The Ontario Curriculum Exemplars - · PDF file4 The Ontario Curriculum – Exemplars, Grade 10: Canadian and World Studies The samples in this document will provide parents1 with examples

Samples of Student Work:A Resource for Teachers

2 0 0 2

Ministry of Education

The Ontario Curriculum

ExemplarsGrade 10

Canadian andWorld Studies

History

Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Purpose of This Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Features of This Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

The Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

The Rubrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Development of the Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Assessment and Selection of the Samples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Use of the Student Samples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Teachers and Administrators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Parents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Canadian History in the Twentieth Century, Academic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Diary Entries: Experiences of a Twentieth-Century Canadian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

The Task . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Expectations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Prior Knowledge and Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Task Rubric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Student Samples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Teacher Package . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Canadian History in the Twentieth Century, Applied . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Events That Shaped Canadian Identity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

The Task . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Expectations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Prior Knowledge and Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55Task Rubric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56Student Samples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57Teacher Package . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

This publication is available on the Ministry of Education’s website athttp://www.edu.gov.on.ca.

3

In 1999–2000, the Ministry of Education published a new curriculum for Ontario secondary school students. The new curriculum is more specific than previous curric-ula with respect to both the knowledge and the skills that students are expected todevelop and demonstrate in each grade. In the curriculum policy document for eachdiscipline, teachers are provided with the curriculum expectations for each coursewithin the discipline and an achievement chart that describes four levels of studentachievement to be used in assessing and evaluating student work.

The document entitled The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9–12: Program Planning andAssessment, 2000 states that “assessment and evaluation will be based on the provincialcurriculum expectations and the achievement levels outlined in this document and inthe curriculum policy document for each discipline” (p. 13). The document alsostates that the ministry is providing a variety of materials to assist teachers in improv-ing their assessment methods and strategies and, hence, their assessment of studentachievement. The present document is one of the resources intended to provide assis-tance to teachers in their assessment of student achievement. It contains samples(“exemplars”) of student work at each level of achievement.

Ontario school boards were invited by the ministry to participate in the developmentof exemplars. Many responded to this invitation. Teams of subject specialists fromacross the province were involved in developing the assessment materials. Theydesigned the performance tasks and scoring scales (“rubrics”) on the basis of selectedOntario curriculum expectations, field-tested them in classrooms, suggested changes,administered the final tasks, marked the student work, and selected the exemplarsused in this document. During each stage of the process, external validation teamsreviewed the subject material to ensure that it reflected the expectations in the cur-riculum and that it was accessible to and appropriate for all students. Ministry staffwho had been involved in the development of the curriculum policy documents alsoreviewed the tasks, rubrics, and exemplars.

The selection of student samples that appears in this document reflects the professionaljudgement of teachers who participated in the project. No students, teachers, or schoolshave been identified.

The procedures followed during the development and implementation of this projectwill serve as a model for boards, schools, and teachers in designing assessment taskswithin the context of regular classroom work, developing rubrics, assessing theachievement of their own students, and planning for the improvement of students’learning.

Introduction

4 The Ontar io Curr iculum – Exemplars , Grade 10: Canadian and World Studies

The samples in this document will provide parents1 with examples of student work tohelp them monitor their children’s progress. They also provide a basis for communica-tion with teachers.

Use of the exemplar materials is supported initially through provincial in-servicetraining, discipline- or subject-specific workshops, and summer institutes.

Purpose of This Document

This document was developed to:

• show the characteristics of student work at each of the four levels of achievementfor Grade 10;

• promote greater consistency in the assessment of student work across the province;

• provide an approach to improving student learning by demonstrating the use ofclear criteria applied to student work in response to clearly defined assessment tasks;

• show the connections between what students are expected to learn (the curriculumexpectations) and how their work can be assessed using the levels of achievementdescribed in the curriculum policy document for the subject.

Teachers, parents, and students should examine the student samples in this documentand consider them along with the information in the Teacher’s Notes and Comments/Next Steps sections. They are encouraged to examine the samples in order to developan understanding of the characteristics of work at each level of achievement in Grade 10and the ways in which the levels of achievement reflect a progression in the quality ofknowledge and skills demonstrated by students.

The samples in this document represent examples of student achievement obtainedusing only one method of assessment, called performance assessment. Teachers willalso make use of a variety of other assessment methods and strategies in evaluatingstudent achievement in a course over a term or school year.

Features of This Document

This document contains the following:

• a description of each performance task, as well as the curriculum expectationsrelated to the task

• the task-specific assessment chart, or rubric

• two samples of student work for each of the four levels of achievement

• Teacher’s Notes, which provide some details on the level of achievement for eachsample

• Comments/Next Steps, which offer suggestions for improving achievement

• the Teacher Package that was used by teachers in administering the task

It should be noted that each sample for a specific level of achievement represents thecharacteristics of work at that level of achievement.

1. In this document, parent(s) refers to parent(s) and guardian(s).

5Introduct ion

The Tasks

The performance tasks for history were based directly on curriculum expectationsselected from the Grade 10 courses outlined in The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 and10: Canadian and World Studies, 1999. The tasks encompassed the four categories ofknowledge and skills (i.e., Knowledge/Understanding, Thinking/Inquiry,Communication, and Application), requiring students to integrate their knowledgeand skills in meaningful learning experiences. The tasks gave students an opportunityto demonstrate not only how well they had learned to use the required knowledge andskills in one context, but how well they could use their knowledge and skills inanother context.

Teachers were required to explain the scoring criteria and descriptions of the levels ofachievement (i.e., the information in the task rubrics) to the students before theybegan the assignment (for the rubrics, see pages 14–15 and page 56).

The Rubrics

In this document, the term rubric refers to a scoring scale that consists of a set ofachievement criteria and descriptions of the levels of achievement for a particulartask. The scale is used to assess students’ work; this assessment is intended to helpstudents improve their performance level. The rubric identifies key criteria by whichstudents’ work is to be assessed, and it provides descriptions that indicate the degreeto which the key criteria have been met. The teacher uses the descriptions of the dif-ferent levels of achievement given in the rubric to assess student achievement on aparticular task.

The rubric for a specific performance task is intended to provide teachers and stu-dents with an overview of the expected final product with regard to the knowledgeand skills being assessed as a whole.

The achievement chart in the curriculum policy document for Canadian and worldstudies provides a standard province-wide tool for teachers to use in assessing andevaluating their students’ achievement over a period of time. While the chart is broadin scope and general in nature, it provides a reference point for all assessment practiceand a framework within which to assess and evaluate student achievement. Thedescriptions associated with each level of achievement serve as a guide for gatheringand tracking assessment information, enabling teachers to make consistent judgementsabout the quality of student work while providing clear and specific feedback to stu-dents and parents.

For the purposes of the exemplar project, a single rubric was developed for a perfor-mance task in each course. This task-specific rubric was developed in relation to theachievement chart in the curriculum policy document.

The differences between the achievement chart and the task-specific rubric may besummarized as follows:

• The achievement chart contains broad descriptions of achievement. Teachers use itto assess student achievement over time, making a summative evaluation that isbased on the total body of evidence gathered through using a variety of assessmentmethods and strategies.


• The rubric contains criteria and descriptions of achievement that relate to a specifictask. The rubric uses some terms that are similar to those in the achievement chartbut focuses on aspects of the specific task. Teachers use the rubric to assess studentachievement on a single task.

The rubric contains the following components:

• an identification (by number) of the expectations on which student achievement inthe task was assessed

• the four categories of knowledge and skills

• the relevant criteria for evaluating performance of the task

• descriptions of student performance at the four levels of achievement (level 3 onthe achievement chart is considered to be the provincial standard)

As stated earlier, the focus of performance assessment using a rubric is to improve students’ learning. In order to improve their work, students need to be provided withuseful feedback. Students find that feedback on the strengths of their achievement andon areas in need of improvement is more helpful when the specific category of knowl-edge or skills is identified and specific suggestions are provided than when they receiveonly an overall mark or general comments. Student achievement should be consideredin relation to the criteria for assessment stated in the rubric for each category, andfeedback should be provided for each category. Through the use of a rubric, students’strengths and weaknesses are identified and this information can then be used as abasis for planning the next steps for learning. In this document, the Teacher’s Notessection indicates the reasons for assessing a student’s performance at a specific level ofachievement, and the Comments/Next Steps section indicates suggestions forimprovement.

In the exemplar project, a single rubric encompassing the four categories of knowledgeand skills was used to provide an effective means of assessing the particular level ofstudent performance in the performance task, to allow for consistent scoring of studentperformance, and to provide information to students on how to improve their work.However, in the classroom, teachers may find it helpful to make use of additionalrubrics if they need to assess student achievement on a specific task in greater detailfor one or more of the four categories. For example, it may be desirable in evaluatingan oral report to use one rubric for assessing the content (Knowledge/Understanding),one for the research (Thinking/Inquiry), one for the writing (Communication), andone for the delivery of the oral presentation itself (Application).

The rubrics for the tasks in the exemplar project are similar to the scales used by theEducation Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) for the Grade 3, Grade 6, andGrade 9 provincial assessments in that both the rubrics and the EQAO scales are basedon the Ontario curriculum expectations and the achievement charts. The rubrics differfrom the EQAO scales in that they were developed to be used only in the context ofclassroom instruction to assess achievement in a particular assignment in a course.

Although rubrics were used effectively in this exemplar project to assess responsesrelated to the performance tasks, they are only one way of assessing student achieve-ment. Other means of assessing achievement include observational checklists, tests,

7Introduct ion

marking schemes, or portfolios. Teachers may make use of rubrics to assess students’achievement on, for example, essays, reports, exhibitions, debates, conferences, inter-views, oral presentations, two- and three-dimensional representations, journals orlogs, and research projects.

Development of the Tasks

The performance tasks for the exemplar project were developed by teams of subjectspecialists in the following way:

• The teams selected a cluster of curriculum expectations that focused on the knowl-edge and skills in the course that are considered to be of central importance in thesubject. Teams were encouraged to select a manageable number of expectations toenable teachers to focus their feedback to students. The particular selection ofexpectations ensured that all students in the course would have the opportunity todemonstrate their knowledge and skills in each category of the achievement chartin the curriculum policy document for the subject.

