Canada

Mandy Almond
4th Grade
Geography

PURPOSE:

The students will sample the rich diversity of Canada’s people and cultures, glimpse the vastness of Canada’s lands and waters, and get an idea of the wealth and variety of its resources, wildlife, and history.

CONNECTIONS TO THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHY STANDARDS:

1. Knows and understands how to use maps, globes and other graphical tools to acquire, process and report information. The students will use and apply map skills throughout the entire unit.

APPLICABLE TEXAS ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGEAND SKILLS:

* The student understands the impact of interactions between people and the physical environment on the development of places and regions. The students will understand that the first people to live in Canada came from Asia and wandered through what we call today Alaska and settled in Canada.

* The student uses maps, globes, graphs, charts, models, and databases to answer geographic questions. The students will gain and apply knowledge of the geographic location of Canada by using a map.

* The student understands the impact of physical process on patterns in the environment. This applies to the fact that Canada contains one-third of all the fresh water in the world and how this effects Canada.

* The student understands how geographic factors influence the economic development, political relationships, and policies of societies. The students will study and understand the important resources of Canada.

* The students understand the characteristics and relative locations of major historical and contemporary societies. The students will understand the history of Canada.

OBJECTIVE LIST:

The students will be able to:

Locate states, rivers, mountain ranges, territories, and regions of Canada.

Understand what New France is.

Understand facts about the history of Canada and learn how to make exchanges like the ones done at the Hudson’s Bay Company.

Understand what the Mountain Police are and what they do.

Understand the different types of wildlife in Canada.

Understand that there is both city and rural life in Canada and what takes place.

Understand the culture of Canada.

Learn about the different holidays that take place in Canada.

Learn about different sports in Canada and use the Internet to research them.

Learn about courage and how Terry Fox displayed it.

Learn about some important Canadians.

OVERVIEW OF PRESENTATION:

Lesson One: History of Canada

Lesson Two: Geography of Region

Lesson Three: New France

Lesson Four: Mounted Police

Lesson Five: Wildlife

Lesson Six: City life/Rural life

Lesson Seven: Sports (Internet Day)

Lesson Eight: Culture

Lesson Nine: Holidays

Lesson Ten: Close of Unit (Assessment)

Sponge Activity: Have the Canada National Anthem playing when the students enter the classroom. Have a word find for them to work on different terms about Canada.

Opening: Ask students what comes to mind when they think of Canada. Explain to them that for the next ten days they will be studying Canada and some interesting history, facts, resources, animals, holiday and people. Explain to them that they will be learning some interesting facts and will be doing some really interesting activities. Tell them that they will even be cooking Canadian food. Then write on the board "What we know about Canada and what we want to learn about Canada". Have the students answer these questions orally.

Guided Practice: Begin the unit by giving them some interesting history about Canada. Have it printed for them so they can read it together as a class. (See worksheet A and B for handout on history). Discuss the history of Canada that they just read about. As a class make a time line of the events that were just discussed. Have a large piece of butcher paper on the board and have the students come up and write in events with names when necessary. Have timelines on their desk that they can feel in and add to as well. Discuss the fur traders that the students just read about. Read to them that there were two founders of the Hudson’s Day Company in 1670. Explain that they were given a royal charter and the exclusive right to trade with the Native People. At it’s largest, the Hudson’s Bay Company controlled the area that stretched from Hudson Bay across Canada to the Pacific, and down into what became the state of Oregon. It extended north into the Arctic regions inhabited by the Inuits.

Hides, wild rice, and native handcrafted items were exchanged for European muskets, knives, wooden barrels, tools, and liquor. Native trappers were sometimes given a brass coin, which had the value of one pelt. One side bore the likeness of King George IV. The other side pictured a beaver. A hole at the top enabled it to be worn as an ornament until redeemed at the company store.

Independent Practice: Tell the students that they are going to reenact the trading between the Native People of Canada and the Europeans of the Hudson’s Bay Company. Divide the class into two groups: Native People and Europeans. Divide each group into four smaller groups. Cut project cards apart. (Cards can be found in the Canada Activity Book on page 33). Give a card (1-4) to each Native People group. Give a card (5-6) to each European group. Group members follow the directions for making the project described on their card. Designate an area to be the trading post. Invite the Native People to visit the Europeans in the trading post and exchange goods.

Evaluation: This will be an evaluation by the instructor whether or not the students can reenact the trading process or not.

Closure: Have the students answer some questions orally about some history that was studied and discussed in the lesson.

Materials: word find, history worksheet A and B, butcher paper, marker, student time lines, Hudson’s Bay Company project cards, materials as specified for each project card, scissors, and glue

Sponge Activity: Have the Canadian National Anthem song playing again and teach them the English version. Practice singing the song with them.

