Use family history documents to identify a historical statement
One way to make analyzing historical documents more interesting is to challenge students to produce a historical statement based on historical documents they might have at home. Historical statements are used to summarize the essence of a historical document in order to analyze it. This video series (French only) outlines the components of a historical statement. You can show it in class, then do practical exercises where you ask students to identify the historical statement for a given document. Historical documents are not limited to text documents (like an old newspaper). Here are some other examples (French only):
- A photograph
- A coin
- A poster
- A map
- A stamp
- An audio recording
- An object
- Etc.
Review intellectual operations to understand the British North America Act
When it comes to studying history, intellectual operations are essential. They help link and contextualize different aspects of historical knowledge. One of the most significant events in Canadian history is the passing of the British North America Act (BNAA), which is explained in this video (French only). After you watch the video in class, you can ask your students to practise the seven intellectual operations that are essential for understanding a historical event. In addition, to further their understanding of the events leading up to the signing of the BNAA and its consequences, you can ask students to complete the following exercise on Confederation (French only).
Hold an in-class Model UN
By showing the following video to your class, your students will learn about the major processes involved in the operation of the United Nations. You can then discuss them as a group. In addition to giving them a chance to learn through gamification, role-playing exercises give students a chance to experience events that are very close to what happens in the real world. In this sense, holding a Model UN is a great way to practise arguing, public speaking, being an active citizen, influencing people, etc. It also helps the adults of tomorrow develop their political awareness and civic responsibility.
Show a video to teach students how to write their CV
Financial education is also part of the social sciences. Even if students in Secondary V have a long way to go before they start thinking about their careers, it’s never too early to take on projects that will foster their self-actualization and social integration. Indeed, the skills required create a CV will also help students develop their sense of self and awareness of their potential, in addition to helping them get more familiar with the working world and different jobs. After showing our video (French only) on how to write a CV, you might consider staging a mini job fair where you will play the role of a manager who’s recruiting for a dream job. Once students finish their CVs, they can submit their applications to you. The process is sure to spark some interesting discussions!
Help your Secondary IV students prepare for the ministry exam in history
Even though summer vacation is just around the corner, the end of the school year can be a stressful time for students who are required to take ministry exams. Fortunately, our Secondary IV history Live Review is a valuable study tool for students (even though it was created in 2019!). You can play the video on your interactive blackboard during one of your review classes. This resource is designed to be used as a turnkey summary. To make your job even easier, you can use the time stamps in the YouTube description box to navigate directly to specific concepts. The Alloprof site also has around twenty other relevant videos that review Secondary IV history concepts, including Crash Lessons on the creation of the Canadian confederation, and the modernization of Quebec and the Quiet Revolution (both in French only).