• For each course, the teams drafted a task that would encompass all of the selectedexpectations and that could be used to assess the work of all students in the course.

• The teams established clear, appropriate, and concrete criteria for assessment, andwrote the descriptions for each level of achievement in the task-specific rubric,using the achievement chart for the subject as a guide.

• The teams prepared detailed instructions for both teachers and students participat-ing in the assessment project.

• The tasks were field-tested in classrooms across the province in March–April 2001by teachers who had volunteered to participate in the field test. Student work wasscored by teams of teachers of the subject. In addition, classroom teachers, students,and board contacts provided feedback on the task itself and on the instructions thataccompanied the task. Suggestions for improvement were taken into considerationin the revision of the tasks.

In developing the tasks, the teams ensured that the resources needed for completingthe task – that is, all worksheets and support materials – were provided. It was alsosuggested that students could consult the teacher-librarian at the school about addi-tional print and electronic materials.

Assessment and Selection of the Samples

After the final administration of the tasks, student work was scored at the districtschool board level by teachers of the subject who had been provided with training inthe scoring. These teachers evaluated and discussed the student work until they wereable to reach a consensus regarding the level to be assigned for achievement in eachcategory. This evaluation was done to ensure that the student work being selectedclearly illustrated that level of performance. All of the student samples were then for-warded to the ministry. A team of teachers from across the province, who had beentrained by the ministry to assess achievement on the tasks, rescored the student samples.


They chose samples of work that demonstrated the same level of achievement in allfour categories and then, through consensus, selected the samples that best repre-sented the characteristics of work at each level of achievement. The rubrics were theprimary tools used to evaluate student work at both the school board level and theprovincial level.

The following points should be noted:

• Two samples of student work are included for each of the four achievement levelsin each subject. The use of two samples is intended to show that the characteristicsof an achievement level can be exemplified in different ways.

• Although the samples of student work in this document were selected to show alevel of achievement that was largely consistent in the four categories ofKnowledge/Understanding, Thinking/Inquiry, Communication, and Application,teachers using rubrics to assess student work will notice that students’ achievementfrequently varies across the categories (e.g., a student may be achieving at level 3 inKnowledge/Understanding but at level 4 in Communication).

• Students’ effort was not evaluated. Effort is evaluated separately by teachers as partof the “learning skills” component of the Provincial Report Card.

• This document does not include any student samples that were assessed using therubrics and judged to be below level 1. (Work judged to be below level 1 is work onwhich a student achieves a mark of less than 50 per cent. A student whose overallachievement at the end of a course is below 50 per cent will not obtain a credit forthe course.) Teachers are expected to work with students whose achievement isbelow level 1, as well as with their parents, to help the students improve their performance.

Use of the Student Samples

Teachers and Administrators

The samples of student work included in this document will help teachers and admin-istrators by:

• providing student samples and criteria for assessment that will enable them to helpstudents improve their achievement;

• providing a basis for conversations among teachers, parents, and students about thecriteria used for assessment and evaluation of student achievement;

• facilitating communication with parents regarding the curriculum expectations andlevels of achievement for each subject or course;

• promoting fair and consistent assessment within subjects and courses.

Teachers may choose to:

• use the teaching/learning activities outlined in the performance tasks;

• use the performance tasks and rubrics in this document in designing comparableperformance tasks;

9Introduct ion

• use the samples of student work at each level as reference points when assessingstudent work;

• use the rubrics to clarify what is expected of the students and to discuss the criteriaand standards for high-quality performance;

• review the samples of work with students and discuss how the performances reflectthe levels of achievement;

• adapt the language of the rubrics to make it more “student friendly”;

• develop other assessment rubrics with colleagues and students;

• help students describe their own strengths and weaknesses and plan their nextsteps for learning;

• share student work with colleagues for consensus marking;

• partner with other schools to design tasks and rubrics, and to select samples forother performance tasks and other subject areas.

Administrators may choose to:

• encourage and facilitate teacher collaboration regarding standards and assessment;

• provide training to ensure that teachers understand the role of the exemplars inassessment, evaluation, and reporting;

• establish an external reference point for schools in planning student programs andfor school improvement;

• facilitate sessions for parents and school councils using this document as a basis fordiscussion of curriculum expectations, levels of achievement, and standards;

• participate in future exemplar projects within their district school boards or withthe Ministry of Education.

Parents

The performance tasks in this document exemplify a range of meaningful and relevantlearning activities related to the curriculum expectations for Grade 10 history courses.In addition, this document invites the involvement and support of parents as theywork with their children to improve their achievement. Parents may use the samplesof student work and the rubrics as:

• resources to help them understand the levels of achievement;

• models to help monitor their children’s progress from level to level;

• a basis for communication with teachers about their children’s achievement;

• a source of information to help their children monitor achievement and improvetheir performance;

• models to illustrate the application of the levels of achievement.


Students

Students are asked to participate in performance assessments in all curriculum areas.When students are given clear expectations for learning, clear criteria for assessment,and immediate and helpful feedback, their performance improves. Students’ perfor-mance improves as they are encouraged to take responsibility for their own achieve-ment and to reflect on their own progress and “next steps”.

It is anticipated that the contents of this document will help students in the followingways:

• Students will be introduced to a model of one type of task that will be used toassess their learning, and will discover how rubrics can be used to improve theirproduct or performance on an assessment task.

• The performance tasks and the exemplars will help clarify the curriculum expecta-tions for learning.

• The rubrics and the information given in the Teacher’s Notes section will help clarify the assessment criteria.

• The information given under Comments/Next Steps will support the improvementof achievement by focusing attention on several suggestions for improvement.

• With an increased awareness of the performance tasks and rubrics, students will bemore likely to communicate effectively about their achievement with their teachersand parents, and to ask relevant questions about their own progress.

• Students can use the criteria and the range of student samples to help them see thedifferences in the levels of achievement. By analysing and discussing these differ-ences, students will gain an understanding of ways in which they can assess theirown responses and performances in related assignments and identify the qualitiesneeded to improve their achievement.

Canadian History in theTwentieth CenturyAcademic


Diary Entries: Experiences of a Twentieth-Century Canadian

The Task

Students were presented with the following scenario: a televisionproducer is making a documentary about the impact of techno-logical developments and economic conditions on the lives ofindividual Canadians during a particular historical time periodin the twentieth century. As part of her research for the film, theproducer is trying to locate first-person accounts of life duringthis period.

Each student was then asked to assume the role of a fictionalCanadian living in a historical time period specified by theteacher. Each student was instructed to write three diary entriesthat together spanned the period and that each explained theimpact of a technological development and economic conditionson the fictional individual. One other development (e.g., a socialissue) also had to be described in each entry. Students could fol-low the changing impact of the same economic, technological,and other developments through all three diary entries or selectdifferent examples to be discussed in each entry. Although thecharacters in the diary were to be fictional, the information pro-vided had to be based on historically accurate facts and details.

Students were encouraged to use the worksheets and organizerprovided (see the appendices to the Teacher Package, repro-duced on pages 49–51 of this document) as they progressedthrough the task.

The final product consisted of three intermittent diary entriestotalling at least six hundred words. The entries were to beaccompanied by a title page that included the biographical factsfrom the Getting Into Character worksheet, and a bibliographythat included all sources used by the student in completing thenecessary research for the task. (The bibliography was notassessed as part of the final product.)

Expectations

This task gave students the opportunity to demonstrate achieve-ment of the following selected expectations from three strands:Change and Continuity; Social, Economic, and Political Struc-tures; and Methods of Historical Inquiry.

Students will:

1. demonstrate an understanding of the impact of technologicaldevelopments on Canadians;

2. evaluate how and why changing economic conditions andpatterns have affected Canadians;

3. analyse and evaluate information when researching histori-cal topics or issues;

4. demonstrate competence in research and writing (e.g., gath-ering information, building an argument, supporting theargument with evidence, writing clearly, editing);

5. make reasoned generalizations or appropriate predictionsbased on research.

13 Canadian History in the Twentieth Century, Academic

Prior Knowledge and Skills

To complete this task, students were expected to have:

• experience in library and Internet research (if available) andnote taking

• experience in self- or peer assessment

• practice with organizers and checklists

• the ability to distinguish fact from opinion and to detect bias

• knowledge of the history of the selected time period

• an understanding of the format of a diary entry

• experience in preparing a bibliography

For information on the process used to prepare students for the taskand on the materials, resources, and equipment required, see theTeacher Package reproduced on pages 47–51 of this document.


Task Rubric – Diary Entries: Experiences of a Twentieth-Century Canadian

Expectations*

1, 2

1, 2, 3

4

Criteria

– demonstrates an under-

standing of technological

developments and eco-

nomic conditions in the

specified time period

– demonstrates the ability

to select and analyse

information appropriate

to the chosen character

(e.g., selects and makes

connections between per-

tinent details)

– accurately and effectively

evaluates how and why

technological develop-

ments and changing eco-

nomic conditions affect

the chosen character

– demonstrates competence

in writing diary entries

(e.g., demonstrates under-

standing of the form of

writing, writes clearly,

edits writing)

Level 1

– demonstrates limited

understanding of techno-

logical developments and

economic conditions

– demonstrates limited abil-

ity to select and analyse

relevant information

– evaluates these cause-

and-effect relationships

with limited accuracy and

effectiveness


competence in writing

diary entries

Level 2

– demonstrates some



economic conditions

– demonstrates some ability

to select and analyse rele-

vant information



with some accuracy and

effectiveness



diary entries

Level 3

– demonstrates consider-

able understanding of

technological develop-

ments and economic

conditions

– demonstrates considerable

ability to select and analyse

relevant information



with considerable accuracy

and effectiveness

– demonstrates considerable


diary entries

Level 4

– demonstrates a thorough



economic conditions

– demonstrates a high

degree of ability to select

and analyse relevant

information



with a high degree of accu-

racy and effectiveness


degree of competence in

writing diary entries

Knowledge/Understanding

The student:

Thinking/Inquiry

The student:

Communication

The student:


Expectations*

5

Criteria

– creates diary entries that

convey an authentic sense

of history (e.g., includes,

in each entry, one addi-

tional development that

occurred during the speci-

fied time period, creates a

historically plausible char-

acter, uses language and

details appropriate to the

period)

Level 1

– creates a limited sense of

historical authenticity

Level 2

– creates some sense of his-

torical authenticity

Level 3

– creates a considerable

sense of historical

authenticity

Level 4

– creates a strong sense of

historical authenticity

Application

The student:

*The expectations that correspond to the numbers given in this chart are listed on page 12.

