Learning About Historical Significance: Grades 9-12
Learning About Historical Significance: Grades 9-12
Learning About Historical Significance: Grades 9-12
Overview
This lesson is one of a series that introduces six historical thinking concepts developed by Peter Seixas of the
University of British Columbia. Each lesson supports teachers in using a video to introduce one of the concepts. The
videos are available at http://www.tc2.ca/videos.php. The lessons are available in different versions for grades 6-8
and grades 9-12.
This lesson’s written materials and seven-minute Historical Significance video offer an engaging way to introduce
the concept of historical significance to students in grades 9-12. By comparing internment events during the First
and Second World Wars, the video raises the question: What and who should be remembered in history?
Historical significance
The past consists of everything that ever happened to everyone everywhere, but we cannot remember or learn it
all. Consequently, at the core of the study of history are questions about what events and people from the past
are important and why they are important. In other words, when considering historical significance we ask: What
and who should be remembered, researched and taught? Historians, authors and educators must select what and
whom to study, decide what details to include in their descriptions and determine how important these events and
people are in relation to other aspects of the past.
Objectives
1
These criteria reflect those presented in the video. In the 2014 edition of Teaching Historical Thinking they have been altered
slightly in an attempt to simplify them. Teachers can choose which criteria they are most comfortable teaching.
Suggested activities
who is considering the event. For example, people in a particular city, province
sheet
Name: ___
For whom _________
Use the is it signifi _________
following cant? _________
or country may judge an event as very important, while people elsewhere may
and peo scale of ___
ple listed significan
below. ce to det
ermine wh
o ought
Scale of to know
significan about the
ce events
with their city or region that individuals living in the area might consider
should kno
Most eve w about
ryone in it
Regional about it the countr
y where
it occurr
Most eve ed should
significant (e.g., when their city was founded, who was mayor) but that
ryo know
Individual should stu ne in the region
dy it or who
belongs
Only the to a spe
des cific gro
Not at all know abo cendants and up(s)
categories and ask students to consider the scale of significance of the events How sig
1.
nificant
are
these eve
nts and
Canada people?
becoming
• National: Most everyone in the country where it occurred should know Student
informati
on sheet
about it Event #1
Canada
Internme
nt in Ca
nada
was involv
in Canada ed in a ma
who had jor war.
considere arrived, When it
• Individual: Only the descendants and family of the people involved need required rk for litt ir prope d were he en, were
that peop le pay an rty and ld witho
le worki d, in som money. ut trial as
to do dif ng on all e cases wit It forced ma “en emy
ficult wo governm hout an ny of the
land. rk includ ent projec y pay eve se
ing build n thoug
ing roads ts
and railwa were to be paid. h the law
Without revealing the identity of the events described (WWI Ukrainian homes. nds of ind were for
They we ividuals ced to
over to re allowe of this pa
the autho d to tak rticular
Some we rities wh e on e suitcase gro up were
re made ere it wa each. Th ordered
over 18 to live in s sold and e rest of to leave the
class, read the passages. Check for student understanding as you read.
their cou people
ntry of ori
gin.
© 2014
, The Criti
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sortium
Ask students to offer their initial thoughts about whether both events, one event Before vie
wing vid
eo
Are they
historica
Name: ___
lly signifi
cant?
_________
_________
_________
___
Is event
on Canadian history. Invite students to consider the criteria for judging historical
for your y? part of
decision □ Yes
Reasons □ No
for your
decision
significance that were discussed earlier, and to record their initial thoughts on the
top half of the activity sheet, Are they historically significant?
During vie
wing of
2:44, 3:29 and 4:25 minutes). Discuss each question and review vocabulary if
about histo
rical sign
ificance
7
© 2014,
The Criti
cal Thin
king Cons
on the bottom half of the activity sheet, Are they historically significant? Discuss new
criteria that will help them decide the significance of the two historical events they’ve read about. Ask
students to suggest which of the two written descriptions was about the internment of Ukrainians during WWI,
and to provide evidence for their suggestion (Event #1). Event #2 describes the internment of Japanese during
WW II. If possible, provide students with multiple opportunities to view the video.
Using evidence from the video and the student information sheet, invite students
iced at the 1
as having Evidence: 2 very sign
importanc time 3
4
ificant
How lon e? 5
g did it
operate exist or
?
to analyze the historical significance of Event #1, The WWI internment of How wid
esp
lasting the read and
consequen
were: ces Significan
Ukrainians, using the activity sheet, Rating an event’s significance. Students may
ce
1
How dee Evidence: 2
ply felt wa 3
s it? 4
How wid 5
espread
was it?
