English Language Arts

In 1992, the Westray coal mine in Nova Scotia had a devastating accident in which 26 workers were killed instantly. Over the years, the ensuing inquiry has met with little success in bringing those responsible to justice. In this docudrama, information is provided about the perils of coal mining ...

In this animated film, Sophie learns about some of the culture and traditions of her new neighbour, Lisa, who recently arrived in Canada from the West Indies. This video contains an example of a story within a story as Lisa relates a legend from her culture while preparing to celebrate the Jump-u...

This program provides an example of visual storytelling where viewers construct meaning through images, rather than relying on dialogue. The story is of a young couple in love. Difficulties in their relationship arise due to differences in social class and acceptance within each other's family. M...

Children in families who follow nontraditional gender roles are often the target of put-downs by their peers. In this documentary, young Canadian children, ages 5 to 12, discuss the problems they face and make it very clear that educators, parents, and other children need to act positively to mak...

There's no getting around it. Land is the biggest sticking point in the relationship between Aboriginal peoples in Canada and the "settler" population. Who owns it, benefits from it, gets to say when, if and how it gets developed? These questions are all the more crucial because the lands in disp...

This award-winning series, produced in Cree, English and French, uses stop-motion animation to portray life in a fictional northern Saskatchewan community. It focuses on issues and events in the lives of children and their supportive families in this traditional Cree community. The adults guide t...

Raven identifies, through several scenarios, that the men and boys in the community take the women and girls for granted and show lack of respect for them. The women go on a week-long retreat, and only Jacob seems able to make coffee, cook meals and keep things running. Raven and Chief Big Sky ne...

Canadian athlete Harry Jerome overcame racism to reach the height of track-and-field success. When an injury ended his career, Jerome continued training and went on to achieve one of the greatest comebacks in sports history. This short film is a condensed version of the feature documentary Mighty...

Three youth tell their real-life struggles while navigating the choppy waters of adolescence. Various sources of stress are identified, including new responsibilities, schoolwork, relationships with family and friends, racism, name calling and extra-curricular activities. The film offers insight ...

Hannah Taylor sees her first homeless person in Winnipeg at the age of five. Hannah constantly thinks and worries about the man - where is he staying and what he is eating. When Hannah turns eight, she establishes the Ladybug Foundation, Inc. Hannah speaks to politicians, business leaders, studen...

In Episode 3 of The Dark Years 1929-1939, human interest stories in The Toronto Daily Star continue to focus on the Dionne Quintuplets and how they became big business. Other key stories covered in the final years of the decade include: the General Motors of Canada strike, the Civil War in Spain ...

Episode 2 of The Dark Years 1929-1939 examines the years 1932-1935, a period when the Toronto Daily Star sees its subscriptions rise by following popular stories with wide appeal. Some of the stories featured in this episode include: the Ted and Rose Bates story and trial for the alleged murder o...

In the opening episode of the four-part series 8th Fire, host Wab Kinew, from the Ojibways of Onigaming First Nation in Northern Ontario, an award-winning hip-hop artist and now a Winnipeg-based TV journalist, invites us to come "meet the neighbours." It's about time, since many Canadians say the...

At the close of the 8th Fire series, we meet young First Nations people preparing to change the future, determined to light the 8th Fire and build a new relationship with Canada. A fascinating range of artists, activists and business people take us through ways to shed the colonial past and to bu...

Episode 1 of The Dark Years begins at the end of the Roaring '20s in the newsrooms of the Toronto Daily Star, a big city newspaper whose popularity comes from its appeal to "the little guy." Reporters at the newspaper shed light on "The Dark Years" by collecting stories and anecdotes from the ord...