"Lives of the Famous Five and Women in Canada" is designed to stimulate learning about women's lives around the early twentieth century and their struggle for equality.

Activity One

• Women could not vote in elections.
• Married women did not share ownership of their houses or land with their husbands.
• Women doing the same work as men were paid less.

Student Resources

Activity two

Tell the students that they will be working with a small group to learn about the roles and lifestyles of one of the Famous Five. Introduce the Famous Five as an important group of women who worked to improve lifestyles for Canadian women. Refer each group of students to the Famous Five Profiles , or print off these pages. Ask each group to read the Profile to identify the different roles each of the Famous Five had in their lives.

Each group can be asked to use the Setting the Stage (33KB PDF) student resource to record sentences and illustrations that introduce what they know so far about the roles and activities of the Famous Five. Students can be asked to record their sentences and any illustrations to represent what they found out using the storyboard format of this student resource.

Ask students to think about the kinds of things that can be learned from photographs. Have them add information on using photographs as a source of information to their How I Use Sources (66KB PDF) student resource.

Student Resources

Setting the Stage (33KB PDF)
For My Inquiry (29KB PDF)
How I Use Sources (66KB PDF)
Famous Five Profiles

Activity three

Tell students that they will continue to work with their groups to investigate what they can find out about the roles and activities of the Famous Five. They will also be looking for evidence of women's lifestyles through learning about the Famous Five. Refer each group to photographs and Readings from The Famous Five website, or print off samples from these pages. Many of the sources reflect women's lifestyles and issues in the early 1900s, and expand on the various roles and involvements of the Famous Five. Suggestions are provided in the list of student resources.

Have students examine the photographs and other sources on information.

Work with the class to complete the following sentence stems:

• I found out that Emily Murphy's activities and roles included. . .
• I found out that Henrietta Muir Edwards' activities and roles included. . .
• I found out that Louise McKinney's activities and roles included. . .
• I found out that Irene Parlby's activities and roles included. . .
• I found out that Nellie McClung's activities and roles included. . .

Student Resources

Activity four

Work with students to create interview questions such as the following:

• What roles do you have?
• What kinds of activities are you involved in?

Student Resources

”Why We Remember" focuses on the contributions of each of the Famous 5 to achieving this equality

Activity one

Student Resources

Activity two

Have students work in small groups. Introduce the Famous Five as an important group of citizens who worked to improve lifestyles for Canadian women. Ask each group to use the Setting the Stage (33KB PDF) student resource to create a comic strip summary of their gains and accomplishments. Students can be asked to record sentences and any illustrations they found using the storyboard format of this student resource.

Ask students to think about the kinds of things that can be learned from photographs and textual sources. Have them add information on using different types of sources to their How I Use Sources (66KB PDF) student resource.

Ask students to consider what they might like to find out about the ways citizens such as the Famous Five can be remembered. Work with the students to create a list of inquiry questions. Students can use the For My Inquiry (29KB PDF) student resource below to record their questions.

Student Resources

Setting the Stage (33KB PDF)
For My Inquiry (29KB PDF)
How I Use Sources (66KB PDF)

Activity three

Tell students they will work in small groups to examine sources that illustrate why we remember the Famous Five. Refer each group to selected Readings on each of the Famous Five Profiles, or print off samples from these pages. Each small group may be asked to focus on investigating one of the Famous Five.

Have students use the sources to look for evidence of the impact the Famous Five had on events and people in Canada. Students may be asked to use Analyzing Photographs (340KB PDF) and Analyzing Documents (70KB PDF) to help them discuss and examine the sources.

Student Resources

Activity four

Have students examine the photographs on each of the Famous Five Profiles . Ask them to identify someone they think should be recognized and design a plan for carrying out this recognition. Students can be asked to develop their plan visually as well as with descriptive writing.

Student Resources

"Casting the Vote" focuses on one of these achievements and the importance of citizens' right to vote.

This lesson could be used in a Social Studies, Civics, or Canadian history course to introduce students to the Famous Five as citizens who were involved in the fight for women’s right to vote. This lesson also introduces students to different types of historical sources, including photographs and textual sources.

Students will learn how the Famous Five, particularly Nellie McClung, were active in promoting women's right to vote. They will examine the attitudes and perspectives of the Famous Five in the Context of Canadian history and the development of Canada as a nation. They will examine the Mock Parliament of 1914 and its influence on Manitoba women winning the right to vote. They will use and analyze different types of historical sources.

Activity one

Student Resources

Activity two

Have students work in small groups. Have groups use classroom, library or Internet sources of information to research and discuss the following questions:

• Does everyone have the right to vote in elections?
• What are the restrictions on voters?
• What would it feel like to be excluded from voting
• What restrictions do you think there would be, if any, on voting
• What groups were excluded from voting in Canada’s past?
• Wen did she of these groups obtain the right to vote?

Student Resources

Setting the Stage (29KB PDF)
For My Inquiry (29KB PDF)
How I Use Sources (29KB PDF)
Famous Five Timeline

Activity three

Tell students that they will work in small groups to investigate the perspectives and influence of the Famous Five, particularly Nellie McClung, Henrietta Muir Edwards and Louise McKinney, on women's right to vote. Each small group may be asked to focus on investigating one of the Famous Five.
Have students use the first three Readings below to look for evidence of the impact the Famous Five had on the right to vote.

• Louise McKinney - "Where are Canadian Women Going—Back to Their Homes or Continue in Business Life?
• Louise McKinney - "Alberta Women and Alberta Laws"

Have students use a Visual Organizer (479KB PDF) such as the two-column chart to summarize their research by answering questions such as the following:

• What were Henrietta Muir Edwards' and Louise McKinney's opinions on women's right to vote?
• What reasons were given for not allowing women to vote?
• How did Nellie McClung have an impact on women achieving the right to vote in Manitoba?
• Did the vote come at the same time in each province?
• When could women vote in federal elections?
• What other roles did the Famous Five play in the building of Canada's parliamentary system?
• Which of the Famous Five were active in politics?
• What did they accomplish as politicians?

Students may also be asked to use Analyzing Photographs (340KB PDF) and Analyzing Documents (70KB PDF) to help them discuss and examine the sources.

Then refer each group to The Mock Parliament of 1914 , or print off these pages. This source presents Nellie McClung's description of the Manitoba Mock Parliament of 1914 from her book Purple Springs. Students may be asked to use this source in a variety of ways:

• Have groups use the dialogue to stage a reenactment of the Mock Parliament.
• Have groups create their own version of the Mock Parliament and enact it.
• Have groups adapt the Mock Parliament to present a current issue.

Student Resources

Activity four

Have students apply their research to current issues using projects such as the following:

• Have students research topics such as the actual percentage of votes cast in various provincial and federal elections and the percentage of women and men who vote.
• Ask students to think about why it is important not only to have the right to vote, but to vote.
• Have them create a poster, radio or television advertisement to promote the need for people to vote in elections.

Student Resources