Note: A student whose overall achievement at the end of a course is below level 1 (that is, below 50%) will not obtain a credit for the course.


Experiences of a Twentieth-Century Canadian Level 1, Sample 1

A B


C D


Teacher’s Notes


– The student demonstrates limited understanding of technological develop-

ments and economic conditions during the specified period (e.g., the state-

ment that “work is turning away from the farms and becoming more

industrialized” is vague, and the trend noted is not a major development of

the 1950s).

Thinking/Inquiry

– The student demonstrates limited ability to select and analyse information

appropriate to the chosen character (e.g., the student notes that “In 1957,

Lester B. Pearson was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize. Also, Elvis Presly has

become the most important symbol in North America for the youth culture”,

but there is no connection between these items, nor does the student indi-

cate how they are relevant to the chosen character).

– The student evaluates the impact of technological developments and eco-

nomic conditions on the chosen character with limited accuracy and effec-

tiveness, as illustrated by the following:

– Although the economic boom is mentioned, its effects on the chosen

character are not explored (e.g., the student notes only that “the econ-

omy is rising, and people are getting more richer”).

– The development of a vaccine for polio is discussed, but its effect is mis-

construed (e.g., “recently Jonas Salk invented polio vaccine. . . . I have a

relative with polio in Italy and hopefully the vaccine will cure him.”).

Communication

– The student demonstrates limited competence in writing diary entries, as

illustrated by the following:

– The entries lack specific dates.

– Although entries are written in the first person, they lack a personalized

tone.

– The writing has not been effectively edited (e.g., “tirering”, “Canda”,

“It has been awhile since I have wrote my journal.”).

E


Application

– The student creates a limited sense of historical authenticity, as illustrated

by the following:

– Although additional developments are alluded to (e.g., postwar Italian

immigration to Canada), the level of detail is too limited to convey a

sense of authenticity (e.g., the student writes, “My family has adopted

well, even though some Canadians still do not want immigrants in their

country”, but does not describe how the family has had to adapt or what

kind of reception it has had).

– The background of the chosen character is plausible (e.g., the character

is a postwar immigrant who settles in Canada, gets a job in a factory, and

then sends for his family), but many of his observations are improbable

(e.g., in an entry dated 1950, the character says “I am relieved to see that

the war is over”).

– The language used does not evoke the 1950s.

Comments/Next Steps

– The student needs to follow the task instructions more closely: neither the

length of the entries nor the content of the title page satisfies the task

requirements.

– The student needs to include much more detail about technological, eco-

nomic, and other developments and their impact on the chosen character.

– The student needs to proofread more carefully to correct spelling and

grammatical errors.



A B


C D


Teacher’s Notes


– The student demonstrates limited understanding of technological develop-

ments and economic conditions in the specified time period, as illustrated

by the following:

– References to technological developments are vague (e.g., the reference

to the St. Lawrence Seaway – “My Captain has just announced that the St.

Lawrence Seaway project had been finished and we were going to sail

over and try to catch a load of cod” – gives no indication that the student

understands the significance of the project).

– Statements regarding economic conditions are not sufficiently explained

(e.g., the statement “Not too many people have been able to afford one

[television] but I worked extra hours just so we could bring one into our

home” only vaguely links consumer spending patterns and job losses

among fishermen).

– Because the diary spans less than a month, the student is unable to

describe the technological developments or economic conditions over

the course of the time period specified in the task, and instead makes

meaningless comparisons (e.g., although the final entry notes that “we

were catching twice as much fish the last time but not now”, the last

recorded catch was only two weeks earlier).

Thinking/Inquiry

– The student demonstrates limited ability to select and analyse information

appropriate to the chosen character, as illustrated by the following:

– Although some statistics are cited (e.g., “Last year we hauled in about

800,000 tons of fish”), not all of them are clear (e.g., “our catching per-

centage has declined 20-40% in the last year”).

– Not enough information is provided to make clear connections between

details (e.g., the statement “My wife wrote to me the other day and she

said the population was dropping off a bit because there were no jobs at

this time” suggests a connection between unemployment and the outmi-

gration of families but does not provide enough detail to clarify this

relationship).

E


– The student evaluates cause-and-effect relationships with limited effective-

ness, referring accurately to the connection between the decreased demand

for fish and the possibility of unemployment for the chosen character (e.g.,

“I’m a little nervous right now because of the layoffs. If I get laid off I won’t

be able to support my family.”), but providing insufficient detail and superfi-

cial and repetitive analysis (e.g., “If things don’t change soon the fishermen

of Newfoundland as well as myself will soon be out of a job.”).

Communication

– The student demonstrates limited competence in writing diary entries, as


– Reference is made to family members, and some personal information is

provided (e.g., enjoyment from listening to the radio), but the writing is

disjointed and the tone stilted (e.g., “I am now sitting with my family of

four including me.”).

– Although spelling is generally correct, there are some mistakes in

grammar and capitalization (e.g., “My Captain has just announced that

the St. Lawrence Seaway project had been finished”; “a Black and White

television”).

Application

– Although the student has selected a relevant topic (i.e., the decline of the

fishing industry in Newfoundland) and has attempted to create a plausible

character, the entries convey a limited sense of authenticity, as illustrated

by the following:

– Important developments (e.g., loss of the American market, European

boats in Canadian waters, less demand for fish) are included, but are

not discussed in enough detail.

– The language used does not evoke the historical period.

Comments/Next Steps

– The student has created interesting diary entries, but needs to pay more

attention to the requirements of the task: the entries do not span the specified

historical period.

– The student has done some research, and the sample contains some good

ideas, but points need to be presented more clearly and with further sup-

porting detail.

– The title page should be expanded to include biographical information from

the Getting Into Character worksheet.



A B


C D


Application

– The student creates some sense of historical authenticity, as illustrated by

the following:

– Although the student discusses an additional development at some

length in the final entry (i.e., the fear of anti-German sentiment after the

outbreak of World War II), the other two entries lack adequate discussion

of additional developments.

– The student has, to some extent, created a historically authentic charac-

ter (i.e., a Depression-era farm woman preoccupied with debt and crop

failure), but does not include enough detail or language appropriate to

the period.

Comments/Next Steps

– The diary focuses too much on personal details that are not entirely rele-

vant to the task.

– The student is encouraged to discuss technological developments and eco-

nomic conditions in more depth.

– To create a more authentic picture of the period, the student needs to

explain examples more thoroughly and include additional specific details.

– The student shows ability as a writer, but needs to work on proper sentence

structure.

Teacher’s Notes


– The student demonstrates some understanding of technological develop-

ments of the time period, providing some detail about radio, but making

only general reference to other items (e.g., automobiles, refrigerators,

“items appearing on the market to help make farming easier”).

– The student demonstrates some understanding of economic conditions,

referring to general economic trends of the time period and providing some

specific details (e.g., “Heinrich and I are praying that the economy will pick

up, the prices we our selling our products for have dropped almost

fifty percent yet at the same time gas and oil prices have soared”).

Thinking/Inquiry

– The student demonstrates some ability to select and analyse information

appropriate to the fictional character (e.g., it is credible that a farm woman

during the Depression would express regret about not being able to afford a

new irrigation system), but he or she provides too much personal detail and

not enough historical fact.

– The student evaluates cause-and-effect relationships with some accuracy

and effectiveness, illustrating the effects of the Depression on the chosen

character (e.g., “We are very deep in debt but we just didn’t think that this

could happen to us, we all thought we had plenty of time to make the money

to pay these debts.”), but providing little information on the impact of

technology.

Communication

– The student demonstrates some competence in writing diary entries, adopt-

ing a personal voice and creating a sense of immediacy appropriate to a

diary, but detracting from readability through the use of many run-on sen-

tences (e.g., “She has lost so much weight recently, she is just skin and

bones, I could not handle anything happening to her, she is my first-born

daughter.”).



A B


C D


Teacher’s Notes


– The student demonstrates some understanding of technological develop-

ments, referring to specific developments in all three entries (e.g., the intro-

duction of CBC Television, new models of cars and types of domestic

appliances, new uses for uranium), but provides too little detail or explana-

tion to show that he or she has a clear understanding of them (e.g., in dis-

cussing uranium, the character notes only that “Eric and I talked about it for

hours. He told me all about it, like the state [which is a solid] and what it

could do for people in the future.”).

– The student demonstrates some understanding of economic conditions,

referring to economic trends in all three diary entries (e.g., “he began talking

about the start of inflation”, “the economy is going into another recession”),

but does not include sufficient detail.

Thinking/Inquiry

– The student demonstrates some ability to select and analyse information

appropriate to the chosen character, as illustrated by the following:

– The character makes a connection between the cancellation of the Avro

Arrow project and the unemployment of her brother, but other connec-

tions are often vague (e.g., the statement “Even though she’s younger

than me I look up to her [Marilyn Bell] because she had the courage to

follow her dream in spite of her mother” lacks any indication of what Bell

did, why the character would admire her, or what Bell’s accomplish-

ments had to do with her own mother).

– Although the student presents information relevant to the chosen charac-

ter’s personal life (e.g., “Mom comes over every day to watch ‘Search for

Tomorrow,’ our favourite soap opera!”), no information relevant to the

character’s professional life, except a raise in pay, is selected or analysed.

– The student evaluates cause-and-effect relationships with some accuracy and

effectiveness (e.g., “I’ve been buying more at Eaton’s ever since the ‘merchan-

dise war’ started against Simpson Sears. Products are becoming less expen-

sive.”), but the analysis is sometimes superficial (e.g., “My Dad is scared it

could led to another depression. Joshua reinsured me that it won’t.”).

E


Communication

– The student demonstrates some competence in writing diary entries, as


– The student writes in the first person, and makes reference to family

and friends, but the entries contain run-on sentences (e.g., “I also bought

a gas powered lawn mower, it’s so much easier.”) and other errors

(e.g., “reinsured”, “Canadian Council”).

