Criminal Offences and Criminal Defences

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Here is the game plan moving through the week.  It involves reading, annotating, completing the package, case analyses, videos, and alternative readings.  I have written it in a specific order for you so please try follow the directions in that order.  It includes the topics of Criminal Offences as well as Criminal Defences.

Anything that is too triggering or you need an exemption, just send Ms. Hopkin a private message on Teams explaining (to the level you feel comfortable) and we can go from there.

Readings and Resources

Law in Action Textbook

  • Criminal Offences: Entirety of Chapter 8 (pp. 219-247).
  • R. v. Ewanchuk: Chapter 8 p. 233.
  • Criminal Defences: Entirety of Chapter 10 (pp. 285-306)

Other readings linked below.

You will watch the video below together as a class on Wednesday.  On Wednesday, the R. v. Ewanchuk case analysis is due by the end of class.

Order to Proceed with Assignments

  1. Complete the Criminal Offences Package in the order it is written.  This involves the remaining parts that have not been addressed yet (I believe this means starting with the types of murder charges), and skipping what you have already done.  Remember, for the true/false questions, if the answer is false you need to write in the correct answer or answers.
  2. When you get to laws around dying by suicide, read:
  3. When you get to the section on sexual assault, after completing it, read the case R. v. Ewanchuk in Law in Action p. 233.  In a separate file, analyze the case.  Consider what we talked about e.g. this is a GIRL, not a woman.  Use the questions #1 and #2 to prompt you (please ignore #3), but it should more be a reflective analysis than traditional question-and-answer. But, please ensure in your analysis you do address both of those questions.  1-2 paragraphs, you can use “I” statements. This should follow basic English grammar and not be a giant block of text, but adjust as needed.  Sometimes paragraphs are short, sometimes long.  In a perfect world, it would be great if you watched the video as the class on Wednesday, then spent most of Wednesday doing the Ewanchuk analysis.  However, I understand you might need to work at your own pace and complete it earlier, which is absolutely fine!
  4. When you get to laws around prostitution, read:
  5. Read and annotate Chapter 10, but organize it based on the Types of Defences: Mental States, Justifications, and Other.   Think of it less as re-writing the chapter, and more as defining the terms below + making an example in your own words.  You do not need to write down everything – just understand those concepts!
    • Please keep in mind the laws around Intoxication are literally in limbo changing right now and being discussed in Parliament.  So, I would be okay if you honestly just got down a one-sentence definition from the first paragraph on p. 291 and skipped the rest of that section.  I am going to go over it with you when I am back because I am actually checking with colleagues in the courts and the Parliament’s discussion pages every day to make sure you get the most updated information on it.
    • Skip the cases.  Just read the types of Defences.  Remind me, though, because next week I am going to go over R. v. Parks with you as an example of Automatism.  It is briefly mentioned, but I have a feeling you will want to discuss it!
    • Mental States:
      • Intoxication.
      • Not Criminally Responsible due to Mental Disorder (NCRMD).
      • Automatism.
        • Your textbook uses outdated language for the two-subcategories of automatism (uncomfortably, this change did not officially come in until 2022… I KNOW.  I know.  Do better, Canada).
        • Incorrect: Insane Automatism –> Correct: Mental Disorder Automatism.
        • Incorrect: Non-Insane Automatism –> Correct: Non-Mental Disorder Automatism.
    • Justifications:
      • Self-Defence.
      • Battered Woman Syndrome.
      • Defence of a Dwelling.
      • Necessity.
      • Duress.
      • Provocation.
      • Indigenous and/or Treaty Rights.  One such example is the Gladue precedent, which says an Indigenous person’s Indigenous ancestry much be taken into account when sentencing.  Please remember to use “Indigenous” and not what the book uses.
    • Other Defences (though I would argue some of these are not defences, just more their own thing):
      • Mistake of Law.
      • Mistake of Fact.
      • Double Jeopardy.
      • Alibi.
      • Entrapment.

Deadlines

These should all be uploaded as separate files to the respective assignments.

R. v. Ewanchuk Case Analysis due to Teams by the end of class on Wednesday, 1 May 2024.  You can submit earlier, but if you do, please consider adding elements from the video you watch Wednesday and re-submitting with those additions.  The video is also linked above.

Completed Criminal Offences Package due by the end of class on Friday, 3 May 2024 (or earlier).  We will go over it as a class next week where you can make corrections and re-upload the corrected versions.

Definitions and Examples (your own – not the textbook’s, though you may add those if it helps you in addition to your own example) of Criminal Defences (listed above) due Friday, 3 May 2024 by the end of class (or earlier).  This assignment will not appear on Teams until mid-week.

