and the "Wild West."

Bob Edwards was a man of paradox who made his mark exposing hypocrisy....

This lesson is based on viewing the Alfred C. Fuller biography from The Canadians series. Alfred Fuller (1885-1973) was a turn of the century entrepreneur. He was the eleventh of twelve children on a Nova Scotia farm and later became the founder of the internationally successful, multi-million dollar Fuller Brush Empire.

An examination of Fuller's life provides students with the opportunity to discuss what they think accounted for his success. Students can also be introduced to...

This lesson is based on viewing the Alexander Mackenzie biography from The Canadians series. Mackenzie was the first white man to reach the Pacific Ocean by travelling over land and he was the first fur trader to be knighted for his accomplishments.

Students will study Mackenzie's accomplishments and consider his contributions to Canadian history, while exploring the relationship between his explorations and the First Nations people he relied on for his survival and guidance.

In 1660, Dollard des Ormeaux died in a battle with the Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) while attempting to avert an Iroquois siege of Ville Marie (now Montréal). His importance to French Canadians has been a subject of longstanding debate.

Activities will engage students in a discovery of the history of New France in the 1660s. Students will also consider how varying political and societal conditions have influenced the interpretations of Adam Dollard des Ormeaux's actions and...

This lesson is based on viewing the Agnes Macphail biography from The Canadians series. In 1921, Agnes Macphail became the first woman Member of Parliament elected to the Canadian House of Commons. In the 19 years that she served in office, she fought for prison reform, disarmament, and equal pay for equal work for women. She was a major character in the changing role of women, and the advancement of women in politics.

In a variety of role-playing and writing activities,...

Students will use primary source evidence in order to take on historical perspectives related to women in war. This lesson is intended to be an activating experience for a unit on the Second World War. The lesson procedure assumes that students have prior experience using primary source evidence (e.g., know how to read and interpret documents) and an understanding of the six historical concepts, in particular the ability to take historical perspectives.

1. To engage in an...