Lesson Plan: A Terry Fox Journal

Lesson Plan

Before Exploring

Discuss with the students the general nature of Terry Fox and his Marathon of Hope. If you have not had students complete the activity Who Was Terry Fox? you may wish to do this now.

Explain to students that they are going to use journal writing to become more familiar with Terry Fox's story. Remind students that a journal is a personal record of an individual's experiences. It includes a brief summary of facts or events, as well as the individual's personal response (reactions, feelings, questions, opinions) to the events.

Outline the Opportunity

Direct the students to view between three and five file segments (and any others that they wish or have time for) on the topics Terry Fox 25: Reliving the Marathon of Hope and Terry Fox's Marathon of Hope on the CBC Digital Archives website. Explain that, after viewing, students will write a series of three to five journal entries written from the point of view of Terry Fox, or of a close companion traveling with him. Each entry should be correctly dated and be at least half a page in length. The goal is to understand how Terry Fox or a close companion might feel about the event highlighted.

Revisit and Reflect

When students have completed their journal entries, ask them to share their work. Encourage the other students to offer positive or constructive feedback, and to reflect on the way that writing from another person's point of view can affect the way you understand that person's story.

Consider posting a sampling of the selections on a bulletin board.

Extension

Interested students could write a journal entry about one of the events, from his or her own point of view.