– The transition between ideas is sometimes abrupt (e.g., “I don’t know if

my mother could go through that again. The Canadian Council is doing

better.”; “This country has grown so much. I’m finally going to be a

mechanic!”).

Application

– The student creates some sense of historical authenticity, as illustrated by

the following:

– There are brief references to specific historical, social, and cultural facts

(e.g., the opening of the Stratford Festival in 1953, details of domestic life).

– The student makes reference to views about the role of women that are

appropriate to the early 1950s (e.g., “My mother . . . always told me a

woman’s place was in the home”), but also describes changes in attitude

that would not have been common at that time (e.g., the character’s

resistance to her mother’s views; her interest in auto mechanics).

– Although the entries convey some sense of authenticity through details

appropriate to the period, present-day idioms are overused (e.g., “guy

thing”, “she’ll get over it”).

Comments/Next Steps

– The student focuses too much on social and cultural developments, at the

expense of explaining economic conditions and technological developments.

– The student needs to provide greater detail to make the diary more relevant

and compelling and to better convey an understanding of economic and

technological developments.

– The student could enhance the diary by exploring the impact of developments

on the chosen character’s professional life.

– The student demonstrates some competence in writing but needs to pay

more attention to editing.



B

October 3, 1951

Although I recently emigrated from Britain, I havealready found a job here in Canada. I now work at theNational Film Board and I produce, write, and puttogether documentaries. It wasn’t hard to land my job –there are vacancies in every field! To fit in with most otherpeople I bought a new car, which will be perfect forwhen I am on the road filming my documentaries. I havealready been assigned to make a documentary on thebaby boom and the new planned subdivision in Don Mills,Ontario. I am hoping to capture the excitement familieshave when moving into a new home and how the subdivision is an example of what can be expected in thefuture. I have noticed that the television industry has reallybeen taking off and growing by leaps and bounds. I thinktelevision will be a very promising medium for my documentaries. Talking about innovations, the people atthe NFB have invented the “dual 35mm 3-D camera, inter-ocular offset printing and projection system” – whata long name! It’s really interesting because it can be usedto create 3-D films – something I’ve never seen before.Things seem to be going very well here in Canada. Thedays are going by quickly because there is so much work.Tomorrow I’ll be leaving for Don Mills to start on my documentary. It’ll be fun to explore other parts of thecountry and expand my horizons.

A


D

August 26, 1959

Canada never ceases to amaze me! I recentlyattended the grand opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway.Seven locks in total were built in order to allow ships to gofrom the ocean to the Great Lakes at ease. Queen Eliza-beth II and President Eisenhower were at the opening cer-emony, which was kind of special. Also, the Trans-CanadaPipeline, which span from the west to Ontario, was built. Itcame into some controversy because it was made by amostly American company with Canadian taxpayers’money. Meanwhile, a team at the NFB invented the16mm “Sprocketape magnetic sound dubber” which I willbe using for my next documentary. I will be interviewingPrime Minister John Diefenbaker about his “NorthernVision”. I think his plans to tap the North’s rich naturalresources will bring some prosperity and growth to thatarea. There is a lot of potential. I’ve been hard at workhere in Montreal editing my last film and I’m hoping it willraise a lot of attention. I guess that’s about all that’s beenhappening here.

C

March 6, 1956

A lot has been happening in the past little while. TheNFB headquarters has been moved from Ottawa to Montreal so I’m just getting used to my new apartment.Montreal is different from Ottawa in the sense that it is bigger and has a lot more French culture. When I got hereI bought this really nice electric typewriter so I can nowtype my scripts and reports. Two weeks ago I got backfrom the Arctic where I was on location for a documentary.I flew in on an airplane, it was quite a unique experience.It was my first time, and it was exciting to see the groundpass below and see how small everything is. Looking atthe newspaper this morning it seems that naturalresources are a really hot item in Canada right now. Thereare major drilling projects in the west that are providing oilto fuel all those new cars. There are now eleven new uranium mines that just opened in Elliot Lake. Who knows,maybe my next documentary will be on mining! My busylife demands that I stop writing now and go get dinner outof the oven.


E

Bibliography

1. Fitzhenry and Whiteside. Canada, Continuity andChange. 2000

2. Newman, Garfield. Canada: A Nation Unfolding. 2000

3. NFB- The 1950s: Technical Innovations.http://www.nfb.ca/e/2/6/2/innov50.html

4. NFB history: 1950s.http://www.nfb.ca/E/2/3/2.html

Teacher’s Notes


– The student demonstrates considerable understanding of technological

developments and economic conditions, as illustrated by the following:

– Each of the three entries includes discussion of technological develop-

ments appropriate to the time period (e.g., television, “dual 35mm 3-D

camera, inter-ocular offset printing and projection system”, electric

typewriter, “Sprocketape magnetic sound dubber”).

– Each of the three entries includes discussion of contemporary economic

conditions (e.g., availability of jobs, growth of the television industry,

availability of new cars and homes, exploitation of natural resources, the

opening up of Canada’s North).

Thinking/Inquiry

– The student demonstrates considerable ability to select and analyse rele-

vant information, relating pertinent details directly to the chosen character

(e.g., the character works for the National Film Board and uses the latest

technology to make documentaries, including one on the new suburb of Don

Mills).

– The student evaluates with considerable accuracy and effectiveness how

and why technological developments and changing economic conditions

affect the chosen character (e.g., in the 1951 entry, the character opines “I

think television will be a very promising medium for my documentaries.”;

in a later entry, the character takes a plane to Canada’s North to film a

documentary on the Arctic).

Communication

– The student demonstrates considerable competence in writing diary

entries, as illustrated by the following:

– The entries are effectively personalized, although a sense of immediacy is

sometimes lacking.

– Ideas are communicated clearly, sentence structure is skilfully varied,

and the entries are interesting to read.

– There are few grammatical and typographical errors.


Application

– The diary entries convey a considerable sense of historical authenticity, as


– Each entry effectively integrates at least one additional development that

directly relates to the time period (e.g., the baby boom, newly planned

subdivisions, the NFB’s move to Montreal, the opening of the St. Lawrence

Seaway).

– The student creates a historically plausible character, successfully por-

traying an immigrant who is able to adapt to technological developments

and capitalize on the economic boom of the 1950s.

– Although the student uses appropriate technical terms from the period,

he or she does not incorporate colloquial language characteristic of the

1950s.

Comments/Next Steps

– The student writes in a polished manner, expressing a strong personal

voice.

– The student could incorporate greater personal detail to create a more

well-rounded character.

– The student could further enhance the diary’s authenticity by linking more

of the selected facts to the chosen character.



A B


C D


Teacher’s Notes


– The student demonstrates considerable understanding of technological

developments and economic conditions, as illustrated by the following:

– Each entry contains a discussion of at least one example of a technologi-

cal development (e.g., Model T Ford, threshing machines, vacuums,

“Technicolor” movies).

– Each entry contains a discussion of at least one example of economic

conditions in the selected time period (e.g., decreased production of

wheat, crops destroyed by drought and grasshoppers, migration to the

city to find factory work).

Thinking/Inquiry

– The student demonstrates considerable ability to select and analyse infor-

mation appropriate to the chosen character, making effective connections

between the chosen character and the researched facts (e.g., going to the

movies and playing miniature golf for amusement, looking through the

Eaton’s catalogue, listening to hockey games on the radio).

– The student evaluates with considerable accuracy and effectiveness how

and why technological developments and changing economic conditions

affect the chosen character (e.g., in the first entry the character, a farm

woman, doesn’t have to worry about the unemployment rate in the cities; in

the second entry she is concerned about losing the family farm; by the third

entry she and her family have moved to a city to find work in a factory).

Communication

– The student demonstrates competence in writing diary entries, as illus-

trated by the following:

– All entries provide personal information and convey a sense of immediacy.

– The writing is clear, and the sentence structure is varied, but there are a

few grammatical and syntactical errors (e.g., “but there just is not any

jobs”).

E


Application

– The student creates diary entries that convey a considerable sense of

historical authenticity, as illustrated by the following:

– Each entry contains an additional development appropriate to the time

period (e.g., “a movie theater built downtown”, “American broadcasts

over the radio”, miniature golf).

– The main character is historically plausible (e.g., the entries effectively

describe the changes that a farm woman would have experienced in the

Prairies during the Depression years).

– The language and details are appropriate to the time period (e.g., govern-

ment relief, “riding the rails”, Rudolph Valentino, The Wizard of Oz ).

Comments/Next Steps

– The student writes in a confident and engaging manner.

– The inclusion of a location for each entry helps to create an effective diary.

– The student should proofread his or her work more carefully.



A B


C D


Teacher’s Notes


– The student demonstrates a thorough understanding of technological devel-

opments and economic conditions, as illustrated by the following:

– The student skilfully identifies broad technological developments and

economic conditions in each entry without being redundant or mechanical

(e.g., new technology for the battlefield and shortages on the home front;

electrical appliances and increased consumer spending; radios and the

Great Depression).

– Facts about the economy and technology are accurate and well integrated

into the entries, and an ample level of detail is provided (e.g., “Prime

Minister R.B. Bennett said that our country is importing more than it is

exporting. There is also not enough money circulating in the economy

and so businesses and farms are failing. The drought is not helping

matters either. Our last crop got so dry that we couldn’t even feed it to

our horse.”).

Thinking/Inquiry

– The student demonstrates a high degree of ability to select and analyse rel-

evant information, integrating events and developments that are highly

appropriate (e.g., Vimy Ridge, the War Measures Act, victory bonds) and dis-

cussing their relevance to the chosen character in a detailed and meaning-

ful way (e.g., the character’s mother works in a factory after the men go to

war; her brother writes descriptive letters from the front and is later killed

in battle).

– The student evaluates cause-and-effect relationships with a high degree of

accuracy and effectiveness, skilfully evaluating in each entry the impact of

economic conditions and technological developments on the chosen charac-

ter and her family (e.g., “mother doesn’t make as much money working in

the factory as father and Charlie used to”; “Insulin is only a treatment for

her disease; it is not a permanent cure.”; “I told Joseph not to invest our life-

savings. . . . He thought that we would be living like kings by now. Instead,

here we are, living on a struggling farm with three hungry children.”).

