Canada's History

Le projet multidisciplinaire « Tissés serrés » est un survol du cours d'histoire de troisième secondaire, en parcourant les événements, les personnages et les us et coutumes, de Jacques Cartier en 1534, à Lord Durham en 1839. Dans cette série de balados, la Société Histoire Canada s'est entretenue avec les finalistes francophones de 2024 du Prix d'histoire du Gouverneur général pour l'excellence en enseignement.

À la façon d'enquêteurs, les élèves ont fait des collectes d'informations sur des sujets directement reliés aux enjeux de leur quartier pour ensuite être en mesure de présenter le fruit de leurs découvertes à l'écrit comme à l'oral. Dans cette série de balados, la Société Histoire Canada s'est entretenue avec les finalistes francophones de 2024 du Prix d'histoire du Gouverneur général pour l'excellence en enseignement.

Des élèves écrivent des articles sur l'histoire de leur cour d'école en grand réaménagement en interrogeant le personnel, en explorant des archives visuelles et en analysant les plans de la nouvelle cour. Dans cette série de balados, la Société Histoire Canada s'est entretenue avec les finalistes francophones de 2024 du Prix d'histoire du Gouverneur général pour l'excellence en enseignement.

Dans le cadre de ce projet, le personnage historique de Louis Cyr a servi de fil conducteur et a su capter l'intérêt des élèves. Dans cette série de balados, la Société Histoire Canada s'est entretenue avec les finalistes francophones de 2024 du Prix d'histoire du Gouverneur général pour l'excellence en enseignement.

Le projet « Les cartes de la mémoire : le Canada dans les guerres mondiales » cherche à faire comprendre aux élèves les contributions des unités militaires canadiennes et de leurs membres pendant les guerres mondiales. Dans cette série de balados, la Société Histoire Canada s'est entretenue avec les finalistes francophones de 2024 du Prix d'histoire du Gouverneur général pour l'excellence en enseignement.

Que diriez-vous de conscientiser les jeunes apprenants à l'importance de prendre soin de l'environnement, et ce, en devenant des prospecteurs écolos ? Par le biais du journal intime d'un chercheur d'or, les élèves découvrent cet événement historique. Dans cette série de balados, la Société Histoire Canada s'est entretenue avec les finalistes francophones de 2024 du Prix d'histoire du Gouverneur général pour l'excellence en enseignement.

Through this project, students learn about the importance of the horticultural history in Burlington while doing hands-on gardening work on the grounds of the Ireland House Museum. This episode of the Teaching Canada's History podcast is part of our series speaking with the finalists of the 2024 Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Teaching. This award recognizes excellence and innovation in the teaching of Canadian history. To learn more, visit CanadasHistory.ca/Awards.

Jessica McIntyre created Project True North in order to engage students in primary document research, to challenge accepted versions of Canadian history, and to share these stories with the country. This episode of the Teaching Canada's History podcast is part of our series speaking with the finalists of the 2024 Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Teaching. This award recognizes excellence and innovation in the teaching of Canadian history. To learn more, visit CanadasHistory.ca/Awards.

Anchoring learning in food history, Ben Gross and Dan Kunanec's students studied Ashkenazi and Sephardic life in Europe and how that history travelled to Canada with survivors of the Holocaust. This episode of the Teaching Canada's History podcast is part of our series speaking with the finalists of the 2024 Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Teaching. This award recognizes excellence and innovation in the teaching of Canadian history. To learn more, visit CanadasHistory.ca/Awards.

Sarah Stewart asked her students to explore topics such as the ‘60s Scoop, the Métis struggle for recognition, the 1969 "White Paper,” and the High Arctic Relocation for an awareness campaign project. This episode of the Teaching Canada's History podcast is part of our series speaking with the finalists of the 2024 Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Teaching. This award recognizes excellence and innovation in the teaching of Canadian history. To learn more, visit CanadasHistory.ca/Awards.

Michele Schwab led a project that included preservation of traditional knowledge, community engagement, empowerment of elders, and intergenerational connections by bringing in kehte-aya (old ones or knowledge carriers) to capture their viewpoints and teachings on a variety of subjects. This episode of the Teaching Canada's History podcast is part of our series speaking with the finalists of the 2024 Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Teaching. This award recognizes excellence and innovation in the teaching of Canadian history. To learn more, visit CanadasHistory.ca/Awards.

