Historica Canada Education Portal

This lesson is based on viewing the Nell Shipman biography from The Canadians series. Shipman was a silent screen legend who is credited with performing her own stunts, filming the first nude scene, and being a devoted animal rights activist.

Students will explore the life and accomplishments of Shipman, paying particular attention to her concern for animal rights.

Filmmaking as we know it today began little more than a century ago with the birth of silent screen...

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.