Canadian+Art+–+1914+–+1929

Usha's comments in Blue.

Your name: Sarah West

**Initial Reading and Assessment of Textbook Treatment of the Topic**

Name of Gr. 10 Textbook examined: __Newman, Garfield, et al. Canada: A Nation Unfolding. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 2000.__

// Your Initial Thoughts: Please provide a **brief** (5-10 sentences) initial assessment of the textbook's treatment of the subject. We have not developed any particular criteria by which to assess the textbook so this is really simply you initial reactions, feelings, questions about what you have read. Thanks! //

First off, I assumed that Canadian Art was going to be quite a large topic within the Newman text. I found it strange that no mention of Canadian Art, or any type of art, was listed in the table of contents; upon researching the index I noted that only four pages (I noticed) were dedicated to art: The "Woodcarvers of Saint-Jean-Port-Joli" has one page dedicated to itself, which discusses woodcarvers in Quebec and their reflection of French Canada, which occurred throughout the years from 1740 to the present; a second topic of arts is discussed, pages 175-176, about Canadian artists in the 1920s who began to express Canadian culture through literature and painting; a third topic, "Lost Art of Auschwitz", is found within the WWII section, and describes how the Nazi death camp prisoners (who were artists) secretly painted images of their lives within the Nazi camps (242). The topics of Canadian art seem to be hidden within the text; while I was browsing I came across a page dedicated to WWI propaganda for joining the Canadian army (95). As a pianist, and someone who has been involved in the performing arts for my entire life, it is probable that some of my future students will be creative minds as well. For those artistic students, I would likely dedicate a class to the arts, from 1914-1929 (while obviously discussing the events that occurred within the historical contest) to help engage the students and promote interest for topics within Canadian history.

Name of more "scholarly" source examined: First World War. Michael Duffy. Copyright 2008-2009. Thursday, September 23, 2010. .

As for the "scholarly" source, I found that had a decent section about propaganda art during WWI, 1914-1918. The site explains the means behind creating a propaganda poster, and for what purpose as received by the audience, which was not only to promote involvement in the war, but thrift shopping. The website includes four short paragraphs about the topic, similarly to the textbook which includes three paragraphs. As technology prevails in the classroom for many reasons, it is convenient that the site includes a side bar where examples of propaganda posters can be viewed.

Thanks for your comments, Sarah. I think your insight regarding the fact that the arts seemed to be "hidden" in the text is very interesting. It does send a message (intended or unintended) when the index or table of contents doesn't highlight some of the content. In addition to the amount of detail or emphasis, do you have any comments about the approach taken by the text? What do you think about the way it addresses the topic? For example, does it place the topic within a larger context? Does it look at a variety of perspectives? etc. I look forward to hearing how you proceed on this topic - it sounds like you have a special passion for it.