How last
find it helpful to underline sections of the written description that address the
ing were
effects? its
How sym
bolic it is:
How has
it Significan
memorial been
Considerin
g the
Ask students in pairs or small groups to discuss the question: Is the internment
ally sign ily of the
affected ifi can t: Most eve people inv
should kno ryone in olved sho
□ Nation w about the region uld know
ally sign the event or who
□ Global ificanSamt: Eveple respon belongs
ly signifi ryone in se to the spe
cant: Mo the countr cific gro
them to consider the reasons for their judgments and to share them with
Criteria
Learning
about histo How 1
rical signifinot
cancabl Not at all 2
time: e e
it was at significan 3
the class. Focus attention on the reasons presented rather than seeking
the t 4
Sig8nifican 5
Was it not ce © 2014
iced at the 1,
The Criti
very sign
as having Evidence: 2 Thinking
cal
importanc time 3 ortium
Cons
4
ificant
How lon e? • people
www.tc2.
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g did it interred
definitive ratings and supporting evidence found on Sample response: Rating an were:
How dee
consequen
ply felt wa
ces
s it?
Significan
Evidence:
ce
1
2
3
4
How wid • it imp 5
event’s significance.
espread
was it? acted the
How last • the whole cou
ing were camps and ntry
effects? its • familie the inte
s are stil rnees wer
of familie l affect e from
ed by wh all across
How sym s and the at happen Canada
bolic it is: deaths ed: the
of over break-ups
How has 100 inte
it Significan rnees
memorial been ce
ized? 1
Evidence: 2
Does it rep 3
4
historical resent a • it is 5
You may wish to discuss whether the internment of Japanese people in WWII is
issue or rememb
trend? • Canada ered
treating
are talk minorities
ing about badly in
• this today the pas
was the t is som
first tim ething we
worthy of inclusion in Canada`s national history, based on a similar analysis of Considerin e this hap
pened to
g theratings abo Canadians
□ Not at
all signifi ve, this
□ Individ cant: No event is:
ually sign one nee
ificant: On d remem
ber the
this event. Discuss with students if, and why, their assessment differed before
about the ly the des event
event cendents
□ Region and fam
ally sign ily of the
affected ifi can t: Most eve people inv
should kno ryone in olved sho
□X Nation w about the region uld know
ally sign the event or who
and after watching the video. Give students time to write individual responses
event ifican t: Every belongs
everyone to the spe
in the cou cific gro
□ Global ntry wh up(s)
ly signifi ere it occ
cant: Mo urr
st everyo ed should
Reasons: ne in the know abo
The inte world sho ut the
Rank significance
Student
activity she
et
Rank the
historical significance, to analyze more than one event. You may wish
t as well as
your final
Criteria 3 ranking.
How not Event: 4
able it wa
the time s at Event: 5
rankings with the class. Focus on the reasons students give for their
Evidence: 5 1 2 3
Ranking Evidence: 4 5
(1 throug 1 2
1st – mos
t significan h 4): 3 4
4th – leas t □1 st □2 nd Evidence: 5
t significan □3 rd □4 th
t □1 st □2 nd
rankings rather than reaching a common conclusion. Accept student Event: ___
_________
_______ is
MOST sign
□3 rd □4 th
□1 st □2 nd
□3 rd □4 th
□1 st □2 nd
□3 rd □4 th
ificant bec
responses that do not rank one event as more or less significant than
ause:
Event: ___
_________
_______ is
LEAST hist
orically sign
Sel
ifif-a
cansse ssmaus
t bec ente:rubric
historica
_________
_________
_________
understan l significan ___
1 ding for ce
each asp
10
Complete 2 ect usin
confusion g the foll
© 2014,
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3 al Thinking le:
Consortiu
In rating 4 m www.tc2.ca
your und
You may wish to ask students to use the rubric Assessing understanding of
understan to suppor
I underst ding t your ide
and as
determine what it means
historical to
significan Level of Ratings
ce. und
Evidence/e erstanding: 1
historical significance with this activity. This self-assessment can be used to help
xplanation 2
: 3 4
5
I can det
ermine the
significan historical
ce
further identify what aspects of the concept students understand and what
or develo of an event, per
pment bas son
following ed on the
criteria:
• How
notable
it was at
the time
TAKING IT FURTHER
el of und
Evidence/e erstanding: 1
xplanation 2
: 3 4
5
11
© 2014,
The Criti
cal Thin
king Cons
ortium
www.tc2.
ca
• Regularly assess the relative significance of parallel events or people (for example, invention of the printing
press and the computer; the industrial and digital revolutions; the Black Death and HIV/AIDS; Generals Wolfe
and Montcalm; explorers Champlain and Cartier).
• Assess the significance of a current or recent event (for example, 9/11, death of a famous person) using the
agreed-upon criteria.
• Ask students to analyse a section of their textbook (or other resource) to determine which events or people are
more or less significant.
• Take note of the events included in a textbook account of a historical period, conduct independent research on
several other important events from that period. Determine which, if any, of the supplemental events should
be included in the textbook account.
