This interview is part of a special series of the Teaching Canada's History podcast where we spoke with the finalists for the 2021 Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Shannon Leggett is a teacher at Brockton School in North Vancouver, British Columbia, where she has developed a new take on a history classroom staple: the research essay. Shannon requires her students to create a 2000-word analytical historical investigation on a Canadian event between 1919-2011 with plenty of feedback from Shannon regarding anything from writing tips to gaps in research. In this process, students learn how to conduct in-depth research and produce papers using a multi-faceted, scaffolded approach. Once the paper is complete, students are tasked with defending their research finding in a 15-minute presentation/Q&A session with their peers. The purpose of this project is not only skill based but also to have students become experts in one area of post-WWI Canadian history, and be taught about a wide array of unique, often unknown events in Canadian history.

To learn more about the Governor General's History Awards or to nominate a teacher in your community, visit CanadasHistory.ca/Awards.