Wednesday, January 20, 2021

Teaching Canadian Black History Month Remotely

 


**Updated with new links to support the lessons and French resources for FI students!

February is Black History Month.  For a long time, teaching Black history month meant that as Canadian Teachers we would have to use largely American resources, or make our own.  This was problematic, as it often denied the Black History that Canada has too- and ignores the contributions of Black Canadians who have been present in Canada since before its confederation.

While researching for resources that I could use to teach BHM to my students, I came across some great resources, that I wanted to share. 

Unwritten Histories

This first blog post is a goldmine of resources for teachers who may want to use primary sources in their lessons (if you are creating them yourself), with a thoughtful post on the importance of teaching Black Canadian history not just in February, but all year round.  The blog is called "Unwritten Histories" and its written by Dr. Andrea Eidinger from the University of Victoria.  She also curates a list of resources for teachers who are looking to add Black history to their curriculum.  Find her post on Black History Month here: https://www.unwrittenhistories.com/a-guide-to-online-resources-for-teaching-and-learning-about-black-history-in-canada/-- then look around the site for other great posts to diversify your program.

#Black History Matters 

What I'm really excited about is a resource I found courtesy of the Toronto Star newspaper from 2017.  Natasha Henry wrote a 4- week resource that covers Black History Month, and its great.  Here's why I think is is so well done:

  • Week 1 starts with African civilizations: this is crucial because it recognizes that Black Canadians' history start well before they were brought or came to Canada.  Many resources focus on Black people's experiences starting with the trauma and ignominy of how they were brought to and treated in Canada during the colonization of Canada as we know it today.  Even today our knowledge of how people live on the African Continent is skewed with colonized ideas about how people live in Africa.  This first week teaches that there were great kingdoms and civilizations in Africa- such as Nubia and Kongo-- and I think that it is a positive and fitting start for a month celebrating Black History.
Some additional links that may be useful:
  1. https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/kingdoms-kush/ - some images and maps of Kush and    Nubia to illustrate during your lesson
  2. Galleries of Nubia:  https://www.rom.on.ca/en/exhibitions-galleries/galleries/art-culture/galleries-of-africa-nubia
  3. Story of Nubia:https://www.rom.on.ca/en/collections-research/rom-channel/story-nubia
  4. And a video about one of the artefacts in the Nubia Gallery by its curator: https://www.rom.on.ca/en/rom-at-home/experts-objects/a-mystery-solved 
  5. And one link I really like is from the British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/galleries/africa 
  • Week 2 looks at Slavery and Freedom in Canada- an often ignored period in our history.  Many of us have been taught that Slavery was something that happened "down there" in the U.S.  However, as a English and French colony, Canada had slaves as well.  The freedom aspect looks that Black settlements from the Black Empire Loyalist that settled near Oro-Medonte (just North of Toronto).  (There were actually several Black settlements in Ontario including North Buxton upon which the Christopher Paul Curtis book Elijah of Buxton is based... you know if you are looking for a good read aloud.)  
Some additional links that may be useful:
  • Week 2 (again): One thing that I wished would have been made more obvious in this section though was the importance of August 1st- Simcoe Day for Black Canadians.  John Graves Simcoe is a fascinating figure himself that deserves his own post, but the short version is this: He is considered a villain in American history for his ruthless fighting for the British in the war for independence, but when he came to Canada in land grated to him by the British crown, he was a fierce abolitionist helping to end slavery in British Canada.  For Black Canadians, August 1st is Emancipation Day.
Some additional links that may be useful:
  1. Micro History of Mary Ann Shadd Cary, first black woman to publish, edit and run a newspaper in Canada: http://www.myseumoftoronto.com/programming/microhistories-mary-ann-shadd/ 
  2. CBC Kids: Emancipation Day: https://www.cbc.ca/kidscbc2/the-feed/have-you-ever-heard-of-emancipation-day 
  3. Emancipation Day Act: https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/08e25
  • Week 3 looks at Black Canadians experience in the 20th century; including the World Wars, and the Canadian struggle for Civil Rights.  Canada had robust anti-discrimination activism by Black Canadians, that is rarely mentioned in History texts.
Some additional links that may be useful:
  1. Micro Histories: Black Military History of Niagara: http://www.myseumoftoronto.com/programming/black-military-history-of-niagara/?gclid=CjwKCAiAsOmABhAwEiwAEBR0ZoNkXIytadnC_PffgB9tIdBYHQ_kKCXPLDJLxR79GlJci3CdJ5BeCRoCEPAQAvD_BwE 
  2. The No. 2 Construction Battalion: https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/no-2-construction-battalion and https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/no-2-construction-battalion-canadian-expeditionary-force-1914-1918/ 
  3. Primary Documents- The list of the No.2 Construction Battalion: https://archives.novascotia.ca/2construction/results/?Search=
  4. Black Voting Rights in Canada: https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/black-voting-rights 
  5. Black Workers virtual exhibit: http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/edu/ViewLoitLo.do;jsessionid=5F5F65D85E3CE94AD0507BF85859A34B?method=preview&lang=EN&id=18730
  • Week 4 is a look at the legacy and contributions of Black people in the 21st century, and includes information on the continuity and change in Black Canadians' anti-racism movements.  Its focus on art is a good cross-curricular introduction that can be expanded for Art class.  
Some additional links that may be helpful: 
  1. Being Black in Canada: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/beingblackincanada?cmp=DM_SEM_Publishing_BeingBlackinCanada 
  2. Black Art Matters: https://www.aci-iac.ca/online-exhibitions/black-art-matters 
  3. Hamilton Artist Kareem Ferreria: https://www.cbc.ca/arts/kareem-anthony-ferreira-reassembles-memories-of-ontario-and-trinidad-to-paint-his-life-growing-up-1.5754539 
Even though this source is perfect for grades 6-10, I think that several of the activities could be modified for younger grades.  For example:
  • Week one has a video called "The Story of Nubia" which is a video that could be seen by grades as low as grade 2; and a virtual tour of Nubian Artefacts from the ROM.  To create an activity for this, you could have students tour the artefacts and draw a diagram with information (including shape, texture, size, weight, and markings) and a story about what it may have been used for to create a classroom gallery walk/ your own classroom gallery.
  • Week 2: For younger students focussing on Black settlements would be appropriate- There is a lovely picture book called Up Home by Shauntay Grant about North Preston, NS a black settlement. I found this lesson to go with it: https://artgalleryofnovascotia.ca/sites/default/files/Up%20Home%20lesson%20plan.pdf  
  • Week 3: Teachers of younger students can read aloud the story of Harry Gairey and Donny Jubas "Sorry, You Can't Skate Here," and lead a discussion about the stories well as have the students write a journal entry about how they could help if they see someone being excluded.  Week 3 could also be a good place to read the story Viola Desmond Won't be Budged.
  • Week 4: Younger students could look at the Black Lives Matter movement through this video from Sesame Street: https://youtu.be/xBUFcv0y0yk  and then review what they learned in a t-chart (Columns: What we learned/ what we wonder).  then students can make Black Lives Matters Protest signs based on what they learned.


