Activity: Seeing Stars
In this activity, students will deconstruct the Canadian Museum of Civilization's Face to Face: The Canadian Personalities Hall, offer alternative selection criteria, and suggest other personalities for inclusion.
WHAT YOU'LL NEED
- One 45-minute period of class or homework time
- Student copies of Sheet 8: What Makes a Great Canadian?
- Internet access
- Extension activity - Sheet 9: Top Americans
WHAT TO DO
Begin with a short discussion about what makes a Canadian "great". Is it different than being "famous"? Ask students to name some "great Canadians"?
Hand out Sheet 8: What Makes a Great Canadian?. Have students fill out the sheet, either in class or as homework. They will need Internet access to do their research.
After they have finished, go through their sheets as a class. Discussion questions could include:
- Do you agree with the choices?
- What do you think the selection criteria were? (Note: see below for the Canadian Museum of Civilization's selection criteria.)
- If the criteria had been changed to include living Canadians, who else might have been included?
- Why do you think that the Museum included the rule that "personalities" had to be "deceased for five or more years"?
Extend this Activity
Ask your students if they think Americans would do this differently. Hand out Sheet 9: Top Americans and give the students a few minutes to fill it out. Discuss their answers.