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The Death Penalty in Canada: A History
Project type: Introductory Activity
Related topic:
Death Penalty Debate
Death Penalty Debate
Subjects
History
Social Studies
Political Science
Social Studies
Political Science
Summary
Students will collect information about the death penalty and prepare a short presentation on their findings.
Duration
1 to 2 lessons
Purpose
To explore the death penalty debate in Canada
Before Exploring
Write the phrase “death penalty” on the board. Ask the class to brainstorm what they know about this topic and write down their comments on the board or chart paper. Identify the Canadian government’s position on the death penalty.
Outline the Opportunity
Direct students to the topic Death Penalty Debate on the CBC Radio and Television Archives Web site. Divide the class into five groups and assign each group one set of the following clips.
Clips #2, 7, 8, and 10
Clips #1 and #4, Additional Clips “Canadians split on death penalty in 1944” and “Death penalty statistics, 1965”
Clip #5, Additional Clip “Diefenbaker comments on last execution”
Clips #3, 6, 7, and 9
Clip #3, Additional Clips “Laurier LaPierre weeps over Truscott case” and “No correlation between murder and death penalty: study”
Students should make sure to view the Did You Know? sections as well. As they explore the clips, students should take note of important dates and facts.
Using their findings, each group will prepare a short presentation for the rest of the class in which they outline the highlights of the segments they viewed. Students may wish to use chart paper or the board to aid in their presentations.
Revisit and Reflect
Have groups share their presentations with the class. Students should be prepared to ask and answer questions. Ask the students what questions they still have about the death penalty. List these on the board or chart paper as a reference for any other activities you do on this topic.
Extension
The students can write a brief paragraph outlining the new ideas and facts they discovered on the Web site.
