Louis Riel: Martyr, Traitor, Hero or ... ? (Grades 8-10)

To the Teacher

ASSESSMENT

• This activity lends itself well to teacher and/or selfassessment. Before the students begin their assignment, inform them of the assessment criteria listed below.
• When assessing the students' essays or simulations, make note of the degree to which they:
  • understand the complexity of Riel's character and what contributed to its development
  • understand differing views of Riel and the sources of these views
  • support a viewpoint with historical data
  • understand Louis Riel's place in Canadian history
• You may also wish to use Assessing Teamwork Skills.
• You will find a summary of the correlation with the curriculum for your province or territory. A more detailed explanation of the links between each activity and each provincial/territorial curriculum is found in the Curriculum Correlations section.
   

TEACHER TIPS

• See Teacher Tips in Where We Live <-> Who We Are for definitions of the following terms:
  Aboriginal peoples
  First Nation
  Indian
  Inuit
  Métis
• In his speech, Riel used the terms "half breed," which is no longer acceptable, and "Indian," which is now used only in specific circumstances. Discuss the current acceptable terminology with the students and ask them to identify changes in how other groups of people have been labelled. Discuss why these kinds of changes take place and how to decide which term is the appropriate one to use.
   

RELATED ACTIVITIES

• In his speech, Riel describes his vision of a multicultural Canada. Have students compare his vision with the federal government's current policy on multiculturalism. See the Department of Canadian Heritage Web site at www.pch.gc.ca for a copy of the legislation.
• Students might examine the cultural activities of the times, including music, dance, literature, storytelling, and visual arts - the kinds of cultural activities enjoyed by Canadians of British and French origins and the Aboriginal peoples - and discuss what these activities tell us about their cultures and their perspectives on life.
• Discuss the concept of "insanity" - how it is defined, who defines it, and how the definitions may change. Relate the discussion to the use of the insanity plea in Riel's court case.
• Compare Colombo's version of Riel's speech with the original transcript or with Raymond Souster's "Found Poem: Louis Riel Addresses the Jury." Discuss the different images of Riel and how the writers developed them. The original transcript of the trial is available in The Queen v Louis Riel (See Other Resources).