Would You Prefer To Live In Canada Or Nigeria?
created by Sandra Mazzei
Grade: 6/7
Critical Task: If you could take your friends and family with you, would you prefer to live in Canada or Nigeria? Consider income, health care, and quality of life. Also consider your own interest and skills.
Overview: Students will compare the country of Nigeria with Canada, and consider the question of whether life would be preferable for themselves in Nigeria or Canada. Students will need to compare the physical, social, artistic, historical and economic features of the two countries, and give supporting evidence when forming their opinions.
Requisite Tools:
Background knowledge:
- In order to succeed with the critical thinking lesson, the students need to have an understanding of daily life, resources, and opportunities in Nigeria. Students also need to compare these to Canada.
- The students need to explore their own interests and skills if they are to give full thought to their preferences between life in Nigeria and Canada.
Criteria for Judgement:
- Students must state whether life would be preferable for themselves in Nigeria or Canada.
- They must give at least three reasons for their choice that are connected to what they know about themselves.
Critical Thinking Vocabulary:
- Quality of life
- GNP
- Population densities
- Infant mortality rates
- Skills
- Urban, rural
Thinking Strategies:
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Parts of Nigerian life that appeal to me: |
My own skills or interests that I would use during this part of life in Nigeria: |
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Habits of Mind:
- Independent-minded
- Acknowledgement of self
- Inquiring attitude
Learning Activities:
Step A) Background Information: Study of Nigeria
- Nigeria and it's physical features- maps, geographical regions, rivers and lakes. Compare with Canada.
- Nigeria: What animals are found there? Chart from a story. Compare with Canada. Discussion: Would these animals have an effect on daily life?
- How do Nigerians meet their basic needs? Video ("Village of the Rain Forest"), research in resource books and textbook.
- Nigerian folktales
- Brief history of Africa (colonialism, slavery, political problems)
- Read accounts of life written from Nigerian artists who are proud of their country
- Research Nigeria, Canada, and Mali through P.C. Globe computer program. (Idea and resource identification from Neil Smith) Compare population densities, GNP, major resources, health care, life expectancy and infant mortality rates.
- Examine Nigerian music/art
- Research daily life. Discussion: Do most Nigerians live in the city or country? How does rural or urban living in Nigeria differ from Canada?
Step B) Personal Planning
- Students think of activities that they like to do. To a partner, they talk about why they like these activities. The partner records the information. Make a class list of interest and skills generated from information recorded.
- Class brainstorms on a Double Entry Journal how the interests and skills generated could be used in Nigeria and in Canada.
Step C) Forming Judgement
- Students must write a response to the question of whether life would be preferable for themselves in Nigeria or Canada.
- They must give at least three reasons for their choices that are connected to what they know about themselves.
- They must give supporting evidence for their decisions, based on the research that compares Nigeria with Canada.
Grade 6, Grade 7
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