CBC Archives

Have students list each year in their life beginning with the year they were born and ending with the current year. Ask them to note a major event for each year. Explain that this is a biographical timeline similar to the one that they are going to construct for René Lévesque.

Provide students with the download sheet René Lévesque Timeline. Direct students to the topic René Lévesque’s Separatist Fight on the CBC Radio and Television Archives Web site. Have them read the text boxes (The Story and Did You Know?), working in order from Clip #1 to Clip #9, as well as the text for the Additional Clip “Lévesque dies from massive heart attack.” Students identify the important dates and events in Lévesque’s life and provide a brief description. The birth and death are already noted on the download sheet, and some other major dates are also suggested.

As students present their timelines to the class, create a class timeline on the board or chart paper. Review the timeline to ensure that students have included all the important dates and events. Ask: Which events are the most important in Lévesque’s life? Why? Which events are the most important in Lévesque’s political career? Why?

Students can add any missing information or add visuals to their timelines and post them around the classroom.