This lesson is based on viewing the Historica Minute, "Valour Road." By coincidence, 3 of the 69 Canadian men who were awarded the Victoria Cross in the First World War had grown up on the same street in Winnipeg. This street was renamed Valour Road in their honour.

The "Valour Road" Historica Minute is a good starting place for students to learn about the horrors of war and consider the great personal sacrifices that soldiers made.

1. Heros of war

Each of the men from Pine Street was a hero in his own way. Watch the Minute and read their stories to come up with some ideas about heroism on the battlefield.

Discuss each of the stories. Analyze each story by asking, "What did the person risk by his actions?" Then ask students why they think the hero took that risk. Why is it important that such heroes be honoured with medals like the Victoria Cross and remembered after their deaths?

Using the students' answers, create a definition of a hero. What kinds of heroic actions can people perform in war? If students are not familiar with the stories of those who helped save Jews or escaping prisoners of war during the Second World War, you might tell about them. For all of the examples that students know, reinforce the concepts of personal risk and the reasons for their actions.

2. Art of the war

Canadian war artists painted some powerful images of the First World War. Though they were sent to create propaganda pictures for the war effort, many of them painted the harsh realities of life and death in the trenches.

Find books or slides of Canadian war paintings from the First World, War. Show them to the class and discuss what the artist might be saying about the war.

Some of the paintings were not shown during the war. Have students pretend that they are on the government War Art Committee. They must decide which paintings should be shown (perhaps to help recruit volunteers) and which should be kept from public view back in Canada. They must justify their decisions.