Part B Learning Plan
- Investigate the meaning of culture and the origins of Canadian cultural diversity (IN8.1)
- Contemplate the implications of Canadian citizenship on the life of Canadians (PA8.1)
- Develop an understanding of the significance of land on the evolution of Canadian identity. (DR8.1)
- Examine the role of power and authority in the application of diverse decision-making processes in a variety of contexts. (PA8.2)
Teachers may want to consider putting the questions into a “Before, During, After” chart to note the changes in students’ thinking as a result of the inquiries.
Questions to Guide Inquiry
- What influences your decision-making?
- What do you consider when making a decision?
- What causes you to change your mind?
- How important is understanding history to current decision-making?
- What does it take for society to make a change in their decisions?
- How large is your sphere of influence and what can you control?
- What influences on the world does your lifestyle create?
- Is it possible to control the impact of those influences?
- How do you determine fairness?
- Whose perspective should be considered when determining what is fair?
- If opinions are personal perceptions, then is everyone’s opinion right?
- What is the relationship between the natural environment and the development of society?
- Does your environment and where you live/sense of place/relationship affect your personal identity?
- Does your relationship with the environment impact your beliefs and values?
- Are you a user or protector of the environment?
- What responsibilities come with affirming a multicultural society?
- How are multiple perspectives considered in the decision-making process?
- How is common good reflected?
Vocabulary
- Biased/unbiased
- Beliefs
- Culture
- Demographics
- Norms
CONNECT TO TOPIC AND SURFACE STUDENTS’ THINKING ABOUT …
- Students consider the impact of Canada’s multi-cultural policy on personal identity and the implications that affirming multiple cultures in a democratic society brings.
- Students examine the similarities and differences among cultures and how culture is preserved. They examine the policies and procedures in Canada that support multi-culturalism.
- Finally students consider whether Canadian policies are fair and whose perspective is represented.
Does living in a multi-cultural country give you a multi-cultural identity?
Does Canada’s multi-cultural policy make Canadian citizens multi-cultural?
What responsibility does living in a multi-cultural society place on your identity, on your citizenship?
- How does one’s culture impact an individual?
- How important is culture to a person’s identity?
- What impact does culture have on:
- the foods you eat?
- the clothes you wear?
- movies you watch?
- things you believe?
- Who is responsible to preserve culture?
- Is a multicultural society fair for all?
- What are the impacts of many cultures living together?
- Do cultures change? Why or why not?
- What responsibilities come with living in a multi-cultural society?
Pose the questions to students, surface their thinking, and record their ideas for reflection throughout the inquiry. It is important to surface their thinking without judgment. It is in the review and reflection on their thinking that students become aware of how their thinking has changed and what information or new knowledge led to that change.
Culture can also be the learned and accepted behaviour(s) of a group of people living together.
Gain an understanding of the class’s involvement in various groups or organizations and their thoughts on a number of the following items.
Create an inventory of things that students have in common with one another. Look for themes. Have students develop summary statements about the culture of the classroom, identify norms, values, beliefs.
What does the word culture mean to the students? How important is culture to them?
Have students formulate a definition of culture. Use the Frayer model to develop students’ understanding. See appendix.
Identify:
- Institutions – What groups or clubs do students belong to?
- Religion – What religions exist in the class? What spiritual beliefs do students have?
- Responsibilities – What jobs, responsibilities do students have?
- Restrictions – What family rules do students have to follow?
- Use of technology – How do students communicate with one another? e. technology used
- Entertainment
- Music
- Movies
- Books
- Games
- Strategies for recreation and play
- Other?
- Group’s values
- What do they think is important in their lives?
- treatment of others
- importance of giving back to the community
- importance of Education
- other?
- Where did they get the idea that these things are important?
- What do they think is important in their lives?
- Group’s beliefs about particular issues
- e. being a vegan, smoking, clothes they wear
- value of education
- Other?
Students may choose to survey their family members to gain their perspectives on the classroom culture.
Students extend their investigation into the relationship between culture and personal identity by examining the impact of familial heritage and culture.
Things that people share create a common culture.
- What does the culture of the classroom say about the ways in which this group behaves?
Our behaviours tell a story about what we believe.
- What does this class believe?
- How does this group govern itself/get along?
- What expectations/pre-suppositions does it lead to?
- What would their family say about the classroom culture? Support it? Question it?
- How different is this culture from their family culture?
- What impact does their past history/culture have on what they believe?