Opening: Teach them some facts about Canada like the symbols of Canada, the flag of Canada, the languages, motto, size, capital and major products. (See the facts and song words in the Unit about Canada book on page 4 and 5). Then explain that this day they will learn about the geography of Canada. Have a globe to show them where Canada is located in the world.

Guided Practice: Explain to them that Canada is the second-largest nation in the world, with a land area of almost 10 million square kilometers. Much of the land is in or near the arctic regions, making it almost uninhabitable, and there are still large areas of undeveloped wilderness. The vast central prairies are rich in farmland. The remaining land is rich in natural resources-fish, furs, timber, and minerals. The landscape is covered with numerous lakes and waterways.

Canada is made up of ten provinces-Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Price Edward Island, Quebec, and Saskatchewan; and two territories- the Yukon and Northwest Territories, and as of 1999 the Northwest Territory is divided into two parts. The eastern part is called Nunavut, and the western portion is called the Northwest Territories. Each area has its own distinctive characteristics and economy.

Independent Practice: Have the students create their own map of Canada. Give them all a map pattern. (See worksheet C for pattern). Have them color the map pattern, coloring the provinces and territories and different colors. Use the atlas to identify the capital cities of each province/territory and add them to the map, marking each with a star. Add geographical details like rivers, lakes, and mountain ranges.

Evaluation: This will take place by observing whether or not the students can create their own map or not.

Closure: Have the students keep a notebook journal of what they learn each day about Canada starting today. Give them time to write in them something that they learned today, and allow those who want to, to share theirs.

Materials: journals, National Anthem song, words in English, overhead with facts about Canada, globe, map pattern, colored pencils and atlas of Canada

Sponge Activity: When the students come into the classroom have some words on the board for them to look up and write the definitions in their journal. Use the following words: associate, observation, interior, heartland, establish, province, empire, and conclusion.

Opening: Discuss the words that the students have looked up. Explain that what they will be studying today is New France.

Guided Practice: Hand out the sheet on New France (see handout in Time Traveler book on page 10). Have them read it aloud as a class and discuss it. Explain to the students that they are going to pretend that they are Champlain. Explain that they are a friend to both the Huron and the Iroquois. The Iroquois commence an attack on a Huron village. However, they realize that if you step in and help the Huron, it could forever make them an enemy of the powerful Iroquois. Open a discussion about what they should do? Then explain to that the Voyagers were

rugged fur traders who felt more at home in the world of nature than in a big city. Explain to them that fur trading meant they had to travel in the snow wearing snowshoes, and they carried heavy loads of beaver pelts. Have them make a pair of snowshoes and try to haul a heavy load of beaver pelts.

Independent Practice: Have them stand on cardboard and have a partner trace around the outline of each foot. Measure an oval 15.24cm(6in) larger than the outline and cut out the cardboard. Make several holes on opposite sides of the arch area. Lace the holes with a long piece of yarn or twine. Step on the cardboard and tie it in place over your shoe. Have them take turn pulling a wagon with weight in it.

Evaluation: This will take place as the open discussion takes place and with the journal entries.

Closure: Have the students write in their journals about what they learned for the day, and those who want to can share.

Materials: Worksheet on New France, Snowshoes: heavy yarn or twine, poster board or cardboard, hole punch or nail, scissors and marking pen Hauling sled: wagon, rope and something heavy

Sponge Activity: When the students come in the classroom have them look up the vocabulary on the board and write it in their journal: scarlet, tunic, distinctive, ceremonial, federal, mount, Klondike, prospector and impressive.

Opening: Discuss the words the students looked up. Explain to them that today they will be studying the Mounted Police.

Guided Practice: Pass out the sheet about the Mounted Police (the sheet can be found in the Time Traveler on page 12). Read the sheet to the student and have them follow along while it is being read. Then have maps for all the students, and as a class retrace the journey the first Mounties undertook during the Long March. Then explain to the students that they are going to make their own Royal Canadian Mounted Police Puppet. Tell them that the distinctive red coats of the Mounties were a symbol of peace, and the color was chosen because the Native People equated red with justice and fair dealing. The broad-brimmed hats were adopted by 1900 because they offered protection from the sun. The Mounties of today still wear the red coat for dress and ceremonial occasions, including magnificent parades.

Independent Practice: Reproduce the puppet pattern from worksheet D. Have the students cut it out and color it. Glue cutout onto poster board and trim to shape. Then use glue to mount puppet to paint stirrer. Then use puppets to write a story in journal.

Evaluation: This will come from the class discussion.

