Virtual Historian
What's new in the libray at the Virtual Historian?
Welcome to the Virtual HistorianTM: Digital History in the Canadian Classroom Program! Our
VH version 1.0 is available to all school authorities. Please contact the
Virtual Historian team to register your school or school board.
In the Virtual Library you will find many comprehensive and core inquiry-based activities dealing with topics such as: the Dieppe Raid, the October Crisis, The Plains of Abraham, The War of 1812, and Canada-U.S. Relations. All our cases promote historical and critical thinking and literacy, and engage students in exciting inquiries into meaningful and challenging issues in Canadian history with authentic and never-before seen primary sources available online.
Our latest addition to the VH library-Single Lesson Cases!
All subscribers now have access to a new type of case designed to be completed within a 60-75 minute class period. The Single Lesson cases fulfill several goals: to develop the historical skills, knowledge, and understanding of students with a very focused computer-assisted case, to provide cases that teachers can use when pressed for time or lab access, and to allow students to become familiar with using the critical-thinking approach of the Virtual Historian environment. Many of the Single Lesson cases are focused around a single type of source to promote the development of specific and meaningful historical skills. Single Lesson cases are also under development to provide curriculum-specific exploration of topics for history-related courses such as Law and Civics.
Upcoming Single Lesson case topics include: Dieppe Raid Photographs, the Persons Case Petition and Letters, October Crisis Documents (Civics Case), the Halifax Explosion Map and Photographs, and the Persons Case Law Case.
Three types of cases are now available to you:|
Single Lesson cases: Engage students in a focused application of concise Canadian cases using a few key sources. These cases are designed to be completed within one 60-75 minute class period. Core cases: Engage students in more focused application of concise Canadian cases using some significant sources. Due to their nature, core cases can be completed more rapidly by students (1-2 classroom periods). Comprehensive cases: Engage students in deep and wide-ranging inquiries dealing with Canadian history based on multiple conflicting primary and secondary sources. These cases usually take several classroom periods (3-4) to be completed. |
Our latest case on Women’s Rights is now VH ready!
Consult the "Cases" from the toolbar to access the Persons Case – Comprehensive, and
the Persons Case – Core. The comprehensive case engages students in the
investigation of the Canadian women rights movement and more specifically the recognition of
women as “persons” as
well as on the significance of this event in Canadian history.
The core case focuses more explicitly on the work and accomplishment of the “Famous 5” during the critical period leading to the recognition of women as persons in 1929.
Select "Cases" to access all inquiry-based cases currently available and under development (u.d.). Check back for forthcoming comprehensive and core activities. Thank you for your visit! Enjoy.
Ontario teachers, fill out the OSAPAC survey on 'software needs' to have this program licensed in Ontario
To use the Virtual Historian, you will need Macromedia Flash© v.8.0 Download it here.
To use the Virtual Historian, please read the Terms of Use carefully.
Educators who have used the Virtual Historian had some great things to say:
Dr. A. M. Friedman,
Professor
The website program that you've created to teach Canadian history looks great. It uses models of 'best practices' in terms of students investigating and exploring.
The students in Sigrid Hynscht's history class thought that the
... the original films and archival material were "cool"
Bruce Clarke, said the Virtual Historian allows
... a depth of understanding that would take weeks in an ordinary class room setting.
Craig Winegarder found that his students were
...the most successful they had been at constructing an interpretation of history based on evidence...
Stanley Hallman-Chong said that the...
Students do not just learn about what historians have discovered, but do the discovering themselves.