Small Town Canada at War Virtual Exhibit
Intended Grade/Subject Area
There are five lesson plans associated with this virtual exhibit.
The Mannequin & the Diary Activity 1: Understanding the Mannequin & the Diary
Grade Level: Grade 8 and up
Subjects: Social Studies, Canadian History, Remembrance Day Activities
The Mannequin & the Diary Activity 2: Symbols of Sacrifice
Grade Level: Grade 8 and up
Subjects: Social Studies, Art, Canadian History, Remembrance Day Activities
The Mannequin & the Diary Activity 3: The Ordinary & the Extraordinary
Grade Level: Grade 10 -12
Subject: Canadian or World History; English, Creative Writing/Writer’s Craft
The Windmill & the Teenaged Nazi Activity 1: Understanding The Windmill & the Teenaged Nazi
Grade Level: Grade 8 and up
Subject: Social Studies, Canadian History, Remembrance Day Activities
The Windmill & the Teenaged Nazi Activity 2: The Art of War
Grade Level: Grade 9 and up
Subject: Art, Art History, Canadian History, Media Studies
Themes/concepts explored
- Canada’s relationship with the British Empire & emerging Canadian identity
- Primary and secondary sources
- Role of artefacts in understanding history.
- Experience of the ordinary soldier
Lesson Overview
The Small Town Canada at War virtual exhibit video series involves two basic story lines each consisting of five sequential video segments. The segments combine live actors and/or stylized animations to explore various aspects of the wartime experience of the ordinary Canadian soldier.
In the virtual exhibit, two young ‘history detectives’ research a variety of issues related to WWI and WWII. The story centers on Lottie Lockheart and Joe Jamieson, two young people who work at the Bunker Military Museum. Bored with dusting and sweeping, their curiosity leads them to explore disassembled exhibits and take on independent research.
The Structure
The two story lines involve a series of videos and video-based questions. At the end of each video, students are asked a question based on the content of the video and must select one of four artefacts that represent the best answer. If correct, they can move onto the next segment; if they guess incorrectly they have to try again.
The Story Lines
1. The Mannequin & the Diary
The Mannequin & the Diary focuses on discovering the identity of an actual Canadian WWI soldier and the creation of a small exhibit to tell his story. In this story line, a chance discovery of a WWI soldier’s diary prompts the detectives to research the story of Byron Cooper Sisler and build an exhibit to interpret his story. As they build the exhibit, they use their imaginations re-create relevant scenes, prompting the mannequin to become animated, bringing to life Sisler’s wartime experiences.
The stylistic treatment of texting and some of the visual elements are meant to capture the look and feel of the silent-movies of the WWI era. Some artistic license has been taken in interpreting his particular role or reactions in certain circumstances, as well as in the rendering of the story through the use of the animated mannequin.
This story line consists of 6 videos. The Mannequin & the Diary can be watched in parts or, if a longer time period is possible, in its entirety. It is recommended that the students answer the self-guided questions immediately after viewing the video while the information is still fresh.
Students should be instructed to look for information in a variety of sources throughout the video, including:
- Artefacts
- Documents
- The reminiscences of Sisler as told in the voice of an older man. (Artistic interpretations based on historical sources)
- The diary readings by Sisler as told in the voice of a younger man. (Actual entries from Byron Cooper Sisler’s diary)
Students may need to review the video in order to complete the questions.
2. The Windmill & the Teenaged Nazi
The Windmill & the Teenaged Nazi focuses on discovering the link between two WWII related artefacts. The stylistic treatment is meant to capture the look and feel of the film noir era that emerged in the 1940s.
This story line consists of 6 videos. The Windmill & the Teenaged Nazi can be watched in parts or, if a longer time period is possible, in its entirety. It is recommended that the students answer the self-guided questions immediately after viewing the video while the information is still fresh. Students may need to review the video in order to complete the questions.
Students should be instructed to look for information in a variety of sources through the video, including:
- Artefacts
- Documents
- Images used during sequences
- Narration by the character Joe Jamieson
Students may need to review the video in order to complete the questions.