- What impact does their environment have on their thinking?
Identify the cultures in the classroom, community. Canada is special because it has cultures Indigenous to this country only, so be sure to include First Nations, Inuit, and Métis cultures. Have students choose a particular culture and examine the:
Elements of culture, including:
- Kinship patterns
- How are children perceived?
- What is the relationship to the aged?
- What are the family networks?
- Areas of support?
- Living arrangements?
- Rites of passage?
- Religious/Spiritual patterns
- Tenets/rules of doctrine/religion
- Worship habits
- Place/Importance of religion in daily life
- Education patterns
- methods of passing on, preserving the culture
- who attends school
- who is eligible for higher education
- Recreational, play, and celebratory patterns
- sports, games
- traditions, celebrations
- Artistic patterns
- self-expression in visual art, music, literature, dance, fashion
Prepare summary statements that indicate what the culture of that group says about how that culture might behave, what it believes in/values.
What themes are emerging?
Look for themes – Develop summary statements.
- What are the things in common among the researched cultures? What are the differences?
- What do the behaviours of the cultures tell about what the culture believes?
- How do the cultures impact the behaviours of the students in the class? (Check against the differences list developed with the class cultural profile.)
Connect with resident experts
- Invite guests from the community to visit the class representing their unique culture, language and heritage.
- Invite a First Nation, Métis or Inuit family to your class for a meal. Learn of their customs through a firsthand visit.
- Attend a cultural event of a culture other than yours. Note the similarities and differences between your own culture and that you are visiting
- Create a list of signs of culture that students see in their daily lives. Discuss how these cultural signs make a difference in our communities.
Consider the people in the community who could come into the classroom or agree to be interviewed by students to share their expertise and offer a real-life perspective.
DEVELOPING UNDERSTANDING
How does one’s culture impact an individual?
- How important is culture to a person’s identity?
- What impact does culture have on the choices a person makes?
What role does the language of a culture play?
- How many of the students in the class, speak another language?
- Where did they learn the language?
- How important is it to learn another language?
What are the effects of living in a multi-cultural society on a person’s identity?
- What are the impacts of many cultures living together?
- Do cultures change as a result of contact with one another? Why or why not?
How does Canada’s multi-cultural policy impact the development of Canadian citizens?
- Who is responsible to preserve culture?
- What are the responsibilities that come with affirming a multi-cultural society?
- How are multiple perspectives considered in the decision-making process?
Canada is a country committed to multi-culturalism.
“Canadian multiculturalism is fundamental to our belief that all citizens are equal. Multiculturalism ensures that all citizens can keep their identities, can take pride in their ancestry and have a sense of belonging. Acceptance gives Canadians a feeling of security and self-confidence, making them more open to, and accepting of, diverse cultures. The Canadian experience has shown that multiculturalism encourages racial and ethnic harmony and cross-cultural understanding.”
This text was retrieved from https://web.archive.org/web/20130622051907/http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/multiculturalism/citizenship.asp using the Internet Wayback Archive Machine. This text appeared on the Government of Canada webpage https://web.archive.org/web/20170617150128/http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/multiculturalism/citizenship.asp June 22, 2013. The reproduction of this text has not been produced in affiliation with, or with the endorsement of, the Government of Canada.
- What does this statement mean to students?
- What does it show that Canadians value?
- What does it say that Canadians believe?
- How true do students think this statement is?
- What has Canada done to support diversity of culture?
- What has Canada done to support language?
- What is the relationship between language and the preservation of culture?
- What processes are in place in Canada to ensure that people can maintain their culture?
- What processes are in place in Canada to ensure that cultures can maintain their language?
- How do cultures retain their cultural identity and language in Canada?
- Are all cultures in Canada treated the same?
- Surfacing student initial thinking, posting their thoughts, and then reflecting on thinking to note how thinking has changed and identify what has caused the changes.
- Jig-saw strategy approach: Students, individually or in groups, explore similar questions, present their findings to the group. The teacher helps to note similarities, differences, themes. Students are encouraged to develop summary statements to clarify their thinking and describe new learning.
- Reflect on initial thinking to note how thinking has changed. What is the evidence to support the new learning?
- Describe the purposes of the policies in Canada and Saskatchewan
- What are the results of the policies?
- Who is the Minister in charge of heritage and bilingualism? What are the Minister’s responsibilities?
Develop a class summary statement
- What has been the impact of language and education laws on minority groups in Canada?
