Grade 8s - Assignment #10: Diary/Letter from the Railroad

Hi Grade 8s,

Your new assignment is up on Mike's blog. Check it out and get rocking!

You will write as someone involved with the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway between 1881-1885.

If you're stuck for information, here are some places to get started
The Railroad in General
-Wikipedia entry on the Canadian Pacific Railway, lots of basic information
-The Canadian Pacific Railway website traces the history of the Railway, this may help if you are writing from the point of view of a person overseeing its construction.
-The Canadian Encyclopedia has an article that includes information about some of the people in charge of the railroad and the great importance of its construction

Chinese Railway Workers
-Historica has a one minute video depicting the danger of building a railroad that cut through mountains
-The Wikipedia entry on the History of Chinese immigration to Canada explains what life was like for Chinese immigrants in the section "Immigration for the Railway".
-The Chinese Canadian Culture Online Project presents information about Chinese Railroad workers
-Parks Canada posted an article commemorating Chinese Railroad workers lost during the construction of the railway
-This is the text of a speech made to the US House of Representatives in 1999 commemorating the lives of Chinese Railroad workers and their contributions to the building of the transcontinental railroad. There are also photos included.
-This is an excellent article that includes information about how much the Chinese workers were paid for their backbreaking labour. It also describes what happened to the workers after they died. Heavy stuff.
-Gordon Lightfoot, a Canadian singer wrote the song, "The Canadian Railroad Triolgy". Read over the lyrics or listen to the song to help you out with some ideas.

You will be evaluated based on the following expectations:
-Point of view - you have done an excellent job "stepping into the shoes" of your writer and we can fully understand his or her opinion
-Information used - your letter or diary has lots of information based on fact
-Map included - you have included a map of where these people were living and/or working
-Link to three sites you used for information
-Vocabulary - you use appropriate vocabulary
-Creativity - your work is written in your own words and in a unique way

Here is what you are expected to learn:
-explore the Canadian Pacific Railway as a factor contributing to the settlement and development of western Canada
-use a variety of resources and tools to gather, process and communicate information
-identify some key individuals and groups whose efforts led to the railway's completion
-use a variety of sources to locate relevant information about the building of the railway
-analyze, synthesize and evaluate historical information
-describe and analyse conflicting points of view about a historical event
-use appropriate vocabulary to describe inquiries and observations