History Resource Kit Grade 12 Canadian History – The Great War

By: Ashley Wentzell Dr. S. Murray EDUC 5633 March 1, 2008 World War I Creation

Our upcoming unit is going to focus mainly on Canada’s involvement in World War I. By the end of the unit you should have a good understanding of the attitudes and actions of the Canadian players in WWI, what different groups of Canadians felt about the war, and how they dealt with their feelings. This project is a chance for you to show off your understanding of Canada’s involvement in the Great War.

You are going to create your own fictional, reality-based Canadian player in WWI. You will be required to study both primary and secondary documents in order to understand the attitudes and actions of Canadians in the war. I will provide you with the sources that you will need in order to get a good understanding of different Canadian attitudes during the time period.

You can choose any Canadian perspective during the war. For example, you may want to choose the view point of a politician, a soldier, a nurse, an Anglophone or Francophone, a female worker, or a First Nations person.

Please note that if you choose a perspective that I have not listed, you must check your choice with me prior to beginning you project.

You must include the following in your project. The outstanding projects, however, will go above and beyond what is required.

1. The name and date of birth of your Canadian as well as the time period of the war you are writing from; 2. What part of Canada your creation is from, what his/her involvement in the war effort is, & how he/she feels about Canada’s participation in the war; 3. Your Canadian’s viewpoint on a specific event in WWI; 4. How your Canadian is coping with the war; 5. What your Canadian did before the war started and how that has changed with the war; 6. What attachments your Canadian has to the war (i.e.: family members overseas); 7. How your Canadian plans to deal with the rest of the war; & 8. Write at least three journal entries from the viewpoint of your Canadian at different points in the war.

Your project is to be typed or neatly written. It is to be a minimum of 1000 words. This is a chance for you to be creative in your work. Good Luck & Have Fun! Resources

Primary Resources

1. This is a letter from a private, Clarence J. Bessette, during World War I. The letter is sent from the trenches home to British Columbia. Use this source if you are taking the perspective of a soldier or anyone in the war scene. http://pastvoices.com/canada/bessette1915.shtml

2. This is a letter from a private to his mother in Nova Scotia. This is an excellent source for people who want to study a military and/or a Maritime perspective. http://pastvoices.com/canada/fish19171806.shtml

3. Here is a ration book from WWI. This would be a good way for you to get an understanding of the way people in Canada were forced to life during wartime. If you choose to use this source, we will scan it and enlarge it for better readability. http://www.rootsweb.com/~canmil/ww1/home/civilian.htm? cj=1&o_xid=0001091115&o_lid=0001091115

4. This is a picture of a group of girls who worked at a jam factory during the war. It is a good source for looking at the perspective of female workers during the war. http://europeanhistory.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm? zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn=europeanhistory&cdn=education&tm=1495&gps=261_427_127 6_570&f=10&tt=14&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http %3A//www.collectionscanada.ca/firstworldwar/index-e.html

5. This photograph shows where many girls who worked during the war had to live. http://europeanhistory.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm? zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn=europeanhistory&cdn=education&tm=1495&gps=261_427_127 6_570&f=10&tt=14&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http %3A//www.collectionscanada.ca/firstworldwar/index-e.html 6. This is a parody of a popular song during the time period, “Oh my Darling.” It is representative of the feelings of many workers during WWI. http://europeanhistory.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm? zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn=europeanhistory&cdn=education&tm=1495&gps=261_427_127 6_570&f=10&tt=14&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http %3A//www.collectionscanada.ca/firstworldwar/index-e.html

7. This primary document demonstrates how people could support the war effort at home by conserving food. Use this source if you are looking at the perspective of people on the home front, especially women considering that they were the ones responsible for such duties as food preparation. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/firstworldwar/05180101/0518010110_e.html

8. This is a picture of what the hospital tents looked like during WWI. This is representative of what the nurses on the battle field had to work with. http://europeanhistory.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm? zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn=europeanhistory&cdn=education&tm=1495&gps=261_427_127 6_570&f=10&tt=14&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http %3A//www.collectionscanada.ca/firstworldwar/index-e.html

9. This is a letter from the officials of Brant County to the First Nations people thanking them for their contributions in the First World War. If you choose to look at this source, however, please remember to keep in mind what we have talked about regarding First Nations and the war. Remember that this source has a bias and is written from only one perspective. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/education/firstworldwar/05180203/051802030 103_e.html

