Activity 4 - Canadian Heroes

Aim

To introduce students to the highest military decoration for courage and bravery in the British Commonwealth, the Victoria Cross. As well, to have students gain an awareness of those Canadians who were honoured with the Victoria Cross and other prestigious medals during the Italian Campaign.

Specific Learning Outcomes

Students will be expected to:

• Demonstrate general knowledge on the Victoria Cross; and
• Demonstrate general knowledge on specific medal recipients by providing a written response to a question.

Target Audience

This activity is suitable for grades 7 to 12, ages 12 to 18.

Sequence and Anticipated Time Frame

• Background: 10 minutes
• Activity: 45 minutes
• Discussion: 15 minutes

Required Class Materials

• Smartboard, screen, whiteboard, or other means of broadcasting the image of the Victoria Cross Medal
• Information about the Victoria Cross Medal
• Information sheets on the following:
  • Captain Paul Triquet
  • Major John Mahoney
  • Private Ernest "Smoky" Smith
  • Sergeant Tommy Prince
• Second World War Victoria Cross Recipients Fact Sheet

Suggested Reference Materials

Veterans Affairs Canada - Canada and the Second World War.

Background: 10 minutes

Begin by broadcasting the image of the Victoria Cross to a screen at the front of the class.

• Has anyone ever seen this medal before? (If yes, ask, was it a picture or the real thing?)
• Who can tell me what this medal is?
• What does it mean/what is it awarded for?
• Can anyone name a recipient of this prestigious medal?

Activity: 45 minutes

This activity will be a cooperative based learning initiative. Each learner will become an expert on either the Victoria Cross or one of the four noted heroes from the Italian Campaign. After becoming an expert in their assigned area, each student will then educate their peers on what they have learned. In the end, all students will be experts in each area.

Step 1 - Getting Started

Divide the class into groups of five. Assign each group a different topic (depending on class size, there may be more than one group covering each topic):

• Major John Mahony
• Captain Paul Triquet
• Sergeant Tommy Prince
• Private Ernest "Smoky" Smith
• Victoria Cross

Step 2 - Becoming An Expert (20 minutes)

Provide each group with fact sheets (one per student) on the assigned topic. Have each student read the fact sheet silently, highlighting or making notes of main ideas throughout. Upon completion, each group will cooperatively brainstorm the main ideas and facts gathered from the fact sheet. They should know key information such as, dates, names of places, names of battles, etc. Make it clear that each student must become an expert on his or her assigned topic, as the next task is to relay the information to a different group of students.

Step 3 - Regrouping

Once each group has successfully become an expert on their topic, the groups must be rearranged to have one expert from each area in each new group.

Step 4 - Becoming A Teacher (20 minutes)

Now that the groups have been reformed, each student will act as the teacher and educate the others in his or her group on the topic he or she has just become on expert on. Each student will take a turn to speak about his or her topic while the others listen attentively, taking notes, and gaining as much knowledge about each topic as possible.

Discussion: 15 minutes

As each student is now an expert in all areas, have them reflect upon what they have learned; hold a class discussion focussing on the stories and facts they have just heard. The following questions may be used to begin the discussion:

• Do you think these men believe that they deserved to be honoured, for their actions, with the Victoria Cross?
• Do you think their actions proved significant enough for them to be awarded the Victoria Cross?
• How do you think they felt during/after their act of heroism or bravery?
• Do you think their daily lives, values, or beliefs changed after being honoured with the Victoria Cross, Canada's highest award for courage? (You may wish to take a few minutes to describe values and beliefs.)
• What would you do if you were a soldier in a situation similar to these men?

Follow-Up Activities:

1. Invite students to create headlines which they think would have appeared in Canadian newspapers around the time each of these men performed their acts of bravery and heroism. Have students present and explain their choices to the class.
2. Have students answer the following question in a one to two paragraph response:

   Do you think values and beliefs played a role in why these men worked so hard and performed such acts of bravery while fighting in the Italian Campaign? Why? Give examples to support your answer.

3. Have students create a new medal for exemplary action to promote peace in a country or region beset by conflict and strife. They must come up with a design, a name, and the criteria for receiving such a medal.
4. Watch the Historica Minute about Tommy Prince.