Wendy Wright-Pettersen, a teacher at E.J. James Public School in Oakville and her family can’t wait for the new year when they get to watch with the rest of Canada their appearance on the television game show
Family Feud Canada.
Earlier this month, Wright-Pettersen, along with four members of her family, taped their appearance for the show in Toronto. The show is anticipated to air some time in the new year. While results of the family’s appearance will not be known until the air date, Wright-Pettersen says the experience was amazing and something she can’t wait to share with her students as a teaching moment.
“The staff and crew members were so kind,” Wright-Pettersen says. “Really, it was an experience of a lifetime.”
In the summer, the Wright-Pettersen family recorded a mock version of the family taking part in the show and submitted it as their application. They got the call a few weeks later to audition virtually and eventually the family was selected to appear.
Once the show airs, Wright-Pettersen hopes to use the show as a teaching lesson for her E.J. James PS Grade 7 and 8 students, including media literacy, geography and data management.
“Through media literacy, we can explore the impact and influence of mass media and popular culture by examining texts such as films, songs, video games, advertisements, magazines, newspapers, photographs, websites, television shows including game shows like Family Feud Canada,” she says. ”These various texts abound in our electronic information age, and the messages they convey, both overt and implied, can have a significant influence on students’ lives.”
Wright-Pettersen further states: “We could take some of the questions on the show and use them to tie into data management or Grade 8 geography by looking at demographics and settlement patterns, and understanding more about how people live based on the responses that have been given.”
An important part of the experience, she says, is production crews followed COVID-19 protocols very closely.
“The team at CBC studios were very well prepared with COVID protocols in place that were clearly communicated before and during our visit to ensure the safety of all participants and staff members. We all need a little levity during these stressful times of COVID, so this experience really allowed our family to enjoy a laugh and have some fun.”
*Photo courtesy of CBC
From left: Jim, Scott, Wendy, Greg and Stacey