Cape Breton Magazine Curriculum Units 

Grade 5/6 /7

Topic: Growing up as Child at a Different Time

Focus: Literacy (Reading and Responding)

GCO 8 Students will be expected to use writing and other forms of representation to explore, clarify, and reflect on their thoughts and feelings, experiences and learning; and to use their imaginations.

Lesson Plan:

Tius Tutty (Cod Fish & Hand Pick Mining)

Magazine Volume Issues: 8

Pages 5-11

Steve Whitty (A Visit with Steve Whitty, Ingonish Beach)

Magazine Volume Issues: 36

Pages 64-72

Hattie Carmichael (Meadow of the Meadows Rd.)

Magazine Volume Issues: 35

Pages 1-11

Focus Topic Explanation for Teachers:

Children today have no idea of the hardships endured by children growing up in the early 1900’s. Yesterday’s youth knew that it was their responsibility to help the family and become productive members of society.  Today’s youth don’t seem to be as independent. As teachers we try to foster strong work ethics in our students. These articles would help students see the benefits of hard work and a labor of love towards a family.

Exploration:

Students will explore the lives of three Cape Bretoners who have accomplished a great deal in their personal lives despite the hardships of their times. Students will be expected to complete a comparison chart on the three.

Front Loading Activity:

·       Ask students to list what they feel the term responsibility means to them.

·       Have them then think about a teacher’s responsibility and who or what they are responsible for.

·       Take it further by asking them to think about a parent’s responsibility and what they are responsible for.

Discussion question for groups or as a class.

This is a comment that was written in a local newspaper that focused on teens of today. They stated, that teens are ill prepared for the world of tomorrow.  Have students list why they think this statement is true or false? Have them support their reasoning in some way.

Introduce the articles they are going to read from Cape Breton Magazine. Show them any pictures first from the articles and talk about the time period we are going to focus on. Have them discuss what life must have been like for a child growing up then.

Read the three articles either within groups as Jigsaw activities or individually.

Activity 1                               Student Name:__________________

Biography Name:	Place of origin as a child	Responsibilities as a child	Making a Living	Attitude Towards Work
Tius Tutty
Steve Whitty
Hattie Carmichael

Creative Writing

Write a diary entry as if you were a young man or woman telling of their days adventures either on the boat or waiting for their husband’s return from their day’s work. Talk about the time they had to get up to the daring adventure in catching the day’s haul.

Further Extension:

Compare your life to those discussed in the articles we have just read.

In the center of the cluster place your name……

In each bubble place the following:

1.    Responsibilities I have at home

2.    Where I came from in origin

3.    Grandparents and their place of origin

4.    Grandparents and their lives growing up

5.    Future Aspirations I have

6.    Goals I must achieve in order to attain my future plans

You can select from any number of these cognitive organizers to use with any of these stories.