Battles+of+WWI

[|Historical Significance Worksheet- Gianna Antonacci.doc] [|Battles of WWI Lesson Plan- Gianna Antonacci.doc] [|Vimy_Headlines-_Gianna_Antonacci.JPG]

Usha's comments in Blue.

Your name:Gianna Antonacci

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

Name of Gr. 10 Textbook examined:The Canadian Challenge, 2008. Grade 10, Academic.

Name of more "scholarly" source examined: Vimy Ridge 1917-1992- A Canadian Myth of Seventy Five Years. Dave Inglis, Thesis, MA, Simon Fraser University, 1995.

__Your Initial Thoughts:__

The Battles of WWI were covered in only a few pages in //The Canadian Challenge//, which I thought was surprisingly little description for an academic textbook. Yet in this short space the key facts of the battles, as well as the sense of destruction and hardship they brought, were succinctly communicated. A few pictures of battlefields or soldiers were placed throughout these pages to spark thought and discussion.

The main theme of the section, culminating in Vimy as a symbol of national pride, is the great courage displayed by Canadian soldiers in the face of high casualties and horrible odds. Descriptions of Ypres, Passchendaele and the Somme introduced the themes of courage and loss, however the description of Vimy Ridge also introduced the concept that the war helped form Canada’s national identity. The section entitled //Vimy, 1917: Birth of a Nation// not only highlights the Canadians’ courage, but the leadership of Arthur Currie, and the discipline and knowledge demonstrated in the new battle techniques practiced at Vimy. Vimy Ridge has historically been a popular symbol of Canadian pride and unity, and this chapter supports this notion.

Also, the language used in describing the chlorine gas attacks in the battle of Ypres stood out. The text called the use of gas as one of the century’s first WMD, which is an interesting update to reflect the current military situations in the world and the popularization of that phrase since the early 2000’s.

Thanks for your comments, Gianna. It sounds like the text certainly puts forth a particular argument (whether implicitly or explicitly) of the glory of Vimy. Do you think there might be space for students to grapple with whether or not these battles actually did contribute to national pride? Or whether they were as significant as the text might make them out to be? Just some thoughts. What was the perspective of the other source you looked at? It seems, by the title, that it might take an opposing view.

Thanks, Usha. I think there is definitely some room for students to explore nation identity building here. Especially coupled with other information students would be learning about the conflicted view of the war at home, I think Vimy Ridge or the presentation of the battles in general might be a great topic to analyze as to what they represented then and now. I'm thinking about this myself to shape my critical thinking question!

The thesis I looked at focused on Vimy as a symbol of Canadian unity as a myth built actively by parties who were searching for a symbol or event to solidify Canada as a nation. It spoke to the way the "myth: was built up and how it has fluctuated in popularity over the decades. Reading this thesis made me remember comments made around the Vancouver Olympics about how Canada hasn't been this proud of itself since Vimy and the 2010 Olympics is a //new// defining moment for the nation. Things to think about in question building.

That's really interesting, Gianna. There is certainly something rather hallowed about these battles - it will be interesting to consider whether it is a myth, and even if it is, whether it's "good" and useful myth...


 * Critical Thinking Question:**

1. a. Is Vimy Ridge still the symbol of national identity it once was? (Critique the Piece) This is definitely a critique the piece and an interesting question. I'm thinking about what I would need to answer this question well. I'd need to understand how it WAS a symbol of national identity and then I'd have critically examine representations of Vimy today to see if it still IS. I think this is very interesting - might be very broad for a single lesson but still doable. You might want to tighten it up to simply ask whether Vimy deserves the status of being a symbol of national identity. Then it doesn't become overwhelming with the "then vs. now" comparison. What do you think? b. Have there been any events in your lifetime that have shaped Canada's identity? Discuss. (Rework the Piece) I'm not sure this is a rework the piece yet although I think you might be asking kids to suggest a more recent event that might be a better symbol of national identity? Is that true? If so, I think it works and is a very interesting question. You might need to offer kids some ideas of events and they could select the event that would be the most powerful symbol - or something like that. Let me know what you think - these are just ideas - feel free to tweak them, ignore them or improve upon them!