Teaching Black History Month Remotely:

Many of us in Ontario are teaching online for the time being because of the pandemic.  Although it would be ideal to have these conversation in class, there are a few things that we can do as teachers to lead these kinds of discussions remotely:
  • As a class, sent guidelines for how to participate in the discussions.  Allow students to pass is they are uncomfortable speaking, and make space for all students to participate however they are comfortable.  Make sure that they guidelines are visible for the students to see.
  • Allow for breaks in the discussion.  History is heavy.  Chunk the materials according the age and stage of your class.
  • Have students turn ON their cameras to participate in discussion.  It will help you monitor how the talk is going. 
To make it easier for Remote Teachers to use this resource, I have broken it up into single pages, and made all the pages fillable PDFs.  There are blue boxes where the students can type their answers.  I did this, because it really is great resource, and I want as many people as possible to use it.  If you do use it, maybe pop over to her blog and let her know: https://teachingafricancanadianhistory.weebly.com/blog . 

Link to the Remote Learning-Friendly Resource:

To get the fillable PDFs of this resource follow this link: 

French Resources: 

I got some emails about available resources in French, so I added some here.  These are disposable en français:

I found a guide for teacher that looks really good Enseigner L'Histoire des Noir au Québec
It is full of primary source materials and talks specifically about Black people in Quebec-- So it will fit with the cultural component of the FSL curriculum!  

I divided it for use in Remote teaching- folder available here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1qcr7jFnSMtfIjOCXw0pBr-xoqMxHSYi_?usp=sharing  (Duplicate it to edit or use.)

WebQuest: Marie-Angelique and the Burning of Montreal: https://www.canadianmysteries.ca/sites/angelique/accueil/indexfr.html (Grades 6-8)


Underground Railway Historical Education Portal: http://education.historicacanada.ca/en/tools/86






-
Labels: , , , ,

2 comments:

  1. UnknownFebruary 13, 2021 at 1:22 PM

    Merci!

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownMarch 17, 2021 at 5:31 PM

    AMAZING resource Stephanie. WELL put together and engaging both for the students AND myself as a teacher. excelente!!! Missed it for this year but its in the bookmarks for next year!

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)