Grade 7: Building Communities, Breaking Communities, Creating Exclusion. Who are the most important members? (part 2)
This lesson can be integrated into a unit in Social Studies on Ancient Egypt. It can also be integrated into Language Arts and Social Responsibility. This lesson examines the social class system in Ancient Egypt and compares it with the social class system in Canada. The lesson will help students examine what values a society deems most important. This lesson will also examine how an immigrant’s social class status can radically shift when he/she immigrants to Canada. This lesson will take three to four class sessions to complete.
Objectives
It is expected that…
Students will demonstrate the ability to use their critical thinking skills
Students will be able to view the influences of ancient societies on present day cultures
Students will be able to explain social roles in ancient cultures
Materials
Multicultural Canada archival collection
Computer with access to the internet
Blackline Master 1
Blackline Master 2
Activities
Teacher poses question: Is there a social class hierarchy in Canada?
Teacher discusses the social class hierarchy and explains the 4 major social classes: Upper Class, Middle Class, Working Class, and Lower Class.
Teacher poses question: By looking at the social class hierarchy what is valued in Canada? How do you know? Besides income and accumulated wealth, what other indicators reveals a person’s social class? Think about clothing, where a person buys his/her coffee etc.
Student discussion with teacher as facilitator.
Student Challenge: Examining the Ancient Egyptian social class hierarchy, where would the Pharaohs, Vizier, High Priests, Nobles, Priests, Engineers, Doctors, Scribes, Craftsmen, Slaves, and Farmers fit in the social class hierarchy of Canada?
Students work together in partners placing the Ancient Egyptian categories into the Canadian social class system using Blackline Master 1 and 2.
Class comes together and discusses their placements. This could be a great debate! Discuss the movement of the categories which will allow students to begin thinking about how immigrating to Canada can result in a shift in an individual’s social status.
Students are asked to compare and contrast the two systems. What aspects are similar and which are different. Are there similar values?
Are there similar indicators revealing an individual’s social class? This could be done orally or in written form.
Teacher poses question: If you recently immigrated to Canada from Kenya where you were an engineer, would your social class status remain the same or would it shift once you came to Canada?
Ask students to think about their own parents or grandparents experiences.
Class discussion
Teacher has students examine archival material to examine the shift in social class status. Remind students that social class status has more to do with than just money, but it is also associated with values.
Teacher directs students to the Chinese Railroad workers document. Teacher poses question: What social class would you fit the Chinese railroad workers? Think about the values attached to what it meant to be Chinese during this time? Students work alone or with a partner.
Class discussion
Student assignment: Students are to choose one immigrant from the archival material and their social class status in Canada as well as in their previous country.
Students write a reflection jotting down their thoughts and feelings.
Assessment
Blackline Master 1
Blackline Master 2
Class discussions
Student reflections
Extension
Determine whether your parents, grandparents, and/or great grandparents social class status shifted when they immigrated to Canada. How and why did it shift or didn’t shift?
