Who Lives in Canada?

Books | Videos | Sources of photographs | General Resource websites
First Nations or Aboriginal | In-Migration | Link to On-Line Curriculum

Books: Selected Canadian Children’s Book Publishers

Fiction Chapter Books

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Videos

  • Inuit Kids – Life in the Arctic for two 13-year olds

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Photographs on-line

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websites

  • Canadians in the World – educational resource
  • Teaching and Learning about Canada – page of links
  • Culture Canada – organized and annotated Web links
  • Canada e-Book – an online version of the Canada Year Book with texts, tables, charts and audio clips that present the country’s economic and social trends

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Aboriginal – this is a term for all native peoples; Native Canadians; First Nations

Inuit| Kwakiutl | Sto:lo | Mi’kmaq| Maliseet | Cree | Iroquois

  • Statistics Canada demographic profile on Aboriginal people of Canada
  • Canada’s First Nations
  • First Nations Information Project – A listing of First Nation communities across Canada, grouped by region and province/territory.
  • Aboriginal Languages – There are over 50 Aboriginal languages in Canada, and many more dialects.
  • Aboriginal Place Names – organized by province and territory
  • Information Sheets – These are written for children aged 8-11, and offered in PDF
  • Aboriginal People Profiles – Biographies – “Surf through these People pages and learn more about the lives and contributions of some prominent Aboriginal people in Canada – devoted individuals who have made a real difference in their fields: writers, actors, musicians, athletes and more!”
  • Claire and her Grandfather – “The story of Claire and her Grandfather is designed to enhance young people’s awareness of some of the many contributions and inventions by Aboriginal people. The story is meant to be a versatile teaching tool for children ages 7-12, although older students might enjoy the story and its images. Teachers of children in the target age group can use the story to initiate a broader examination of the many historical and contemporary contributions of First Nations and Inuit to Canada and the world.”
  • Teachers’ Guide to Aboriginal Literature – Downloadable resource for teachers of upper grades or as background. Covers six major aboriginal cultures.
  • Our Languages – History, background, alphabet and phrases for Woodland Cree, Plains Cree, Swampy Cree, Dene, Dakota, Nakota, Lakota and Nakawé

Inuit Culture

  • Through Mala’s Eyes – Life in an Inuit Community – “This site offers some insight into the lives of Inuit, as related by a fictitious 12-year-old Inuk boy from Salluit in Nunavik, Northern Quebec. Although designed for students from 9 to 12 years of age, some of the lesson plans and strategies in these units can be adapted for other grade levels. Through Mala’s Eyes will help you and your students to learn more about the history, customs and traditions of Inuit in Canada. Each lesson provides teachers with a story or narrative, activities sheet, and an outline of the resources required for that lesson.”
  • Canada is Movies – Home-made video of children at school in the Arctic, demonstrating elements of Arctic life.
  • Live from the tundra – Still photos with captions and streaming media from a remote outpost on Baffin Island, Nunavut
  • Inuit Games – http://www.ahs.uwaterloo.ca/~museum/vexhibit/inuit/english/inuit.html;
    http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/Exhibitions/Traditions/English/inuit_games.html
  • Write in Inuktitut
  • Inuit Myths
  • Cape Dorset Inuit Art and Inuit Cultural Perspectives – Site shows slides of the work of some of the outstanding pioneer artists, and stories and descriptions of Inuit life from interviews conducted with Inuit elders.
  • Inuit Artists Project – Opening page features an audio of throat singing; site contains lists of artists and communities, community map, legends and stories and Inuit throat and harp songs.
  • Inuit statistics
  • A Day in the Life of an Inuit Child – Nunavik girl in Grade 4 shows her day in photos.
  • Inuit life in Nunavik

Kwakiutl Culture

  • Totems – “This site offers insight into the traditions, language and culture of the Kwakwaka’wakw people who have lived for centuries in the northwest coastal region of North America. Along with candid interviews, teaching lessons, extensive graphic material, quicktime movies and audio clips, it tells the story of a young Kwakwaka’wakw artist, who has allowed his work and vision to be shared through this medium.”
  • Potlatch: Then and Now – Potlatch: Then and Now has been designed with a fourth grade Social Studies learner in mind. The narrative is simple but presents many ideas that can be used as starting points for further discussion

Sto:lo (pronounced “Stahlow”)

  • Sto:lo Nation
  • I Am Sto:lo!: Katherine Explores Her Heritage – Grade 4 culture study text book designed as a story of a girl whose family helps her with a heritage project.
  • Sto:lo Art – Images of carvers’ art.

Mi’kmaq Culture

Maliseet Culture

Cree Culture

Iroquois Culture

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In-Migration

  • Chinese-Canadians
    • A Chinese-Canadian Story: The Yip Sang Family – British Columbia’s mainland was first settled by large numbers of non-Natives during the Gold Rush which began in 1858. These early settlers included many single men from China who came to work in BC, and, like others, hoped to strike it rich in the Gold Rush.
    • Across Generations: a history of Chinese-Canadians – By the 1880s, Chinese settlement patters in western Canada were becoming established. When gold had been the main attraction, Chinese communities were set up along the Fraser Canyon and in the Cariboo. The building of the railroad further affected the distribution of Chinese communities on the British Columbia mainland. Communities sprung up near Yale, Lytton, Savona’s Ferry and Kamloops.
  • East Indian-Canadians – Sikhs
    • Becoming Canadian: Pioneer Sikhs – An outline of the book Becoming Canadians: Pioneer Sikhs In Their Own Words by Sarjeet Singh Jagpal. Contains history and interviews.
  • Ukrainian-Canadians
    • Harvest of Dreams – There are nearly a million Canadians who trace their ancestry to Ukraine.They are prominent in every area of Canada’s economic, political and social life. Although Ukrainians are very much a part of the fabric of Canada, they have vigorously maintained their own distinctive cultural identity, which is reflected in unique regional life styles, a vibrant community life, rich religious customs and colourful art forms.
    • Ukrainian Folklore Archives: Ukrainian Weddings – A rich Ukrainian-Canadian wedding complex has taken shape over the last century in Canada. Like all folk traditions, it has inherited elements from the past which are constantly influenced by the changing cultural environment.
    • Ottawa: Ukrainian Reflections – History and an interactive walking map of Ottawa showing sites of Ukrainian heritage and interest
  • Mennonite-Canadians
    • Who are the Mennonites? – select “projects” from the link bar at the top to choose “Who are the Mennonites”

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Language Groups

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Ethnic and Religious Groups

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On-Line Curriculum

  • Saskatchewan Social Studies Grade 5: Canada’s First Peoples
  • Integrated Unit for Grades 4-6: Mi’kmaq
  • Mi’kmaq Grade 5 history and culture unit
  • Inuit People – A Resource Room Activity for the Grade Three Core Curriculum
  • Potlatch: Then and Now – Potlatch: Then and Now has been designed with a fourth grade Social Studies learner in mind. The narrative is simple but presents many ideas that can be used as starting points for further discussion.The accompanying lesson plans have been designed for direct classroom use, but can be adapted to your situation and preference.
  • The Bishop Who Ate His Boots – The history of Anglican Church Missions in Canada’s North. This site explores the interaction between the First Nations people of the western Arctic and the commercial whalers and missionaries who traveled there. An Educational section includes lesson plans and an interactive quiz based on the northern lifestyle

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