Assessment Focus Task Component Instruction Notes for Teachers Look Fors Share a selection of images A critical challenge invites found under ‘Canada Labour reasoned judgment and Day’. What do they suggest allows students to select what Canadians have done they think is the most historically and currently? important criteria from a range available to them. Introduce The Labour Day Students then shape a Critical Design Challenge to response, which the whole class. is neither right nor wrong, During Assessment for but strong or weak Organize students into groups While this lesson is of depending on their evidence Learning presented as a group (Working on it) 20 4-6 participants. and explanations. activity, a teacher may minutes Students are assessed to choose to make it an These groups will be known as determine their ability to individual task where each the Historical and Current read and synthesize the student reads all materials Events Planning Groups. information and to identify and selects the criteria for Groups should give significant people and their individual proposal. themselves an appropriate events. Critical and creative name. A variation on this involves thinking are assessed as having student groups focus students transform the Examples include Time on only one of the four selections from Travelers Incorporated or elements from the readings acknowledgements to Blast from the Past and design a Labour Day action. Consultants. Proposal that is based on that Read through the Proposal single aspect. Planner section of The Labour Day Teachers may also widen or Critical Design Challenge. change the focus according to interests or to the historical Individual or pairs of curriculum focus under study students within groups may . select the specific topic that interests them, or chose an Students will select aspects additional category, such as of labour to acknowledge, ‘workers’ history’ or the transform them into action workers of the historical era and present proposals under study, such as Rideau according the criteria they Canal labourers in the 1830s think are most important. or railroad labourers. The range of possible Students read the text and answers are limited only by decide on the most the number of students! significant aspects to recognize.
Task Component Instruction Assessment Focus Look Fors Notes for Teachers Share a selection of images found under ‘Canada Labour Day’. What do they suggest Canadians have done historically and currently? Introduce The Labour Day Critical Design Challenge to the whole class. A critical challenge invites reasoned judgment and allows students to select what they think is the most important criteria from a range available to them. Students then shape a response, which is neither right nor wrong, but strong or weak depending on their evidence and explanations. During (Working on it) 20 minutes Organize students into groups of 4-6 participants. These groups will be known as the Historical and Current Events Planning Groups. Groups should give themselves an appropriate name. Examples include Time Travelers Incorporated or Blast from the Past Consultants. Read through the Proposal Planner section of The Labour Day Critical Design Challenge. Individual or pairs of students within groups may select the specific topic that interests them, or chose an additional category, such as ‘workers’ history’ or the workers of the historical era under study, such as Rideau Canal labourers in the 1830s or railroad labourers. Students read the text and decide on the most significant aspects to recognize. Assessment for Learning Students are assessed to determine their ability to read and synthesize the information and to identify significant people and events. Critical and creative thinking are assessed as students transform the selections from acknowledgements to action. While this lesson is presented as a group activity, a teacher may choose to make it an individual task where each student reads all materials and selects the criteria for their individual proposal. A variation on this involves having student groups focus on only one of the four elements from the readings and design a Labour Day Proposal that is based on that single aspect. Teachers may also widen or change the focus according to interests or to the historical curriculum focus under study . Students will select aspects of labour to acknowledge, transform them into action and present proposals according the criteria they think are most important. The range of possible answers are limited only by the number of students!