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Liste des candidats sélectionnés 2009
Prix du Gouverneur général pour l'excellence en enseignement de l'histoire canadienne

Sarah Beech and Chad Howie
Over two-three weeks, students relive history by researching, learning military tactics, creating props and learning marching techniques. They then recreate the battle of The Plains of Abraham — Reliving History. As a final question, students are asked to reflect on “what if… the French had won?”

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Maria Casasola & Mark Moorhouse
Fathers of Confederation Puppet Plays — an integrated unit of study (history, drama, visual arts and language). Students research the internal and external political factors, key personalities, and significant events that led to Confederation in 1867. They work in groups to create plays and mind maps and then individually create their own custom-designed puppet. The unit culminates in a gallery walk and presentation of puppet plays.

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Pam Calvert
Students “walk in the footsteps of the fallen” through participating in a variety of WWI and WWII projects Student knowledge and skills are developed through a comprehensive research component based on cenotaphs that involves archival records, guest speakers, fundraising and collaborations within the community and trips of remembrance to Ottawa and Europe to honour those who made the supreme sacrifice in the service of their country.

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Andrea Daly
“The Road to Historica Fair” is a four point lesson plan that introduces students to historical research and critical thinking prior to selecting a topic for the Historica Fair. Students get to interview “a historical character”, create a classroom museum, explore a local Cree artist's work and interpret political cartoons.

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Louisa Ellul
“Life on a Seigneury” is a student research project incorporating role-play and the design of farm plots based on historical evidence. Over the course of the lesson, they participate in town meetings, trade resources as a coureur de bois and design their own game.

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Alison England & Karen Wight
The Grade 1 and grade 5 class in this small, rural community celebrated local history through the Longview Community Ranching Project. Local cattle brands, their history, and the ranching culture were researched and a permanent display of all community brands was created. A culminating activity had students host a party with a pancake breakfast, western showcase, and featured the unveiling of the permanent brand display in the school.

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Helene Fisher
Circle of Understanding “Mamawihisicikewin” is a cross-curricular “body of work” involving an English/French school and a Cree school. By learning together about the past of their people, they begin to form accurate images that reflect Canada's people today. Through artifact study, video conferencing, on line sites, Elders within the aboriginal community, museums, and on site locations such as Dry Island Buffalo Jump, they have come together to form a “circle of understanding”.

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Adrian Charles French
Five Key projects encompassing 99 years of Canadian History: Canada, Quebec and the Constitution: A Group Essay; Cree Star Blankets: Canada & The Great War; 1939-45 Assessing Canada's War Effort; Personal Content Exploration: Art & History; and The Clothes Make the Person: Reflections on Globalism.

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Frances Gendron
The project revolves around First Nations focusing primarily on Iroquois, Algonquin and Inca in the 1500s. The class is exposed to the various aspects of their life (diet, family, roles, locations). The 18 step project allows for students to express themselves and participate in a variety of ways with outdoor activities, guest speakers and field trips.

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Lindsay Gibson & Graeme Stacey
“Embedding the Benchmarks of Historical thinking into Canada's Interwar Period” is a nine lesson unit plan developed by six other social studies teachers in Kelowna BC that embeds the six Benchmarks of Historical Thinking in lessons that challenge students to move beyond just content acquisition to a wider focus on knowledge, understanding and historical inquiry abilities. Each of the nine lessons in the unit includes a detailed lesson plan, accompanying resources and assessment strategies.

“Le projet porte sur les Premières nations, et principalement sur les Iroquoiens, les Algonquiens et les Incas, dans les années 1500. On présente aux éléves les différents aspects de leur vie (alimentation, famille, rôles, lieux de vie). Les 18 étapes du projet permettent aux éléves de s'exprimer et de participer de diverses façons, notamment dans le cadre d'activités à l'extérieur, de rencontres avec des conférenciers et d'excursions.”

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Lindsay Hall
Historical Sources for the 21st Century: Significant Canadian World War II Battles & Contributions is a comprehensive intermediate/senior lesson plan that provides students with the opportunity to hone their skills in source evaluation and “experience” using and eventually creating alternative historical sources, such as video games, films, comics, etc. Students also gain a knowledge and understanding of the significant Canadian battles/contributions in WWII.

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Michel Hince
Life in Quebec between 1850 and 1917 is examined through theatrical presentation. Students write and produce a play based on research focusing on aspects of growing up during that time period. The unit also incorporates in-role letter writing and analyzing the lyrics of a song related to subject matter.

La vie au Québec entre 1850 et 1917 est étudiée par le truchement du théâtre. Les élèves écrivent et produisent une pièce qui repose sur leurs recherches concernant divers aspects de la vie à cette époque. Dans le cadre du cours, on intègre également les techniques de rédaction de lettres où l'auteur joue le rôle d'un autre personnage et on analyse les paroles d'une chanson liée au sujet étudié.