LouAnn Davis and fellow primary teachers used songs as a springboard for thinking about and discussing residential schools and students' Mi'kmaq culture and language. This episode of the Teaching Canada's History podcast is part of our series speaking with the finalists of the 2024 Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Teaching. This award recognizes excellence and innovation in the teaching of Canadian history. To learn more, visit CanadasHistory.ca/Awards.

In Jason Vander Meulen's grade 10 history project, students developed an Investor Pitch for an early 20th century invention to communicate historical findings. This episode of the Teaching Canada's History podcast is part of our series speaking with the finalists of the 2024 Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Teaching. This award recognizes excellence and innovation in the teaching of Canadian history. To learn more, visit CanadasHistory.ca/Awards.

Debbie Mar's grade three/four class paid tribute to local WWII veterans by educating their school and community about the special friendship between Canada and the Netherlands. This episode of the Teaching Canada's History podcast is part of our series speaking with the finalists of the 2024 Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Teaching. This award recognizes excellence and innovation in the teaching of Canadian history. To learn more, visit CanadasHistory.ca/Awards.

Christopher Martinello's students re-created Indigenous technologies like atlatl spear throwers through the Wendat Village Educational Archaeology Outreach Program. This episode of the Teaching Canada's History podcast is part of our series speaking with the finalists of the 2024 Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Teaching. This award recognizes excellence and innovation in the teaching of Canadian history. To learn more, visit CanadasHistory.ca/Awards.

This inclusive initiative of Alysa Ferguson unites Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, Knowledge Keepers, Elders, community members, organizations, and School District of Mystery Lake representatives. This episode of the Teaching Canada's History podcast is part of our series speaking with the finalists of the 2024 Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Teaching. This award recognizes excellence and innovation in the teaching of Canadian history. To learn more, visit CanadasHistory.ca/Awards.

The goal of Alma Bernier's project was for her Indigenous students to identify who they are, where they came from, and how their history continues to affect their lives. This episode of the Teaching Canada's History podcast is part of our series speaking with the finalists of the 2024 Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Teaching. This award recognizes excellence and innovation in the teaching of Canadian history. To learn more, visit CanadasHistory.ca/Awards.

“The Hidden Histories Project” was a student-led public history and art initiative showcasing significant historical figures and events from marginalized and diverse communities in New Brunswick and Wabanaki Territory. This episode of the Teaching Canada's History podcast is part of our series speaking with the finalists of the 2024 Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Teaching. This award recognizes excellence and innovation in the teaching of Canadian history. To learn more, visit CanadasHistory.ca/Awards.

“Through their Eyes” engages students with the historical thinking concepts as they explore twentieth-century Canadian history through the real-life experiences of 225+ (extra)ordinary Canadians. This episode of the Teaching Canada's History podcast is part of our series speaking with the finalists of the 2024 Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Teaching. This award recognizes excellence and innovation in the teaching of Canadian history. To learn more, visit CanadasHistory.ca/Awards.

Led by grade 8 students in Jo Anne Broders's class, this emotionally powerful project remembers the Mi'kmaq people and their valued contributions to local history in Gambo, Newfoundland and Labrador. This episode of the Teaching Canada's History podcast is part of our series speaking with the finalists of the 2024 Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Teaching. This award recognizes excellence and innovation in the teaching of Canadian history. To learn more, visit CanadasHistory.ca/Awards.

This project brings together students and elders, exploring both traditional cultural experiences and the history of the Kikino Métis Settlement. This episode of the Teaching Canada's History podcast is part of our series speaking with the finalists of the 2024 Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Teaching. This award recognizes excellence and innovation in the teaching of Canadian history. To learn more, visit CanadasHistory.ca/Awards.

The Canadian Roundtable Debate project brings to light the major issues in Canada "today" while putting Suzanne Uher's students into the shoes of Canadian politicians. This episode of the Teaching Canada's History podcast is part of our series speaking with the finalists of the 2024 Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Teaching. This award recognizes excellence and innovation in the teaching of Canadian history. To learn more, visit CanadasHistory.ca/Awards.

In Wendy Driscoll's History in the Baking project, her middle school class wonders how the conversation about Canadian Confederation may have differed with other voices.

