AB 2: Partner Puzzle Teens in Canada: Naina – Shoot for the Moon!

Sikhs are the fourth largest religious group in Canada. You are going to read a text that deals with the history and actual situation of in Canada. The goal is to become an expert on this topic so that you can do the partner puzzle. The steps below explain how to do the partner puzzle. In the language support box you can find some useful expressions that may help you during the different steps.

Step 1 - Individual work: • Read the text carefully and make a list of the important facts about Sikhs in Canada. • Check the meaning or pronounciation of words you don’t know. • Write down any questions you want to ask your partner with the same text in the next step.

Step 2 - Pair work I: • Pair up with a partner who read the same text. • Compare your list with your partner. • Correct mistakes and add new aspects. • Agree on a common version which you can present to a new partner in the next step.

Step 3 - Pair work II: • Now find a new partner who read the text about . • Your partner begins by telling you about his/her text. • Listen carefully and take notes. • After that you can ask questions if something is unclear to you. • Then tell your partner about your text in the same way.

Language support

Checking your text with your partner: What arguments/points have you got? – I have got... What have you got? – I’ve written down those arguments/points, too. – I’ve got a different argument/point. – Do you really think that’s important? – Don’t you think that... is important, too? – I don’t agree with that. – I think that’s wrong. Let’s check the text again.

Talking about your text to a partner with a different text: My text is about/deals with... – The most important argument/information is... – I found the following arguments for/against... – The first/second/third argument for/against is... – First of all.../ secondly.../finally... – Another point is... –Have you got everything? – Could you repeat the last argument, please? – What was the first/last point again? –What (exactly) do you mean by... ? – Could you explain that point again?

Teens in Canada AB 2: Partner Puzzle Teens in Canada: Naina – Shoot for the Moon!

The text will inform you about the history and actual situation of Sikhs in Canada.

Sikhism in Canada

With 1.4 percent of Canada’s population, Sikhs are an established ethnic group in Canada. But that wasn’t always the case. The first Sikhs ever to enter Canada were soldiers of the Hong Kong army regiment travelling through Canada on an official trip because of Queen Queen Victoria = monarch of the United Kingdom from 20 June 1837 Victoria‘s Diamond Jubilee. This was in 1897. Another group followed in until 22 January 1901 and empress 1902 and while visiting , they became interested in the of India from 1 May 1876 until 22 possibility of moving from India to this new country. January 1901 But for a long time, the immigration of Siks was hindered by the Canadian to hinder = to make it difficult for some- body to do something or for something government with several laws. For example, it was forbidden for children to happen and women to immigrate to Canada until 1920. After this restriction was lifted, the Sikh community in Canada and especially British Columbia began to grow as wives and children followed their immigrated husbands and fathers. Many of the new Indo-Canadians tried to adapt to their new surroundings - a process called “Canadianization”. They started to wear western clothes like suits and dresses, learned the new language and made efforts to participate in the Canadian society. Nevertheless they still had to live with discrimination by many Canadians and by the government. Up to 1947, Sikhs weren’t allowed to vote and for a long time, they were only employed on farms, in saw mills or building railways, receiving very low wages. saw mill = a factory in which wood However, the living conditions for the Sikh community slowly improved is cut into boards using machinery; railway = a track with rails on during the second half of the 20th century. New (Sikh temples) which trains run were built and another wave of immigration made the Sikh community grow fast. In 2002, the Gur Sikh temple in Abbotsford, British Columbia, was designated a national historic landmark and the year 2011 was declared the Centennial year for Canadian Sikhs. Centennial = the 100th anniversa- British Columbia is still the province with the highest number of Sikhs. ry of an event There they form the largest non-Christian religious group. Almost half of Canada’s Sikh population lives in British Columbia. Some schools in Abbotsford and Surrey teach Punjabi (the native language of Sikhs). native language = the first langu- age, a person has learned (mother So, even if Sikhs still have to deal with racism and intolerance, they have tongue) become a highly visible part of Canada’s multicultural society.

Teens in Canada