Activity: Being Canadian

Teacher Notes

As a class, students will create a "Canadian Hall of Fame" and nominate their first inductees.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

• Two 45-minute sessions of class time
• Homework time
• Student copies of Sheet 4: Nomination Form

WHAT TO DO

If you haven't already done one of the other activities, it will be important to discuss the concepts of "celebrity", "fame", "importance" and "impact" with your students. Ask them to name some famous people; list these names on the board and try to determine how many of them are Canadians. Encourage students to articulate if and how any of these people have had an impact on their lives.

Ask students to think about other halls of fame (baseball hall of fame, hockey hall of fame, etc.). What kinds of rules determine who will be inducted into a hall of fame?

Explore with your students the difficulty of choosing Canadians for a Canadian Hall of Fame. What are some of the criteria that students might use for creating their own Canadian Hall of Fame?

As your students come up with ideas, record these on the board. Ask students to determine (by vote) which criteria are the most important. Ask students if it is important to show diversity (regional, linguistic, ethnic, gender, etc.).

Using their criteria, have students brainstorm Canadians who "fit the bill". Students then must decide on the Canadian for whom they want to produce a nomination to their own Canadian Hall of Fame. Make sure that there are no duplications. Note: students should be familiar with the Canadian they choose.

Distribute Sheet 4: Nomination Form. Students must fill out the information using the Internet, the library and other sources of information.

When students have completed this exercise, post their Nomination Forms on a bulletin board. Have students make a very short presentation on their candidate. Tell the students that, as a class, they can only induct five Canadians into the Hall of Fame this year. Which five will they choose? Hold a vote to see who makes it in!