E


Communication

– The student demonstrates a high degree of competence in writing diary


– The entries are very well written, the style and tone convey an exception-

ally strong sense of immediacy, and the student’s spelling, grammar, and

punctuation are generally correct (e.g., “When I walk down the streets in

the city I get depressed. Everywhere I look I see worried faces. Mothers

are worrying about their sons and wives are worrying about their

husbands.”).

– A personal voice is effectively maintained throughout the entries, and the

student skilfully reflects the development of the character from a

teenager to a young woman (e.g., “Mother is off working”; “Mother insists

that we invest”; “Mother says that I need to stay home”; “Now I’m a grown

woman and I have children of my own.”).

Application

– The student creates a strong sense of historical authenticity, as illustrated

by the following:

– At least one additional development is identified in each entry (e.g., wartime

recruitment, repeal of prohibition, women’s participation in politics,

fanfare over the Dionne quintuplets).

– Events are seen through the eyes of a historically plausible character,

creating a strong sense of authenticity (e.g., “It is just disrespectful. I feel

bad for the Prime Minister. So many people are blaming him for the

Depression.”; “We had to return all of the furniture that we had bought on

the installment plan. This old house looks dreadfully empty.”).

– The sense of historical authenticity is reinforced by references to the

future (e.g., “It’s a real good thing that it [personal income tax] is only

temporary.”).

– Language appropriate to the period is incorporated (e.g., “bees knees”,

“horse feathers”, “Bennett-buggy”).

Comments/Next Steps

– The student has created highly credible and effective diary entries.

– The student presents a wide range of accurate facts while maintaining a

casual style appropriate to a diary.

– The student should practise varying sentence structure (e.g., too many sen-

tences begin with the words “I” and “Mother”), and should edit carefully to

further polish the writing.

– The student should ensure that all facts are historically accurate (e.g., R.B.

Bennett was no longer prime minister in 1936).



A B


C D


Teacher’s Notes


– The student demonstrates a thorough understanding of technological devel-

opments and economic conditions, as illustrated by the following:

– The student addresses the salient economic issues that affected the

banking industry during the chosen period (e.g., “People have been open-

ing accounts at the bank, and investments have been on the rise.”; “more

people with money is always good news for a bank”).

– The chosen character’s increased buying power is cleverly connected to

the advances in technology (e.g., from “fuzzy, distorted images that

turned me off of them [televisions] ten years ago”, to the purchase of an

“RCA Clearview television”, with a “crystal clear” picture, and then to the

purchase of a colour television).

Thinking/Inquiry

– The student demonstrates a high degree of ability to select and analyse rel-

evant information, as illustrated by the following:

– Through the “eye” of the television, the chosen character follows

advances in technology (e.g., the scrapping of the Avro Arrow, the devel-

opment of the American and Soviet space programs).

– Connections are made between economic and political decisions (e.g.,

the Auto Pact, the opening of branch auto plants, and the drain of profits

to the United States).

– The student evaluates cause-and-effect relationships with a high degree of

accuracy and effectiveness, expressing the effects of economic trends and

technological developments on an individual and personal level (e.g., “the

colour sets are flying off the shelves. I had to order mine three weeks in

advance.”).

E


Communication

– The student demonstrates a high degree of competence in writing diary


– The entries are highly personalized and have an appropriately casual

tone and a strong sense of immediacy (e.g., “I know, I know, I did promise

myself that I wouldn’t buy one because it would just be a waste of money,

but . . . I realize just how very wrong I was.”).

– The entries are well written, and spelling, grammar, and punctuation are

correct.

Application

– The student creates a strong sense of historical authenticity, as illustrated

by the following:

– The entries include not only historical facts (e.g., the Avro Arrow), but also

the chosen character’s personal comments on these events (e.g., “I mean,

this thing is – or was – the greatest fighter plane in the entire world, and

it belonged to us. Canada.”).

– The student includes several additional developments in the field of

entertainment and includes details that convey an authentic sense of

the amusements of the period (e.g., popular American television shows,

the Rolling Stones album “on vinyl”, Jean Beliveau and the Montreal

Canadiens).

– The student creates a historically plausible character (e.g., plots a realis-

tic career path; effectively traces the character’s development from scep-

ticism about the space program in the early 1960s – “At this pace, I don’t

know where they’ll end up. Maybe the moon, for crying out loud” – to awe

at Neil Armstrong’s moon landing).

Comments/Next Steps

– The student incorporates a number of historical facts and issues and

weaves them together in an intricate way (e.g., the increase in bank profits

results in a raise, allowing the character to purchase the latest in television

technology. Television then becomes a window on the world of technology

and economics, as the character witnesses events on TV and forms opinions

that are conveyed to the reader).

– The student takes a somewhat narrow approach to economic change

(e.g., as the economy improves, it influences bank profits and, consequently,

the salary of the individual). The student could do more research and

include more in-depth comments on economic changes and how these play

out in the life of the chosen character.

– The student could broaden the scope of his or her focus on technological

advancements and place less emphasis on television.

– Care should be taken to avoid creating the impression of historical inaccu-

racy (e.g., the character reacts vehemently to news of the cancellation of

the Avro Arrow in February 1960, a year after the project was actually

cancelled).


1

Title: Diary Entries: Experiences of a Twentieth-Century Canadian

Time requirement: 5 periods of 75 minutes each

Description of the TaskThe students are told that a television producer is making a documentary about the impact oftechnological developments and economic conditions on the lives of individual Canadians duringa particular historical time period in the twentieth century. The producer is seeking first-personaccounts of life during this period as part of her research for the film.

The teacher selects a specific time period from those studied in the course (e.g., World War I, the1920s, the 1960s). Each student is asked to assume the role of a fictional Canadian living in thisperiod, and to create three diary entries that explain the impact of a technological developmentand economic conditions on the life of this individual. One other development (e.g., a socialissue) must also be described in each entry. Although the characters in the diary will be fictional,the information provided must be based on historically accurate facts and details.

Final ProductThe final product will consist of three intermittent diary entries that together span the specifiedtime period.

• Each entry must contain information about the following three items: economic conditions, atechnological development, and one other development (e.g., relating to a social issue)relevant to the time period and chosen character.

• Students may follow the changing impact of the same economic, technological, and otherdevelopments through all three diary entries or they may select different examples to bediscussed in each entry.

• The three entries should total at least six hundred words. The final product may behandwritten or computer-generated.

• Each student must prepare and attach a title page that includes the biographical facts fromthe Getting Into Character worksheet.

• A bibliography listing all sources used by the student in completing the necessary research forthis task must be submitted as the last page of the final product.

Note: The bibliography will not be evaluated as part of the exemplar task but is required toensure that students list all the sources used in their research.

Canadian and World Studies Exemplar TaskGrade 10 History – Academic

Teacher Package

2

Teachers should advise students that any quotes taken directly from a source must beappropriately recognized.

Assessment and EvaluationStudents are to use the Diary Checklist (Appendix C) for self- and peer assessment of drafts ofthe diary entries. The final product will be evaluated by the teacher, using the task-specific rubric.

Expectations Addressed in the Exemplar Task

Students will:

1. demonstrate an understanding of the impact of technological developments onCanadians;

2. evaluate how and why changing economic conditions and patterns have affectedCanadians;

3. analyse and evaluate information when researching historical topics or issues;

4. demonstrate competence in research and writing (e.g., gathering information, building anargument, supporting the argument with evidence, writing clearly, editing);

5. make reasoned generalizations or appropriate predictions based on research.

Teacher Instructions

Prior Knowledge and Skills RequiredTo complete this task, students were expected to have some experience in, and some knowledgeand skills relating to, the following areas:

• library and Internet research (if available) and note taking

• self- and peer assessment

• the use of organizers and checklists

• distinguishing fact from opinion and detecting bias

• the history of the selected time period

• writing using the format of a diary entry

• preparing a bibliography

Teacher Package


3

AccommodationsAccommodations that are normally provided in the regular classroom for students with specialneeds should be provided in the administration of this performance task.

You may wish to review the relevant course profile for specific suggestions for accommodationsappropriate for students in special education programs.

Materials and ResourcesYou should ensure that the following items are available for students:

• appropriate resource materials such as textbooks and other secondary sources obtained fromlibraries

• access to word-processing programs and the Internet, if computers are available

• dictionaries and thesauri

RubricIntroduce the task-specific rubric* when you begin to discuss the task with the students. Reviewthe rubric with the students and ensure that each student understands the criteria and thedescriptions of achievement at each level.

Allow ample class time for a thorough reading and discussion of the assessment criteria outlinedin the rubric. This discussion is best handled as an ongoing review of the criteria as students workto complete the task.

Some students may perform below level 1. It will be important to note the characteristics of theirwork in relation to the criteria in the assessment rubric and to provide feedback to help themimprove.

4

The Exemplar Task (5 periods of 75 minutes each)

Period 1: The task is introduced and research starts

• Introduce the task to the students, breaking the task down into its components and indicatingthe time that will be allotted to each component.

• Emphasize that, in order to prepare a bibliography, students are to maintain a list of theresources they use as they conduct their research, recording these in the Sources section ofthe Research Organizer (Appendix A).

• Specify the time period in which the fictional characters of the students’ diary entries are tohave lived.

• Review with the class the major technological developments and economic conditions of theselected time period.

• Brainstorm with the class to identify various types of fictional characters students may adoptas the “authors” of their diary entries.

• Ask each student to choose a character and complete the initial section of the Getting IntoCharacter worksheet (Appendix B).

• Discuss the Research Organizer with the class and instruct students to fill in the organizer asthey conduct their research.

• Have students begin to research specific technological developments, economic conditions,and other important developments of the time period, with their chosen character in mind.Students’ notes should be organized in the boxes provided for the three entries in the Getting Into Character worksheet.

Period 2: Research continues and the Research Organizer is completed

• Have students continue their research and complete the Research Organizer.

• Discuss with students the concept of cause and effect as it relates to technologicaldevelopments and economic conditions.

Period 3: A draft is prepared• Discuss with students what constitutes a diary entry.

