Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Unit planning
To:
Emmy Côté
EDES 334
From:
Alexandra Cadillo
McGill University
Course (level): History and Citizenship Education, cycle one, year two
Duration: 7 classes
SUMMARY:
The unit plan is based on understanding freedom through the winning of civil rights and
freedoms by examining the feminist movement. The way this unit is presented is inspired by
the Canadian Encyclopedia’s (2006) time frames of the women’s movements in Canada. The
first movement is classified between 1867-1960, the second between 1960-1985, and the third
from 1985-present (Canadian Encyclopedia: Women’s Movements in Canada, 2006). In
general, the women’s movement in Canada is more appropriately defined “[…] as evolving,
overlapping and multi-focused” (Canadian Encyclopedia: Women’s Movements in Canada,
2006), rather than being characterized by specific dates, however, the chronological time
frames are useful in the classroom setting.
The unit plan has a clear emphasis on the first and second women’s movement because the unit
plan aims to address the emergence of civil rights and freedoms in the 1930s. Although brief,
the unit plan does include topics within the third and fourth feminist movement since they have
strongly been influence by the first couple of movements, and continue to have a presence in
contemporary society.
The incorporation of the denial of civil rights and freedoms for European Jews is also included
as demanded by the QEP, but the focus remains on a woman’s experience during the Holocaust.
The final assessment is meant to be a creative activity that will allow students to choose from
various projects. Giving the students the choice to choose their final assessment enables them to
create a project that is meaningful to them. Turning the classroom into an environment that is
meaningful to the students follows a constructivist approach to education. Moreover, the
students will be more inclined to learn and remember if they are the ones who are actively
involved in constructing their knowledge.
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QEP COMPETENCIES:
The competencies listed below are all incorporated within the unit plan within different
lessons. Although multiple competencies and areas of learning often overlap in each lesson, the
lesson’s description box will provide detail about the most relevant concepts found throughout
that specific course.
Students will know: Students will understand: Students will do:
- terminology that deals - understand feminism. - students will recognize
with civil rights and - understand the negative the benefits of activism.
freedoms. consequences - students will recognize
- regions in the world accompanied by racism the importance of
where civil rights and and sexism. tolerance.
freedoms were granted, - students will embrace a
and other regions in diverse society.
which they were denied.
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STAGE 2: ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE
Assessment The assessment will be formative for this lesson. The teacher
Strategies/Criteria will circulate the class and check that students are correctly
defining each term.
Connections to QEP Cross curricular competencies:
Exercises critical judgment:
- When searching definitions for the term they were assigned,
students will qualify their judgment choosing the definition
that is most suitable for the unit.
The remainder of the class will be dedicated to familiarizing the students with
important terminology for the unit such as; anti-semitism, boycott, censorship,
dehumanize, democratization, denunciation, discrimination, dissidence, enfranchise,
equality, feminism, freedom of expression, freedom of religion, ghetto, Holocaust
(Shoah), propaganda, repression, rights, segregation, suffrage, suffragettes, etc. One
word will be assigned to every student, and they will be permitted to access the internet
in order to find the definitions for each term. The teacher will hand out blank pieces of
paper and the students will have to use the whole page to decorate and define the word
which will later be posted on a section of the wall in the classroom. These keywords
can be used as a reference for students throughout the unit. If time permits, the teacher
can go over a few definitions which are more complex and need further clarification.
In addition, the activity will also allow students to reflect on their prior knowledge and
participate in classroom discussions about civil rights and freedoms. For example, the
teacher should begin the lecture by asking students what they know about civil rights
and freedoms, and write the answers on the board. The teacher should ensure that
certain concepts of civil rights and freedom are mentioned, for example; the right to
vote, the right to justice, equality before the law, freedom of expression, freedom of
religion (Progression of learning in secondary school: History and citizenship
education, 2005, p. 28).
The teacher can then show the YouTube video of Agnes Macphail as the first women in
House of Commons, however, it is important for students to realize that although
Macphail held a powerful governmental position, sexism was still rampant in the early
half of the twentieth century.
It is important for students to realize that the women’s movements was also taking
place in other areas of the world during the same time frame. For example, in France,
the Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir was gaining attention.
As homework, students will be asked to pick a suffragist, which can be found on the
‘articles by topic,’ sidebar on left hand side of the following link: https://
www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/collection/womens-suffrage-in-canada. Students
will be ask to answers the following questions about their chosen suffragist, which can
be male or female;
1. Which region in Canada were they most active?
2. In which time frame were they active?
3. Name something interesting about your chosen suffragist.
4. What is your chosen suffragist most known for?
After viewing the documentary, the teacher should encourage classroom discussion by
asking students what they found to be the most compelling part of the film. Other
questions that could be ask by the teacher are; what’s important about this film? What
is the purpose of a film like this? (Greenbaum, 2001, p. 138).
