Women in Canadian History Education Guide

a ctivities

Abolitionist and publisher Mary Ann Shadd Cary, ca.1855 1860 (courtesy Library and Archives Canada/ C-029977).

Create a collaborative museu m exhibit exploring the signi ficance of wo men and girls’ contributions to Canada. Museu ms can provide windo wsintothe past. Many museu m exhibits share historyin a waythat e mphasizesthe experiences androles of men, distorting our perception of history.I magine your class is res p onsible for a ne w exhibit that highlights a diverse range of wo men who made a differenceintheirti mes and ours. 1. Working as a pair or s mall group, choose a wo man or group fro mthelist belo wtoresearch. 2. Note your findingsinthe Museu m Panel Graphic Organizer , available on the E ducati on Portal . Begin your research on The Canadian Encyclopedia or the Dictionary of Canadian Bi o gr a p h y , and use other sources. • Indigenous wo meninthefurtrade such asCharlotte S mall and Thanadelthur • Early workers and entrepreneurs such as Lady Sara Kirke, Martha Black , andIsobel Gunn • Religiousleaders such as Jeanne Mance,Marguerite Bourgeoys , andMarie del’Incarnation • Filles du roi • Indigenous wo men who encountered settlers, such asSaint Kateri Tekak witha ,Mikak ,Molly Brant , andTookoolito • White pioneer wo men such as Catherine Parr Traill and Susanna Moodie • EarlyIndigenous activists such as Nahneebah wequa (Catherine Sutton) • Enslaved Black wo men such as Chloe Cooley andMarie Joseph Angélique • Anti-slavery activists such as Mary Ann Shadd Cary • Western settlers such as Marie-Anne Gaboury (Lage modière) • Wo menin Métis co m munities, such as Sara Riel • Rural teachers, such as Mathilda Davis

L’arrivée des Filles du Roi by Eleanor Fortescue Brickdale (c o urtesy Li brary a n d Arc hives Ca na da/Acc. n o 1996-371 1/ C-020126).

3. Usingthe Historical Signi fficance Criteria(see page 3), assess thei mportance ofthe wo man youresearched. Justify why she should be highlightedin a museu m exhibit. 4. Create a descriptive museu m panel on a poster or digitally, including the foll o wing: • A brief description of the wo man or group of wo men • An explanation of whattheyreveal aboutlife attheti me • An argu ment abouttheir signi ficancein Canada’s history • I magesthatillustrate your perspective,if available

5. Present the panel to the class, and together create a collaborative museu m gallery.

MODIFICATION: CHOOSE A WOMAN FROM THE LIST TO RESEARCH. ANS WER THE 5 WS. HO W LONG-LASTING WAS HERI MPACT ON SOCIETY? WAS SHE RECOGNIZED AS SIGNIFICANTIN HER O WN TI ME? JUDGE THEI MPORTANCE OF HER CONTRIBUTIONS. PRESENT THISINFOR MATION ORALLY TO THE CLASS.

Teacher Ti p : Have each pair or group research a different wo man or group.Ifthey choose another wo man or group, ensure adequate research material.

Molly Brant, also kno wn as Koñ watsi’tsiaiéñni (courtesy Library and Archives Canada/ ©Canada Post Corporation/e000008247).

1. Workingin s mall groups, choose one ofthe pri mary sourcesfro mthe Wo men and Work Worksheet , available ontheEducation Portal. 2. Co mplete each step of the Pri mary S ource Analysis Gra phic Organizer . 3. I magine you’rethe wo man or girlinthe source. Write aletterto a loved one, describing(if you can) your working conditions and wages. Include your day-to-day experiences and challenges, thinking about thingsliketroubles with sick children,li mitedjob prospects, desire for money,legalissues, or ho w yourfa mily orthe co m munity vie w you and your work. Teacher Ti p: Suggest to your students that after flnishing the pri mary source analysis chart,they cantake notes on any unclearlanguage and seek out de finiti ons for unfa miliar words. Tell the m to break d o wn di ficult sections andre- writethese passagesintheir o wn words.

Explore wo men and girls’ diverse roles, workplaces, and conditions using pri mary sources. What do they reveal about early Canadian history? Wo menin Canada have al ways worked, perfor ming differentrolesin a variety of workplaces. The majority were expected to bear and raise children and to care for men, the disabled, and the elderly. Wo men and girls re mained over whel mingly res p onsible for d o mestic labour even as paid work beca meincreasingly co m mon bythe 20th century(especially before marriage). Jobs, whetherin other’s ho mes,factories, o fices, or shops, were oftenlo w-paying, exploitative, and offeredlittle hope ofindependence. Class andrace deter mined opportunity. Takethesefactorsinto account when exa miningthetreat ment of wo meninthe workplace.

MODIFI CATION: THINK/PAIR/SHARE: WHATIS THE ORIGIN OF THE SOUR CE? WHATIS THE PURPOSE OFITS CREATION? WHAT DOES THIS EVIDENCE TELL US ABOUT THE PAST?

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