DoNow: Canada 150

Welcome to our friends from Cape Breton! This week, the Maples Met School hosts our new friends from Glace Bay, Nova Scotia and then in June, our Metsters will be head to the East Coast.

We have some really exciting activities planned for the upcoming week, including experiences at the Manitoba Museum, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, Winnipeg Harvest, The Forks, the Winnipeg Art Gallery, Upper Fort Garry, the Royal Aviation Museum, and much more!

One event will situate us at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. On Thursday, March 16th, the Walrus, a Canadian magazine which looks at current affairs, literature, and general interest articles, is hosting a discussion series called We Desire a Better Country. The event is sold out, but we have managed to secure a few tickets!

Image from the Walrus Magazine

This is a really profound proposition and this week we would like you to contemplate a couple of things. First, in light of Canada 150, what has been the impact of Confederation on both Nova Scotia and Manitoba? What have been the causes and consequences of Confederation in both provinces and how has it impacted people, the land, the ecology, and how each province governs itself?

Secondly, looking at the continuity and change of each province, how might we construct a better Canada? What do we mean by better and for whom?

In your groups of four, you need to respond in the following ways:

1. On Monday, begin to create a skit, song, or performance of any kind which answers the two questions above. (We will provide you time throughout the week to work on this.)
2. Elect a person from your group to attend the Walrus talk on Thursday.
3. Each group needs to respond to the questions using FlipGrid. Each member can provide a response, or all four members can create one.

On Friday, March 17th, groups will be able to present their performances at our potluck dinner at the Maples Met. If you are using social media throughout the week, please use the following hashtag: #DoNowCanada150.

We will be posting photos, tweets, and FlipGrid responses throughout the week, so be precise, be courteous, and be thoughtful. As you venture from place to place, be sure to collect evidence for your responses. (Hint: Take pictures, write notes, post photos, Tweet links, etc.)

You can follow the Maples Met on Twitter and Instagram

 

 

CdnPoli DoNow: Ratifying Climate Deal

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday April 23, 2016 

In November 2015, the Federal Government, led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, signed the Paris Climate Change agreement, whereby Canada, amongst other countries,pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to the extent that global temperature increases could be kept under two degrees.

You can check out this TED talk by Johan Rockstrom to get a clear understanding of the impending ecological crisis:

Johan Rockström Planetary Boundaries from john on Vimeo.

In this Globe and Mail article, the premier of Saskatchewan, Brad Wall, expressed concern that the provinces, members of the federation of Canada, have not been consulted.

Here is a Liberal MP speaking with the CBC about the need to ratify the Paris Agreement.

Using some of your new parliamentary literacy, answer the following question: Should Canada consult with the provinces before ratifying the Paris agreement and should Canada be doing more in terms of reducing emissions?

Answer using the comment section below or Twitter, Instagram, Vine, and/or other social media. Be sure to use the hashtag #cdnpoliDoNow. Be sure to use evidence from the sources provided and from your own research to support your claims.

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For those keeping track of outcomes for your portfolio, here are some you may wish to address and provide evidence for:

Grade 9

Social Studies

• Give examples of ways in which government affects their daily lives. Examples: rights and freedoms, security, laws, education, health care, services…
• Describe Canadian parliamentary democracy. Include: constitutional monarchy, federalism, Governor General, Prime Minister, Cabinet, House of Commons, Senate.
• Describe the responsibilities and processes of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the federal government.
• Be sensitive to the impact of majority rule on minorities and marginalized groups.
• Evaluate Canadian perspectives regarding current global issues.
• Give examples of Canada’s participation within international organizations. Examples: United Nations, Commonwealth, la Francophonie, Olympics…
• Evaluate implications of living in a consumer-based economy.

Science

• Develop a formula for domestic power consumption costs, and solve related problems.

ELA

• question and reflect on personal responses, predictions, and interpretations; apply personal viewpoints to diverse situations or circumstances
• acknowledge the value of others’ ideas and opinions in exploring and extending personal interpretations and viewpoints
• analyze and explain connections between previous experiences, prior knowledge, and a variety of texts [including books]
• obtain information and varied perspectives when inquiring or researching using a range of information sources [such as expository essays, books, radio and television transcripts, charts, tables, graphs, diagrams…]

ICT

• Discuss information, ideas, and/or electronic work using tools for electronic communication. (Examples: email, electronic whiteboards, web pages, threaded discussions, videoconferences, chats, instant messages, camera phones, wikis, blogs, podcasts, online whiteboards…)

 

Grade 10

Geography

• Draw conclusions and make decisions based on research and various types of evidence.

  Explain the importance of stewardship in the preservation of the Earth’s complex environment.

  Respect the Earth as a complex environment in which humans have important responsibilities.

  Describe sustainability issues related to natural resource extraction and consumption.