Taking a Step Back (Before Choosing a Topic)

Posted October 20, 2021

Refer to the #OurStoriesOurVoices 3-poster collection to start a discussion with students.

  1. What does “community” mean to me? (Download the PDF)
  2. How do I know if a person, place, thing, or event is historically significant to my community? (Download the PDF)
  3. How do I know if a piece of historical evidence is reliable? (Download the PDF)

Next Steps

Designing a Commemorative Coin: Historical Significance in Canadian History

In this lesson students learn to identify and evaluate historical significance by designing a commemorative coin that features a person, place, thing, or event in Canadian history.

Seeking Sources: Creating a Primary Source Database

In this lesson students learn to locate primary sources online to create a class database for future historical inquiry projects.

Getting Started

Canada’s National History Society is proud to introduce #OurStoriesOurVoices, a new national youth program that gives students aged 9 to 18 the opportunity to explore a story that is important in their community’s past and to share the people, places, events, and objects that illuminate our diverse past.

Themes associated with this article

Related to Classroom Resources

We Are All Treaty People

Explore the meaning and the significance of the phrase “We are all Treaty People.”

Classroom Resource

Treaty Day

Have students create an invitation to an event celebrating Treaty Day. 

Classroom Resource

Teaching the Spanish Influenza

Defining Moments Canada brings life to history with interdisciplinary educational resources and digital crowdsourcing commemoration.

Classroom Resource

Wampum Belts

Focus on the importance of wampum belts for ceremonial and diplomatic purposes, as well as to mark agreements such as Treaties and covenants.

Classroom Resource