Shannon Rankin's First World War artifact project requires students to create and compose critical reflections on and interpretations of Canada's First World War story. This episode of the Teaching Canada's History podcast is part of our series speaking with the finalists of the 2023 Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Teaching. This award recognizes excellence and innovation in the teaching of Canadian history. To learn more, visit CanadasHistory.ca/Awards.

Dans le cadre du cours d'histoire du Québec et du Canada de 3e secondaire, Pascal Bureau a mis sur pied un projet incitant les élèves à s'approprier le contenu du cours. Pour ce faire, ils devaient créer un jeu de société reflétant un thème de la Nouvelle-France. Dans cette série de balados, la Société Histoire Canada s'est entretenue avec les finalistes francophones de 2023 du Prix d'histoire du Gouverneur général pour l'excellence en enseignement.

Maliesha Muralidharan designed a unit plan for her grade 8 history class that shifted the focus on how students learn to allow them to showcase their knowledge through art, drama, pictures, quotes, social media, debates and rants. This episode of the Teaching Canada's History podcast is part of our series speaking with the finalists of the 2023 Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Teaching. This award recognizes excellence and innovation in the teaching of Canadian history. To learn more, visit CanadasHistory.ca/Awards.

Jo Anne Broders organized and facilitated an international collaboration between her grades 9 and 11 students and a classroom in Germany. This episode of the Teaching Canada's History podcast is part of our series speaking with the finalists of the 2023 Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Teaching. This award recognizes excellence and innovation in the teaching of Canadian history. To learn more, visit CanadasHistory.ca/Awards.

The Story of a Soldier project is an investigation into the life of a local resident and an exploration of local history during the First World War. This episode of the Teaching Canada's History podcast is part of our series speaking with the finalists of the 2023 Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Teaching. This award recognizes excellence and innovation in the teaching of Canadian history. To learn more, visit CanadasHistory.ca/Awards.

Chantal Clabrough designed the Westmount High School Memorial Project as a way to engage students in preserving their school's history. This episode of the Teaching Canada's History podcast is part of our series speaking with the finalists of the 2023 Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Teaching. This award recognizes excellence and innovation in the teaching of Canadian history. To learn more, visit CanadasHistory.ca/Awards.

High school teacher Brad Dowler designed a project that deals with past and current movements towards the creation, alteration, removal or replacement of historical monuments and namings. This episode of the Teaching Canada's History podcast is part of our series speaking with the finalists of the 2023 Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Teaching. This award recognizes excellence and innovation in the teaching of Canadian history. To learn more, visit CanadasHistory.ca/Awards.

La Révolution tranquille en chansons est un projet qui visait à faire découvrir les faits marquants et les personnages importants de cette période de l'histoire à l'aide de différentes sources primaires et secondaires. Dans cette série de balados, la Société Histoire Canada s'est entretenue avec les finalistes francophones de 2023 du Prix d'histoire du Gouverneur général pour l'excellence en enseignement.

Using primary and secondary sources, L. Andrea Izzo's grade 8 students learned about the history of the No. 2 Construction Battalion, Canada's first segregated unit and largest all-Black unit. This episode of the Teaching Canada's History podcast is part of our series speaking with the finalists of the 2023 Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Teaching. This award recognizes excellence and innovation in the teaching of Canadian history. To learn more, visit CanadasHistory.ca/Awards.

"Finding Common Ground: A Treaty Walk (& Roll) of Fort Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan" is a collaborative project that combines research, storytelling, and geographic mapping into a curated self-guided tour. This episode of the Teaching Canada's History podcast is part of our series speaking with the finalists of the 2023 Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Teaching. This award recognizes excellence and innovation in the teaching of Canadian history. To learn more, visit CanadasHistory.ca/Awards.

La philosophie pour enfants dans un contexte historique est un projet qui a été mené par Julie Brisson dans une classe d'élèves de la communauté de Kuujjuaq au Nunavik. Dans cette série de balados, la Société Histoire Canada s'est entretenue avec les finalistes francophones de 2023 du Prix d'histoire du Gouverneur général pour l'excellence en enseignement.

Elementary teacher Ramandeep Sarai guided a group inquiry project with students in grades 4-8 in her special education class to explore the question, What does it mean to be Canadian? This episode of the Teaching Canada's History podcast is part of our series speaking with the finalists of the 2023 Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Teaching. This award recognizes excellence and innovation in the teaching of Canadian history. To learn more, visit CanadasHistory.ca/Awards.

