Hi I’m here to show the technology that Canada created under pressure of World War II (WWII) that changed the world and shaped our country’s identity. 

Let Dig Deeper

History echoes into our present directly influencing how we live today and view the world. We study significant events in history that have made significant affects on our identity and our country. One impactful, historical even that can not be ignored is WWII. I already knew about the death and destruction of this war, but I did not know about the lasting changes it had on innovation, technology, and how we live our day to day lives.

What are we doing first?

By studying the individual events I became more intrigued and engaged in the topic. Through interactive lessons, role playing, I gained a better perspective of what life was like during this time. How I can I Answer “What role did the conflict of World War II play in shaping Canadian identity?

It’s all about the writing.

Canada was very instrumental in it’s contribution to the war efforts in support of the Allied Forces. I was amazed to learn through my research how quickly Canada mobilized creating government agencies that directed our efforts quickly and efficiently. I was also surprised to learn what a big influence Canada had technologically. This prompted me to delve deeper into this topic for my research project.  I was able to document all my research notes and lectures using a cool, new to me, note format called ‘Smart Brevity’ (insert crate link here) There was no shortage of information which made writing my summative essay relatively easy. 

Another interesting writing tool I learned was Modern Language Association, 9th Edition (MLA 9). MLA is a standard format for citing sources used to write a paper. I personally found the format quite confusing and cumbersome and needed support and examples to guide me. 

What Does it Mean to do an “Act of Service” 

 A side step from our main lesson, but still very important, is our notion of service. As a class we were challenged to consider, “What does it mean to do an ‘Act of Service?”. I was tasked with finding a sponsor who would willingly contribute to our cause, which was to raise enough money to purchase a Canada flag in support of the Save Juno Beach Foundation. I raised my contribution by pitching my ‘Act of Service’ idea to my neighbour who willingly sponsored me. I was able to collect two bags of trash left behind by people who were at Victoria Park for the Remembrance Day service. There were so many plastic poppies left behind. I think next year I’ll pitch the idea of making poppies out of plantable seed paper to The Royal Canadian Legion.  The poppies could be filled with poppy seeds and instead of creating trash in the fall, they germinate poppies in the spring. 

My Final Thoughts

This project was an amazing journey of learning and discovering Canada’s history and identity on a world stage. This project core competency focused on communication, as we wanted to clearly communicate to people. This project has changed my thinking and made me more grateful for Canadians who worked so hard toward the war effort, which lead to easier living for me.