Group 5: Alicia, Fran, Laurel, Jess P., Denee
Grades: 3 & 8
Resource: flag (symbol we attach to Canada, or a large/diverse group of people w/o consent)
I. A critical review of the resources and how it might be used in a Social Studies classroom. Points of inquiry may be, but are not limited to, the ways in which power, oppression, dominant or status quo messages.
The flag as a resource is important to think about because it is something that people connect to on an individual level and at the community level. The Canadian flag is the perfect example of the raindrops falling on our heads that we are not noticing. It is important for students to realize that the meaning and symbolism of flags (and other emblems) can mean different things to different individuals depending on one’s worldview.
Key Questions:
- What do flags symbolise? Who or what do they represent?
- What does the Canadian flag say about our country? Identity? How about the BC flag?
- What feelings are connected to flags? Are these the same for everyone that the flag is meant to represent? Are feelings positive or negative? Why?
- How are the various cultures represented in a flag?
- Who decides what is on a flag?
- What other symbols do we use to represent groups or communities?
- Why do we have flags? What role do they play in our current day society?
- Core competencies…..personal and social; how does the flag relate to student identity both individually and as members of a community.
- Can we extend this thinking to other emblems we see in the world around us? How do sports emblems for example create or exclude community?
II. Big Ideas and Core Competencies from the BC curriculum are engaged:
Grade 3:
- Big Ideas:
- People from diverse cultures and societies share some common experiences and aspects of life. (Consider how assumptions of shared experiences can be misleading)
- Indigenous knowledge is passed down through oral history, traditions, and collective memory. (Consider how assigning a symbol to a group of people without their consideration can be harmful?)
- Curricular Competencies:
- Use Social Studies inquiry processes and skills to ask questions; gather, interpret, and analyze ideas; and communicate findings and decisions
- Explain why people, events, or places are significant to various individuals and groups (significance)Recognize the causes and consequences of events, decisions, or developments (cause and consequence)
- Explain why people’s beliefs, values, worldviews, experiences, and roles give them different perspectives on people, places, issues, or events
- Make value judgments about events, decisions, or actions, and suggest lessons that can be learned (ethical judgment)
Grade 8:
- Big Ideas:
- Exploration, expansion, and colonization had varying consequences for different groups.
- Changing ideas about the world created tension between people wanting to adopt new ideas and those wanting to preserve established traditions
- Curricular Competencies:
- Use Social Studies inquiry processes and skills to ask questions; gather, interpret, and analyze ideas; and communicate findings and decisions
- Assess the significance of people, places, events, or developments at particular times and places (significance)
- Identify what the creators of accounts, narratives, maps, or texts have determined is significant (significance)
- Assess the credibility of multiple sources and the adequacy of evidence used to justify conclusions (evidence)
- Explain different perspectives on past or present people, places, issues, or events, and compare the values, worldviews, and beliefs of human cultures and societies in different times and places (perspective)
- Make ethical judgments about past events, decisions, or actions, and assess the limitations of drawing direct lessons from the past (ethical judgment)
Core Competencies:
- Communication:
- Focusing on intent and purpose
- Acquiring and presenting information
- Collaborating:
- Supporting group interactions
- Determining common purposes
- Thinking – Critical & Reflective Thinking:
- Analyzing and critiquing
- Questioning and investigating
- Designing and developing – new flag?
- Reflecting and assessing
- Positive Personal & Cultural Identity:
- Understanding relationships and cultural contexts
- Recognizing personal values and choices
- Social Awareness & Responsibility:
- Resolving problems
- Valuing diversity
III. Discuss how this resource would be taught, how controversy would be taken into account, and the way(s) in which conflict would be addressed.-our version, with a critical eye
Grade 3:
- Students write a reflection on what the Canadian flag is, how they feel connected/ disconnected with it, do they see parts of themselves when they look at the flag?
- Have students create a flag that they feel represents them and the classroom as a whole
- Students will then work in groups to create a communal flag that incorporates all of their voices
- End result will be a flag that each students can recognize a part of themselves within
- Around the flag display photo documentation of the process of the communal flag creation
Self-reflection by students:
- Which of the two flags, if any, do you feel a stronger representation from?
- What was the most challenging part about creating a communal flag?
- How do we create a community where all voices are heard?
- Have your thoughts of our Canadian/BC flag changed?
Critical reflection:
- look at the different flags we have in Canada, what communities are being represented?
- Examine different countries where flags have changed over the years, how have they shifted to be more or less representative of the people that live there?
- How are Indigenous communities represented around the world through flags? What voices are being heard through these symbolic representations?
Grade 8
- Present a video clip/article (related to the current tensions over colonial statues or symbols within North America) to students and use this as a jumping point to then critically analyze what our Canadian flag/ British Columbian flag says about us (what symbols are shown? Who do they represent? Are they representative of a power dynamic in our country? Are they democratic?)
- Look at sports emblems and discuss who is represented and connected to their symbols
- Personal inquiry: Find a symbol that represents a community (of any size) and dive into whether it truly represents a group of people, who it is representing, and is there any oppression being perpetuated by this symbol? Who chose this symbol and was that person truly a voice that spoke for all “represented” by this symbol
- After doing a deep dive into a specific symbol, have students present their findings to a group of students. Allow time for a group discussion in how their views of symbolic representation may have shifted or not.
Journal reflection: what have you learned about the water you swim in?
IV. Discuss how the found resource could be taught uncritically
Teaching from a dominant narrative, have students research what the different flags in the world mean eg. colour represents, symbol represents… without looking at the diverse populations meant to be represented by the flag.
Example:
- BC flag: represents ocean and sun – being Canada’s western-most province and coastal. Also includes the royal union flag – honouring who colonized canada.
- Canada flag: colors represent hope and prosperity; as well as peace, tranquility, and neutrality (neutral for who?). The maple leaf represents the “cultural heritage” and “natural resources” of Canada. Being on the West Coast of Canada we recognize maple leaves but is this true for all of the provinces?
Rather than:
- Look to other places in the world (nationality) where the flag has changed over time. Places like New Zealand who had a flag change in 2016 and places like the Congo who have had flag changes numerous times over the course of history Initially the flag represented more colonial ideas and then was changed to represent the independence of the Congo.
- In Australia the Indigenous peoples have their own flag. The flag is used as a form of resistance in those areas that have a larger population of Indigenous people to settlers. What other flags can you think of that represent resistance? (Pride?)
- The B.C. flag has the Union Jack on it. Who does that represent? Who is not represented by this flag? What does it say about the hierarchy or power in Canada that our flags have not changed over time?
Featured Image by Maxime Vermeil (@max.vrm) on Unsplash