Dans le cadre du projet de Stéphanie Pain, ses élèves ont étudié le conte Poisson-Volant voulait devenir un Oiseau-Mouche. Développé avec le soutien de l'auteur et de l'aînée métisse Anishinabee Dolorès Contré offre un exemple de l'intégration des perspectives, du contenu et des modes d'apprentissage autochtones dans les cours de français. Il met également en évidence le pouvoir des histoires autochtones pour la transmission des connaissances. Le processus a permis aux élèves et à l'enseignant, guidés par l'auteur, d'expérimenter la pensée circulaire au-delà de la simple compréhension intellectuelle. Les élèves ont fait l'expérience d'un apprentissage holistique ancré dans leur territoire et ont appris l'interdépendance des êtres animés et inanimés. Des activités de sciences sociales, de théâtre et d'arts visuels ont permis aux élèves de comprendre les enjeux de la promotion, de la préservation ou de la revitalisation des savoirs autochtones.

Tout au long du mois de février, les enfants de 1re année de la classe de Natasha Camacho ont découvert divers Afro-Canadiens : vivants actuellement et à travers l'histoire. Une personne dont nous avons entendu parler était le Dr Ligoure, le premier médecin noir de la Nouvelle-Écosse et un héros très notable de l'explosion d'Halifax. Notre projet consistait à faire des recherches sur le Dr Ligoure et à rendre compte de nos découvertes par l'écriture, l'illustration et la création d'une vidéo. Enfin, les enfants ont écrit des lettres au maire, appelant à une plus grande reconnaissance publique du Dr Ligoure et de son héritage.

Le projet multidisciplinaire développé par Lysa Conti et Loucy Chérubin vise à faire connaître l'apport des Noirs dans l'histoire, d'hier et d'aujourd'hui à travers le monde mais surtout au Canada. Les activités s'adressent principalement aux élèves du préscolaire et du primaire. Tout au long du projet, les élèves développent des compétences dans les domaines de la littérature jeunesse, des arts visuels, de l'anglais, de la lecture et de l'écriture. Pour chacun des cycles, les activités proposées sont adaptées au niveau des élèves. Les thèmes explorés incluent la diversité corporelle, l'acceptation des différences, la persévérance, l'affirmation de soi, l'esclavage, la justice et la liberté. Ce projet vise à rassembler les étudiants. Une fois par semaine, les élèves présentent, via une plateforme virtuelle de rencontres et d'échanges, des capsules visant à faire découvrir à tous les élèves de l'école des personnages clés de l'histoire des Noirs.

Dans ce projet, les élèves cherchent à comprendre les héritages complexes découlant des points de vue des Pères de la Confédération en créant un dialogue scénarisé entre deux personnalités de l'époque. En commençant par une discussion sur le retrait des statues de John A. Macdonald, les élèves explorent la domination de l'Ordre d'Orange dans la politique canadienne du 19e siècle et interrogent les points communs dans le traitement des migrants irlandais et des Métis. Cela aide les élèves à expliquer ce qui a incité les Fenians irlandais et les Métis à frapper violemment contre l'ordre politique dominant de l'ère de la Confédération.

Le projet de Jacqueline Robichaud mesure la capacité des élèves à comparer les sociétés entre elles à différentes époques, à comprendre l'impact de l'impérialisme britannique sur nos peuples autochtones et leur rôle dans la réconciliation avec les Premières Nations. Pour ce faire, les élèves comparent l'évolution des Acadiens, des Autochtones et des Québécois en mettant en évidence les conditions de développement de la société. Les élèves, utilisant la méthode scientifique, combinée aux concepts de la pensée historique, font repousser du céleri, le déracinent et le privent de leur habitat naturel pour illustrer ce qu'ont vécu les Acadiens lors du Grand Dérangement de 1755 et les peuples autochtones lorsque les réserves et la Loi sur les Indiens ont été imposée vers 1876. À titre de comparaison, le céleri semé dans le potager du fermier illustre l'évolution des Canadiens français en Nouvelle-France de 1608 à nos jours. Les élèves comprennent l'importance d'un territoire dans le développement des peuples, les effets de leur déracinement et le traumatisme intergénérationnel qui en découle. Ils sont ainsi sensibilisés au racisme systémique.

