Middle Level
Culture | Arctic | Art | Geography | Government | Literature | Native Canadians | New France Quebec | Saskatchewan Grade 5 Social Studies Curriculum | Statistics Canada Education Resources
- The Culture Concept (7th) – Unit with four activities to introduce students to the concept of culture and to provide an approach to acquire and organize information about people and cultures they study: What is Culture, Groups and Institutions, Learning About People, and Cultural Change. Part of the Geographic Education and Technology Program’s collection of lesson plans.
- Cultural Diversity – “The purpose of this unit is to increase student awareness about Cultural Diversity in Canada. This unit looks at Canada’s current cultural diversity including the diversity of Canada’s Native People. This unit offers opportunities for role-playing, creative writing, critical reading, analysis of data, and Internet use. Students will hopefully gain an appreciation for the diversity of people in Canada, along with themselves, and the contributions that various groups give to Canada’s multicultural society.” Authors are teachers associated with Queen’s University (Kingston, ON).
- Four Backgrounders about Nunavut and Nunavik – The modules are written for teachers at the elementary and high school levels. They provide a simple and concise overview to each subject and are written with US students in mind. The modules are: Inuktitut – History of Inuit Language; Nunavut – New Inuit Territory; Nunavik – Inuit Territory in Northern Quebec; and Ten Engaging Children’s Books to Teach About Canada’s North
- Emily Carr: At Home and at Work – Basic art appreciation lessons for grades K-2, 3-5, and 6-7, focusing on the life and works of this Canadian artist. Featured on this site are color images of the artist’s works. Lessons written by a museum curator.
- Visual Arts and Canadian Women Artists – “The unit involves the production of works of art as well as the study of art history and art criticism. The more “academic” parts of the unit (the art history and criticism) are focused on Canadian artists in particular, with an emphasis on the inclusion of women artists. The focus is on 20th Century art and progresses towards an understanding of contemporary conceptual art.” Chart of curriculum plan with hyperlinks to lessons.
- Canada’s Major Cities – In this lesson, “students will learn that large cities play an important role in the composition of our nation, Canada”.
- Canada – Its Land and People (5th) – Students will research a physical region of Canada. They will collect and record information on location, natural resources, industries, physical characteristics, the land, climate, population, cities, transportation, bodies of water, and political divisions of the region. This project will require that the students create a Power Point presentation to demonstrate their understanding of the characteristics and features of the region.
- Canada’s Geography and People (5th) – Students will use a variety of resources to identify Canada’s provinces and capital cities. They will locate the population count for each of the provinces and territories and capital cities. They will record this information on spreadsheets (student prepared or teacher prepared in Excel) and develop bar graphs (student or teacher prepared in Excel) which will allow them to compare the information and answer questions on this information. Students will then be introduced to the regions of Canada by completing a map of the regions and a chart relating the major cities and their populations to the region in which they are located.
- Provincial Tourism Project Web Quest (5th) – Your group will come up with interesting, creative and attractive ways of marketing your assigned province. Select activity topics that add up to 100 marks and complete the Tourism Contract. Each group will present its completed assignments at the end of this term using multimedia software (KidPix Studio, HyperStudio, AppleWorks Slideshow…).
- Web Quest: Design Canadian Theme Ride (5th) – Congratulations, you have been chosen as one of the consultants to design the first Canadian theme based Disneyland Attraction!
- Canadian Development – Unit to examine how Canadian regions, transportation- specifically the railroad, settlements and communities, and technology have shaped Canadian development. Author presents a chart of lesson objectives, activities/procedures, and notes for the teacher.
- Canada – “What can we learn from maps and literature about settlement patterns in Canada?” Unit from Florida Geographic Alliance teachers.
- Canadian Parliament – “Students will learn that Canada’s parliament is composed of elected political parties, and will learn the meaning of political phrases such as official party status, majority/minority, and popular vote.”
- Canada’s Parliamentary System – A Day in the Life of Bill C-One – “Grades 4 to 6 and junior high students will examine the legislative process by which bills become laws, through research on the Internet and in local media, opinion surveys among a mock constituency, and class discussion.” Additional lesson plans about Canadian law.
- Novel Study Links – Chapter-by-chapter study questions for students.
Canadian books: - Iroquois Creation Story – “This unit is designed to give an introduction to students about the Haudenoshaunee, or Iroquois people in Canada. It includes a brief background of where they came from and where they have settled over the last few centuries. Students will look at their own genealogical backgrounds and learn a story of their own, before learning about the Iroquois. A variety of written, oral, and artistic activities are contained herein, with reference to the Ontario Curriculum Guidelines in Language”. Includes references and word origins and pronunciation.
