View all FilmsPolitics and History
From its beginnings, the National Film Board has tackled social and economic issues. Excerpts in this theme show how documentary film can play a part in social action.
Excerpts
Front of Steel
1
"I Just Didn't Want to Die": The 1914 Newfoundland Sealing Disaster
1
"Just One Big Mess": The Halifax Explosion, 1917
1
Land For Pioneers
1
On Strike: The Winnipeg General Strike, 1919
1
Rush for Gold - The Klondike Gold Rush, 1897
1
"They Didn't Starve Us Out": Industrial Cape Breton in the 1920s
1
Trans-Canada Express
1
Voice of Action
1
When Asia Speaks
1
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The activities in this lesson will help foster, in Grade 11 and 12 students, an understanding of the issues raised in the film On Strike and to promote progressive, democratic values and attitudes regarding Canadian citizenship. Cross-curricular connections include Social Studies, Language Arts, Political Science, Economics, and History. Students will develop inquiry, research, critical thinking, communication, and media literacy skills. Students brainstorm current events around strike action issues; compare the rights of workers in the past and today; research and prepare a debate based on principles in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Canadian Labour Code; and write an editorial on the filmmaker's point of view.
Download this activity (WORD)
The activities in this lesson will help foster, in Grade 11 and 12 students, an understanding of the issues raised in the film On Strike and to promote progressive, democratic values and attitudes regarding Canadian citizenship. Cross-curricular connections include Social Studies, Language Arts, Political Science, Economics, and History. Students will develop inquiry, research, critical thinking, communication, and media literacy skills. Students brainstorm current events around strike action issues; compare the rights of workers in the past and today; research and prepare a debate based on principles in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Canadian Labour Code; and write an editorial on the filmmaker's point of view.
Lesson Plans