Fortunately, I am still working with a terrific Grade 7 class at Northridge Public School and the they have allowed me to "workshop" a few ideas with them to get some feedback.
Here is one idea I am mulling over. It is an upgrade on an activity I did ten years ago.
Part One: Mind's On
- Display the following quote and allow some group discussion
"Les hivers de mon enfance étaient des saisons longues, longues. Nous vivions en trois lieux: l'école, l'église et la patinoire; mais la vraie vie était sur la patinoire."
- The Northridge class teased out 90% of it pretty easily.
"The winters of my childhood were long, long seasons. We lived in three places—the school, the church and the skating rink—but our real life was on the skating rink."
- Ten years ago, I would ask students if they had seen the quote before - then reveal that it was printed on the back of the Canadian Five Dollar Bill.
- Unfortunately, that bill is no longer in circulation. Probably for the best, according to this clip from the television program "How I Met Your Mother" where an American character visiting Canada declares...
"What's wrong? Other than the fact that this $5 dollar bill they gave you is blue...and there's kids playing hockey on the back - it's like you want us to make fun of you."
Part Two: Read Aloud
Read the short story "The Hockey Sweater" by Roch Carrier. It can be found in most school libraries; but, if you can find it, there is an incredible anthology called Sightlines (The Grade 8 edition) that has it and many other terrific selections.
The short story is based on an experience from author Roch Carrier's childhood in Sainte-Justine, Quebec in the 1940's. In it, a young fan of the Montreal Canadiens hockey team (and its star player Maurice Richard) mistakenly receives a Toronto Maple Leaf's hockey jersey. His mother insists he wear it and the young boy must face the scorn and persecution of his peers and even his coach.
Part Three: Activities
There are lots of discussions, activities and connections that can be made with this story. Here are a couple ideas from Literacy, Drama, History & Physical Education.- Have you ever received a gift that you did not like? How did you deal with it? (Talk about it, Write about it, Blog about it, Flipgrid it, Present it as a short skit).
- It connects nicely with the Grade 7 & 8 History curriculum - which examines the relationships between French & English settlers and includes the Big Idea that: "Social and political conflicts and changes in the first half of the nineteenth century have had a lasting impact on Canada".
- It is a fun way to launch a floor hockey unit in gym class.
Part Four: Project Based Learning
- Advance a discussion about Rivalries.
- What is a Rivalry?
- Why is the Leaf/Canadien Rivalry important?
- Have you ever had a rival?
- How is a rival different than an enemy?
- Provide them access to this Multi-Media Tech Set which has links to 32 well documented rivalries from Sport, Buisness, Music, Pop Culture & Life.
- Each box has an embedded link to a Google Search of the rivalry. Additional links are at the bottom of the page. Invite students to spend time exploring the websites, articles and videos that interest them.
- With a partner select a rivalry that interests you both and research it. Make use of this template to help organize your discoveries.
- Share your research any way you choose - a visual display, a class presentation, an Animoto video, an interactive slideshow or Makey Makey bulletin board.
- As a class - set a deadline for a sharing day.
To help students - I have this research example using the Leafs vs Canadiens rivalry.
Additionally, I worked with a Grade 7 student from the aforementioned class at Northridge to create this podcast script and also this podcast which includes video.
Stay tuned...I'll be tweeting and posting the results next winter.
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