Remember to write down any questions you have or clarification you would like so we can go over it together next week. 🙂

 

 

 

Alan Turing and the Computing Machine

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Covers 26-30 April 2024.

Students received a lesson on Bletchley Park, British Intelligence in World War II.  It focused on the Enigma Codebreaking and Alan Turing, including his heartbreaking tragedy – the world thanking him by telling him he did not belong in it.  To all of those who have ever felt like Alan – you are so loved, you belong here, you are exactly who you are supposed to be and we are so glad you are here. <3

Readings (hard copy, or Teams in WWII folder):

  • Overlooked No More: Alan Turing, Condemned Code Breaker and Computer Visionary (from The New York Times).
  • What the Imitation Game Didn’t Tell you About Alan Turing’s Greatest Triumph.

Optional Resources:

Requirement: Pre-Planning

  • All of you received personalized instructions in your Grading Conference on pre-planning and pre-writing strategies you are to be using for all assignments.  Given that this is significantly longer than typically given for this assignment, multiple stages of planning are expected by all students.  Ms. Morden will be collecting your pre-planning and it will be reviewed as part of your assessment.

Your assignment will be to write a reflection based off of something related to Alan Turing and the Computing Machine.  We are working on inferring, perspectives, significance, and you using information to build off and explore your own ideas, thinking, and questions.    Remember reflections require quotations, but you may ask questions and must use “I” statements.

Please remember to approach this topic with kindness, empathy, and respect.

Reflection due to Teams by the end of class on Tuesday, 30 April 2024.

 

 

 

Red River Resistance and the Indian Act: Then, and Now – Why Does It Matter?

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Red River Resistance and Indian Act Project

After learning about (and, of course, researching further into on your own) the Red River Resistance in the 1860s+ and the enormous impact of the Indian Act that still impacts all Canadians – though especially Indigenous Peoples, of course – today, you will have the opportunity to bring that idea to our own lives now.  There are many Canadian current events where protests, rallies, or demonstrations of opinions  – good, bad, and in between – have occurred to display people’s feelings about a specific topic or issue.

You will be in groups assigned by the teacher.  Each group with research their current event and compare/contrast it to the Red River Resistance.

Remember: Telling your audience “they are similar, but different” is NOT the point of the activity.  There are no such thing as “right answers.”  However, you will need to come up with a “Why does it matter?” point to compare them all.  This will take the form of a “Thesis Statement,” which is like a big Topic Sentence.

RESEARCH

You must have a minimum of six (6) reliable sources for you project – three for each (3 for Red River and 3 for current event, minimum).  You may, of course, have more.  Wikipedia is NOT a reliable source.  No, neither is “But, I used the sources on Wikipedia.”  No.

You can always have more resources than the minimum.  There is no maximum.

Remember: The textbook counts as a source, as well as the new article Ms. Hopkin has left in your group’s channel , so you already have two!

On the very last slide of your PowerPoint, have a slide entitled “References.”  Copy/paste the links to your sources there.

You will be required to use the parenthetical citation we have been using in your writing on your slides for this project.  E.g. (Hopkin, 2007, p. 25).  You will receive some examples on how to do this.

Prior to any slide writing, image searching, etc. your group must create a comparison chart.  Only one chart per group to be submitted in your group’s channel on Teams (these have now been made).  Your chart should be in the form of a T-Chart and have the Red River Resistance on one side and the Current Event on the other.  After you and your group review, you must write your drafted Thesis Statement on the bottom.

Though not required, you are welcome to include Social Media Posts e.g. TikToks, Instagram, etc on the topic.  It just must be embedded in your PowerPoint, not separate.

Ms. Morden must sign off on your Thesis Statement by the start of class on Wednesday, 1 May 2024 before you are allowed to start doing your research.

Readings on the Red River:

One Source That Must Be Included:

  • Some sort of social media account on the current event.
  • The Indian Act must be included in your project.

Things to think about:

  • To what extent did these people try to do “all of the right things” BEFORE it came to a protest or rally?
  • How your thesis statement connects to your inferences around the two topics.
  • This is about YOUR thinking on these topics.  THERE.  IS.  NO.  RIGHT.  ANSWER. Show the audience those thoughts and questions.
  • What questions do you have?  Did your research answer them?  If they did not, which questions do you still have?

PRESENTATION

Minimum six (8) minutes in length, but cannot exceed eight (10) minutes.  You will be timed and one group member may bring up a phone or some other device upon which to time yourselves.  You will also have class time designated for rehearsal only so you know how long your presentation is.

Everyone should be speaking an equal amount in the group.