Resources - Powerpoint
- Students’ notes
- Video on Rosemary Brown: https://www.youtube.com/
watch?time_continue=197&v=G_APUcDKSmw
- Video on Mary Two-Axe Earley: https://www.youtube.com/
watch?time_continue=6&v=0AXc9u5SuRA
- ‘Decoding Political Cartoons Chart’ handouts
Assessment With their knowledge about the first and second feminist
Strategies/Criteria movements, students will be asked to examine primary sources
and answer questions. Examining primary sources is a useful
skill for students to become familiar with as it will help them in
their final creative project.
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The teacher should also provide students with knowledge about the women’s
movement elsewhere in the world, such as the Dinner Party in the United States.
The last 25 minutes of class will be dedicated to the reactions towards the feminist
movement. For example, the teacher should show the class political cartoons which can
be found in the following link: https://www.historicacanada.ca/sites/default/files/PDF/
Suffrage%20Worksheets%20EN.pdf. Students will be asked to choose one of the
cartoons, and complete the worksheet in Annex 2. The students will not likely complete
the chart in class, and the rest will be for homework.
Resources - Powerpoint
- Students’ notes
- Video on Charter of Rights and Freedoms: https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAIM1qzO9_w&t=118s
- Video on Michelle Douglas: https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=sDbcZxMx1_U
Assessment Students will be asked to make a link between what they have
Strategies/Criteria learned about the past, and how those events have impacted out
current society.
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LESSON #6
In order to clarify any questions about the political cartoon, the first 15 minutes of class
will be used to discuss the activity. The activity will then be collected for the teacher to
assess what the students have learned from the activity.
The teacher should begin by introducing the third women’s movement, as marked by
the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Since this document is complex and
perhaps difficult for students in secondary 2 to understand, the teacher should present
the charter through a short YouTube clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=YAIM1qzO9_w&t=118s. The teacher should emphasize on the feminist movement
as a large contributor to the creation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
The teacher can provide students with a more recent success story in the this women's
movement by showing YouTube clip on Michelle Douglas (stop at 1:25). This is a more
recent example of the demand for equality and civil rights among the LBGTQ
community. The teacher should then encourage a class discussion by asking students to
share their thoughts.
The teacher should mention that the third women’s movement is characterized by “[…]
multiple campaigns, from employment equity and daycare, to anti-racism and ending
poverty and violence against women” (Canadian Encyclopedia: Women’s movements
in Canada: 1985-present, 2006).
The teacher should also briefly mention that with the rise of social media, there has
been an assertion of the fourth wave of feminism. This wave is different from the third
because it is characterized by feminist critique in public spaces and social media
(Sheber, 2017). The teacher should also make reference to current issues, such as the
#MeToo movement. Other contemporary concerns surrounding sexism that the teacher
should mention are harassment in the workplace, the missing and murdered Indigenous
women and girls, and equal pay for equal work.
LESSON #7
Students are given the choice to work in pairs or alone, depending on the activity. If
students choose the wild card option they will have to run their activity by the teacher
first. The teacher will circulate the class to answer any questions.
Evaluation Grid
A B C D
Exemplary Relevant To work on To do again
1- Content Student uses Student uses Student rarely refers Student’s work is
(40%) historical content historical content to historical content incomplete,
that is factually that is factually therefore does not including historical
accurate. There is accurate but does make an argument inaccurate content.
evidence that not include any for continuity and
supports continuity evidence of change.
and change. continuity and
change.
2- Student explains Student explains Student explains the Student’s work is
Incorporation civil rights and civil rights and civil rights and incomplete and
of feminist freedoms from a freedoms from a freedoms but does excludes civil
perspective feminist feminist perspective not include a rights and
(40%) perspective by but does not use feminist freedoms.
using evidence to evidence to support perspective.
support their their argument.
argument
3- Creativity Student’s creation Student’s creation is Student’s creation is Student creation is
(20%) is meaningful and original but lacks not original and incomplete, it does
original. personal meaning. lacks meaning. not reflect one of
the options from
the choice board
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ANNEX 1:
Name:______________________
FOUR-CORNER
FOUR-CORNER
ANNEX 2:
!
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ANNEX 3:
Name:________________
References
Seixas, P., & Morton, T. (2013). The Big Six. Toronto, Ont: Nelson Education.
Sheber, V. (2017, December 16). Feminism 101: What are the waves of feminism?
FemMagazine. Retrieved from https://femmagazine.com/feminism-101-what-are-the-
waves-of-feminism/.
Springtide. (2013, June 13). The Charter of Rights and Freedoms [Video File]. Retrieved
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAIM1qzO9_w&t=118s.