Le projet d'Hélène Wyskup a été guidé par son plan de cours sur l'histoire des Premiers Peuples du Haut-Canada. Son projet a encouragé les élèves de FLS de 3e année à entreprendre des recherches, à écrire des cartes et à confectionner une courtepointe sur l'une des premières communautés du Haut-Canada, Loyalistes, Anishinabeg, Haudenosaunee, Métis, Cris ou Inuit. En groupes de trois, les élèves ont choisi une communauté différente. Ils ont entrepris des recherches sur les similitudes et les différences des modes de vie de 1780 à 1850 (vie quotidienne, domicile, vêtements, alimentation, transports et traditions). Après leurs présentations et discussions, les élèves ont démontré leur compréhension de l'identité et de la diversité culturelle des traditions passées et présentes.

This interview is part of a special series of the Teaching Canada's History podcast where we spoke with the finalists for the 2022 Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Teaching. Students seek to understand the complex legacies arising from the points of view of the Fathers of Confederation by creating a scripted dialogue between two figures of that time. Starting with a discussion on the removal of the statues of John A. Macdonald, students dig into the dominance of the Orange Order in 19th century Canadian politics and interrogate the commonalities in the treatment of Irish migrants and Métis peoples. This assists students to explain what spurred both Irish Fenians and the Métis to strike violently against the dominant political order of the Confederation era. To learn more about the Governor General's History Awards or to nominate a teacher in your community, visit CanadasHistory.ca/Awards.

This interview is part of a special series of the Teaching Canada's History podcast where we spoke with the finalists for the 2022 Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Teaching. In Andreya Padmore's class, students learned about current and historical events that Canada should be proud of, as well as those that took Canada time to recognize and accept responsibility for. Students went into this project with questions and interest about what happened in Canada and left with more questions, knowledge, and steps to take action toward creating a better future for Canada. For their final project, students were tasked with selecting a racialized Canadian trailblazer or a racialized Canadian inventor to research. Their work was published in a book that was professionally bound and placed in the library so others can learn about the amazing people that have come from Canada. To learn more about the Governor General's History Awards or to nominate a teacher in your community, visit CanadasHistory.ca/Awards.

This interview is part of a special series of the Teaching Canada's History podcast where we spoke with the finalists for the 2022 Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Teaching. After participating in an Indigenous-focused interdisciplinary class, students in Jennifer Maxwell's class created real-world projects that could contribute to reconciliation. Throughout the course, students explored Indigenous contexts and histories, with topics about the legacy of colonial oppression including land claims (and the LANDBACK movement); Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit persons; the Sixties and Millennial Scoops; residential schools and day schools; the Indian Act; the Band Council system; and the reserve system. Students then researched and explored the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, specifically around the Calls to Action. Finally, for students to participate in their own act of reconciliation, they chose a topic, an audience, and a product to design to help their targeted audience engage in reconciliation. To learn more about the Governor General's History Awards or to nominate a teacher in your community, visit CanadasHistory.ca/Awards.

This interview is part of a special series of the Teaching Canada's History podcast where we spoke with the finalists for the 2022 Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Teaching. Barbara Ann Giroux's first grade class embarked on a vibrant learning journey toward reconciliation. It included participation in the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society's Reconciliation Ambearrister program, as well as an in-class project on the UN Declaration of the Rights of the Child. Upon class request, it evolved to include all interested students in the school, with the purpose of developing an understanding of equity issues facing many Indigenous communities and TRC Calls to Action within the school. The class shared weekly posts about human rights injustices faced by Indigenous peoples in Canada and invited students to offer their opinions to the weekly question, “Do you think all children in Canada have the same human rights?” The Grade 1 students became knowledgeable leaders in the school, while their teacher became a more reflective practitioner. To learn more about the Governor General's History Awards or to nominate a teacher in your community, visit CanadasHistory.ca/Awards.

This interview is part of a special series of the Teaching Canada's History podcast where we spoke with the finalists for the 2022 Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Teaching. Robert Jardine's research-focused book project engages students in the process of writing history. Students co-create research questions and use those questions as frames to consider various periods in Canadian history. Over the course of the semester, students organize, research, locate images, and write chapters for a student-created history textbook that reflects their interpretation of significant events and peoples in Canada's past. The intended outcome is that the students use a variety of competencies to create their textbook and that they begin to understand the power of past events in shaping their worldviews and the world they live in, as well as roles that individuals, organizations, and institutions wield in the creation of history. To learn more about the Governor General's History Awards or to nominate a teacher in your community, visit CanadasHistory.ca/Awards.