• Have students begin work on a draft of their diary entries, using the Getting Into Characterworksheet and the Research Organizer.

Period 4: The draft is completed and assessed by the student and a peer

• Allow students to complete the draft of their diary entries.

• Ask students to complete the Diary Checklist for self- and peer assessment (Appendix C).

*The rubric is reproduced on pages 14–15 of this document.


5

Period 5: The final product is completed

• Ask students to prepare the final copy of their diary entries.

• Remind students to prepare a title page that will include the biographical information theyrecorded in the top section of the Getting Into Character worksheet.

• Remind students to include a bibliography as the final page of their submission.

AppendicesAppendix A: Research Organizer

Appendix B: Getting Into Character

Appendix C: Diary Checklist

6

Appendix A: Research Organizer

Time Period: ____________________________

TechnologicalDevelopments

EconomicConditions

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

Sources:

•

•

•

•

•

Other UsefulInformationAbout This Time Period


7

Appendix B: Getting Into Character

Time Period

Name of My Character

Occupation of My Character

Other Relevant Information

TECHNOLOGY ECONOMY

ENTRY #1

Date:

OTHER

8

TECHNOLOGY ECONOMY

ENTRY #2

Date:

OTHER


9

TECHNOLOGY ECONOMY

ENTRY #3

Date:

OTHER

10

Appendix C: Diary Checklist

Self/Peer Assessment

Time Period: __________________________

Self (✓ ) Peer (✓ )

Content:

The entries include specific facts and details about the technologicaldevelopments of the time period.

The entries include specific facts and details about the economic conditionsof the time period

The entries include historically accurate information about one otherdevelopment (e.g., relating to a social issue).

Analysis:

The entries explain the impact of technological developments on the character.

The entries explain the impact of economic conditions on the character.

The entries explain the impact of one other development (e.g., a social issue)on the character.

Mechanics:

Each entry contains a date and location.

The spelling and grammar in the entries are correct.

The entries are complete.

The three entries total at least 600 words.

A bibliography is included.

Canadian History in theTwentieth CenturyApplied


Events That Shaped Canadian Identity

The Task

Students were presented with the following scenario: A foreigndelegation is coming to their area, and the class has been askedto prepare a display to be exhibited at a reception for the visitors.The display is to focus on events that helped to shape elementsof our current Canadian identity.

Each student was then asked to select one event that he or sheconsidered to be important in helping to shape an element ofCanadian identity. The event was to be selected from a historicalperiod studied in the course and chosen by the teacher. Eachstudent was required to research background materials, create avisual representation of the event, and write a supporting state-ment evaluating the significance of the event and justifying thechoice of visual images used to represent it. (The visuals couldbe representational or symbolic. The Canadian flag could beused to symbolize Canadian identity, regardless of the period inwhich the chosen event occurred.)

To monitor their progress, students were encouraged to use theResearch Organizer, the Self/Peer Assessment Checklist, and thetemplate that were provided to them (see the appendices to theTeacher Package, reproduced on pages 84–85 of this document).

The final product consisted of:

• a visual representation of an event that helped to shape an element of Canadian identity

• a supporting statement of approximately three hundred wordsthat evaluates the significance of the event and justifies theimages chosen for the visual representation

Students were also asked to supply a bibliography, but the bibli-ography was not evaluated as part of the final product.

Expectations

This task gave students the opportunity to demonstrate achieve-ment of the following selected expectations from two strands:Communities: Local, National, and Global; and Methods of Historical Inquiry.

Students will:

1. demonstrate an understanding of the elements of Canadianidentity;

2. evaluate information when researching historical topics orissues;

3. demonstrate competence in research and writing (e.g., gath-ering information, building an argument, supporting theargument with evidence, writing clearly, editing);

4. express ideas and arguments in a coherent manner duringdiscussions and debates, or in graphic displays;

5. demonstrate an ability to draw conclusions based on adequateand relevant supporting evidence.

55 Canadian History in the Twentieth Century, Appl ied

Prior Knowledge and Skills

To complete this task, students were expected to have:

• an understanding of the history of the selected period

• experience with research methods

• an understanding of the concepts of national identity anddefining moments

• experience in writing supporting statements


For information on the process used to prepare students for the taskand on the materials, resources, and equipment required, see theTeacher Package reproduced on pages 82–85 of this document.


Task Rubric – Events That Shaped Canadian Identity

Expectations*

1

2, 3

3, 4

5

Criteria

– demonstrates an under-

standing of an element of

Canadian identity through

the selection and accurate

description of a relevant

historical event

– evaluates the importance

of the chosen event effec-

tively in the supporting

statement (e.g., builds a

convincing argument, pro-

vides appropriate evidence

to support the argument)

– communicates the signifi-

cance of the event clearly

and coherently through the

text (e.g., writes clearly,

edits writing), in combina-

tion with the visual

– effectively justifies the

images chosen and/or cre-

ated to illustrate the event

Level 1


understanding of an

element of Canadian

identity


of the event with limited

effectiveness


cance of the event with

limited clarity and

coherence

– justifies the images with

limited effectiveness

Level 2


understanding of an

element of Canadian

identity


of the event with some

effectiveness



some clarity and

coherence


some effectiveness

Level 3

– demonstrates consider-

able understanding of

an element of Canadian

identity


of the event with consider-

able effectiveness



considerable clarity and

coherence


considerable effectiveness

Level 4


degree of understanding

of an element of Canadian

identity


of the event with a high

degree of effectiveness


cance of the event with a

high degree of clarity and

coherence


a high degree of

effectiveness


The student:

Thinking/Inquiry

The student:

Communication

The student:

Application

The student:

*The expectations that correspond to the numbers given in this chart are listed on page 54.

Note: A student whose overall achievement at the end of a course is below level 1 (that is, below 50%) will not obtain a credit for the course.


Events That Shaped Canadian Identity Level 1, Sample 1

A B


C Teacher’s Notes


– The student demonstrates limited understanding of an element of Canadian

identity (e.g., claims that “The Avro Arrow would be excellence for Canada”

and that “This plane made Canadians important all over North America”, but

does not clearly describe the event or explain how it relates to Canadian

identity).

Thinking/Inquiry

– The student evaluates the importance of the event with limited effectiveness,

as illustrated by the following:

– Although the student asserts that the event was important, he or she

does not develop a convincing argument to demonstrate this claim

(e.g., states in the opening sentence that “the RCAF decided to make a

piece of Canadian history”, but provides no further information on the

role of the RCAF, why it decided to build the Arrow, or why this piece of

history is important).

– Although the student has included supporting facts, some of them are

not relevant to a discussion of the importance of the event (e.g., “The first

person to fly this plane was Jan Zurakowski . . . ”) or are not sufficiently

developed.

Communication

– The student communicates the significance of the event with limited clarity

and coherence, as illustrated by the following:

– Ideas are not expressed clearly and information is not always presented

in a logical way (e.g., the sentence “It was built because of the Russians”

is vague and is out of place chronologically).

– The meaning of some of the information provided is obscured by unclear

writing (e.g., “Some of the engineers said that it was 20 years ahead.”;

“the final plane was built and it cost 2 million dollars. With lots of extras

the plane came out to 12.5 million dollars.”).

– The visual supports the text to the extent that it illustrates the Avro Arrow

in some detail and links it to a symbol of Canadian identity.


Application

– The images are justified with limited effectiveness, as illustrated by the

following:

– The student justifies the use of the image of the flag in a superficial way

(e.g., “The Canadian flag shows that it was Canadians who had done it.”).

– The justification for the visual refers to things that are not effectively

depicted in the illustration (e.g., the drawing does not convey that the

plane “is the best for speed and weapons” or that “Canadians . . . werent

just the workers but they were thinkers”).

Comments/Next Steps

– The student has conducted some research and presented some relevant

facts but, overall, he or she has not selected information that conveys either

the reasons for the Arrow’s development and demise or its importance to

Canadian identity.

– Careful self- and peer editing is needed to correct spelling and grammatical

errors (e.g., “Deifenbaker”, “werent”, “skiled”).

– The student should use a Research Organizer not only to organize the

researched facts but also to establish the chronological flow of events.



A B


C D


Teacher’s Notes


– The student demonstrates limited understanding of an element of Canadian

identity, as illustrated by the following:

– The student states that the adoption of the flag enhanced national pride

(e.g., “it gave us pride to know that our independent country now had our

own flag. It also gave us pride to know that we were being identified over

seas at special occasions and meetings”), but does not relate these feel-

ings clearly to Canadian identity.

– The interpretation is superficial and does not convey any specifics of

Canadian identity (e.g., the association of a national flag with “patriotism”

and “unique identity” would apply to most countries).

Thinking/Inquiry

– The student evaluates the importance of the event with limited effectiveness,


– The importance of Canada’s having its own visual symbol is assessed in

a limited way (e.g., “This flag has came to represent Canada’s unique

identity.”).

– Arguments are supported by inappropriate or inaccurate information

(e.g., “Designing a new flag for Canada, brought French-English relations

closer. Quebec was able to design there own provincial flag.”).

– The statement includes too much irrelevant detail (e.g., on the design of

the provincial flag of Quebec) and does not provide enough detail on

some relevant points (e.g., “Many Canadians identified the new design

immediately.”).

Communication

– The student communicates the significance of the event with limited clarity


– Although facts are presented in chronological order (e.g., “In 1964 Lester

B. Pearson announced that Canada would choose a new flag. He and a

committee examined over 2000 designs.”), ideas are not organized logi-

cally and the writing is choppy.

E


– Sentence construction is poor and there are many errors in spelling and

punctuation (e.g., “This picture shows a Canadian at the Olympic on top of

the podium there is a Chinese and American also on the podium”; “there

own”; “Designing a new flag for Canada, brought French-English relations

closer.”).

– The visual conveys the idea of national pride, but has little relevance to

the actual adoption of the new flag.

Application

– The student justifies the images with limited effectiveness, as illustrated by

the following:

– The justification is vague (e.g., “This illustration depicts the pride that has

been around in Canada since the early days.”).

– The student explains how the visual represents Canadian pride (e.g., “that

just shows were we have proudly showed out patriotism around the

world”), but does not explain the connection to Canadian identity.