Closure: Have them write poem, song or story about puppet in journal and share if they want. Give them a review over what they have studied this week over Canada for a quiz on day five.

Materials: worksheet on information, poster board, puppet pattern, crayons or markers, scissors, glue, paint stirrer and quiz review

Sponge Activity: Have the students do a word find with different Canadian wildlife when beginning the Canada study for the day.

Opening: Read part of the book Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat. It is about a man who goes into the wilderness to live with wolves and documents how they live. Because of his work, the Canadian government stopped poisoning wolves. Explain that they will be studying wildlife for the day.

Guided Practice: Hand out a sheet about Canadian wildlife (found in Time Travelers on page 15), and read it aloud as a class. Then discuss the information together as a class. Then on the board make a chart showing the difference between Canada’s carnivores and omnivores? Then go over the different types of animals that are found in Canada that were on the word search. Explain to the students that they will make windows on Canadian wildlife.

Independent Practice: Cover a bulletin board with white paper. Create windowpanes with marking pen or strips of black paper. (This should be done before students are in class). Then let the children draw pictures of a bird or animal of their choice. Drawing guidelines are to fill the paper as much as possible and to color the animal realistically. Place one animal in each section of the window. Under each, have students write the name of the animal, where it lives, and at least two interesting facts about it.

Evaluation: This will be evaluated with the discussion and their journal entries. Have a small quiz over what they have studied over the last five days.

Closure: Allow them to write in their journals about what they did this day.

Materials: word find, Never Cry Wolf, information worksheet, reference books showing Canadian wildlife, bird field guides, white drawing slightly smaller than the size of the window panes, crayons, marking pens, index cards or writing paper for labels and quiz

Sponge Activity: Have the students look up the following vocabulary and write it in their journal: originally, rural, industry, mandatory and population. Then hand out the worksheet (Unit about Canada on page 11) to fill out.

Opening: Discuss the vocabulary terms they looked up and the worksheet they filled out. Explain that they will be studying about city and rural life this lesson.

Guided Practice: Then pass out the information sheet (Time Traveler on page 18). Read it aloud to the students and discuss it as a class. Then as a class make a chart showing the different kinds of schooling available to children in Canada and discuss it. Then explain to them what igloos are and what they were used for. Then tell the students that they are going to make igloos out of sugar cubes.

Independent Practice: Give each student a small box of sugar cubes. Also give them each a small square of cardboard to glue their igloo on. Show them how to glue their sugar cubes together to form an igloo. Have one done to show them. They will also have to cut some cubes to shape their igloos. Display them around the class when they are through.

Evaluation: This will take place in the discussion part of the lesson.

Closure: Have them write in their journal why they think towns appear and expand along railroad lines? Allow those to share who want to.

Materials: sponge worksheet, information worksheet, sugar cubes, cardboard, glue and scissors.

Sponge Activity: Write the sentence on the board "My favorite sport is….", and have them write about it in their journal.

Opening: Explain to the students that this lesson will be about the different sports that are played in Canada. Then put them in-groups of three and tell them that this will be their group for the computer lab. Hand out a worksheet to each group. (See the worksheet D for the group worksheet).

Guided Practice: Explain to them that they will get on the computer in the labs and the address they need to go to will be on the board in the room and at the top of their worksheet. Take them to the lab, and have them all find the address. Tell them to play with the page for about 15 minutes to get familiar with it, and when the time is up have them begin the worksheet. Explain that they are to choose 4 sports and answer the worksheet to be turned in for a group grade.

Independent Practice: Have the groups search the page and answer the worksheet.

Evaluation: This will be done when the worksheets are graded.

Closure: Have the groups go back to the classroom and write one neat fact they found on the computer about Canadian sports in their journal.

Materials: worksheet and computer

Sponge Activity: Have the students write the following vocabulary in their journals: appreciate, sculpture, landscape, symphony, renowned, annually, professional, and original.

Opening Activity: Discuss the vocabulary that they looked up and explain that the lesson for today will discuss Canadian culture.

Guided Practice: Hand out the worksheet on the Culture of Canada (found in the Time Traveler on page 24), and read through it together. Discuss it together as a class. Then listen to the song "The Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald" by Canadian musician and songwriter Gordon Lightfoot. It is a song about a disaster on Lake Superior. It was banned on the Canadian radio for years. After listening to it brainstorm with the students all the possible reasons why Canada might have banned it. Then tell them that they are going to the cafeteria to bake some Bannock bread. Tell them that the Native People, who baked it over an open fire, first made this bread. European settlers fried it in a pan.

