This activity will allow students to gain an appreciation and understanding of the contributions of Canadians that are not often portrayed in their textbooks. Students will develop their critical thinking skills through document analysis and research, while practicing cross-curricular competencies.

While this activity can be used independently, it was produced to accompany exhibition materials on the Battle of Hong Kong. Several of the articles below reference the Battle of Hong Kong. To gain an understanding of this battle, students can visit the Je Me Souviens virtual exhibition here. These articles can also be read without a detailed understanding of the Battle of Hong Kong.

Instructions

In groups, students will read one of the articles linked below. They will then answer discussion questions before sharing with the class. Teachers can then lead the class in a more in-depth discussion. Students can also further their reflection with a research project in the form of a podcast, PowerPoint or personal essay.

Articles related to the Battle of Hong Kong
Indigenous Soldiers in Hong Kong
Canadian Nurses in Hong Kong
Sonny Castro the actor of Sham Shui Po (Non-Canadian)
Lena Hayakawa

Other Articles
Mary Greyeyes Reid
Edwin Erwin Phillips
The Carty Brothers
Women of the bombes – Wright and Trull
Sgt Tommy Prince

Goals of the Activity

These activities were created for the Je Me Souviens education program as educational tools to complement the QEP secondary IV history and secondary V contemporary world courses.

In addition, the activities can be used as language tools in the following QEP courses: Francais langue maternelle secondaire V, IV, III, English Language Arts and FSL or ESL secondary V, IV, III. 

The goal of these activities is to allow secondary cycle two students to have a greater understanding of World War II and Canada’s role in the Battle of Hong Kong. Students will also learn to appreciate the contributions of Canadian Armed Forces personnel from Quebec.

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