Georgina McMurchy-Barber — Vancouver, British Columbia
(Elementary School teacher)

Georgina McMurchy-Barber has developed an unique three-year history program for nine to twelve year old students. The program focuses on experiential learning and integrates science, writing, literature, art and music into Canadian history.

McMurchy-Barber’s students get a sense of life in the past by performing in the historical plays which she has written; The Dirty Thirties, Gold Fever, True Patriot Love and Headlines.

As part of a French Canadian history unit, students host a French Fair where they enact French history skits, learn songs, prepare French food and present elaborate presentations on French Canadian history. This unit culminates in a trip to Quebec City and Montreal, just one of many field trips which her classes participate in. They have also studied the gold rush in Barkerville, Haida culture on the Queen Charlotte Islands, the First Nations in Head-Smashed-in Buffalo Jump and prehistory in Drumheller.

Richard Beardsley is known for teaching Canadian history in unique and inventive ways. Not only does he teach the prescribed cirriculum in innovative ways, he has developed and implemented several teaching units.

In one of the most popular units, students simulate the work of a parliamentary committee assessing the Canadian government’s internment of Japanese Canadians in 1942. They gather information by studying primary documents, photos and newspaper clippings. The unit involves the students in role playing, historical interpretation, analysis of bias and critical thinking.

Diane Rodewoldt motivates her students to learn through a variety of projects which use a diverse set of skills.

As an example, her students participate in an archaeological dig, sharing and interpreting their findings with another class. Posters reflecting the dig are hung in the library and guest speakers are brought in to discuss the importance of the artifacts found with the class. This is used as a spin off for class discussion of First Nations history, oral tradition and current controversies over land claims and access to natural resources.

Diane Rodewoldt can be reached In Princeton at Princeton Secondary School (250 295 3218 ) or at home (250 295 7452).

Jackie Underhill and Kathy Farrell have created an exciting and relevant course which integrates history with language arts. Their students learn about the past by participating in a wide variety of activities. They create historical newspapers complete with political and editorial cartoons, role play historical figures and develop board games. The past is presented using modern technology in student created multimedia presentations such as; Native Indian Lifestyle, Long Ago and Potlatch People. Underhill and Farrell’s teaching units also incorporate the use of novel studies, textbooks and the Internet.

Rick Homan uses a variety of teaching strategies to make history relevant to the day to day life of his students. Using a holistic teaching approach, he ensures that his students not only understand history but write their thoughts about it clearly and concisely.

As part of a unit on political studies his students research local parliamentary candidates’ positions, organize and conduct an all candidates meeting, and prepare a debriefing document outlining the candidate’s positions. This is an assignment that has an impact on students’ lives. Many have gone on to work on political campaigns and one even ran for parliament as a result of the experience.

Dean Stevens uses a wide variety of learning strategies, teaching techniques and resources to spark his students’ interest in history.

Stevens’ students organize a Canadian Historical Festival in which they role play well known local and national historical figures. Using costumes, props and a modest set, they present their characters to the community.

Stevens’ classes also create a colonial newspaper complete with articles, political cartoons and interviews that reflect life in Upper and Lower Canada from 1815 - 1838. They also demonstrate their understanding of the Loyalists’ experiences by composing and performing songs.

Jan Beaver is an enthusiastic, innovative teacher specializing in aboriginal history and culture. As an Ojibwa member of the Alderville First Nation, Beaver brings first hand knowledge of aboriginal traditions and values to the classroom.

She has initiated many teaching projects related to the history of aboriginal people in Canada including Voices of Our Ancestors, a project in which grade 6 students interview an elder and then create a book telling that person’s story. In Our Voices, another teaching unit, students explore cultural values and study media literacy to learn about the issues facing today’s aboriginal people.

Beaver has moved beyond her own classroom to write curriculum and develop and teach workshops on aboriginal history and culture in schools throughout Ontario. Aboriginal Voices - Then and Now, a curriculum document, written by Beaver, won the Anti-Bias Curriculum Development Award from the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario.

Mel Greif has made history a part of day to day life at his school in west end Toronto. As a result of projects in Greif’s senior history classes the school is decorated with student created historically themed murals, the hillside has become an amphitheatre, and a corridor of the school is devoted to depicting female Canadian role models. Through these activities students develop a strong sense of community stewardship and respect for history.

Greif also involves students in debates, simulations and murder-mysteries to teach various aspects of history. They have held an 1812 picnic at the base of the Brock monument and travelled to a wide variety of Canadian and American destinations.

Dalia Naujokaitas is an innovative teacher who is pioneering an Internet-based curriculum for grades 4 to 6. This project-based program has students investigating issues and applying critical thinking to their findings. They have created and continue to maintain more than a dozen national and international educational websites including; The Rideau Canal: Ottawa’s Community Waterway, Ottawa - A Capital for All, One World- Many Rights, Students Against Landmines, and I Have a Dream-Bridging Diversity, Building Peace.

Yolande Amyot, Isabelle Paquet and Paul André Boudreau are igniting a passion for history in their students through l’Exposition de Sciences Humaines, an unique interdisciplinary project. Students, in groups of three or four, select a historic topic and spend several months researching and writing an extensive thirty to fifty page paper which is used as a base for the creation of their exhibit for the annual exposition held in April.

As part of their exhibits, students dress in appropriate costumes, create an atmosphere typical of the period and present their findings. The exposition is attended by parents and students from their own and neighbouring schools and is judged by senior students who have participated in previous expositions.

Jean Léger - Deux-Montagnes, Quebec
(Secondary 4 teacher)

Jean Léger uses the Internet extensively to make history more accessible and appealing to his students. He has created Jeu-questionnaire Nouvelle-France Canada, an on-line history quiz with ten interactive activities. Léger also coaches students to participate successfully in Concours Histoire croisées, a franco-québécois history web site contest. Léger’s students not only use the Internet as a learning resource, but create their own projects as well. Opération Juno, an adventure story about soldiers landing at Normandie, and Le monarque et le tulipier, which traces the transportation of Canadian flora to France in the 17^th century, are examples of Internet projects created by his students.

Ken MacDonald’s innovative and creative approach to teaching integrates history with language arts, health, geography, science, and comparative music.

MacDonald embraces the use of both the old and new to facilitate his students’ understanding of history. As part of their studies of Louisburg, a local historic site, students conduct research on a variety of topics such as the sieges of the fortress, the role of the Mi’kmaq, and the effect of the society’s social classes on the military. They demonstrate their acquired understanding and knowledge by developing board games on each topic. In addition, MacDonald’s students also plan battle strategies for attacking and defending the fort. Field trips to local fish plants, coal mines and museums enable students to compare life in the 18^th century to that of today.

MacDonald has also introduced the use of new technologies by having students create power point presentations on Jost House, a historic building in downtown Sydney.