Glebe's Virtual War Memorial

Rachel Collishaw, Ottawa, ON.
Recipient for the 2013 Governor General’s History Award for Excellence in Teaching, presented in partnership with TD Bank.

INTENDED GRADE/SUBJECT AREA

Grade 10 Social Studies; Technology / Media;

CONCEPTS

• Canada during the Second World War; local history; historical research; primary document analysis; media techniques

ACTIVITY

The goal of this project is to uncover the evidence left by a deceased Glebe soldier of the Second World War and to:

• assess Canada’s participation in the Second World War
• assess individual’s contributions to Canadian identity
• analyse the impact of social, technological, and/or demographic changes

FORMAT

Your research report will be posted online on the Glebe Second World War Memorial. The idea is that the memorials can be displayed and accessible to the public in virtual format. Relatives and researchers will be able to add information to the wiki. Your report must include both visuals and text.

RESEARCH PROCESS

Step 1: Read your soldier’s military files. Gather the information from the files and take notes of important information or any questions that come to you.

Step 2: Progress Check. Tell me the story of your soldier’s life in a paragraph or less. Include your notes from the files.

Step 3: Secondary Sources Research. Consult reliable secondary sources to fill in the gaps and tell the story of your soldier’s life, wartime experience and death.

Recommended sources here: Research Sources WWII

Step 4: Write The Final Memorial. Online on the Glebe Second World War Memorial. Use your google account to access the page you are writing. Include pictures, link to other sources and a bibliography in MLA format.

About the Educator

Rachel Collishaw teaches grades 10-12 at Glebe Collegiate Institute. She started the Glebe World War II soldier memorial after being inspired by Blake Seward's cenotaph project several years ago. Through this project, students really become the historians and dig deep into the histories of men whose histories haven't actually been written yet. The public nature of the online memorial page also inspires students to excellence and to consider carefully the potential audiences of this work.