Below is the pop quiz we did at the outset of class today... As I said, these things happen.
Canadian History Pop Quiz # 1
1. Which country dominated Canada at the time of the country’s birth? (1)
2. What is the date of Confederation? (1)
3. Who were the original four provinces? (1/2 x4=2)
4. What is the 401 and why is it important? (2)
5. Which European power first colonized Canada? (1)
6. What does sovereign mean? (1)
7. What was one of the reasons for Canada being formed? (1)
8. What event caused a major influx of British settlers and what were they
called? (2)
For the remainder of class, I asked you a simple question:
What does Canada mean to you?
You were asked to write a list of things that came to mind. We compiled a list on the board and we will continue that discussion next day. It is my hope that we can find some common elements amongst the items we listed that help us to identify what country stands for or values.
To some extent, we began down that path in today's class. Maple syrup, the maple leaf, cold winters, snow, moose and geese were all mentioned. We concluded that part of being Canadian included an appreciation of the outdoors and a kind of frontier with dramatic, big open spaces. As well, in the context of building a country, the experience of the first settlers, and the construction of the transcontinental railway, Canadians required a hard-nosed determination to persevere.
