Go Back in Time: Simulating the Canadian Confederation Unit in an ESL Class

Roles and responsibilities :

Teacher resource: Think Literacy – Group Roles

Optional: Student resource: soaps, optics

Lesson Objectives

Analyze political, economic, social, and geographical factors that led to Confederation and to the development of Canada’s provinces and territories.

1.  Compare the positions of Canada West and Canada East (Upper and Lower Canada), New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia on Confederation

• Describe the steps leading to Confederation, including:
  • Charlottetown Conference
  • Quebec Conference
  • London Conference and British permission

2.  Describe factors that led to Confederation, including:

• threat of annexation by the USA
• Fenian raids
• Trade
• National railway and infrastructure
• Financial considerations
• British support for colonial independence

3.  Assess factors that led to the expansion of Canada to include other provinces and territories, including

• Purchase of Rupert’s Land
• The national railway
• Sea-to-sea unification
• Threat of annexation by the USA − the Klondike gold rush
• Agricultural settlement

In this unit students will work towards:

• Developing an understanding of past societies, developments, and events that enables them to interpret and analyze historical, as well as current, issues;
• Analyzing how people from diverse groups have interacted and how they have changed over time;Understanding the experiences of and empathizing with people in past societies;
• Developing historical literacy skills by analyzing and interpreting evidence from primary and secondary sources.

Overview of Simulation

The students will receive a small glimpse of British North American colony at a hypothetical 1864 Ottawa Conference by simulating the environment of  the conference. Students will be divided into groups. Each group will research on one specific region each representing a British North American colony at the time of Confederation andcan dress up to represent a specific region. They simulate the negotiations that led to Confederation by participating in a fictitious Ottawa Conference held in 1864. The simulation unfolds in five stages.

Stage 1Orientation(1- 2. hours)	In the introductory lesson students will watch two videos on the formation of Canadian confederation.  Various mobile apps will be used and word walls will be prepared to develop their vocabulary via various Vocabulary activities. Then they will connect the terms of Confederation by considering current difficulties facing Canada. They will also discuss the idea of re-visiting the original terms of the union of Canada. Students will form the teams and decide their roles to represent one of the six colonies.
Stage 2Preliminary Proposals (3 – 6 hours)	With the help of provided online resources the delegation (group of six students) will come up with the proposal for joining the proposed federal union. Students explain and defend their preliminary proposal in a written submission and a five-minute rehearsed presentation. Other delegations (teams) ask the presenting colony one question about a pertinent issue.
Stage 3Final Proposals (1 -2 hours)	Each team (delegation) will set up a table for their colony with the name of the colony and dress up as reprsentitives, aiming to get as close to the actual clothes that Canadians at this time would wear. Each delegation (team) discusses the preliminary proposals from the other colonies (available on Google doc). Individual representatives become experts of their own colony and then brief fellow delegates on that colony’s needs and issues. Students discuss and re-negotiate their preliminary requirements in order to write a final proposal that would appeal to the other colonies but still serve their colony’s essential interests. Each delegation prepares and delivers a five-minute presentation on its final proposal. The colonies then respond to each of the other colonies’ proposals.
Stage 4Voting on the Bill (1 hour)	Students select a member to represent their colony and fill in the Confederation Bill  based on what their colony wants. The teacher proofs, prepares and presents the colonies a Confederation Bill based on the final proposals from all the colonies.This bill outlines the terms and conditions of a proposed federal union. Each delegation must eventually decide whether or not to accept the terms of the Canadian Confederation.  Students are encouraged to reach a consensus decision within their delegations. Those colonies deciding to join Confederation sign the renegotiated British North America Act, 1867.
Stage 5 Debriefing (1 hour)	Students are encouraged in the final debriefing stage to reflect on their experiences as participants in the exercise and on lessons learned about negotiating agreements. Students should reflect on any similiarities between the class results and the actual results of confederation. They also undertake a peer and self-assessment of individual contributions to their group during the simulation. They will also reflect individually on current Canadian problems and the decision made in past.

Briefing Sheets on Google Doc 

1. Canada East? Viewpoints
2. Canada West? Viewpoints
3. New Brunswick? Viewpoints
4. Newfoundland? Viewpoints
5. Nova Scotia? Viewpoints
6. Prince Edward Island? Viewpoints
7. Maps of the colonies in 1864

Student Activities and Assessment : 

1. Diagnostic assessment- Students will fill K and W on KWL (K-know, W-wonder, L-learned) sheet on Google Doc. After finishing the unit they will fill L column.
2. Training session (DIY learning but support provided if necessary) to use various technological tools in the library and Students will be asked to bring BYOD (Bring Your Own Devices) in classroom (Wi-Fi should be available or students need data on their cell phones).
3. Formative assessment- Students will fill the briefing sheets on Google doc after doing the preliminary research on assigned colony.
4. Digital story telling activity based on their basic understanding of historical actors and their historical role specific to their colony (individual) posted on Padlet. Teachers will choose 4-5 tools from digital sandbox. More specific tools are available on the main page of digital sandbox. Part of summative assessment (Rubric-DST)-Teacher will  Introduce the activity here but it will be due at the end of the unit.Students will post this activity on padlet.
5. Part of summative assessment (10%)– Colonial perspective on Google Doc – Team work (Peer assessment- Ranking out of 10 and peer feedback to improve)
6. Preliminary proposal on Google Doc (Team work)- part of summative assessment (Rubric- Final proposal rubric can be used and after getting peer and teacher feedback, revisions can be made to meet the requirements fully)
7. Part of summative assessment (35%)- Final proposal on Google Doc (Team work)
8. Part of summative assessment (25 %)-  Decision on Confederation Bill through voting based on the information on Google Doc and present it in presentation form (power point animation, paper-pen based to simulate old days and others) and then posted on class website (Class discussion with teacher support)
9. Part of summative assessment (25%)- Reflecting on the experience and connecting it to the present and future using various platforms (individual).
10. Part of summative assessment (5%): Participation in discussion

 Support Material: 

1. Introductory videos, Aurasma word walls, and vocabulary cards for ESL students of all levels. Vocabulary is also posted on Google Doc.
2. Conference agenda
3. Conference materials
4. Representative nametags and costumes
5. Confederation Bill, 1867
6. Knowledge of colonial perspectives
7. Preliminary proposals
8. Final proposals
9. Final decisions
10. Individual contributions
11. Assessing student assessments
12. Brief knowledge to Keep the Research Focused

Introductory Videos and Vocabulary

Road to Canada’s Confederation – Part1

Aurasma Vocabulary Part 1: Deceit, Felony, Betrayal, alliances, treason, confederation, dominion, strife, coalition, extreme, susceptible, invasion, one entity, worked past, capture, Moses, disgrace, hostility, emigrate, typhus, revolutionary,

Road to Canada’s Confederation – Part 2

Aurasma Vocabulary Part 2: Dominion, delegation, cease, union, Cartier, coalition, sectional, tolerate, Motives, persuasion, resist, isolated, abandon, despair, clause, resolutions, federation, legislature, federal, Dominion, confederation, constitution, local government, legalistic, deliberate, revolutionary, division of power, representation by population, federal government, provincial government, conference, act, conservative, endangering, penitentiaries, asylums, taverns

Additional Resources:

A slide share : The Road to Confederation

Image Credit:  A website on Canadian Confederation

More lesson Plan ideas: Teacher Resources for Canadaian Confederation