There should be no “parts.”  Every person should be speaking equally for all slides and all parts.  You will have rehearsal time to practice this.

No scripts, but you may use a maximum of two (2) cue cards.  One side only.  Cue cards must be submitted after your presentation.

You will use Microsoft PowerPoint for this presentation.  Notice that it says Microsoft PowerPoint as in PowerPoint.  Is Prezi PowerPoint?  Is Google Slides?  Keynote?  No.  It’s not.  You are only allowed to use PowerPoint.

Slide layouts are one (1) image and three (3) points maximum per slide.  Clean and simple.

Slides should open near the beginning with your “Thesis Statement.”  It should also reappear at the end.

Final Slide is “References” with links to your sources.

You are welcome (and encouraged) to engage your classmates as you present with small activities, questions, etc.

Presentation Style:

  • Eye contact around the class.  Not looking at floor, cue cards, or screen.
  • Voice loud, clear, articulate, with good pacing (not too fast, but not too slow).
  • “Cheating out” and facing the audience.  Your back should NEVER be to the class.
  • Stance and posture – looking prepared and confident.

Part of your grade will be how you ask questions/give compliments/put up your hand at the end of your classmates’ presentations.

Your presentation should tell us about your Current Event, compare it to the Red River Resistance.  But, do not retell the class about it – we all learned and researched it, so we already know).  Focus instead on how it connects to your thoughts/ideas/questions/etc.

The expectation, given the amount of class time you have for this, will be that at least half of one full class is spent REHEARSING your presentation and timing yourselves, etc.

CURRENT EVENT TOPICS

All of these topics include some type of protest/rally and are recent within five years.  These will be given to groups through random draw.

  • Black Lives Matter.
  • 2020 Canadian Pipeline Railway Protests (Indigenous Protestors).
  • Affordable Housing in Vancouver.
  • #MeToo.
  • BC’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (2022) #MMIWAG
  • Climate Change (Summer 2021).

These have a Vancouver-specific focus unless otherwise indicated.

You will have public groups created in Teams.  All of your collaboration should be here.  You should not be using something like Google Docs for this.  There is a limit to the amount of private channels in Teams, so you will have a public channel only.  Please do not tag the entire team as it will notify the entire class – please just tag the members in your group.  Part of your grade for “use of class time” will come from using this space in Teams.

ASSESSMENT AND SUBMISSION

You will be assessed holistically on this project, starting from how you work with your group, to how well you follow the instructions, to your ability to think, to how polite and supportive you are as an audience member for other groups.

Your Chart must be submitted by the end of the short class on Tuesday, 30 April 2024.   Upload this in your group channel and tag Ms. Hopkin “Hi Ms. Hopkin, here is our chart @hopkin,” so she can look at it when she is back.  However, while in class, Ms. Morden must approve it in person.

Thesis Statement must be signed off by Wednesday, 1 May 2024.

The final part of Friday’s class you will not be allowed to work on your slides.  You will only be allowed to rehearse, practice, and time yourselves!

PowerPoint presentations must be submitted to the Assignment in Teams Friday, 3 May 2024 by the end of class.

Presentations will begin in class on Monday, 6 May 2024 and continue the following classes as needed.

Looking forward to seeing your great work and hearing your thoughts and ideas!

After the Resistance

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Topics covered the past few days:

  • Scrip (class activity – cannot be made up outside of class.  Please speak to classmate).
  • The violence that came from the Canadian “peacekeeping” soldiers towards Métis and Indigenous Peoples.
  • Listened to the Podcast The Secret Life of Canada episode “The Indian Act.”  We got to about 22:00 minutes.  We will finish the podcast on Monday.

Reading covering the information above:

  • Horizons Chapter 5 pp. 166-180.

The Red River Resistance

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22-23 April 2024

  • Resistance versus rebellion.
  • Review some of past reading.  Ask questions and clarification.
  • Primary Source: The Métis Bill of Rights, 1869 (Files –> Northwest).
  • Lesson on the Red River Resistance.
  • Students add to their Causes, Components, and Consequences Charts they started last week.  Will get 30 minutes of class time to complete.  Due Wednesday, 24 April 2024 by 9:30am to Teams.
  • Hmmmm… have you checked the Home Page picture?

The Evacuation of Dunkirk: The Miracle That Possibly Changed the War

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What happened today?

  • Simulation activity of students moving from one beach to another with various obstacles.
  • Proof that the smallest action can change the world.
  • Lesson on the Evacuation of Dunkirk: an example of where people saw they could make a difference and did.  Even if it was one person, one boat – they went and saved nearly 400,000 soldiers trapped on the beaches surrounded by the German military.
  • Introduced Battle Walkthrough Assignment.  If you were absent, you were added to a group so please speak with your classmates.  A post to follow about readings and further instructions will come soon.

