ELA 10-2 – Project Based Learning
Unit Three – Cultural Conflict, Challenges and Relationships
RVS Inquiry-based Learning Planning Framework
Key Understandings:
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Culture is both a unifying and divisive force.
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Global societies are diverse creating various perspectives, contributions and challenges.
Reading expands understanding of the world, people and oneself: readers use strategies to
construct meaning; readers develop a deeper understanding by reflecting upon the text.
Goals:
Upon completing this unit, students will achieve the following goals:
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Increased vocabulary as they describe and come to understand some of the
cultural differences among Canadian citizens.
Increased ability to perform skills such as reading, writing, researching and
interpreting.
New factual and qualitative information about the people and places in their
neighborhood that are important to children.
Increased ability to present concrete and abstract information in multimedia
formats.
Increased skill in using multimedia authoring software.
*Students will be able to read texts from a social justice perspective.
-Analyze a text to find themes related to social justice (freedom, inequality,
tolerance, compassion)
-Identify elements in a text that reveal cultural or political bias.
-Identify elements in a text that have social justice implications (prejudice, sexism,
exploitation, suppression).
*Students will participate in an action that supports a social justice issue of their choice.
-Identify a specific social justice cause they are interested in.
-Research movements and organizations addressing this cause.
-Propose a way to get involved with this organization.
-Attend an event within the purview of their proposal.
Essential Questions:
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What is culture?
How does culture shape people?
How does conflict produce change?
How do cultural differences lead to conflict?
What is social justice?
What are the responsibilities of the individual in regard to issues of social justice?
What are the factors that create an imbalance of power within a culture?
To what extent does power or the lack of power impact fairness and justice?
What is oppression and what are the root causes?
How are prejudice and bias created? How do we overcome them?
What are the responsibilities of the individual in regard to issues of social justice?
Can literature serve as a vehicle for social change?
When should an individual take a stand against what he/she believes to be an
injustice? What are the most effective ways to do this?
What are the factors that create an imbalance of power within a culture?
What does power have to do with fairness and justice?
Is it ever necessary to question the status quo?
What are the benefits and consequences of questioning / challenging social order?
Do we have choices concerning fairness and justice?
Does labeling and stereotyping influence how we look at and understand the world?
What does it mean to be invisible? (context: minorities)
In what ways can a minority keep their issues on the larger culture’s "radar screen?"
Does an institution/culture ever have a right to censor its artists?
What creates prejudice and what can an individual overcome it?
What are the causes and consequences of prejudice and injustice, and how does an
individual’s response to them reveal his/her true character?
What allows some individuals to take a stand against prejudice/oppression while
others choose to participate in it?
What are the causes and consequences of prejudice and how does an individual’s
response to it reveal his/her morals, ethics, and values?
GOALS
Develop the ability to see historical, economic, and societal facts in
context; distinguish underlying systemic movements and trends; and
formulate potential solutions in moral, as well as, practical terms.
Utilize research, journalistic, internet, and historical materials in a
discriminating way.
Develop the ability to weigh evidence and reach conclusions on the basis of
facts and reasoned argument, not prejudice.
Listen carefully and communicate effectively through debate and
discussion.
See the challenges of the 21st Century through a global perspective.
Develop their capacity to create thoughtful, compassionate, and wellreasoned essays.
The idea that the process of movement from one state of being to
another is a universal aspect of the planet and is an inevitable part of life
and living. The impact of change is a key variable in understanding
conflict. As cultures come into contact, as families grow, as people age
and experience new situations, change is experienced and must be
addressed.
Literary Selections:
Essays
“Reading the Time” (excerpt) (Elements of English. P. 40)
“Ancestors – The Genetic Source” (Elements of English. P. 146)
CBC – The Enemy that Never Was - http://www.cbc.ca/archives/teachers/lesson-plan/the-enemythat-never-was.html
CBC – The Internment of Ukrainians in Canada - http://www.cbc.ca/archives/teachers/lessonplan/the-internment-of-ukrainians-in-canada.html
CBC – Facing Discrimination and Racism - http://www.cbc.ca/archives/teachers/lesson-plan/facingdiscrimination-and-racism.html
Stories
“Moving Mountains” (Voices in the Hall. P65)
“Holding Harley” (Voices in the Hall. P70)
News Articles/Memoirs/Autobiographies
“A Profile of Rubin Carter” - (Article - Voices in the Hall. P112)
“The Dream Snatcher” - (Memoir - Voices in the Hall. P124)
“Perspective” - (Voices in the Hall. P139)
Play/Excerpt
“Welcome to Canada” ( Rattling the Stage. P49)
CBC - A Refugee Journal - http://www.cbc.ca/archives/teachers/lesson-plan/a-refugee-journal.html
Visual Representation
“This Picture Represents Me” – (Voices. P30) (assignment)
Graphic Journal
“I am My Grandmother” – (Strength and Struggle. P38)
Poems
“Indians” (Elements of English. P. 118)
“3740166701” (Strength and Struggle. P49)
http.+://www.cbc.ca/archives/teachers/lesson-plan/preserving-metis-history.html
“Mother to Son” (Elements of English. P. 205)
“E5-770, My Mother’s Name” – (Strength and Struggle. P46)
“Letter to Father” (Rattling the Stage. P98)
OPENING EXERCISE
Identifying Bias and Stereotypes
http://www.cbc.ca/archives/teachers/lesson-plan/identifying-bias-and-stereotypes.html
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Essential questions
Essential Question: How do the media influence our ideas and understanding of faraway
places?
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Subsidiary Questions: What types of images have the media given us about Iraq? How
has the context of the Iraq War affected our opinions of the country and its people? How
can journalists minimize bias or present multiple perspectives when they report?
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“Strangers” (Elements of English. P157) – Personal essay
CBC – Prominent Chinese-Canadians (Chinese Immigration) http://www.cbc.ca/archives/teachers/lesson-plan/prominent-chinese-canadians.html
CBC – Changing Perceptions
http://www.cbc.ca/archives/teachers/lesson-plan/changing-perceptions.html
CBC – Facing Discrimination and Racism
http://www.cbc.ca/archives/teachers/lesson-plan/facing-discrimination-and-racism.html