Discussion Guide: “Shots Fired”

Essential question:

What should be the role of government health departments in preventing the spread of communicable diseases?

Curriculum connections:

This activity explores the history of public health in Canada from pre-Confederation to the present. It connects with broader themes of governance and citizenship, social reform, science and innovation, and global health. Specific curriculum links can be found in Appendix C.

Historical thinking concepts:

Continuity and Change, Cause and Consequence, Historical Perspectives, the Ethical Dimension, Evidence, Historical Significance

Discussion questions:

1. How have people in Canada faced threats of widespread communicable diseases (including epidemics and pandemics) throughout history?
2. How have various levels of government (federal, provincial/territorial, municipal and Indigenous governments) responded to threats of epidemics and pandemics?
3. How have people in Canada responded to government health interventions over time? What factors contribute to public support or opposition?

Activity:

• Introduce the topic by sharing newspaper clippings from the 1918-1920 flu pandemic. Consider transcribing the clippings into plain text so that students are unaware of the time period being discussed. See Appendix A for a sample of newspaper articles or look for articles from your community’s newspaper to share.
• Share life expectancy and childhood mortality statistics in Canada from throughout the twentieth century (see Appendix B). Identify changes/trends.
• Have students read the article “Shots Fired” by Wendy Haaf while individually completing a simple “See/Think/Wonder” exercise on a sheet of looseleaf. Have students consider the questions below:
  • What key events and facts are presented?
  • What is the author’s main argument or interpretation?
  • What questions do you still have? What perspectives are missing?
• Have students share their responses with a classmate or in small groups.
• Bring the class together to share their observations.
• Going back into their small groups, have students discuss each of the three discussion questions.
• Bring the class together to consider the three discussion questions.

Reflection:

Students write a few sentences or paragraph response to the essential question: What should be the role of government health departments in preventing the spread of communicable diseases?

Extension / additional reading:

Depending on the background experiences and maturity of their students, teachers could provide photos of Canadian cemeteries containing children’s graves to provide visual representation of the effects of childhood diseases and other communicable diseases.