War+in+the+Air+-+War+at+Sea

Usha's comments in Blue.

Your name: J. Graham Lee

**Initial Reading and Assessment of Textbook Treatment of the Topic**
Hundey, I., Magarrey, M., & Pettit, N. (2000). //Canadian History: 1900-2000//. Toronto: Irwin Publishing.
 * Gr. 10 Textbook:**

Hadley, M., & Sarty, R. (1991). //Tin-Pots and Pirate Ships: Canadian Naval Forces and German Sea Raiders, 1880-1918//. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press.
 * More "scholarly" source:**


 * Assessment of the Textbook:**

The text covers both of these topics in fewer than five hundred words (p. 82-83). Before the topics are explicitly discussed, however, some background is provided on the British and German technological advances that changed air and naval warfare during WWI. The Canada specific sections are easy to find, but even there the textbook largely focuses on the changes in warfare brought about by the achievements of the larger countries. For this reason, Canada’s role must be mostly inferred by the reader.

The section on the air force focuses more on colourful personalities than the wider changes to and consequences of Canadian air combat. For example Captain Roy Brown’s shooting down of the “Red Baron” is mentioned, and a photo of Billy Bishop with a brief descriptive caption is included, but there is no analysis of how important Canada’s efforts in aerial combat were. The naval section mentions the increase in the size of the navy, providing some valuable statistics, but is also largely dominated by a discussion of the changes to the British navy. Neither section includes much in the way of analysis or specific descriptions of Canada’s role and how the country’s actions fit into the wider narrative.

Thank you for your comments, Graham. I think you have hit the nail on the head here by wondering about the focus on colourful personalities vs. larger questions about significance.


 * Critical Challenge – Critique/Rework the Piece: **

Much is made of Canadian war heroes like Roy Brown and Billy Bishop, the latter of whom shot down 72 German planes during WWI and received the Victoria Cross. However, their accomplishments would have been impossible without the invention of a timing mechanism for their machine guns that allowed them to fire between the propellers of their planes. Should the engineers who invented this be equally revered?

In groups of 5 come up with a definition of the word “hero.” What distinguishes a hero from the rest of us? Once you have decided on your definition, each of you identify one “hero” from modern society, and explain how he or she fits the group definition. Do Billy Bishop or Roy Brown also fit this definition?

As a group, write out your definition, and the conclusions you reached. Explain in a few sentences what you think these past Canadian heroes meant to people at the time and why there is still such an emphasis on them in history.

This is an excellent idea. It would be more powerful if you tightened it up a bit and identified the overarching question that will drive the lesson (right now you have several subsidiary questions - which is the focus and which are the scaffolding that will help students come to a decision on the overarching question?) I definitely like your focus on whether or not someone should be considered a hero. That could certainly drive this lesson and draw in bigger issues about people behind the scenes, support from the broader populace, etc.

Context: Much is made of Canadian war heroes like Roy Brown and Billy Bishop, the latter of whom shot down 72 German planes during WWI and received the Victoria Cross. However, equal space in the textbook is given to the expansion of the navy, which is presented as more of a collective force, devoid of the heroes identified in the air force sections.
 * New Critical Challenge**

Scaffolding: In groups of 5 come up with a definition of the word “hero.” As a group, write out your criteria. Explain in a few sentences what you think these past Canadian heroes meant to people at the time and why there is still such an emphasis on them in history.

Critical Challenge: You are the editor of a new history textbook, and have to make some important choices about content. Should your textbook focus on the “heroes” of the past or on broader social forces/movements? Are heroes an essential component of teaching history? **[Usha, I’m not sure if this addresses the issues you identified, but it’s my best attempt to focus the challenge. Does it work?] I love it. I think it's very well framed, clearly a critical challenge and you've provided an engaging context. Nicely done. **

//Identify Key Learning/ “Big Idea”/ Learning Target// Students will understand that history is often presented as a narrative that for various reasons focuses on colourful individuals rather than larger forces or organizations. Well framed key learning.
 * Lesson Design – Initial Planning Stages**

//Frame Critical Challenge// Should history textbooks focus on the “heroes” of the past or on broader social forces/movements?

//How will this lesson help students build skills they will need for the summative assessment task for the unit?// Students will learn to define criteria and apply it to important concepts. They will become more adept at challenging assumptions and the way information is presented to them, thus better enabling them to articulate and support their own ideas. Good - you might want to explicitly articulate how it will specifically help with the summative task of the newspaper spread.

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

//Background Knowledge//
 * Intellectual Tools**

Students will need to understand the basic changes that aerial and naval warfare underwent in this period, and how these changes altered the way war was fought. They will also need to understand the specific achievements of Canadian flying aces and the Canadian navy.

Curriculum expectations: - Communities – Local, National, and Global: //Canada’s Participation in War, Peace, and Security// – describe Canada’s and Canadians’ contributions to the war effort overseas during World War I and World War II (p 47) - Citizenship and Heritage: //Individual Canadians and Canadian Identity// – assess the contributions of selected individuals to the development of Canadian identity since 1914 (p 50) - Methods of Historical Inquiry and Communication: //Interpretation and Analysis// – identify different viewpoints and explicit biases when interpreting information for research or when participating in a discussion (p 52)

//Criteria for Judgment// a) Criteria for a hero - Does something exceptional that is beyond the average person (eg. something requiring above average skill or effort) - Has a positive effect  - Is/was widely recognized for this accomplishment  - Is (seen as) influential on a large segment of society  I'm not sure that this is what they need criteria for... you are not asking them whether someone is a hero; you're asking them what the best approach is for a history textbook. Perhaps they need criteria for what would make the best approach - e.g. it is revealing; it accurately reflects the relative importance of different people/events; it excites and engages the reader in the topic...

What do you think?

//Habit of Mind// Independent-minded: Resists the pressures to adopt and espouse opinions merely because they are popular.

//Thinking Strategies// - Defining concepts - Applying criteria

//Critical Thinking Vocabulary// Perspective: A point of view. A way of seeing a situation based on your experience.