Saturday, October 22, 2011

Canada: A multicultural nation

'Monument to Multiculturalism by Francesco Perilli' photo (c) 2008, Shaun Merritt - license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/Students in my Grade 5 and 6 Social Studies classes have been inquiring into Canada's evolution as a multicultural nation, while further developing a greater appreciation for diversity in Canada and around the world. 

To achieve this outcome, we have been answering some pretty big questions including:
  • What motivates newcomers to move to Canada? 
  • How do Canadians and the Canadian government respond to international crises and/or internal pressures? How is that reflected in our past and present actions and policies?  
  • What is the current and historical Canadian response/treatment of immigrants and refugees?
  • How do our immigration policies compare to those of other nations around the world?
  • How has our daily life been impacted by our diversity, including the contributions of individuals who have immigrated to Canada?
    Copyright Yvonne Denomy, SPS
To better understand how our life has been impacted by our diverse nation, students completed a mini-research of a Canadian immigrant or refugee by completing a Biography organizer (shown in French and English).  Students then synthesized their information by creating a Voki avatar to highlight this person's contributions to Canada's diversity and daily life.  Students then wrote their synthesis and typed it into their Voki using the "text to speech" option.

Copyright Yvonne Denomy, SPS
Commenting on our projects:
Parents/visitors, if you choose to leave a comment on this blog, I invite you to further our learning by reflecting on any or all of the following questions:

How have our projects enabled you (as an individual, parent or family unit) to better understand how you have benefited from Canada's diversity?

What are some common themes or character traits among those who make positive contributions to Canadian life?

How did the use of this technology (Voki) help us achieve our outcomes and share our learning?

I hope you enjoy this example and viewing more of our products at the website below:

  • Grade 5/6 (O'Leary) *Please note that although all student research was conducted in the French language, the students were given the choice to present their Voki in English or French (knowing our audience is mostly English speaking). 
  • Grade 5/6 (Miss G)