Comments/Next Steps

– The student needs to provide a more detailed explanation of how the flag

represents the unique identity of Canada and how it is considered to repre-

sent all citizens of Canada.

– The student should include some background information on the two earlier

flags flown in Canada and the controversy leading up to the final design

choice.

– Use of a research organizer would encourage more attention to detail.

– Facts need to be checked more thoroughly (e.g., the student refers to the

League of Nations rather than the United Nations).

– Self- and peer assessment needs to be used more effectively to catch errors

in spelling, grammar, and punctuation.



A B


C Teacher’s Notes


– The student demonstrates some understanding of an element of Canadian

identity, as illustrated by the following:

– The student suggests several ways in which the air training plan was

important to Canadian identity (e.g., “With success of the British Com-

monwealth Air Training Plan Canada gained much needed independent

identity”; “gave Canada a proud Heritage in the Royal Canadian Air Force”),

but some of the items mentioned are not clearly explained or do not actu-

ally pertain to Canadian identity (e.g., “it brought great fame to Canada”;

“it was an economical boost”).

Thinking/Inquiry

– The student evaluates the importance of the event with some effectiveness,

presenting some statistical data (e.g., “The plan lasted for 5 years. In the 5

years 82,000 pilots and aircrew graduated from the training center.”), but

providing no evidence for some assertions (e.g., “it was an economical

boost”; “Canada was truly recognized as an independent country”).

Communication

– The student communicates the significance of the event with some clarity


– Ideas are logically ordered and expressed with some clarity.

– Awkward syntax (e.g., “On December 17, 1939 it was agreed to do this in

Canada”), grammatical errors (e.g., “positions in aircrew, pilots, and

other Air related jobs”), and overuse of capitalization (e.g., “Identity”,

“Heritage”, “Air”) detract from the work’s readability.

– The image of an ascending plane against the backdrop of a Canadian flag

is somewhat effective in reinforcing the message that Canada’s role in

the BCATP strengthened the country’s identity as a valued contributor to

the Allied effort.


Application

– The student justifies the images of the Allied plane and Canadian flag with

some effectiveness, explaining the images used (e.g., “the flag represents

Canada large and strong and the plane represents the allied forces”), but

also making reference to elements not conveyed in the illustration (e.g., “It

also represents Canada as strong and fearless and willing to go to battle.”).

Comments/Next Steps

– The student has done some research and provides some details about the

function of the Air Training Plan, but needs to provide more detail as to its

impact on Canada and on Canadian identity.

– The student needs to make a stronger connection between the BCATP and

the war effort and to be clearer about the purpose of the plan.

– Although the use of the colour red, the size of the flag, and the positioning

of the plane make for a dramatic visual, the connection to the chosen event

could be better developed.

– The student needs to proofread more carefully.



A B


C Teacher’s Notes


– The student demonstrates some understanding of an element of Canadian

identity, choosing a relevant event, providing a somewhat accurate, if insuf-

ficiently detailed, description, and linking the event to Canadian identity

(e.g., “The strike really changed Canada’s identity, it gave freedom of speech

and the right to protest.”).

Thinking/Inquiry

– The student evaluates the importance of the event with some effectiveness,


– The student indicates that the strike had significant effects over time, but

does not develop a supporting argument (e.g., claims that “The strike

helped future Canadians because after World War 2 men came home to

pensions”, but does not explain the connection between the strike and

pensions for World War II veterans).

– Some specific evidence on the causes of the strike is presented (e.g.,

“men were working 60 hours a week with wages that were hardly livable

after the price of meat and products jumped up”), but little detail is pro-

vided about the strike itself and its immediate effects (e.g., the student

states, without elaboration, that “The Winnipeg General Strike was the

largest strike in Canada and it was a horrible time.”).

Communication

– The student communicates the significance of the event with some clarity


– Events are presented in chronological order (e.g., World War I veterans

come home to poor working conditions, their demands for improvements

are not met, they strike), but ideas are expressed in simplistic terms

(e.g., “They talked it over with their bosses but it was not approved”) and

are not always clearly connected (e.g., there is no logical connection

between the ideas in the second and third paragraphs).


– The student attempts to convey the drama of the situation through lan-

guage (e.g., “World War One, the war to end all wars.”), but errors in

grammar and punctuation detract from the intended effect and some-

times interfere with readability (e.g., “Soldiers returned home expecting

their old jobs to support their families, unfortunately the jobs would not

be given back to the soldiers, only some that were lucky.”).

– There are several spelling mistakes or typographical errors (e.g, “vissual”,

“dmands”).

– The visual enhances the message of the text in that it represents the

workers’ major demands and conveys the intensity of the strike through

the expression on the worker’s face, but it does not effectively convey the

scope of the event or its impact.

Application

– The student justifies the visual with some effectiveness by incorporating the

reference to the illustration into his or her description of the strike (e.g., “As

you can see in my vissual, they carried placards stating their demands.”),

but does not provide an explanation of the ideas or qualities that the image

of the worker is meant to convey.

Comments/Next Steps

– The student sets the context for the strike, evaluating the situation facing

returning soldiers, but needs to provide a clearer evaluation of the strike

and its impact.

– The student has done some research and included details such as hours of

work and the name of the prison where strikers were sent, but needs to

provide more details on the strike, the forces against it, and its results.

– The student should provide a more complete justification of the images

used in the visual.

– The student should review rules of grammar, particularly with respect to

sentence structure and punctuation, and should proofread carefully.



A B


C Teacher’s Notes


– The student demonstrates considerable understanding of an element of

Canadian identity, selecting a relevant event and describing its impact on

Canadian identity (e.g., “The most significant part of the battle was the fact

that the men who fought against the Germans were all Canadians.”; “a turn-

ing point in the country’s change from a British colony into a nation”).

Thinking/Inquiry

– The student evaluates the importance of the event with considerable effec-

tiveness, building a convincing argument by providing relevant statistics

(e.g., the number of casualties and captured German soldiers) and impor-

tant details (e.g., the planning that went into the battle), and by integrating

an appropriate quotation from a contemporary observer (e.g., “I witnessed

the birth of a nation.”).

Communication

– The student communicates the significance of the event with considerable

clarity and coherence, as illustrated by the following:

– The student has organized the text clearly, introducing the event and then

presenting supporting facts chronologically.

– The student generally writes clearly, although there are several

instances of faulty sentence construction (e.g., “The rest of the world

could see how good we were and how smart instead of running into a

fight, we prepared before the fight.”) and some errors in capitalization

and punctuation (e.g., “The Battle”; “They climbed the side of Vimy Ridge,

one of the strongest Germans fronts and took them by surprise.”).

– The student uses the visual effectively to support and enhance the text,

depicting more than one aspect of the battle (e.g., soldiers operating

artillery; a soldier returning from battle with his rifle resting on his

shoulder), including an effective caption, and linking the image to Cana-

dian identity by incorporating the Canadian flag into the border.


Application

– The student justifies the images with considerable effectiveness (e.g., states

that the drawing “shows groups of soldiers because all the divisions in the

Canadian corps sent men to the battle”; “I have put a Canadian flag in the

border because Vimy Ridge was an important event in shaping Canadian

identity.”).

Comments/Next Steps

– The student has done considerable research and provided a great deal of

relevant factual information and detail.

– The student has provided considerable insight into an element of Canadian

identity, describing the participation of Canadians in an important battle

and Canadian pride in the victory. However, a clearer connection should be

made between the event and the “the country’s change from a British colony

into a nation”.

– The student should edit and proofread carefully to avoid faulty sentence

structure and to catch typographical errors.

– The source in the footnote should be included in the bibliography.



A B


C D


Application

– The student justifies the choice of images with considerable effectiveness

(e.g., “I have drawn part of the Canadian flag and part of the Quebec flag to

show that Quebec is part of our Canadian identity. I have written words in

both languages . . . to show that this is a bilingual country.”), but includes

some overly simplistic observations (e.g., “It would make no sense to have

half of Canada speaking French and the rest of the country not understand-

ing a thing they are saying.”).

Comments/Next Steps

– The student has selected a challenging topic and has included considerable

factual information, but should include more detail to clarify some aspects

of the discussion, particularly the amendment of the act in 1987.

– The student demonstrates considerable insight into the concept of bilingual-

ism and some of its effects on Canadian identity, clearly explaining the

opportunities afforded French Canadians under the act.

– Some background information about events leading up to the introduction

of the act would enhance the work.

– The visual would be enhanced by the omission of words that are unrelated

to the concept of official bilingualism (e.g., “duck”/”cane”).

– The student should have submitted a bibliography with his or her work.

Teacher’s Notes


– The student demonstrates considerable understanding of an element of

Canadian identity, describing an appropriate event and showing how it

relates to Canadian identity (e.g., “Due to this new law, Canada was now

visualised as a bilingual country”; “Bilingualism became part of the Canadian

identity.”).

Thinking/Inquiry

– The student evaluates the importance of the event with considerable effec-

tiveness, reviewing both the results of the act (e.g., “The Official Languages

Act was a great benefit to French speaking people outside Quebec.”; “French

Canadians had greater opportunities for jobs in Federal Civil Services.”) and

the backlash to it (e.g., “Some people thought that French-speaking Canadi-

ans were getting special treatment.”), but providing little background infor-

mation to establish the context.

Communication

– The student communicates the significance of the event with considerable

clarity and coherence, as illustrated by the following:

– The facts are presented chronologically in a generally coherent way (e.g.,

information about the 1969 act is followed by a discussion of its impact

and its later amendment), and the arguments in the justification and con-

clusion are expressed logically and persuasively.

– The writing is generally clear and flows smoothly, although there are sev-

eral errors in punctuation (e.g., “French-speaking communities with a

population of 10% or more, would be served in their own language”;

dropped period in “. . . all signs and notices must be bilingual French and

English must be treated as equals . . . ”).

– The student creates a visual that effectively communicates the ideas in

the text, representing Canada’s inclusion of English- and French-speaking

people by interweaving the Canadian and Quebec flags and incorporating

various words and phrases in both English and French.