10. This is a propaganda slogan against those Canadians who were not fighting in the war. This demonstrates the guilt-trip factor that was placed on Canadians to participate in the war. http://europeanhistory.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm? zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn=europeanhistory&cdn=education&tm=1495&gps=261_427_127 6_570&f=10&tt=14&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http %3A//www.collectionscanada.ca/firstworldwar/index-e.html 11. This is a letter regarding the men who are not fighting in the war. It demonstrates the feelings of the government and a lot of Canadians towards such men. http://europeanhistory.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm? zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn=europeanhistory&cdn=education&tm=1495&gps=261_427_127 6_570&f=10&tt=14&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http %3A//www.collectionscanada.ca/firstworldwar/index-e.html

12. This is a radio interview with a Canadian flying ace of the First World War. It shows some of the hardships of the war for those who were on the front lines. http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-71-2425-14169/conflict_war/firstworldwar/clip7

13. This page displays a large assortment of Canadian propaganda posters from WWI. Look at how they encourage Canadians to take part in the war, and also to buy victory bonds. Particularly notice how many posters for victory bonds there are. What does this say about the opinions and stance of the Canadian government? http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/ENGLISH/exhibits/posters/index.html

Secondary Resources

1. This is a biography of the Canadian Prime Minister during World War I, Sir Robert Borden. This is an excellent resource to look at if you want to look at the views of politicians during the war, or even of Maritimers as Borden was from originally from Nova Scotia. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/2/4/h4-3206-e.html

2. This is a biography of John McCrae. He is a very famous Canadian soldier from World War I. Use this source if you want to take the view point of a soldier in the war. Also remember the poem that McCrae wrote while in the war, “In Flanders Fields.” http://www.rootsweb.com/~canmil/ww1/bios/mccrae.htm? cj=1&o_xid=0001091115&o_lid=0001091115 3. This is a short biography of Philip Edgar Peer, a recipient of the Victoria Cross. This is a good source for people looking at the war perspective. http://www.rootsweb.com/~canmil/ww1/bios/peered.htm

4. This is a description of the Halifax Explosion. Please use this source to look at a local disaster in the war to infer how it would have affected the lives of the people in the Maritimes. http://www.rootsweb.com/~canmil/ww1/home/halifax.htm? cj=1&o_xid=0001091115&o_lid=0001091115

5. On this site, please look at the section dealing with the involvement of French Canadians in the war effort. Also make sure to look at the propaganda posters dealing with French Canadians. You can translate the posters if necessary. http://www.civilization.ca/cwm/disp/dis001_e.html WWI PROJECT EVALUATION RUBRIC

The WWI player you create will be marked on the following rubric. Please remember to self-evaluate your project using this rubric BEFORE handing it in.

4 3 2 1

Details of project are Most of the details are Student has clearly made This is an area of growth organized in a logical logical and add to the an effort to put self in for student. Student’s order that make it clear student’s understanding shoes of WWI player. understanding of topic is that the student of the view point. Some Some paragraphs are evident but vague. Report Organization understands the sentences are unimportant or is at least 300 words and perspective chosen. unimportant to the topic. incoherent. Report has at includes half of required Report has at least 1000 Report has at least 1000 least 500 words and most components. words and all the words and all the of required components. required components. required components.

There is one clear, Perspective is somewhat The view point is A focused perspective is focused perspective. clear but more details somewhat unclear lacking in report but Main idea is obvious and are needed. Information because of lack of student is clearly on the information is put into is mostly in student’s own organization and right path. Information is Understanding student’s OWN words. words. evidence. Information is not in student’s own in some of student’s own words. words. There are few errors in Student has a few errors There are some errors in There are many errors in Conventions conventions (0-3). in conventions (4-6) but conventions that are conventions (9+). Editing Student uses words errors are not somewhat distracting (6- is an area of growth for (Grammar & Spelling) appropriate to grade distracting to the reader. 8), but this could be student. level. corrected with editing.

Poster is attractive, neat, Poster is attractive and Poster is clearly sending Student may not well organized, and neat, but organization a message, but message understand the purpose original. and detail need work. is vague and undeveloped. of propaganda. This Propaganda Poster shows through in student’s poster.

Your project will be marked out of a total of 16. Good Luck!