Making Change

Try Making Change in 10 seconds

Then and now, on one line. Tap an event. Some of these are still the law today. Just to touch — nothing is recorded.

Learn — lessons that teach first, best in this order

1. 1Lesson 1Start hereDid it work?Blue boxes, clean-water promises, the Far North. Judge what governments did with a goal and a count, not a moodTeaches: What governments did, and whether it workedYou will use: a cause chain · a sort · sources · cases · an inquiryOntario B3.7, B1.1Test yourself on lesson 1 →
2. 2Lesson 2ReadyA plan of actionName the issue, find who decides, gather support, act, check. Build a plan for a social issue and one for the creekTeaches: A plan of action for an issueYou will use: a timeline · a sort · a role to play · an inquiry · casesOntario B1.2, B1.3Test yourself on lesson 2 →
3. 3Lesson 3ReadyInvestigating an issueClimate change in the Arctic from every side: Elders, scientists, Ottawa, a shipping company. The whole inquiry, ending in a report to your MPTeaches: Investigating an issue from every sideYou will use: sources · a sort · questions · a choice · an inquiryOntario B2.1, B2.2, B2.3, B2.4, B2.5, B2.6Test yourself on lesson 3 →

Play with it — any time, nothing recorded

• LabJust playPlan BuilderPick an issue and choose actions. The plan fills in by who does what — three of the choices do nothing
• GameJust playDid It Work?A goal, a before, an after. Judge the action — the numbers change every time you play

Why it matters today

• Count the bags

  Blue boxes, plastic bans, boil-water advisories: every one has a number that says whether it worked.

• A plan, not a wish

  'Somebody should fix it' is a wish. Issue, decider, support, action, check — that is a plan you can run this term.

• Climate in the Arctic

  Inuit communities see the ice change first. Their evidence, and the scientists', belong in the same inquiry.

Words you will meet

Tap a word. The lessons explain each one the first time it appears.

• inquiry

  Finding something out in steps: ask a question, gather evidence, analyse it, draw a conclusion, share it.

• petition

  A written request signed by many people and given to the government that can act on it.

• treaty

  A formal agreement between nations. Treaties between the Crown and First Nations are still law in Canada today.

• consequence

  Something that happens BECAUSE of something else. The cause comes first; the consequence follows.

• jurisdiction

  The set of jobs a government is responsible for — what is its to decide.

What Ontario asks

The 2018 curriculum expectations this world teaches, in the Ministry’s own words. 10 of the course’s 35.

• B1.1 assess the effectiveness of actions taken by one or more levels of government, including Indigenous…

  assess the effectiveness of actions taken by one or more levels of government, including Indigenous governments, to address an issue of national, provincial/territorial, and/or local significance (e.g., with reference to the Far North Act in addressing concerns of Inuit and First Nations about development in northern Ontario; municipal , provincial, and/or federal programs/policies aimed at reducing child poverty; policies related to the management of the Great Lakes; actions to support nation-to-nation relationships between federal/provincial governments and First Nations, Métis, and Inuit governments; youth advisory councils within the federal and provincial governments; policies/actions intended to address issues related to drinking water in First Nations communities; policies/actions on housing in Inuit communities; the actions taken as a result of the Métis Nation of Ontario Secretariat Act [2015] from the perspective of the Métis and the federal and provincial governments)

• B1.2 create a plan of action to address a social issue of local, provincial/territorial, and/or national…

  create a plan of action to address a social issue of local, provincial/territorial, and/or national significance (e.g., homelessness, child poverty, bullying in schools, availability of physicians in remote communities, lack of employment opportunities within some regions, overcrowded and poorly constructed housing and/or lack of mental health and social services in First Nations and/or Inuit communities, funding for education in First Nations communities, preservation of Indigenous languages, missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls), specifying the actions to be taken by the appropriate government or governments, including Indigenous governments, as well as by citizens

