Pistes d'exploration

List as many famous Canadians as you can. What qualities and accomplishments qualify them as heroes? Start an anchor chart about heroes that can be added to and revised as you read.

Write a day-in-the-life diary entry from the point of view of one of the featured Canadian heroes.

Host a living museum featuring some of these historical figures. Dress up as your character and be ready to answer questions from your peers.

Research and nominate a current Canadian who you think could be included in this book. Write to explain why.

Discuss the qualities of a hero. Make a class list and add to it as you read.

In small groups, read one of the biographies. Create a timeline and a story web for this person. Highlight the elements that indicate courage and compassion.

Think of a present-day hero in your community or across Canada. Discuss the impact this person has had. Create a poster to recognize their courage and compassion.

Hold a hero ceremony for someone in your community. Invite that person to attend and present him or her with a copy of your poster.

In teams, try to identify the famous Canadians illustrated on the front and back covers. Add their names to a timeline (1642 to the present), adding others as you read.

For each of these Canadians, take notes without reading the entire text. Observe the illustrations and read only the headlines, secondary headlines and captions. Summarize.

Whose name should be added to this list? Using the text as a model, write another entry for the book. Use similar text components to highlight what is important.

Pay It Forward Kids: Small Acts, Big Changes

Mots-clés

Biography , Canadians , collected biography , courage , heroes , illustrations (photographs) , social activism , social justice

Commentaire descriptif

This compilation of 10 biographies features a diversity of Canadians who stood up for their beliefs and took action: Josiah Henson, a slave who escaped to Canada on the underground railway and helped others do the same; Nellie McClung, who advocated for women’s right to vote; young Hannah Taylor, who began fundraising efforts for the homeless, and turned these into a cross-Canada foundation. The biographies are thorough, each one beginning with an italicized paragraph that describes a critical moment in time for the person profiled: “June Callwood looked at the young men sprawled on the sidewalk. They were living on the street because they had nowhere else to go.” The main text goes on to more fully explain the injustice that the person witnessed or experienced. Sidebars help give context to the person’s actions. In the biography of Elijah Harper, who advocated for First Nations rights, an entire page is dedicated to explaining the Indian Act. The large format provides clear photographs and other pertinent historical facts. An introduction lays the groundwork for the stories ahead by explaining the concept of human rights. A concise timeline of historical events in Canada wraps up this collection of inspirational stories about Canadian heroes.