Learning Activities

ACTIVITY SUMMARIES

1. Culminating Activity: History Close to Home (Grades 5-10)
   Students investigate local historic sites, people, and events and make connections between their local community and our country's history.
    
2. In the Voyageurs' Footsteps (Grades 5-9)
   The historic Canadian fur trade does not belong to a particular time or region of the country: it was a pattern of relations between peoples, their environment, and international luxury markets. This activity focuses on why some of the major places and participants in the fur trade have national significance.
    
3. As Seen Through Your Eyes (Grades 7-9)
   What was life like in Port-Royal, Acadia, and what was the significance of the success of this small colony? Students explore the trials and successes of this small group of French colonists from the perspective of one of its members.
    
4. Conflict and Competition: The Klondike Gold Rush (Grades 7-9)
   Though gold miners had already been extracting gold for a number of years, and a slow and steady stream of miners began finding gold along various points of the Yukon River, the strike at what was later called Bonanza Creek was the catalyst for the Klondike Gold Rush. This activity examines the far-reaching consequences of this discovery.
    
5. The Greatest Prime Minister (Grades 7-9)
   Sir John A. Macdonald is remembered as a "nation builder." Each prime minister has since contributed his or her unique perspectives and abilities to the development of our country. This activity raises the question, "What does it take to be a great prime minister?"
    
6. Where We Live . Who We Are (Grades 7-10)
   The first inhabitants of Canada developed technologies that enabled them to live in balance with the environment in which they lived. In each region of the country, they developed different cultures and ways of life, depending in part on the climate and the natural resources available to them. Students will explore the history of how different Aboriginal groups interacted with the environment in which they lived. Aboriginal peoples of Canada adapted to change in the past, and continue to do so today.
    
7. Holding Up Half the Sky (Grades 8-10)
   "Women hold up half the sky" is a saying that values the contributions of women to our world. This activity introduces some of Canada's remarkable female "agents of change" and the organizations with which they worked.
    
8. Louis Riel: Martyr, Traitor, Hero, or . . . ? (Grades 8-10)
   Louis Riel has been seen as a martyr, spiritual leader, and a hero, as well as a murderer and a traitor. The debate continues: Who was the 'real' Louis Riel?
    
9. Dreams Become Realities: Canadian Inventions (Grades 8-10)
   Canadian inventors have patented more than a million inventions and some inventors are designated as nationally significant because of their contributions. Do all inventions and innovations have only positive effects? Students examine both sides of the picture and draw their own conclusions.
    
10. A New Land, a New Life (Grades 8-10)
    Many different groups of people from different countries have found freedom, a home, and prosperity in Canada. In this activity, students will learn about the people of diverse origins who have been designated as nationally significant.
     
11. 400 Years of French Presence in Canada (Grades 9-11)
    The year 2004 marks the 400th anniversary of the beginning of permanent French settlement in North America, which began with the arrival of Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Mons at Saint Croix Island in 1604. This activity explores the successes and challenges of the French culture in Canada and its impact on the country's development. It also helps students understand how people settled, lived on and adapted to this new land.
     
12. World Heritage Sites of Canada (Grades 9-11)
    Our precious and irreplaceable natural and cultural heritage must be protected so that future generations can inherit the treasures of the past. National and international efforts are undertaken to protect natural and cultural properties against the threat of damage. Preserving our heritage is the work of everyone.