Tweeting the War of 1812 - Grades 7-10

The bicentennial is upon us! To mark this occasion, the Archives of Ontario has embarked on a 21st century project tweeting the diaries of Ely Playter, a local farmer and militia man in the Upper Canada militia during the War of 1812. In this workshop, students will get a chance to learn more about primary sources by going on a tour of the Archives of Ontario, seeing original diaries and letters from 1812, and writing their own ‘tweets from the front.’ During their visit students will get a chance to visit our new exhibit on the War of 1812, "Perceptions of 1812". While this workshop is an extension of the “Tweeting the Past”(Word, PDF) lesson plan, prior knowledge of the @ElyPlayter1812 Twitter feed is not necessary. This workshop is designed for students in grades 7 to 10 and is a valuable opportunity to learn more about the War of 1812 while also developing skills of inquiry and communication.

This workshop aligns with the

• 2013 Revised Social Studies curriculum for Grade 6

• 2013 Revised History curriculum for Grades 7 to 8

Students will be involved with different components of the Inquiry Process by:

• Formulating questions
• Gathering and organizing information, evidence, and/or data
• Interpreting and analysing information, evidence, and/or data
• Evaluating information, evidence, and/or data and drawing conclusions
• Communicating findings

Upon receiving a booking confirmation, teachers will receive an introductory package to prepare students for their workshop. This package will include:

• An “Introduction to the Archives of Ontario” one-sheet for teachers

• An Archives of Ontario vocabulary word search

• A poster and brochure of our War of 1812 online exhibit