Canadian+Culture

Usha's comments in Blue. **Hibaq Ali**

**__Canadian Culture__** //The Canadian Challenge// is an excellent reference tool for students wishing to explore Canadian culture where forging a national identity is concerned. Each unit of the textbook aims to discuss how historical events throughout the twentieth century has impacted Canadian identity and its place in the global community. Some areas of the text tend to oversimplify and rush through major historical events that have had great implications on Canadian culture. Nonetheless, it stresses points on postwar politics, immigration laws, and multiculturalism which have also had a profound affect on forming the Canadian identity that we know today. While I believe the text does a good job to serve this purpose, it lacks in its portrayal of the development of Canadian arts and culture including music, literature, sports, television etc. However, as I continue with this topic I believe I must further unpack the word “culture” as it has multiple meanings and therefore offers multiple approaches to teaching and understanding the Canadian Culture.

**Sources:** Approved Textbook: Quinlan, Don, Doug Baldwin, Rick Mahoney, and Kevin Reed. //The Canadian Challenge//. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2008. Scholarly Source: Vance, Jonathan. //A History of Canadian Culture.// Michigan: Oxford University Press, 2009.

Thanks for your assessment, Hibaq. Your intuition that you'll have to unpack what "culture" entails is right on the money. It may, in fact, be something you want to challenge students to unpack and assess themselves.

__***NEW* Critical Questions**__

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The 1920s marked an era of both social and political transformations in Canada, which have contributed to the development of a Canadian cultural identity. Which factors and events that occurred in this period have had the greatest impact on the formation of a Canadian identity? Assess both the social and political factors and determine which of them played a greater role in developing Canadian Culture.====== This statement ("Assess both...") is a clearly framed critical challenge. Well done. You may find that all the elements you are thinking of including (below) might be too many for a single lesson but we can always pare it back a bit if necessary. First and for most, students will be working together in groups to establish a common definition of "culture" in regards to the Canadian identity. Before they can think critically about these questions they must have a framework of understanding for what Canadian culture entails. As a class it is important to agree on the definition before they can move forward. As they continue, I expect students to be thinking about political factors such as post-war immigration policies (ie. the Chinese Exclusion Act), the changing role of women ( ie. the Persons Case), Changes in education (ie. the modern High School). I would also like them to consider social culture through fashion, music, movies, media and the American influence on popular culture. Their job will be to determine which of these factors have had the greatest impact on forming the Canadian Culture that they are familiar with today.In answering this question they will be learning how to recognize how things change and the degree to which they may change over time.

**__ Lesson design: __** //** Identify key learning/ big idea/ learning target **// After this lesson, students will have a clearer understanding of what “culture” mean and how it is formed. Through their examination of the 1920’s, they will understand how different factors and historical events can contribute to the creation of a National identity - well framed key learning . I expect them to understand how and why Canadian culture is constantly changing so that they can identity other factors that influence our perception of culture as they move through the course.

//** Frame Critical Challenge **// I will begin the lesson with a Think/Pair/Share activity, by asking students to think about what “culture” they belong to. Students are welcome to base their decision on their own understanding of the word, whether it is based on nationality, religion, subculture etc. I will also ask them to think about some of the things that characterize their culture. They will pair with a partner and share their ideas. I might ask some volunteers to share with the class to make sure that everyone is aware of the variety of responses this question will evoke. The point of the activity is to allow the class to understand how complex the definition of the word actually is. As a group we will think in a national context and try and come up with some common characteristics to frame our understanding of what culture means for Canada. As we work through the lesson they will be ask to identity social changes that may have occurred throughout the 1920’s era that have influenced changes in Canadian culture (i.e. changing role of women, media and pop culture. They will be asked to think about which of these factors and events have had the greatest impact on the formation of a Canadian identity? They will assess these social factors and determine which of them played the greatest role in developing Canadian Culture. Finally, they will a letter to a famous Canadian of the 1920s whom they believe has contributed to this cause and helped create Canadian’s identity. (I.e. write a letter to Emily Murphy expressing how you believe she has influenced the nation.)

Good ideas here, Hibaq. Try to capture the main challenge of the lesson in a single sentence that you'll be able to share with students quickly and clearly at the beginning of the lesson. The rest is scaffolding that you will have in your lesson plan but you should be able to articulate the critical challenge concisely so students know what they are working towards. Your last 2-3 sentences above seem to be the central challenge, I think. Is that right?

//** How will this lesson help students build skills they will need for the summative assessment task for the unit? **// It will allow them to identity some of the significant changes that occurred in the 1920s and understand what some of the long terms effects of these changes were on national identity. Good - is there also any opportunity to support any of the skills that they will need for the final summative task?

 //** What dimension of Historical Thinking will students actively engage in during this lesson? **//  Historical Significance

**__ Intellectual Tools __**

** Background Knowledge **** : ** Students will learn about the causes of social changes which occurred in the 1920s and how they influenced national identity. The curriculum expectations this lesson will meet is “Communities: Local, National and Global” because they will learn about and how social factors within Canada and beyond have played a considerable role in building culture. They will learn about some of the external forces including the influence of American culture in Canadian arts and media.

**Criteria for Judgment: ** <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -0.25in;">**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">1. **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Criteria for culture, students will be examining their definition of “culture” and will be asked to judge what the characteristic of culture is and how it has influenced our perception of a Canadian national identity. Although they need a definition of culture, what they need criteria for is the decision you are ultimately asking them to make. So, for example, if your challenge asks them to decide which factor has the most significant impact, then they will need criteria for significant impact. Try finishing this sentence to see if it helps clarify the criteria they will need: "A factor/event has significant impact if... <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: ArialMT; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -0.25in;">- <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: ArialMT; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -0.25in;">- <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: ArialMT; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -0.25in;">- <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -0.25in;">**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">2. **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Criteria for an effective product, students will have to adopt the identity of a person living in the 1920’s they will learn the criteria for an authentic portrayal in a role-play to write a letter. Similarly, they'll need criteria for an authentic portrayal - so what is that criteria? "A portrayal is authentic when it... -  -  -

**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Habits of Mind: ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">Intellectual Courage: Has the willingness to fairly assess ideas, beliefs, or viewpoints which others have not given serious consideration.

**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Critical Thinking Vocabulary: ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">Reasoned Judgment: A belief of conclusion arrived at through careful thought, reflection and consideration of evidence in light of criteria.