Indian Act
- What is the Indian Act?
- Why was it created?
- What are the terms of the Indian Act?
- What changes were made to the Indian Act and why?
Develop a class summary statement
- What have been the effects of the Indian Act on people of Aboriginal ancestry?
- What have been the effects on the Indigenous cultures?
- What have been the effects of the Indian Act on non-indigenous cultures?
Canadian Indigenous Languages
- What are the demographics of Indigenous peoples?
- What is the status of Indigenous languages in Canada?
- What are the linguistic and educational rights of Indigenous people?
- What have Indigenous communities done to preserve and revitalize their languages?
- What are the consequences of the disappearance of cultures and languages?
- Why is the preservation of Indigenous languages important?
French and Francophone Languages
- What is the status of Francophone language in Canada?
- What are the linguistic and educational rights of the Francophone?
- What are the demographics of people who speak French in Saskatchewan? In Canada?
- What have the Francophone done to preserve their language?
Have students reflect again on their initial thinking to the Inquiry questions.
- Does living in a multicultural country give you a multi-cultural identity?
- Does Canada’s multicultural policy make Canadian citizens multicultural?
- What responsibilities does living in a multicultural society place on your identity? On your citizenship?
- What are the issues of importance to Francophone people in Saskatchewan? In Canada?
- Why is the preservation of the French language important?
Develop Class Summary statements
- What are the similarities between the importance and preservation of Indigenous and Francophone languages?
- What are the commonalities and differences in the policies to protect each language?
- What accounts for the differences?
After student groups have presented their findings…
- What processes are in place in Canada to ensure that people can maintain their culture?
- What processes are in place in Canada to ensure that cultures can maintain their language?
- Are all cultures in Canada treated the same?
- What themes are emerging?
- What are the benefits and challenges of Canada’s multicultural policy?
- What is the impact of Canada’s multi-cultural policy on the development of Canadian citizens?
- What improvements would you suggest?
Students are encouraged to use the jig-saw research method to find information on specific points below, compile their findings, and then discuss and compare to examine their thinking on issues raised in the overarching essential questions.
What is the impact of immigration on Canadian multiculturalism?
How has immigration contributed to Canadian cultural diversity?
Using the list of different cultures within the classroom and community as a frame of reference, have students:
Identify reasons why some of the people chose to come to Canada
- economic opportunity
- economic hardship or war in the country of origin
- reunification of family
- escape from religious or political oppression
- other
Chart or graph the results.
Canada’s immigration policy has changed over the years. What are the effects of Canada’s immigration policy on immigration patterns?
- Investigate and identify the changes in Canada’s immigration policy.
- Construct a timeline and map the historical immigration patterns in Western Canada.
- Assess the impact of historic and contemporary immigration patterns.
- Consider whether ancestors of students in the classroom or community members would be admitted to Canada given today’s criteria.
- What themes are emerging?
- What are the similarities and differences?
- Why do students think this is so?
The independence level of the class, will determine how much teacher direction is required to do this.
Attend a citizenship ceremony.
Research the citizenship exam.
- What themes are emerging in each of the students’ research regarding:
- Why people come to Canada
- The impact of those immigrants to Canada
- What would students say is Canada’s view of immigration? Give supporting evidence.
- How would students grade the fairness of Canada’s current immigration policy? What changes would they suggest?
- What might be a different perspective i.e. First Nations and Métis, Immigrant regarding Canada’s immigration policy? Give evidence to support your thinking.
CONNECT TO TOPIC AND SURFACE STUDENTS’ THINKING ABOUT …
How does the environment and the significance of the land impact Canadian identity/Canadian citizenship?
What does the way land is used in Canada say about our beliefs?
How does the natural environment affect the development of society?
- Does your environment and where you live/sense of place affect how your:
- Identity develops?
- Cultural and social behaviours develop?
- Does the environment impact your beliefs and values?
- Are you a user or protector of the environment?
- Are Canadians users or protectors of the environment:
- Nationally?
- Globally?
Have students choose various areas to research according to their interests.
DEVELOPING UNDERSTANDING
Divide class into groups and have each group choose a particular area of study. Each group must find out the information in the questions posed. Encourage students to present information learned in a variety of modes including speaking, writing, drama, multimedia, or other modes so that all students have an entrance point for demonstrating their learning and understanding.
