Halifax+Explosion+-+Julia

**Name:** Julia Thiessen
 * [[file:Julia's Halifax explosion lesson plan.pdf]]Usha's comments in Blue. **

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

// **Grade 10 Text Examined:** // Hundey, Ian, Michael Magarrey, and Norma Pettit. //Canadian History: 1900-2000//. Irwin Publishing, 2000.

// **Scholarly Source(s):** //

Griffith Armstrong, John. //The Halifax Explosion and the Royal Canadian Navy: Inquiry and Intrigue//. Vancouver: UBC Press, 2002.

Scanlon, Joseph. “Winners and Losers: Some Thoughts About the Political Economy of Disaster.” //International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters//. March 1998, Vol. 6, No. 1, 47-63.

**Initial Thoughts:** This textbook (and others consulted) includes mention of the Halifax explosion only as an aside, as a “More to the Story” half-page feature, and does not seek to incorporate the event into the broader history told in the chapter on the first World War, except to suggest that this is a way “Canadians on the homefront experienced the horrors of war firsthand”. The date and the death toll are given great importance (knowing the dates of major disasters like these seems to be the currency of patriotism), and several personal anecdotes are included to increase the emotional resonance. Presenting the explosion mostly as an isolated event, the textbook ignores the long-term effects of the disaster. The Joseph Scanlon article cited above suggests that this disaster and others like it exacerbate economic disparities, as certain groups of people (heads of industry, etc.) are given access to the riches of rebuilding and others are left ruined and unaided in the post-disaster economy. The textbook also presented the explosion as primarily a local event (although it was careful to mention the European provenance of the two ships involved). John Armstrong Griffith argues that most involved at the time knew this was a federal disaster, for both the port and the explosives were federally managed. Why is it then not considered part of the overall military history of World War I? Would it be too much of a stain on the national image?

Thanks for your thoughtful and insightful comments, Julia. The significant difference in the approach of the two sources does seem telling. I look forward to see how that informs your lesson plan.

**Critical Challenge:** The students are divided into small groups. Half the groups are asked to //write a children's story on the events of the Halifax explosion//. The other half is asked to //write a report on the Halifax explosion to deliver to Parliament in December of 1917//. In being asked to rework the piece/information, the students will see that there are many different ways to tell the story of the same event, and what one considers the most important information will differ depending on the audience. This is a very interesting challenge, Julia. I like the contrast between the children's story and the report for parliament. Each task is clearly a "design to specs". It's not really a rework the piece because the individual student is not reworking anything. It sounds like you might want them to compare the two accounts afterwards and draw conclusions about how purpose and audience impact the narrative.

Students will:
 * Key Learning/“Big Idea”**
 * learn that disasters have long-term consequences, and that the negative effects are not borne equally by all members of society.
 * learn how much is left out in the writing of history.

Students will:
 * NEW Critical Challenge**
 * rewrite and expand the textbook entry on the Halifax explosion according to the criteria for a good disaster history developed by the class during the mental set.

Students will:
 * Skill for Summative Assessment**
 * practice writing a concise story/historical account, a skill important when writing a news report.

Students will:
 * Dimension of Historical Thinking**
 * think in terms of cause and consequence, with particular emphasis on consequence.


 * Habits of Mind**
 * // Curiosity // / // Inquisitive Thought // : students are asked to look beyond the both the basic facts and the most sensational elements of a story.


 * Critical Thinking Vocabulary**
 * //Evaluation// : students will be asked to //evaluate// the text book.
 * //Criteria// : students will be asked to develop //criteria// for a good textbook entry.

**Thinking Strategies** Students will use

Students will understand:
 * Background Information**
 * the wide-ranging effects of disasters, including clean-up and rebuilding processes.
 * the chronology of events leading up to and following the Halifax explosion.

The students will develop the criteria themselves. The teacher will guide them to include some version of the following: A good textbook entry will:
 * Criteria for Judgment**
 * tell an interesting story/be engaging.
 * include personal interest.
 * explain the causes of an event.
 * give a chronology of the event (when? and in what order?).
 * describe the immediate effects.
 * make note of long-term consequences.

Read a fictitious textbook entry from 2110 on the BP oil disaster of 2010. Ask students to think about what is missing. Leads to the development of criteria for a good textbook entry.
 * Mental Set**