FROM BLACKSMITHS TO BLACKBOARDS
LESSON PLAN (Master) GRADES 5–7
Activity 1 - Complete the Online Quest Activity
General Goals of the Activity:
Think historically, infer, organize, identify relationships, explore, and retain information.Specific Goals of the Activity
- Help students make connections between the people in the village.
- Engage students in historical study using an interesting and engaging “game-like” environment.
- Help students extract useful information from general descriptions.
- Help students understand individual biases and how they might impact a first-hand account.
Themes and Competencies: (specific to curriculum; see provincial plans)
Subjects
- Tradespeople in 19th-century Quebec
- Women in history
- Hierarchical relationships and power
- Tools and artifacts
- Social history
- Economic history
- Interdependence in communities
- Logic puzzles / problem solving
Duration of Activity: One to two 1-hour class periods
Required Equipment and Materials
- Computer lab with one computer for every two to three students
- Paper and pens
Instructions for Setup
- Divide students into groups of two or three (depending on the size of the class and the number of computers available).
- Direct students to the following link; https://www.museedelhistoire.ca/tresors/village/index_e.asp
- Each student group will then complete the quest activity, following the on-screen instructions.
Instructions for Use
- Students will enter the exhibition, and click “Quest”.
- They will be presented with a mystery; to solve it, they will need to complete ten tasks/quizzes.
- Students will work to complete the ten tasks, exploring the village and receiving clues to help them solve the mystery.
- After receiving all of their clues, students should be encouraged to talk in their group, and make an educated guess about how to solve the mystery. They must try at least once before being given the option to see the final answer.
- After they have completed the quest, assign each group the following questions to complete:
- Look at the clues each villager provided. What do these clues say about their personal beliefs, lifestyle and experiences?
- How much of this is dependent on the time period in which they lived, and how much is dependent on their personal beliefs or personalities?
- Divide the clues into “facts” and “interpretations”. Did the interpretations contain some facts? Did the facts need to be interpreted to solve the puzzle?
- Find examples of modern bias and compare using the same analysis skills as they did for the village.
Activity 2 – Historical Problem Solving
General Goals of the Activity: Think critically, inquire, verify, justify, participate and express opinions, exchange ideas.
Specific Goals of the Activity
- Teach students how to develop a research question, conduct research, and develop a hypothesis.
- Help students learn to express opinions and listen to the opinions of others.
- Help students learn more about specific topics within the Web module.
Themes and Competencies: (specific to curriculum; see provincial plans)
Subjects
- Tradespeople in 19th-century Quebec
- Women in history
- Hierarchical relationships and power
- Tools and artifacts
- Social history
- Economic history
- Interdependence in communities
Duration of Activity: One to two 1-hour class periods
Required Equipment and Materials
- Computer lab with one computer for every two to three students
- Chart paper or roll of newsprint
- Coloured markers (any type)
- Topic list (written on the board, overhead projector, or hand-out)
Instructions for Setup
- Divide class into small groups (two to three students) depending on your class size.
- Provide each group with a large piece of chart paper or newsprint and two different coloured markers.
- Have each group choose a topic from the list (below).
Instructions for Use
- Students will work in groups to develop an historical question based on their topic. It would be helpful to review with students what makes a good research question prior to starting this activity:
- Narrow down the topic: The topics on this list are broad and general, but they relate to this Web module. Students will need to narrow them down to form a question to guide their research. This can be done using a brainstorming web (start with a key word, and have students think of words related to it). For example; the topic “Women in Quebec Villages” could generate words such as “teacher”, “weaver”, “farmer”, “mother”, “postmistress” etc.
- Interesting questions could be: “What types of activities were done by women in the village?” or “How were women expected to behave in a 19th-century Quebec village?”
- To help students get started, you may wish to take one topic from the list and work through the brainstorming and question-forming processes as a class.
- After students have developed a question that they are happy with, ask them to investigate the village based on their question. Have them write down information they think could help them to answer the question on their chart paper/newsprint in point form.
- From the information they have gathered, have each group formulate a hypothesis, or thesis statement, to answer their research question. Ask them to develop three points that prove their hypothesis.
- Finally, in a presentation to the class, student groups will provide three proofs for their hypothesis, and explain how they developed these proofs.
Topic List
In your group, choose one topic to focus on for this activity.- Economic relationships
- Men and women’s roles
- The role of a priest and religion in the community
- The status of different villagers based on occupation – social hierarchy
- The role of the general store – community and economic
- The role of the teacher and the schoolhouse
- The farmer’s wife: challenges and way of life
- Social activities and customs
- Technological changes, then and now
- Rural life, then and now