Battle Walkthroughs – Topics and Readings

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Battle “Up the Boot” 

  • Creating Canada Chapter 10 pp. 296-297.
  • Counterpoints Chapter 5 p. 144.

North African Campaign

Battle of the Atlantic

  • Creating Canada Chapter 10 p. 292.
  • Counterpoints Chapter 5 p.138.

Battle of Britain

Operation Barbarossa

Dieppe

  • Creating Canada Chapter 10 p. 291.
  • Counterpoints Chapter 5 pp. 142-143.

ADDITIONAL EXPECTATIONS: SOURCES

You will also need two (2) additional reliable sources (e.g. not Wikipedia) that you must show Ms. Hopkin by the end of class on Wednesday, 24 April 2024.  You will upload this in the collaborative channel you have in Teams as a Word Document.  Tag Ms. Hopkin.  Direct links must be included if digital.  If a book, ask Ms. Hopkin and she can show you (you should already know how to cite the textbooks!).

You are encouraged to consider one of these sources being a real study or real academic source.  Ms. Hopkin will show you how to access these on the Pinetree Library Website in class.  (EBSCO Host).  Remember: you need a code to access this outside of school!

GOALS AND DEADLINES

Activity should be planned to take 20 minutes, but you have a buffer of five minutes for unexpected surprises.

Battle Walkthroughs will start on Thursday, 25 April 2024!  They will likely take 2-3 classes (order will be discussed in person, but everyone will be expected to be ready to go the first day).

You will also be assessed on how you participate in your classmates’ Battle Walkthroughs!

Remember you have two classes plus ESS to prepare for this in person! 🙂

Short Day with Criminal Offences

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In the Criminal Offences Package, please only complete the following:

  • Homicide
  • Non-Culpable Homicide
  • Culpable Homicide
  • Three levels of assault

Everything else in between should be skipped.

The notes should include:

  • Definitions in your own words
  • Examples for each (your own, not from the reading)

The people absent today will need to see Ms. Hopkin in person to discuss the reasoning for the absence.

Criminal Offences Unit

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Today you are starting your Criminal Offences Package.  This is something we will work on consistently and add to throughout the next few weeks.  You will get to ask questions and clarify – the goal is everyone gets 100% on this so you can use it as a resource for the Trial!

Today you will be looking at Types of Offences.  These are important so please ensure you are being detailed in your own words – nothing should be copied/pasted from the text (unless no other option, then need to cite it).  All of the other elements of this package, as well as Criminal Defences we will work on later, are connected to these concepts.

Point form is the expectation here.  You may also choose to write by hand.  In that case, you will need to upload a photo of your work each day.  You will also need to write out the prompts/questions of the package as you go through.

Reading:

  • Law in Action Chapter 8 pp. 220-223.
  • Read the case R. v. Mitchell on p. 223.

Assignment:

  1. Read the reading.
  2. Complete the section entitled “Levels of Offences” on the first page.
  3. Read the case R. v. Mitchell and respond to the three questions on that case.  I am also adding a fourth question you need to write out and respond to
    • How would the facts of the case need to change to fulfill the other Types of Offences? (e.g. if you picked Hybrid, how would it change to be Indictable?  Summary?).  This response will require exploration and creativity.
  4. You can do everything in the package, or two separate files.  I unfortunately only managed to pre-make one assignment, so you will need to submit both there.
  5. For the questions, make sure you use a quotation from the case as evidence.

Can always collaborate, but need to have your responses be your own work.

Please remember to write down any questions you have for when we go over it.

Due to Teams by the end of class.  Hope to see you all tomorrow.  Good luck Grade 12s on your CLC Interviews!

Looking Further Into The WWII Canadian Conscription Crisis

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You have already been put into groups.  Check Teams!

In theory, each group should be able to fill in the Word Document attached to the assignment.  If there are any issues, there is a back-up of the Word Document in Files –> Class Materials –> World War II.  Make sure you download the file and save it – do not just work on it in Teams.  However, Teams has assured me you can just work on the attachment within the assignment!

Use the reading and notes from yesterday to collaboratively work through the assignment.  Just one assignment per group.  Point form is fine, but the questions about more recent events (Afghanistan) should be in sentence form and include a quotation.

Not required, but if you needed more information on the War/Invasion (depending which sources you ask) of Afghanistan, this is a Canadian-approved source (but, as always, be skeptical!): Canadian Encyclopedia: War in Afghanistan

Submit your assignment to Teams by the end of class one per group).