Follow Up Activity: For or Against?

Your students should now have a good understanding of Canadians diverse cultural perspectives and know that sometimes the views of one particular group are in conflict with another.  In the case of the seal hunt, the ban on baby seal fur had a detrimental impact on Canadians that depended on trapping as a way of life.  

Using the CBC Archives website, students will now investigate radio and television footage of the debate over the Atlantic Seal Hunt of the 1970’s.  Coordinate a discussion about the Canadian and UK decision to ban the harvesting of seal pups using the following activity:

• Hand out the worksheet titled ‘PMI’ (Pluses, Minuses, and Interesting) to each student.
• Ask the students to investigate the website (http://archives.cbc.ca/IDD-1-73-986/politics_economy/seal_hunt/) and to make sure they listen to the following two clips first which give perspectives from both sides of the issue:

#3 – “Defending the Hunt”

#5 – “The Media Campaign Escalates”

• While the students are researching the clips, ask them to complete the PMI.  This is a way to organize three different lists. 

P (pluses)       – list five positive points about the ban of the seal pup hunt. 

M (minuses)   – list five negative points about the ban of the seal pup hunt. 

I (interesting) – list five interesting points about the ban of the seal pup hunt.

• Ask the students to present their PMI’s to each other in small groups of three or four.  The students can add ideas that they missed.

• When the class has had a chance to make their lists, lead a discussion about why the campaign was so successful and the types of propaganda methods that were used to persuade the masses.  Handout the Propaganda Techniques worksheet for students.  It describes five techniques of propaganda. Have your students find examples of these techniques in the campaign “Stop the Seal Hunt” by continuing to browse the CBC archives or by doing a search of the internet. 

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