In this activity, students will revisit the source material related to one individual or family narrative to identify significant events in that person's or family’s journey. From there, they will design a pilgrimage route and accompanying materials that feature the five most significant sites to this person’s or family’s journey.
- Concept
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Primary Source Evidence
Historical Significance
Historical Perspectives
- Theme
-
Commemoration
Canadian Identity
Personal Stories
- Level
-
Junior
Secondary
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OUTCOMES
Students will be able to:
SUGGESTED TIME FRAME
PROCESS
1. Introduction (10 minutes)
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Explain to students that in this lesson they will be exploring the concept of historical significance in order to help them design a pilgrimage route for those interested in honouring individual Canadian First and Second World War contributions via
travel.
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Explain what a pilgrimage is to students: A journey to a series of places that have significance to someone. Although pilgrimages are traditionally associated with religion, they can be secular (non-religious) too.
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Explain that in 1936, such a pilgrimage was made by many Canadians for the unveiling of the Vimy Memorial. In this activity, students will use that pilgrimage as an inspiration to create something similar for the person or family they have been investigating.
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Conduct a class discussion:
- Why might someone choose to go on a pilgrimage?
- Why is it important to remember?
- What impact might a pilgrimage have on personal identity? National identity?
2. Understanding historical significance (15 minutes)
- As a class brainstorm reasons why we remember some events and forget others. Use this brainstorm to introduce the topic of historical significance.
- Introduce the three criteria for historical significance.
CRITERIA FOR HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE
It resulted in change - it impacted people (how many?) and/or led to changes (how long lasting or widespread?)
It is revealing - it helps us understand something about the past better
It is relevant - it helps us understand something about issues that concern us today
- Tell students that significance is dependent on the question being asked or the person asking it. What is significant to some is insignificant to others.
3. Picking the pilgrimage locations (40 minutes)
- Ask students to review the experiences of the Canadian they learned about in Lesson #3. As they do so, they should choose the five events (a mix of First World War, Interwar Years, and Second World War events) they think were most significant to that
specific Canadian. Once they have chosen these events, they should complete BLM #4.1 and BLM #4.2*. Be sure to hand out a copy of "Rubric #4.2 - Pilgrimage Annotations" so that students understand the assessment criteria.
*BLM 4.1 is a world map for students to map the the pilgrimage they are planning. BLM 4.2 is a chart to identify each stop on the pilgrimage, and what the significance of each stop is - why is it important to the person's identity? The full BLMs are available in the downloaded material.
4. Designing the pilgrimage materials (15 minutes)
- Explain to students that they will now be designing a hybrid pilgrimage passport and guidebook for those that wish to embark on the journey.
- Show students Diefenbaker’s Vimy Pilgrimage materials (particularly the passport, guidebook and supplement) to give them an example of what a passport and guidebook might look like.
- Encourage them to explore these materials in more depth on their own time to gain inspiration for design and various aspects they might want to include.
- Tell students that they can be as creative with the project as they wish but it must be presented in a passport style with the following elements:
- Title page indicating the name of the pilgrimage (include name of the individual and/or family the pilgrimage is devoted to);
- Page for the traveler’s information
- 1 page per pilgrimage stop – each page must include the following information
- Location of the pilgrimage stop
- Description of when the historical person or family was here and what they were doing
- Unique passport stamp that reflects the person’s or family member’s experience here.
- Be sure to hand out a copy of "Rubric #4.3 - Pilgrimage Passport" so that students understand the assessment criteria.
- Once all passports are completed, have students conduct a gallery walk and/or put them on display for the school.
RUBRIC 4.2
| ASPECT |
APPLYING |
DEVELOPING |
EMERGING |
| PILGRIMAGE SITES |
Chose sites that are linked to a mix of World War One, Interwar Years, and World War Two events. |
Choose sites that draw heavily from 2 eras. |
Chose sites that draw heavily from 1 era. |
| SIGNIFICANCE |
Fully explained the significance of the site using all three aspects of the criteria for historical significance. |
Explained the significance of the site using two of the three aspects of the criteria for historical significance. |
With support, explained the basic significance of the site using one of the three aspects of the criteria for historical significance. |
RUBRIC 4.3
| ASPECT |
APPLYING |
DEVELOPING |
EMERGING |
| OVERALL DESIGN |
Incorporated all aspects of a traditional passport. |
Incorporated most aspects of a traditional passport. |
Incorporated few aspects of a traditional passport. |
| DESCRIPTION OF STOPS |
Included an accurate and detailed description of the importance of the site to the journey of the subject. |
Included an accurate but brief description of the importance of the site to the journey of the subject. |
With support, included a brief description of the importance of the site to the journey of the subject. |
| PASSPORT STAMPS |
Included a unique stamp for each of the sites to be visited. The stamp is reflective of the significance of the site to the journey of the subject. |
Included stamps for each of the sites to be visited. The connection between some of the stamps and the significance of the site is unclear. |
Included stamps for each of the sites to be visited. The connection between most or all of the stamps and the significance of the site is unclear. |
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