Name________________

Date ________________
Journal of an Immigrant
It is time to put yourself in the shoes of someone else. Over the next week you will have
an opportunity to explore the lives of someone who immigrated here in the early 1900s. Through
a historical perspective that you will select, you must create a character and write a journal
based on their life as they immigrated to Western Canada and created a new life here. Through
these journal entries you will demonstrate the struggles that they faced in their new life here in
Western Canada.

In your journal entries you must include the following information:

Character- name, age, nationality (where they immigrated from). ____
Important to identify the historical perspective you are writing from.____
A time frame of the years that they immigrated to Canada. ____
Where they immigrated to (province, etc). ____
Reasons why they immigrated to Canada (push and pull factors). ____
Struggles they faced trying to establish a life in Western Canada. ____
Government policies that impacted them and their lives in Canada. ____
The impact they had on the development of Western Canada. ____

You may pick one of the following perspectives to write from:

Francophone
Eastern European
Chinese

You must have a minimum of four journal entries that are at least two paragraphs.
Over the next week you will have time to research and find any information about your
perspective that you feel is necessary before creating a character and perspective that you will
be writing from.

1.
2.
a.
b.
c.
d.
3.
a.
4.
a.
b.
c.
d.
5.
6.
7.

Steps:
Choose a perspective
Begin researching about your perspective and answering the following questions:
How did they contribute to the development of Western Canada?
Was there any government policies that impacted their lives? How?
What struggles did your perspective face upon immigrating to Canada?
What push and pull factors encouraged your perspectives decision to come to Canada?
Create a character
Name, Age, Nationality
Create a story line
Why did your character move to Canada? When?
What events or government policies impacted your characters life?
What struggles and difficulties did your character face upon starting a life in Canada?
What success did your character have in Canada? Did they leave an impact?
Write a rough draft of your journal entries.
Check with an adult to see if you are ready to start typing a good draft.
Print your good copy and save a copy to your google drive.

Resources:
-

Textbook
Pier21.com
Historytrek.com

Next Tuesday and Wednesday each of you will be reading your journal entries aloud to
the class, so that they too may learn about the different perspectives that may have struggled or
thrived upon their arrival in Western Canada. As students are listening to the different journal
entries and perspectives they will be trying to answer the following questions based on what
they learn from your journals:
1. How did communities, services and businesses established by Francophones contribute to the
overall development of western Canada? (i.e., health, education, churches, commerce, politics,
journalism, agriculture)?
2. How did Asian immigrants contribute to the development of Canada (i.e., Chinese railway
workers)?
3. How did immigrants from Eastern Europe contribute to the development of western Canada
(i.e., health, education, churches, commerce, politics, journalism, agriculture)?
Depending on what perspective you have chosen to represent, you will be trying to answer one
of the above questions.

Through your journal entries you will be teaching your classmates about the different
perspectives and their lives in Canada as recent immigrants in the early 1900s. As such it is
very important that you do your best to answer all the questions based your chosen perspective,
so that they can learn from you, just like you will be learning from them.

Remember that while you are listening to others read their journal entries it is just as important
that you are listening respectfully and trying to answer the questions as well. You will also be
receiving a grade based on your answers that you were able to provide to the questions posed
in each perspective.

Excellent

Proficient

Basic

Not Yet

Historical
Knowledge
7.2.5
(journal)

Student has provided

a comprehensive
representation of
historical knowledge,
going far beyond
expectations.

Student has
provide a
comprehensive
representation of
historical
knowledge.

Student has
provided an
accurate
representation of
historical
knowledge.

Student has not

provided an
accurate
representation of
historical
knowledge.

Skills of
Written
Literacy
7.S.8
(journal,
notes)

Student has visibly

communicated ideas
in a clear manner, and
has a strong
understanding of
information presented.

Student has clearly

communicated
ideas, or has a
strong
understanding of
information
presented.

Student has
communicated
ideas with
minimal mistakes,
or has an
understanding of
info. presented.

Student has not

clearly
communicated
ideas or
understood
material presented.

Creative
Thinking
7.S.1
(journal)

Student has
demonstrated a
strength in the ability
to share and suggest
ideas through creative
writing.

Student has
demonstrated a
strength in the
ability to share
ideas through
creative writing.

Student has
demonstrated the
ability to share
ideas through
creative writing..

Student has not

demonstrated the
ability to share
ideas through
creative writing.

Francophone Perspective
What push and pull factors
brought them to Canada?

How did they contribute to

the development of Western
Canada?

Was there any govt policies

that impacted their lives in
Canada? How?

What struggles did they

face in Western Canada?
Were they able to overcome
these struggles?

Chinese Immigrant Perspective

What push and pull factors
brought them to Canada?

How did they contribute to

the development of Western
Canada?

Was there any govt policies

that impacted their lives in
Canada? How?

What struggles did they

face in Western Canada?
Were they able to overcome
these struggles?

Eastern European Perspective

What push and pull factors
brought them to Canada?

How did they contribute to

the development of Western

Canada?

Was there any govt policies

that impacted their lives in
Canada? How?

What struggles did they

face in Western Canada?
Were they able to overcome
these struggles?