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Web Links
CHAPTER 15: UNFINISHED BUSINESS
INTERNET FOCUS QUESTIONS:
Communities: Local, National,
and Global
- How have outside forces and events shaped Canada's policies regarding
its natural resources?
Change and Continuity
- What impact has social and demographic change had on Native communities?
Citizenship and Heritage
- How have Native national organizations helped Native peoples gain
recognition and rights?
Social, Economic, and Political
Structures
- How have government policies promoting economic opportunities affected
Canadian natural resources?
ACTIVITIES
THE NATIVE PEOPLES’ PUSH FOR JUSTICE
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With the creation of Nunavut and the
Nisga’a treaty, some of Canada’s Native peoples gained
greater autonomy. Using SchoolNet and other web links, communicate
by email with students at high schools in these parts of Canada.
Interview the students on how this autonomy has changed their outlook
for the future. |
| Today, the Nisga'a people
become full-fledged Canadians as we step out from under the Indian
Act—forever. Finally, after a struggle of more than 130 years,
the government of this country clearly recognizes that the Nisga'a
were a self-governing people since well before European contact.
We remain self-governing today, and we are proud to say that this
inherent right is now clearly recognized and protected in the Constitution
of Canada.
Nisga'a Chief Joseph Gosnell on April 13, 2000,
on the occasion of the ratification of the Nisga'a
Treaty in Ottawa,
3 August 2000
In this activity, you will interview
some of the students whose future will be affected by changes in
the status of Native peoples. The Nisga'a treaty and the creation
of Nunavut signal a change in autonomy for these groups of Canadians.
Use the following process to prepare for and conduct your interviews,
and to write a newspaper article in which you report your findings.
- In a small group, brainstorm some preliminary interview questions
that you might use for this activity. (For example: What does
political autonomy mean to you? What difference will greater autonomy
make to you in terms of your political, economic, social, and
cultural future?) Take notes during this session so that you can
use these preliminary questions as you do background research
on the topic.
- Do your research independently. In Canada: Our Century, Our
Story, see The Native Peoples' Push for Justice (starting
on page 403), and the Historian at Work features Asking the Right
Questions (page 113) and Oral Evidence: Hearing Is Believing (page
408). As you research, review your preliminary questions. Revise,
eliminate, and add any new questions suggested by your research.
- Come back to your group and pool your findings. Draw up a revised
joint list of interview questions.
- Try your interview questions out on each other in role-play.
If you were the interviewee, would you find any of the interview
questions inappropriate or intrusive? Make any necessary revisions
to your questions.
- Work together to decide on the process you will follow for your
e-mail interviews. Consult Historian at Work: Asking the Right
Questions (page 113) to help you establish this process.
- Select and contact one of the SchoolNet Aboriginal schools (see
the link for SchoolNet Grassroots, below) and ask for volunteer
interviewees among the students.
- Conduct your e-mail interview.
- Write a newspaper article (for your school newspaper or for
a community newspaper in your region of Ontario) in which you
present your interview results.
Visit the following websites to help you research background information
for your interview questions and newspaper article:
Select the school where
you would like to conduct your interviews at SchoolNet
Grassroots, Canadian Schools OnLine Directory.
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GOVERNMENT ATTITUDES AND POLICIES ON NATURAL RESOURCES
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Review Canadian government attitudes
and policies on natural resources throughout the century. What lessons
of history have led to current government policies? Develop your
own Internet search strategy, and write a report on your findings.
Include a bibliography in which you identify all your sources. |
You will be able to find many websites for this activity, with alternative,
even conflicting, points of view on the issues surrounding the use of
Canada's natural resources. Be sure to visit government and nongovernmental
websites. Before you begin your research, work together to define your
terms and establish some basic general research questions.
Use the following guidelines to help you write your report:
In the introduction of your report,
- include an opening thesis statement on the main idea or key finding
of your research (be sure this is stated in an objective manner; it
should be a cool-headed reflection on the issue and should be based
on facts)
- define the subject clearly, showing that you have a clear focus (demonstrate
how you have put boundaries around your subject; identify what you have
included and what you have excluded)
- include a statement on your report's key features, a summary of the
main points you will discuss, and the ways that those points are related
to your thesis
- concisely summarize your conclusions and the essential information
In the background section of your report,
- introduce the background of the problem or issue that your report
will address
- set the scene for the readers
In the discussion section (the main body) of your report,
- discuss the data, the situation, or the problem that you have chosen
to deal with
- select your evidence carefully so that it supports your focus, your
purpose, and your point of view
- give details and evidence that clearly support your main idea or thesis
(with complete references so that your readers can check your sources,
can trust your findings, and can read more about the subject should
they choose to do so)
- choose the best order for your evidence (for example, decide whether
you want to place your most important and convincing evidence first
or last)
- be sure that your evidence is complete, specific, and concrete, covering
your subject and your focus well
- use a clear organizational structure, for example, classification
or division (you may want to use categories and divide the report evidence
into interrelated parts); chronological order (you could use this when
the sequence of events is most important for the purposes of your report);
comparison (you will need to decide on your criteria for comparison
and then look at the alternatives carefully); or cause and effect (you
will need to make the relationships between cause and effect clear to
your readers)
In the conclusion of your report,
- sum up the results of your findings
- show the significance of your findings and your conclusions
- perhaps recommend some future action that could be taken to resolve
the problem or issue
The style that you use to write your report should
- be direct, informative, clear, and concise
- be easy for your readers to follow (so define any terms your readers
may not understand)
- use objective writing (substantiate your opinions with facts and evidence,
avoid subjective language, and be specific when you offer evidence)
In Canada: Our Century, Our Story, review Canada's Environmental
Issues (pages 411-414). The following Historian at Work features will
help you in your research and in the preparation for your report: History,
Whose History? (page 11), Developing a Thesis (page 251), Building an
Effective Argument (page 275), Identifying Your Sources of Information
(page 303), and Internet Research That Gets Results (pages 324-325). You
could also use the index in the Student Book to locate earlier references
to environmental issues.
Visit the following websites for information on the Internet itself and
for hints to help you use it as a research source:
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