CBC Archives

On the board, write the following: first prime minister of Canada, first premier of the province where you live, first member of your family to go to university, first member of your family to move to Canada, and any other firsts you think might be relevant for your students. Have students provide the corresponding name for each category.

Divide the class into gender-based groups of three to four students and ask each group to list five firsts related to professional careers or sports. Have each group write its two best examples on the board. Discuss the concept of being the first. Ask: Is it important to be first? Why does society place an emphasis on being first?

Have the students examine Clips #3, 4, and 6 as well as the Did You Know? section on the topic Jeanne Sauvé, a Woman of Firsts on the CBC Radio and Television Archives Web site. In pairs, students create a fact sheet that records the first identified in each of the clips plus one supporting piece of information from the Did You Know? section (stress that students need to examine each of the pages listed in Did You Know?). Group the pairs into fours and have each pair share the information learned.

As a class, discuss what has been learned about Sauvé’s career and why she managed to achieve so many firsts. Record: cabinet minister from Québec, Speaker of the House, and governor general on the board, then fill in key facts underneath. Students can make their own record of what is on the board.

Review Clip #11 as a class. Discuss whether the clip fairly acknowledges Jeanne Sauvé’s contributions to Canadian society.