Learn
The activities in the Choose Your Voice program provide an opportunity for students to construct a more stereotype-free and bias-free understanding of people’s similarities and differences. Students will learn more about the choices they make and the voices they choose.
Highlights of Choose Your Voice
Choose Your Voice offers four action-packed units that comprehensively explore prejudice, stereotypes and historical oppression. Students will learn from a variety of media, lessons, activities and discussions, with opportunities to brainstorm, share and compare, participate in class discussions and create graphic organizers. In original five-minute documentary videos, narratives of historical events are described first-hand by survivors.
Written by teachers for teachers, the lessons that follow are easy to use, thought-provoking and powerful. Minority groups such as Jews, Muslims, Sikhs and First Nations are represented in the resource to offer students a wide range of perspectives and well-rounded education on the topics presented. Students are encouraged to speak up against all injustices and not be bystanders.
Unit 1
Teaches students the concept of stereotyping, helping them to understand how powerful and hurtful stereotyping is to everyone. View Unit 1
Materials include:
- Video
- Lesson Plan
- Video Discussion Guide
- Choose Your Voice Student Pledge Certificate
- Rubric
Unit 2
Highlights episodes in Canada’s past that involved racism and antisemitism. Students learn that hateful acts involve victims, bystanders and perpetrators. View Unit 2
Materials include:
- Video 2
- Lesson Plan
- Video Discussion Guide
- Choose Your Voice Student Pledge Certificate
- Student Worksheet: Did You Ever …?
- Graphic Organizer
- Rubric
Fact sheets:
- The Roots of Slavery in Canada, 1629-1834
- 1907 Vancouver Anti-Asian Riot
- Residential Schools, 1874-1995
-
Komagata Maru Incident, 1914and more
Unit 3
Builds students’awareness of recent antisemitic, racist and homophobic incidents and helps them to understand the components of a hate crime. View Unit 3
Materials include:
- Video 3
- Lesson Plan
- Video Discussion Guide
- Choose Your Voice Student Pledge Certificate
- Lyrics to One Tin Soldier
- Rubric
Fact sheets:
- Thunder Bay’s Crisis of Racism: 2000-2016
- The Suicide of Amanda Todd: October 2012
- Racial Profiling in Nova Scotia: 2009-2016
- Six Slain in Mass Shooting at Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City: January 29, 2017
-
Bullying and Homophobiaand more
Unit 4
Moves from history into action by examining real-world heroes. Students identify strategies for responding to prejudice and hate-filled incidents. They too can become heroes instead of bystanders. View Unit 4
Materials include:
- Video 4
- Lesson Plan
- Video Discussion Guide
- Choose Your Voice Student Pledge Certificate
- What is a Hero? handout
- Graphic Organizer
- Choose Your Voice Worksheet
- Rubric
Fact sheets of real-life heroes:
- Viola Desmond
- Oskar Schindler
- Madeleine Parent
- Antonine Maillet
-
Naomi Segal-Bronsteinand more
Curriculum Connections
Choose Your Voice supports learning outcomes for grades 6, 7 and 8. View curriculum connections for each Canadian province and territory.
For higher grades, visit the Voices Into Action site.
All resources are provided free of charge, and include:
- Award-winning videos with compelling messages about the dangers of antisemitism and racism
- Lesson plans with multiple activities
- Fact sheets, featuring incidents involving a range of racial minorities, support the goals of the lessons
Why do we ask you to register?
Registering provides us with valuable information about the educators and schools using our programs as well as the number and age of students the programs reach. This helps us to ensure continued support so that we’re always able to provide programs free of charge. Registering also enables us to keep you up to date on program changes. We will not share your information with anyone.