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Home · For Teachers · Ballot Box: Provincial Elections in Canada

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Project Overview
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11-12
Ballot Box: Provincial Elections in Canada
Project type: Project
Related topic:
Quebec Elections, 1960-2007
Subjects
History
Political Science
Summary
This project involves student research on the provincial electoral history of at least three jurisdictions in Canada from the 1960s or '70s to today. Based on their research, students organize their information and present it as an illustrated report. This report compares and contrasts the electoral systems of three provinces from different regions of Canada, focusing on parties, issues, leaders, results, etc. The main sources of information for this project will be the following topics from the CBC Radio and Television Archives Web site:
  • Quebec Elections: 1960–1998
  • PEI Elections: Liberal Landslides and Tory Tides
  • Ontario Elections: Twenty Tumultuous Years
  • Showdown on the Prairies: A History of Saskatchewan Elections
  • Newfoundland and Labrador Elections
  • Northwest Territories: Voting in Canada’s North

    Students select any three of the above topics as the basis for their research and report. At least one of the choices should be based on their own region of Canada.

    • Duration
    1 week
    Purpose
    To develop research, organization, and writing skills; to gather and interpret data; to enhance oral, written, and visual communication skills; to summarize information, draw conclusions, and form hypotheses about political and electoral issues
    PDF
    ballotboxpdf.pdf
    Lesson Plan
    Before Exploring
    Consider launching this project in one or more of the following ways:
  • Present students with information dealing with the most recent provincial elections in Newfoundland, Ontario, and Saskatchewan (Oct. and Nov. 2003), either from online newspaper or magazine files, CBC Internet visual clips. Have students discuss issues, discuss similarities and differences, or ask questions that interest them.
  • Ask students to identify some political leaders in Canada at the provincial level, either past or present, including the current premiers of Newfoundland, Ontario, and Saskatchewan. List the leaders and ask for students’ opinions or impressions of them.
  • Have students contact their provincial legislature or assembly, online or by telephone or mail, to find out what information is available to the public dealing with the province’s electoral system and history.
  • With students, generate a list of premiers of their province, indicating their respective political party affiliations and length of their terms of office.
  • Have students keep a file of clippings or downloaded and printed information dealing with provincial politics in their province or region.
  • Conduct a word-web activity with the class using the words “ballot,” “election,” and “provincial.”
    • Outline the Opportunity
    Following completion of the project launch, present and review the Project Outline carefully with students. Be sure that all parts of the task are clear.

    This project includes the following worksheets, which outline the task and provide tools for students to use as they work. You may wish to use all or only some of these sheets, which you can adapt to suit your needs and those of your students. For each sheet that you use, make sure that students understand how the sheet is to be used to support their work on this project.

    1. Project Outline
      Hand out this sheet before beginning the project and review it carefully with students.
    2. Provincial Election Data Summary Worksheets
      Students can use these sheets to collect and organize factual data relating to provincial elections in the three provinces they are studying and to focus their research as they browse and review their chosen files from the CBC Radio and Television Archives Web site.
    3. Research Tips
      Review this list of research tips with students.
    4. Sample Research Log
      Students can use this tool to maintain focus on their work as they collect and process information. If required, students will submit this sheet after completing their illustrated report.
    5. Research Folder Checklist
      Students can keep this sheet inside their research folder to remind them of the details of the research process.
    6. Illustrated Report Instructions
      Students can use this sheet to get the specific instructions for preparing and presenting their illustrated report.
    7. Model Assessment Rubric
      If you are using this rubric as part of your assessment procedure, review it with students early in the project so that they clearly understand how they will be assessed.
    8. Provincial Elections Conversation Guide
      Teachers and students can use this tool after completion of the illustrated reports. Discussion arising from this guide may inform the in-class debriefing activity and may also lead to further research into other aspects of Canadian political history.
    Revisit and Reflect
    1. Display students’ illustrated reports on the board or around the class, and have their peers evaluate them for design, content, presentation of information, interest, and so on.
    2. Students can prepare and present a profile of one or more of the important provincial political leaders they have researched.

    CBC.ca



    External sites

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    11-12
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