Canadian History 1201 Lesson Plans
LESSON 1: Charter of Rights and Freedoms
Time Frame:
Two 56-minute periods
Specific Curriculum Outcome:
- 6.3.2 The student will be expected to outline the major elements of the Canadian Constitution Act and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982)
Lesson Objective:
To develop an understanding of the importance for women of Section 28 of the Charter.
Skills and Processes:
In this lesson students will:
- View to locate information
- Read to understand an issue
- Draw conclusions through debate
Historical Question:
What was the significance of Section 28 of the Charter to women?
Overview:
The Charter of Rights and Freedoms is a document of great importance in Canada. Section 28 of the Charter is important to women as it guarantees the rights in the charter equally to men and women. Students will learn the strategies women used to keep Section 28 in the Charter.
Activity 1
Students will locate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms online and will read the clauses in the Charter. Students may do this in groups with various sections being assigned to a particular group. They will take particular note of Section 28 for this exercise. Alternatively teachers may provide a copy of the Charter for students to read. (This can be found at http://www.pch.gc.ca/progs/pdp-hrp/canada/guide/index_e.cfm)
Activity 2
Students will visit the Let’s Teach About Women website to read articles, documents, interviews, etc. that present the importance of Section 28 of the Charter to women. They will learn the strategies women used to ensure Section 28 was included in the Charter.
LESSON 2: Charter of Rights and Freedoms (cont’d)
Activity 3
Students will conduct a debate using the title “Section 28 should be included in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms”. The following may be used as a model for the debate.
- Two teams of two or three persons each.
- Team A is the affirmative and Team B is the negative.
- Speakers are given a set amount of time to speak. This time limit is checked by a timekeeper who will tell each speaker when he/she is about to run out of time (eg. 30 seconds left).
- First speaker of each team introduces the topic from that team’s perspective.
- Speaker 2 (and 3) give facts and examples to support their team’s perspective
- Speakers alternate Team A, Team B, Team A, Team B. etc.
- Speakers have an opportunity to rebut (argue against) the opposite team’s presentation.
- Team leaders (First speakers) have an opportunity to make a strong conclusion.
- Judges (maybe the rest of the class) decide who wins the debate.
LESSON 3: Bill C-31
Time Frame:
Two 56-minute periods
Specific Curriculum Outcome:
- The student will be expected to explain the significance of the Supreme Court rulings regarding Aboriginal Rights:
- Aboriginal women’s rights (Bill C-31, 1985)
Lesson Objective:
To develop an understanding of the importance of Bill C-31 to Aboriginal women.
Skills and Processes:
In this lesson students will:
- View to locate information
- Read to understand an issue
- Draw conclusions
- Write an editorial
Historical Question:
Why was Bill C-31 so important to Aboriginal women?
Overview:
The Indian Act is federal legislation that dates back to 1876. This Act says how Reserves and Bands can operate and it defines who is and who is not recognized as an “Indian”. On June 28, 1985, Parliament passed Bill C-31. This Bill amended the Indian Act ending many of the discriminatory provisions of the Act.
Activity 1
Students can use the link http://www.abo-peoples.org/programs/C-31/c-31-1.html to learn about the basic clauses of the Indian Act and to learn about the clauses of Bill C-31. Alternatively, students may have access to other sites that may give them the same information.
Activity 2
Students will visit the Let’s Teach About Women website to read interviews of Aboriginal Women in Newfoundland and Labrador to see what life was life for them in the 70s and 80s. These can be found in the Other Important Women section of the site. Some examples are the interviews with Jessie Ford, Edwina Wetzel, Francis Williams, and Elisabeth Penashue.
LESSON 4: Bill C-31 (con’t)
Activity 3
Students will write a lifestyle article for a local newspaper that outlines the value of Bill C-31 for Aboriginal women. Some points that might be included are: a) a woman’s right or lack of right in a particular area before Bill C-31; b) how the Bill changed a woman’s life; c) personal quotes to support the point of view; d) comparison to a young girl growing up in an Aboriginal community today and what she can expect as her rights in society.