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Unit Planning Organizer

Subject: Social Studies 20-1 Grade and GLO: Related Issue 1.1

Unit/Topic: Evolution of Nationalism

Unit Duration: 3 Classes (180 minutes)

1. Unit Overview – Critical Inquiry Question

- What medieval characteristics led to nationalist values?

2. Focusing Questions for Lessons (Related questions)

- What is a nation and what values create one?
- How did nation-states underrepresent the needs of the people?
- What values did medieval Europe represent?
- How did medieval philosophers advocate a national identity?
3. SEE-I of Key Concept for Unit
National Identity: Is created when your nations values and characteristics
become a part of your personal identity. A nation is created when a group with
shared culture, values, believes and memories comes together to for a community,
often a country with national boundaries and laws.

4. Culminating Task Description

Visual Presentation: Students will be given 30-45 minutes to create a visual
presentation summarizing the values of an enlightenment philosopher, such as
Locke, Voltaire, Rousseau or Montesquieu. The ideologies of these enlightenment
thinkers were vital to the French Revolution, as well as the creation of modern
nationalism.
Assessment: Assessment for this unit will be formative through the presentation
of student’s visual work. Students will be assessed on their ability to create a visual
presentation summarizing an enlightenment thinker’s ideologies and presenting
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them in a logical manner.
5. Specific Learning Outcomes for Unit

Values and attitudes:

1.1 - appreciate that understandings of identity, nation and nationalism continue to
evolve

Knowledge and understanding:

1.5 - explore a range of expressions of nationalism
1.6 - develop understandings of nation and nationalism (relationship to land,
geographic, collective, civic, ethnic, cultural, linguistic, political, spiritual, religious,
patriotic)
Curricular Links:
2.4 - explore the relationship between nationalism and the pursuit of national
interest
30.1.5 - examine the characteristics of ideology (interpretations of history, beliefs
about human nature, beliefs about the structure of society, visions for the future)

Skills and processes:

S.1 - develop skills of critical thinking and creative thinking
S.8 - demonstrate skills of oral, written and visual literacy

6. Essential Resources
- “What does it mean to be Canadian?” BBC.com
- “How to be Canadian” IFHT Films (youtube)
- “Explaining Canada to Americans” Tom Brokaw (youtube)

7. Possible Learning Activities

Doodle Notes: Students will have 20-30 minutes to create a poster representing as
many aspects of French Nationalism represented by the revolution as possible.
This will be done in groups of 5, and students may utilize the internet, textbook and
prior-knowledge.
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Identity Advertisement: Students will be tasked with creating a one-page

advertisement of their personal identity. They must highlight at least 5
characteristics that make up their identity such as geography, language, religion,
ethnicity, hobbies… which will be shown in a info-graphic manner.

8. Rationale:

Related issue 1 asks students “to what extent should nation be the foundation of
identity?” This unit seeks to address this question through the knowledge of what a
nation is and how it is created. As well as, what various characteristics make up a
national identity, and how these two ideas can influence each other. The
culminating task seeks to bind these two ideas together by having students
analyze what Canadian values are a part of their own identity, and whether this
identity fits in to the idea of a larger national identity.