Students will assess Canada’s participation in WWI and how it contributed to the country’s emerging sense of identity. Students will understand that Canada’s identity has evolved and will continue to do so. Good choice.
 * Lesson Design- Initial Planning Stages**
 * Identify Key Learning:**

Does the battle at Vimy Ridge deserve its status as a key symbol of Canada’s national identity?
 * Frame Critical Challenge:**

Students will learn to critically assess events to judge their significance. Students will learn how to make a timeline and to judge what is included based on the purpose of the timeline. (i.e. Battles of WWI timeline- what information is mentioned for each battle, how are they described)
 * Skills for Summative Assessment Task:**

Historical Significance- Students will assess the importance of Vimy Ridge in nation building. Students may compare the significance of the other battles.
 * Historical Thinking**:

-describe Canada’s and Canadian’s contributions to the war effort overseas during WWI -knowledge of what contributes to a nation’s identity and why the federal government has tried to promote a common Canadian identity -assess the contributions of selected individuals to the development of Canadian identity, i.e. Arthur Currie -working with primary sources -distinguish between fact, opinion, and inferences
 * INTELLECTUAL TOOLS**
 * Background Knowledge:**

-Criteria for a significant event identified as part of a nation’s identity: (lasting impact, depth, breadth) - yes
 * Criteria for Judgement:**

-Criteria for a timeline: (Identify audience, factual, possible presentations- text based, visual, inclusion of “significant” events)

Critically Minded
 * Habit of Mind**:

-Use a graph system or a report card to rate the importance of Battles of WWI.
 * Thinking Strategies**:

-Judgment (or Criteria!)
 * Critical Thinking Vocabulary**:


 * I'm struggling with the use of the timeline as my focus in this lesson. I would like to focus on critically thinking about the significance about Vimy Ridge, but do not want to just skim over the other battles of the war- so I thought a timeline would be a good way of addressing them. However, I wonder if there are better ways of doing this. After establishing criteria for a significant event in the mental set (using a modern event i.e. Vancouver Olympics 2010), students can work on rating the battles of WWI with the established criteria. They can use a graph system or a grading system, probably on a worksheet that I provide.

I found a few primary resources that I believe would be of use to assessing significance as well. In the official Canadian War Records Office announcement about Vimy it states,

"Again the Canadians have "acquired merit." In the capture of Vimy Ridge on April 9th, as in the lesser action of Courcelette in September of last year, they have shown the same high qualities in victorious advance as they displayed in early days in desperate resistance on many stricken fields."

A far more humble announcement, acknowledging the same courage used in every other battle the Canadians fought, then most of the newspaper's representations of Vimy at the time. I.e. The New York Times declared that the battle “would be in Canada's history. . . a day of glory to furnish inspiration to her sons for generations.”

This could be a place of exploration for student's to perhaps assess why the glorious treatment of this battle, and then decide if it is worthy of the status. Perhaps if they do a timeline assignment, if they have varying opinions of other battles that may be just as significant or even more so, they can represent it here. I think you raise a good point. A timeline does seem a bit less powerful as a way to demonstrate their understanding IF the focus of the lesson is only on Vimy. However, it really makes sense if they are going to look at 3 or 4 battles (usually in grade 10 history, they end up addressing Ypres, Passchendaele, Vimy and the Somme) and then decide whether Vimy deserves to be held up as the most significant. Then, in the captions to their timeline, they can address the relative significance of the battles.

However, if you're only going to look at Vimy in detail and just mention the other battles (which is OK too), I think your idea of a report card or grading sheet makes a lot of sense. Since, just as a report card critiques the performance of a single student, here it would allow students to critique this single battle.

What do you think?