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Michel Marcotte
The teacher examines the relationship between New France and England building towards the culminating task of producing a film. The film examines the important laws, events, wars and players which led to the creation of what is now modern day Quebec. It also covers the history of Canada in general. Students edit the script, create the props, play the characters and shoot the video.

L'enseignant étudie la relation entre la Nouvelle-France et l'Angleterre, dans le but ultime de produire un film. Le film porte sur les lois, les événements, les guerres et les personnages qui ont joué un rôle crucial dans la création de ce qui est aujourd'hui le Québec moderne. Il survole aussi l'histoire du Canada en général. Ce sont les élèves qui rédigent le scénario, créent les accessoires, actent les personnages et réalisent le montage vidéo.

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Barb Martin & Teachers from Foothills School Division
This Foothills School Division project — a first of its kind — involved 21 teachers, 450 grade 2, grade 5, and grade 9 students. They identified local place names, researched the community and its historic sites, interviewed seniors, consulted local historians, visited and worked onsite with the Museum of the Highwood and Okotoks Museum and Archives. They gathered images, recorded and retold these stories through podcasts to share their local history through their website “ Naming the West” helping the students to preserve their historical & cultural identity.

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Steve Murphy
“The Americans Are Coming” uses controversy to stimulate student interest in the study of the war of 1812. Students look at timelines, First Nations involvement and then examine and debate topics such as “History is written by the victor” and “What Nationality is the History channel?”

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Brent Pavey
This Canadian Parliamentary Simulation is a student-submitted entry — only the second in the history of the award. It is comprised of a description of the lesson called “Making History: Understanding Canadian Government, Parliament and the historical development of Canadian Political culture”.

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Jean Pelletier
During a month-long period, students are assigned to paint an accurate picture of New France society in the 1820s. The teacher provides students with a solid foundation in project work, group work as well as the period of 1745-1820 to prepare them to lead the team research and bring the events, historical figures and costumes alive. Teams communicate their discoveries through models, posters, drawings, objects and skits.

Sur une pèriode d'un mois, les èléves ont pour projet de brosser un tableau fidéle de la sociètè du Bas-Canada vers 1820. L'enseignant donne à ses èléves des bases solides au niveau du travail par projet et du travail coopèratif ainsi que sur la pèriode de 1745 à 1820 qu'afin qu'ils puissent mener des recherches en èquipes et faire revivre èvènements, personnages historiques, coutumes d'antan. Chaque èquipe communique ses dècouvertes par des maquettes, affiches, images, objets, saynétes.

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Martin Poirier
The teacher simulates the electoral process through debate and parliamentary proceedings. In the samples provided he recreates the issues facing Canada in 1910, making them come alive for the students. His lessons allow for great critical thinking and inclusivity as all students are given a role.

L'enseignant simule le processus électoral en organisant des débats et en recréant la procédure parlementaire. Dans les exemples fournis, il redonne vie à certains enjeux de la société canadienne en 1910. Ses leçons favorisent la réflexion critique et l'inclusivité, puisque tous les élèves ont un rôle à jouer.

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Neil Robinson
A comparative simulation game based on the board game Settlers of Catan. Students “reinvent” the discovery and colonization of North America, and then compare it to actual events. Supported by historical stories, mapping, logs.

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Laura Shantz & Susan Yip
This elementary project has students research a local First Nation, under the premise that they are newspaper editors that have published an inaccurate story on the Stó:lö people. Students are challenged to locate the misinformation, investigate the facts and find possible solutions. Their solutions were presented in the form of a rewritten story, a television news broadcast and a museum display open to parents and the school.

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Sean Steel
A four day lesson plan that examines Irish Immigration, Grosse Island, and Genocide. Students study the Irish potato famine then research the Rwandan Genocide, comparing the two incidents.

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Neil Stephenson
The Cigar Box Project was a year-long exploration where students lived the disciplines of history and graphic design as they used 21st Century tools to reinterpret topics from five periods in Canadian History. Through an iterative process powered by authentic assessment and peer feedback, students analyzed primary source artifacts to create five original Cigar Box panels and three short documentaries, each one supported by rigorous research and a number of experts along the way.

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Andrew Stickings
“Reel History” is a grade 5 class project that looks at the Titanic's Impact on Halifax, NS. Students research, interview, make local connections, create an 8' model, incorporate current research (DNA), take field trips to document and create a video on the subject.

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Daine Vautour
Memorial Challenge and a Scrapbook Challenge that illustrate the use of historical inquiry skills. The Memorial Challenge asks students “How should Canada commemorate its WWI experience?” while the Scrapbook Challenge asks “How can a scrapbook become an historical record?”

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Loralea Wark
An optional one-semester after school senior Canadian War History course comprised of 2 1/2 hours a week that is a prerequisite for European battlefield tours. Field trips to Vimy Ridge (2007); France and Belgium (2009); and Holland (2010).

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