- What evidence is there that the land/environment has impacted the Canadian identity? Have students research the following to find evidence of a connection between the land and:
- literary texts,
- music,
- media presentations,
- visual art and dance,
- sport and recreation.
What are students noticing? What themes are arising?
Have the class develop a summary statement indicating the relationship to the land and the impact on the Canadian identity.
Compare and Contrast Worldviews with Respect to Land
- Analyze the relationship between the:
- traditional Indigenous concepts of land (an animate being; the source of life; relationship of interdependence with the land) and
- contemporary Western European notion of land (a resource to be owned and exploited, land possession connects to status and wealth, resources are used for economic benefit) through the centuries.
- Investigate the impact of land on the identity of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people.
- How are differing worldviews respecting use of land demonstrated? (Find newspaper articles. Use of forestry lands, pipeline development that highlight differences for students)
After presentations have class think about… talk about…
What are students noticing? What themes are arising?
Understanding Canadian land designations
Canada has a number of policies, provincial and federal that identifies how land is to be used. Students will be exploring some of these designations to understand the parameters and implications of the designation.
- Identify rules and restrictions and explain the reasons for such restrictions on various designated lands in Canada
- settlement lands, heritage sites, homesteads
- lands set aside for Indigenous peoples such as reserve lands, Treaty lands
- lands set aside for Métis people through the Scrip program, Scrip lands
- wildlife refuges, parks, crown land
- What do these designations say about Canadian beliefs about the land? How many different belief systems can students identify?
After presentations have class think about… talk about…
What are students noticing? What themes are arising?
Land and the Canadian Economy
Canada uses the land in many different ways to contribute to the economy.
- How does the use of the land in the following industries contribute to the Canadian economy?
- agriculture
- trapping
- hydroelectricity
- fishing
- mining
- forestry
- tourism
- Identify on a map the geographic areas of the industry
- Identify the economic success of the industry
What are students noticing? What themes are arising?
What does the use of the land say about the impact of land on the identity of Canadians?
How does the natural environment affect the development of society?
- Does your environment and where you live/sense of place/relationship affect how your cultural and social behaviours develop?
- Does the environment impact your beliefs and values?
- Are you a user or protector of the environment?
- Are Canadians users or protectors of the environment?
EVIDENCE OF LEARNING
Link to the Essential Questions that you have used and have students indicate how they will demonstrate their understanding of the concepts.
Inquiry
Does living in a multicultural country give you a multi-cultural identity?
Does Canada’s multicultural policy make Canadian citizens multi-cultural?
What responsibilities does living in a multicultural society place on your identity, on your citizenship?
- Revisit the definition of culture created at the beginning of the inquiry. Does the definition still hold true for students? Make changes to the definition and tell why your thinking has changed.
- Is a multicultural society fair for all?
- How important is culture to a person’s identity?
- What are the impacts of many cultures living together?
- Who is responsible to preserve culture?
- Do cultures change? Why or why not?
- Assess the benefits and challenges of Canada’s multicultural policy. Give examples. What changes would you make and why? What is the impact of Canada’s multicultural policy on the development of the Canadian citizen?
- What is the relationship between language and the preservation of culture?
Inquiry
What is the impact of immigration on the development of Canadian culture?
How has immigration contributed to Canadian cultural diversity?
- Are Canada’s multicultural policies effective?
- Is a multicultural society fair for all?
- Are all cultures treated the same?
- What is required for society to change?
Inquiry
How does the environment and the significance of the land impact Canadian identity/ Canadian citizenship?
What does the way land is used in Canada say about our beliefs?
How does the natural environment affect the development of society?
- How does the impact of the natural environment affect the development of society/Canadian society?
- What is the impact of your environment and relationship with the land on your personal beliefs?
- Can your environment affect your beliefs and values?
- Does your environment and where you live/sense of place/relationship affect how your cultural and social behaviours develop?
STUDENT CITIZENSHIP JOURNAL OPPORTUNITIES
Students are keeping a Citizenship Journal to reflect upon their developing views of citizenship. This section provides prompts for student journals. Students are invited to choose one that interests them or propose their own. Students can also respond to any of the essential questions.
Students are encouraged to respond using a variety of genres.
- Our Canadian society is impacted by a multi-cultural society in many ways. Some of the most important impacts are… because…
- Something I have learned about living in a multi-cultural society is…
- My language is important to me because….
- My heritage is with me always. I know this because….
- Multiculturalism has affected me…
- My relationship with/to the environment is…
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