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ARCHIVED - Sir John A. Macdonald
Canada's Patriot Statesman
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Educational Resources (continued)
Activity 4
Debate (language, drama)
Students will take part in a class debate. It could resemble the House of Commons with various students assigned to the political parties of Sir John's day, or the present day.
Option 1
Students will debate an actual historical policy or legislation pertaining to Confederation, the rebellions, etc. For the basis of their arguments, they can use speeches, essays and letters researched through archival or library resources found in the Further Research section of the LAC Sir John A. Macdonald website.
Option 2
Students will pretend to be Sir John A. Macdonald and his colleagues (or provincial representatives) and debate present-day issues, but from the perspective of Sir John's time.
Students will research the point of view Sir John and his colleagues had on topics such as national unity, relations with other countries, etc. They will then take on the viewpoint of the forefathers to debate what is happening with the same issues in the news today. This activity can include the entire class (e.g., students can take on the roles of House of Commons pages, the Speaker, etc.).