This interview is part of a special series of the Teaching Canada's History podcast where we spoke with the finalists for the 2022 Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Teaching. Luisa Fracassi developed her project “Immigrant Voices” as an experiential learning opportunity for her high school students. First, students attended two virtual tours and a workshop run by the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 in Halifax. The tours explored the immigrant experience by using memoirs, interviews, and other primary sources, while the workshops shared the history of and process behind conducting oral history interviews. Using what they learned from Pier 21, students conducted an oral history interview with an immigrant, transcribed the interview, and created a historical narrative in a magazine-style layout about their interviewee's experiences. To learn more about the Governor General's History Awards or to nominate a teacher in your community, visit CanadasHistory.ca/Awards.

This interview is part of a special series of the Teaching Canada's History podcast where we spoke with the finalists for the 2022 Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Teaching. Melissa Moorhouse's project, "Ethical Dilemmas — Then and Now," is an inquiry-based student experience within her class's examination of key aspects of the Second World War. The project encourages meaningful personal development through reflection on transformational ethical questions. Through research, self-reflection, and conversation, students connect an ethical dilemma of the past to a contemporary Canadian issue. Embracing Universal Design for Learning, students can choose a medium of communication that best suits their learning styles and strengths. It combines the inquiry process, critical evaluation, and higher order thinking all with creative transformative outcomes. Rooted in diversity, equity, and inclusivity, it allows students to connect to their own identities and passions. To learn more about the Governor General's History Awards or to nominate a teacher in your community, visit CanadasHistory.ca/Awards.

This interview is part of a special series of the Teaching Canada's History podcast where we spoke with the finalists for the 2022 Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Teaching. High school teacher Cynthia Bettio designed a semester-long project for her Grade 10 Canadian history course that is modeled after the Snapshots in Time cards, developed by Dr. Lindsay Gibson, Dr. Catharine Duquette and the Critical Thinking Consortium. The project culminated in students designing their own digital Canadian history timeline game with an emphasis on the narratives of marginalized groups over time. Students, with the support of STEM Minds Inc. and using Unity (a gaming language), developed an interactive Canadian history timeline game which will engage users in navigating key events in the history of 2SLGBTQ, women, immigrants, Indigenous groups, disabled people, and people of colour in Canada since 1914. To learn more about the Governor General's History Awards or to nominate a teacher in your community, visit CanadasHistory.ca/Awards.

This interview is part of a special series of the Teaching Canada's History podcast where we spoke with the finalists for the 2022 Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Teaching. Tracey Salamondra and Carla Cooke designed a cross-curricular project where students partnered with community members and organizations to create historical narratives for an interpretive trail expansion in a neighbouring community. The project capitalized on the assets of rural communities, strong relationships, and the ability to overcome obstacles that emerged while completing an inquiry project during the pandemic. The students interviewed current and former residents and worked with museum artifacts, digital archives, and local historians as secondary sources. After studying storytelling, narrative writing, and the writing process, students each wrote, edited, and fact-checked three narratives of their choosing. The project allowed students to see history as a living discipline and learn about their communities' stories, changing how they viewed their rural communities. To learn more about the Governor General's History Awards or to nominate a teacher in your community, visit CanadasHistory.ca/Awards.

This interview is part of a special series of the Teaching Canada's History podcast where we spoke with the finalists for the 2022 Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Teaching. In answering the question, "To what extent have diverse voices shaped Canadian identity and culture?", students in Tanya Andersen's high school history class can give a direct answer, do a deep dive into a topic of interest from the unit, or complete an "Andersen Assignment," which is an assignment that has more structure. For the unit question and the deep dive, students have a choice of medium through which to communicate their thinking. The “Andersen Assignment” requires students to follow the Design Thinking Process to examine the Grade 10 history textbook for gaps in coverage of a Canadian identity. This project allows students to critically examine the textbook and become advocates for change. To learn more about the Governor General's History Awards or to nominate a teacher in your community, visit CanadasHistory.ca/Awards.