• B1.3 create a plan of action to address an environmental issue of local, provincial/territorial, and/or national…

  create a plan of action to address an environmental issue of local, provincial/territorial, and/or national significance (e.g., managing waste disposal, regulating industrial practices that damage the environment, ensuring safe drinking water, expanding availability of energy from renewable sources, reducing vehicle emissions, addressing land and water contamination on First Nations territory), specifying the actions to be taken by the appropriate government or governments, including Indigenous governments, as well as by citizens

• B2.1 formulate questions to guide investigations into social and/or environmental issues in Canada from various…

  formulate questions to guide investigations into social and/or environmental issues in Canada from various perspectives, including the perspective of Indigenous peoples and of the level (or levels) of government responsible for addressing the issues (e.g., the perspectives of different levels of government, non-governmental organizations [NGOs] , professionals in the field, and people directly affected by an issue such as child poverty on and off reserves , preservation of traditional languages, homelessness, bullying in schools, access to health care, climate change in the Arctic, waste disposal, or deforestation )

• B2.2 gather and organize a variety of information and data that present various perspectives about Canadian social…

  gather and organize a variety of information and data that present various perspectives about Canadian social and/or environmental issues, including the perspectives of Indigenous peoples and of the level (or levels) of government responsible for addressing the issues (e.g., with respect to the issue of climate change , gather data on sources of carbon dioxide emissions affecting Canada, photographic evidence of melting polar ice and its impact on Inuit and on Arctic wildlife, information on the positions and/or actions of various NGOs working on climate change, projections from corporations on the costs of addressing greenhouse gas emissions, information on the impact of climate change on the natural world from oral history and interviews with Elders, knowledge keepers , and Métis Senators, editorials and articles from Indigenous media outlets on the impact of climate change, and/or information on the positions of the federal, provincial, and/or territorial governments)

• B2.3 analyse and construct maps in various formats, including digital formats, as part of their investigations…

  analyse and construct maps in various formats, including digital formats, as part of their investigations into social and/or environmental issues (e.g., a thematic map showing the extent of the areas affected by climate change or how air pollution generated in one jurisdiction affects another; a demographic map showing levels of poverty or homelessness in different provinces; a thematic map showing the location of potential resource-extraction sites in relation to treaty territories, historic Métis settlements, and sacred sites)

• B2.4 interpret and analyse information and data relevant to their investigations, using a variety of tools

  interpret and analyse information and data relevant to their investigations, using a variety of tools (e.g., use an idea web to help them determine connections between the way in which a group is affected by climate change and its perspective on the issue; extract information from a line or bar graph to determine variations in homelessness in several municipalities; use a double bar graph to help them determine the effectiveness of recycling and waste-diversion programs)

• B2.5 evaluate evidence and draw conclusions about social and/or environmental issues, outlining the strengths and…

  evaluate evidence and draw conclusions about social and/or environmental issues, outlining the strengths and weaknesses of different perspectives on the issues, including the perspectives of Indigenous peoples and of the level (or levels) of government responsible for addressing the issues

• B2.6 communicate the results of their inquiries, using appropriate vocabulary

  communicate the results of their inquiries, using appropriate vocabulary (e.g., government, local, municipal, provincial/territorial, federal, chief , band council , municipal council, Parliament , member of Parliament [MP], member of provincial parliament [MPP], non-governmental organization, stakeholder) and formats (e.g., a report to present to their local MP, MPP, or city/town councillor; a photo essay on the impact of the issue; a brochure or informational poster that presents the strongest points in the position of various stakeholders ; a song, rap, or poem promoting the most convincing arguments on the issue; a map to accompany an oral presentation; a role play that other students can participate in to present differing perspectives)

• B3.7 describe key actions taken by governments, including Indigenous governments, to solve some significant…

  describe key actions taken by governments, including Indigenous governments, to solve some significant national, provincial/territorial, and/or local issues (e.g., federal policies relating to the effects of climate change in the Arctic or the issue of sovereignty in Canadian waters; provincial policies around child mental health issues; municipal recycling and waste diversion programs; government action to relocate elk from the town of Banff, Alberta; existing laws that affect traditional Indigenous harvesting, hunting, and fishing rights; First Nations, Métis, and Inuit community projects and strategies to preserve Indigenous languages)