*warning* Todays post is going to be about some really interesting stuff.  

 

 

Let’s jump right in. We focused on power in this unit. Specifically we focused on finding answers and examples to this question: How does power alter relationships between individuals and societies? 

To answer this question we studied several examples and did a lot of projects, which I will be talking about next. 

Projects:  

1. A project that we studied throughout the entire 20 classes we had to complete this unit, was the Louis Riel comic strip, which was a comic strip by Chester Brown documenting the rise and fall of Louis Riel.

 

 

Now you might be kinda confused about why we were studying Louis Riel. Well as some of you may or may not Louis Riel was one of the most controversial and influential persons in Canadian History. He was involved in the Red River Rebellion, and fought for Metis rights. We were studying his effect on the people he controlled and the people he opposed. Basically we were studying Louis Riel’s power. If you want a bit more background info on Louis Riel click here.

 2. Power Person. The next step as we moved on from Louis Riel’s story of power was to create a display of a historical figure’s story that would showcase their power. The display that we had to create was an animation. Next we had to chose the person we would be making an animation about, I chose Richard Clement Moody, you can see some information I gathered about him below. 

To create the animations we first had to make a script and then a storyboard. We had our first draft, which you can see right here: 

 

My second draft:

 

And then our third and final draft: 

3. The last project of this unit was not technically a project as much as an activity. We had a class wide debate, 10 kids on each team. Half the class had to argue that Louis Riel (yes him again) was a hero, the other half had to argue that Louis Riel was a villain. My side had to argue that he was villain, which I whole heartedly disagree with so that made it quite hard. Regardless of my personal opinions or who won the debate, I think our class really started to realized the effect power can have over someone. What they choose to do with that power might make them heroes for some and villains for others.   

 

Throughout all of these projects we continuously learnt about historical Canadian figures and groups that’d power and the way they implemented said power. For example, we learnt a ton about the CPR and how they used their power to move First Nations people of their land to construct the railway. Or how the Canadian government used treat 6 to negotiate the Cree out of their ancestral land and provided them with food supplies, but kinda deceived the First Nations too.  

 

Reflection

This unit and project was absolutely fascinating me. I had never really thought in depth about how for some people one person could be a hero and for the next person they could be a villain, of course I realized tat people have different political and religious beliefs but I had never really considered this issue from a power control point of view. I also really enjoyed learning about Louis Riel and Richard Clement Moody and just being able to think about all these historical figures we learnt about and whom many I thought of as heroes and take a look at them through someone else point of view and look at how someone else might have seen them use their power.