A B


C D


Application

– The student thoroughly justifies the images (e.g., “The image I chose to draw

was to show the sufferings of the Japanese Canadians in the internment

camps. The man in my picture is surrounded by a barb wire fence.”; “a

Canadian flag . . . to remind us that Canada did this to its own people”).

Comments/Next Steps

– The student uses background information very effectively to establish the

seriousness of the event (e.g., “there were about 23,000 Japanese people

living in Canada, mainly in British Columbia. Many of them had been born

there or were naturalized citizens.”).

– The student enhances the work by looking forward to the role of the Canadian

Charter of Rights and Freedoms in preventing such injustices in the future.

– The overall impact of the visual and supporting statement is very strong.

– Some further editing would help to eliminate minor flaws (e.g., the sentence

“They were not allowed to join the Canadian army” is misplaced, being

unrelated to the topic of the rest of the paragraph).

Teacher’s Notes


– The student demonstrates a high degree of understanding of an element of

Canadian identity, selecting a relevant event, describing it very clearly, and

relating it persuasively to Canadian identity (e.g., “an important event for

Canadian identity because it made Canadians think about what we really

believe in”; “Afterwards we remembered that a Canadian identity includes

people of all races.”).

Thinking/Inquiry

– The student evaluates the importance of the event with a high degree of

effectiveness, building a highly convincing argument (e.g., “It was a dark

time in Canadian history.”; “We forgot about human rights and became

racist.”), and supporting it with relevant evidence (e.g., “Families were split

up and their property was taken away.”; “They had no rights.”).

Communication

– The student communicates the significance of the event with a high degree

of clarity and coherence, as illustrated by the following:

– The text is generally very well structured and the writing is consistently

clear and effective.

– Sentence structure is skilfully varied throughout the text (e.g., the stu-

dent writes that “As a result of the bombing, many Canadians became

afraid of anyone who was Japanese. They might even be spies!”, using the

last short exclamatory sentence to emphasize the overreaction of Canadi-

ans).

– The conclusion is strong (e.g., “everybody has rights. We don’t want to

forget that again.”).

– The writing is free of grammatical errors, and there are only two spelling

mistakes (i.e., “Pearl Harbour”; “barb wire”).

– The visual effectively reinforces the message of the text by symbolically

representing the suffering and powerlessness of the Japanese Canadi-

ans (i.e., by showing an internee imprisoned behind bars and barbed

wire) and the sanctioning of this treatment by the Canadian government

(i.e., by incorporating an image of the Canadian flag).



A B


C Teacher’s Notes


– The student demonstrates a high degree of understanding of an element of

Canadian identity, selecting a highly relevant event, describing it clearly

(e.g., “The Charter lays out the rights and freedoms of all Canadians. It is

mainly about human dignity and the democracy that we have in this country.”),

and relating it to Canadian identity (e.g., “It reflects our unique Canadian

Identity because it clearly states what we believe in.”).

Thinking/Inquiry

– The student evaluates the importance of the event with a high degree of

effectiveness (e.g., states that “In Canada it is against the law to discriminate

against anyone” and lists some key provisions of the Charter to support this

statement; argues that “Our identity is made up of people from many cul-

tures and backgrounds, and everybody has the right to be treated with

dignity and respect.”).

Communication

– The student communicates the significance of the event clearly and coher-

ently, as illustrated by the following:

– The student has an effective command of the elements of writing and

presents his or her thoughts clearly and in a well-organized way.

– The strong concluding sentences reinforce the importance of the Charter.

– There are very few grammatical errors (e.g., a run-on sentence; occasional

awkwardness in wording) and capitalization is sometimes inconsistent

(e.g., “Charter”/”charter”; “Identity”/”identity”).

– The visual reinforces the message in the student’s statement by high-

lighting important phrases from the Charter and by integrating the image

of the Charter with that of the flag as a symbol of Canadian identity.

Application

– The student justifies the images with a high degree of effectiveness (e.g., “I

have included a pencil to represent the writing of the laws and have shown

some of the most important words from the charter like ‘fundamental

freedoms’.”)


Comments/Next Steps

– The student has captured the important elements of the Charter and of its

impact on Canadians and Canadian identity.

– The student could incorporate some background to place the development

of the Charter in a larger context (e.g., stating that the Charter is based on

the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but is unique to Canada, would

enhance the discussion of its significance).


1

Title: Events That Shaped Canadian Identity

Time Requirement: 5 periods of 75 minutes each

Description of the TaskThe teacher will present students with the following scenario: A delegation of visitors fromoverseas is coming to their area. The class has been asked to develop a display depictingimportant events that helped to shape elements of our current Canadian identity. The students’work will be on display at a reception for the visitors.

The teacher will then select a historical period that the class has studied in the course. Within thistime frame, each student will select one event that he or she considers to be important in helpingto shape an element of Canadian identity. Each student will then research background materials,create a visual representation of the event, and write a supporting statement evaluating thesignificance of the event and justifying the choice of visual images used to represent it. (Visualsmay be representational or symbolic. Students may use the Canadian flag as a symbol ofCanadian identity, regardless of the time period in which the chosen event occurred.)

Final ProductThe final product will consist of:

• a visual representation of an event that helped to shape an element of Canadian identity

• a supporting statement of approximately three hundred words that evaluates the significanceof the event and justifies the choice of visual images used to represent it

• a bibliography that includes all sources used by the student in completing the necessaryresearch for this task

Note: The bibliography will not be evaluated as part of the exemplar task but is required toensure that students list all the sources used in their research.

Teachers should advise students that any quotes taken directly from a source must beappropriately recognized.

Canadian and World Studies Exemplar TaskGrade 10 History – Applied

Teacher Package

2

Assessment and EvaluationSelf- and peer assessments of the draft supporting statements and preliminary designs will help toensure that the students are completing all of the elements of the task. Students will use theSelf/Peer Assessment Checklist (Appendix B) to complete the assessment.

The final product will be assessed by the teacher using the task-specific rubric.

Expectations Addressed in the Exemplar Task

Students will:

1. demonstrate an understanding of the elements of Canadian identity;

2. evaluate information when researching historical topics or issues;

3. demonstrate competence in research and writing (e.g., gathering information, buildingan argument, supporting the argument with evidence, writing clearly, editing);

4. express ideas and arguments in a coherent manner during discussions and debates, or ingraphic displays;

5. demonstrate an ability to draw conclusions based on adequate and relevant supportingevidence.

Teacher Instructions

Prior Knowledge and SkillsTo complete this task, students should have:

• an understanding of the history of the selected period

• experience with research methods

• an understanding of the concepts of national identity and defining moments

• experience in writing supporting statements


AccommodationsAccommodations that are normally provided in the regular classroom for students with specialneeds should be provided in the administration of this performance task.

You may wish to review the relevant course profile for specific suggestions for accommodationsappropriate for students in special education programs.

Teacher Package


3

Materials and ResourcesEnsure that the following materials and resources are available for students:

• print materials (e.g., textbooks, Canadiana scrapbooks, magazines)

• Internet access, if available

• art supplies

RubricIntroduce the task-specific rubric* when you begin to discuss the task with the students.

Review the rubric with the students and ensure that each student understands the criteria and thedescriptions of achievement at each level.

Allow ample class time for a thorough reading and discussion of the assessment criteria outlinedin the rubric.

Some students may perform below level 1. It will be important to note the characteristics of theirwork in relation to the criteria in the assessment rubric and to provide feedback to help themimprove.

4

The Exemplar Task (5 periods of 75 minutes each)

1. Introduction of task; brainstorming: 1 period of 75 minutes

• Introduce the task to the students and outline the time allotment.

• With the class, thoroughly review the concepts of national identity and defining moments.

• Identify, for the class, a historical period that has already been covered in the course.

• Brainstorm with the class to identify key events from the selected historical period.

• Ask each student to select from this historical period an event that he or she feels constitutesa defining moment that helped to shape an element of Canadian identity. Review eachstudent’s choice to confirm that it is suitable for the task.

2. Research; drafts of visual representation and supporting statement: 3 periods of 75 minutes each

• Have students research background information on their selected event. Instruct them to usethe Research Organizer (Appendix A) to assist them with the selection and research process.Instruct students to follow these steps when researching the event:– gather information about the event, keeping track of sources used;– build an argument that clearly explains the impact of the event on Canadian identity;– support the argument with evidence.

• Ask students to plan and produce a preliminary version of their visual representation. Theymay include images, symbols, drawings, sketches, and/or pictures. Copyrighted material mustnot be used.

• Ask students to draft a supporting statement that evaluates the significance of the event theyhave selected and justifies the choice of images used in the visual representation. Thesupporting statement should be approximately three hundred words in length.

• Have students conduct self- and peer assessments of their preliminary visual representationand draft supporting statement, using the Self/Peer Assessment Checklist provided(Appendix B).

3. Completion of the final product: 1 period of 75 minutes

• Ask students to prepare a final copy of their illustration on the template provided (Appendix C).

• Ask students to write a final copy of their supporting statement and bibliography.

Appendices

Appendix A: Research Organizer

Appendix B: Self/Peer Assessment Checklist

Appendix C: Template

*The rubric is reproduced on pages 56 of this document.


5

Ap

pend

ix A

Research O

rganizer

Tim

e Period: _____________________________________

Sources Used

••••

Event Influencing

Canadian Identity

Date

of Event

Importance for C

anadaSupporting Ideas

Possible D

esigns

6

Appendix B

Self/Peer Assessment Checklist

Criteria Yes (√) No(√)

– historical period is identified

– event is identified by name

– statement explains the impact of the event on Canadian identity

– statement evaluates the significance of the event

– illustration depicts an event that helped to shape an element of Canadian identity

– statement justifies the choice of illustration

– statement is clearly written

– spelling and punctuation have been checked

– a bibliography is included


7

Appendix C – Template

Historical Period

Name of Event

The Ministry of Education wishes to acknowledgethe contribution of the many individuals, groups,and organizations that participated in the develop-ment and refinement of this resource document.

ISBN 0-7794-2539-1

01-133

© Queen’s Printer for Ontario, 2002

Printed on recycled paper

The Ontario Curriculum Exemplars - · PDF file4 The Ontario Curriculum – Exemplars, Grade 10: Canadian and World Studies The samples in this document will provide parents1 with examples

Documents