• From a set of primary or secondary sources, ask students to select 5-10 significant events from a historical period
(for example, Medieval Europe, ancient civilizations, New France). Ask students to use these events as the basis
for a two-paragraph “textbook” account of the period.
Use the following scale of significance to determine who ought to know about the events
and people listed below.
Learning about historical significance 5 © 2014, The Critical Thinking Consortium www.tc2.ca
Student information sheet
Internment in Canada
Event #1
Canada was involved in a major war. When it started, there were 171 000 people living
in Canada who had arrived, or whose ancestors had arrived, from countries that were
considered enemies of Canada. Many of these people had been born in Canada and spoke
English as their main language. During the war, 80 000 of these individuals were forced to
register with the police and report back to them as often as once a month. Failure to report
resulted in fines or even imprisonment.
Almost 8000 of these Canadian residents, including 81 women and 156 children, were
taken to one of 24 internment camps across Canada and were held without trial as “enemy
aliens.” The government took all of their property and money. It forced many of these
individuals to work for little pay and, in some cases without any pay even though the law
required that people working on all government projects were to be paid. They were made
to do difficult work including building roads and railways, and clearing trees and rocks from
land.
Some of the internment camps closed after a couple of years because there was a shortage
of labour and not enough workers to keep them running. This demand for workers also
meant that the internees were loaned out to private companies and sent all across Canada
without their families. They were forced to work at whatever jobs the company needed
them to do. Other camps remained in operation until 18 months after the war ended; some
people lived as long as six years in these camps.
Event #2
There were 23 224 people of a particular cultural group living in Canada when we became
involved in an international war. These people or their ancestors were from a country
considered to be an enemy of Canada. More than half of these people had been born in
Canada and many spoke English as their main language. During the war, the Prime Minister
publicly questioned the loyalty of these Canadians and all over the age of 16 were forced to
register with the police.
A year later, thousands of individuals of this particular group were ordered to leave their
homes. They were allowed to take one suitcase each. The rest of their property was turned
over to the authorities where it was sold and used to pay for the costs of their internment.
Some were made to live in cow barns for a time. Many families were separated when men
over 18 were sent to work in road camps, on farms or to Prisoner of War (POW) camps
surrounded by barbed wire. They were paid a small wage, and forced to pay for food and
housing out of that wage. Twelve thousand women, children and elderly were transported
to ghost towns, to live in conditions unsuitable for the bitter winters. Some of these people
were set free once the war was ended; others were deported to their country of origin.
Learning about historical significance © 2014, The Critical Thinking Consortium
Student activity sheet Name: _________________________________
Learning about historical significance 7 © 2014, The Critical Thinking Consortium www.tc2.ca
Student activity sheet Name: _________________________________
Event: _______________________________
Criteria 1 2 3 4 5
Not at all significant Very significant
How notable it was at the Significance 1 2 3 4 5
time:
Evidence:
Was it noticed at the time
as having importance?
How long did it exist or
operate?
Reasons:
Learning about historical significance 8 © 2014, The Critical Thinking Consortium www.tc2.ca
Sample response Name: _________________________________
Criteria 1 2 3 4 5
Not at all significant Very significant
How notable it was at the Significance 1 2 3 4 5
time:
Evidence:
Was it noticed at the time
as having importance? • people interred had ruined lives
• over 8,000 interred
How long did it exist or
operate? • people supported it
Reasons: The internment of Ukrainians in WWI is the first time that lots of Canadians were
interned: it affected many people all across the country. Also, it can represent Canada’s poor
treatment of minorities, which is a part of our history that people are still thinking about.
Learning about historical significance 9 © 2014, The Critical Thinking Consortium www.tc2.ca
Student activity sheet Name: _________________________________
Ranking historical significance
Rank the events in order of their historical significance. Give reasons for each rating as well as your final ranking.
1 2 3 4 5
Not at all significant Very significant
Criteria Event: Event: Event: Event:
How notable it was at 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
the time Evidence: Evidence: Evidence: Evidence:
How widespread 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
and lasting the Evidence: Evidence: Evidence: Evidence:
consequences were
How symbolic of 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
historic issues or trends Evidence: Evidence: Evidence: Evidence:
it is
Ranking (1 through 4): □1st □2nd □3rd □4th □1st □2nd □3rd □4th □1st □2nd □3rd □4th □1st □2nd □3rd □4th
1st – most significant
4th – least significant
Event: ___________________ is MOST significant because:
Event: ___________________ is LEAST historically significant because:
Learning about historical significance 10 © 2014, The Critical Thinking Consortium www.tc2.ca
Self-assessment rubric Name: _________________________________
Rate your level of understanding for each aspect using the following scale:
1 2 3 4 5
Complete confusion Total understanding
In rating your understanding consider the extent to which you are able to:
• accurately explain the relevant concept(s) in your own words
• give specific and informative examples and evidence to support your ideas
Learning about historical significance 11 © 2014, The Critical Thinking Consortium www.tc2.ca