Then go to the cafeteria or make it in the classroom, and have all the ingredients already pre measured and ready to combine there. The ingredients are as following: 2 cups flour, 2 cups water, a pinch of salt, 1 Tbsp. of baking powder, 1 egg, 1 Tbsp. of sugar, vegetable oil and flavors of jam.

The directions are as following:

1. Mix flour, water, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl. Add egg and sugar, mixing well.
2. Heat a small amount of oil in frying pan. Pour one-third of batter into pan and cook until small bubbles appear. Add more oil and flip bannock over. Cook until second side is done.
3. Repeat with remaining batter.
4. Cut bannock into pieces and serve with jam.

Evaluation: This will be done with the discussion.

Closure: Have the students help clean up after they eat and write the recipe in their journals.

Materials: worksheet on culture, song, and cooking supplies

Sponge Activity: Have the sentence on the board to write in their journal, "My favorite holiday is _______________ and this is why…".

Opening: Have an open discussion with the students about the holidays they wrote about. Then explain that they will be studying Canadian holidays this lesson.

Guided Practice: Hand out a worksheet to all the students (found in the Time Traveler book on page 27. Read it to the class and have an open discussion about it. Then as a class have them all make calendars of Canadian holidays they just read about. Mark them together. Then go over the holiday that Canadians celebrate their country’s birthday on July 1^st. Canada day used to be called Dominion Day. The celebration began on July 1, 1867, when the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick united to form one country. The other provinces and territories joined later. Giant birthday parties throughout the country are given in celebration. Some communities share a large birthday cake. Others put on a fireworks display. Choirs sing, bands play, and dancers perform. Explain to the students that they are going to create their each unique birthday card for Canada.

Independent Practice: Pass out all the materials for the students to create their own card. Do not put limits on them, and let them be as creative as they want.

Evaluation: This will be done with the discussion.

Closure: Have the students write in their journal what they have learned today and allow for discussion. Hang the cards in the classroom when they are completed. Give them a review for a small quiz over what they have learned this second week of the unit. The test will be given on day ten.

Materials: information worksheet, calendar, construction paper, colors, markers, scissors, glue, glitter, scraps of material, yarn and quiz review

Sponge Activity: Have the students journal about what there favorite day of the unit was and why they chose that activity.

Opening: Have an opening discussion about what they wrote in their journal. Then discuss some things they liked and disliked about the unit.

Guided Practice: Have the students put together a notebook of all the information pages they have from the Time Traveler book. This will be good for them to take home from the end of the unit. Then have a Jeopardy-style game prepared for them to play for thirty minutes to review for their quiz. Divide the class into two groups and have them play the game. The instructor pretends to be Alex, and give all the students a prize at the end of the game.

Independent Practice: There is none this day.

Evaluation: This will be done by taking up their journals and grading them, and also give them a quiz.

Closure: Sum up the unit and move on to something else.

Materials: construction paper for notebooks, hole punch, markers, crayons, Jeopardy questions, prizes and quiz

Worksheet A and B are the examples of the information sheets from the Time Traveler book that were combined at the end and put into a notebook.

Worksheet C is the map for the geography day and it is from the Canada Activity book.

Worksheet D is the puppet for the Mounted Police day and it is out of the Canada Activity book as well.

Worksheet E is the Internet sheet for the sports day.

There could be math and science incorporated into this lesson as well. Math could be incorporated in the geography day be measuring distances from place to place on the map of Canada. Science could be incorporated as well by using magnets to study the difference between True North, located under ice at the North Pole, and Magnetic North, located near Prince of Wales Island, Northwest Territories.

People in group______________________________________

Log onto web site. http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Canada/Recreation_and_Sports/Sports/

Choose 4 sports to log onto that you are unfamiliar with. The four sports we chose where:

a._________________ b.___________________

c. _________________ d. ___________________

1. The four sports were started when and by whom?


a. ___________________________________________

b. ___________________________________________

c. ___________________________________________

d. ___________________________________________

The most interesting thing about the history of the sports was?

a. ___________________________________________

b. ___________________________________________

c. ___________________________________________

d. ___________________________________________

Choose two graphics that you thought were the most interesting and list their web addresses and describe them in detail.

Address #1

Address #2

Describe on the back of the worksheet:

Choose two of the four sports and describe how to play them.

7. Our two least favorites we choose were ___________ and ___________, and this is why:
 

Coe, Jane M. A Unit about Canada. California: Evan-Moor Corporation, 1995.

Milliken, Linda. Canada Activity Book. California: Edupress, 1997.

Pofahl, Jane. The Time Traveler Series on Canada. Michigan: Instructional Fair, 1996

http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Canada/Recreation_ and _ Sports/Sports   (4-27-99)
 
 

Canada home page

Canadian history page

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