- Multicultural Stories – “This is a multicultural exploration unit for use in the intermediate English classroom. It is designed so that students can learn more about the cultures and regions of Canada through reading, researching, writing, discussing, and reporting. Topics include: autobiography, Canadian immigrants, multiculturalism across Canada, and First Nations.” Includes bibliography and resources.
NATIVE CANADIANS / FIRST NATIONS
- Aboriginal Peoples: Past and Present – “In this unit students will be exposed to the diversity of Aboriginal peoples in historical as well as contemporary settings through the study of literature, social studies, music and art with suggestions for extension into the science curriculum.” Comprehensive unit with book lists, book study guide forms, and assessment criteria included. This is a Saskatchewan Professional Development Unit.First Nations and Metis Curriculum Units
“Industry Canada and the Saskatchewan Indian Federated College Department of Indian Education created five curriculum teaching units which use SchoolNet’s Digital Collections to provide period images. These units contain 5-9 lessons, background information pages, and assessment suggestions. The five units are:- Treaties – “Designed for grade four level, to foster students’ learning about the experiences of First Nations cultures which have shaped the province of Saskatchewan.”
- Traditional Games – “The purpose of this unit is to develop an awareness of various traditional Plains Cree games such as games of chance and ball games.”
- Fur Trade – Focuses on the beaver and the uses of and markets for its pelts.
- Northwest Rebellion – “The goal of this unit is for students to develop an awareness and understanding for First Nations and Metis people during a time when changes to their livelihood were being challenged”.
- First Nations Past and Present – “The purpose of this unit is to introduce students to the People of the Plains, and to the contributions and achievements these people have made to Saskatchewan as well as Canada.”
- Indian Languages: Curriculum Guide for K-12
- New France – “Although Canada originally belonged to its Aboriginal Peoples, the French and English were the first groups to explore what we now call Canada. By examining how the French came to live in Canada, where they settled, and how they interacted with the Native Peoples students will better understand the roots of some of the issues that are significant in our current history, for example, The Oka Crisis. They will also understand the impact the immigration of the European settlers had upon the Native Community. It is equally important to recognize that the Native Peoples taught the French many interesting things as well. By studying the Fur Trade and other aspects of New France’s culture, students will gain a deeper appreciation for such interactions.” Contains detailed lesson plans and hyperlinks to primary sources and research resources. Written by teachers in the Queen’s University Faculty of Education.
- History of Quebec Teaching Module – “The aim of this module is to give students a background in the history of Québec so that they will understand the roots of the separatist movement today. Because the module attempts to tie the story of the French in Canada to U.S. history, students should also gain a greater sense of the interrelatedness of the histories of both countries. Part of “Linking! Connecting Canadian History to the U.S.” written by educators at University of Washington.
SASKATCHEWAN GRADE FIVE SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM UNITS
- Grade Five Social Studies – Thorough academic units described in detail, with hyperlinks to relevant resources.
- Planning and Teaching the Course
- Identity – Unit 1 Overview – Location and Physical Features, Canadian Symbols, Contemporary Canadian People
- Heritage – Unit 2 Overview – Learning About the Past, Canada’s First Peoples, Explorers, Fur Traders and the Meacutetis Peoples, Building a Nation: Immigration, Confederation, the Canadian Pacific Railway, the Treaties, and the Wars
- Interdependence – Unit 3 Overview – Canadian Resources and Industries, Agriculture and Related Industries, Canada’s Economy
- Decision Making – Unit 4 Overview – The Federal Government Makes Decisions, People Make Decisions
- Saskatchewan Social Studies – 75 Lesson Plans and Units – Grouped by categories Elementary, Secondary and Both, with caution to check all columns because topics overlap and can be adapted to various grade levels. Lessons are coded:
G = General format with specific classroom but not in a lesson or unit plan format.
L.P. = Lesson Plan
U.P. = Unit Plan
There is a link to an index of selected titles organized by teaching strategy.
STATISTICS CANADA EDUCATION RESOURCES
- E-Stat Lesson Plans/Teaching Activities – The lesson plans on this site were developed by professional educators, and are ready for use in the classroom. Each lesson contains a teacher instruction package – complete with documentation and suggestions for enrichment – and student activity sheets that include keystroke instructions for each stage of the activity. Produced by Statistics Canada.
- Lesson Plans by subject – Subjects include: Aboriginal Studies, Agriculture, Economics, Canadian Studies, Computer and Information Technology, Consumer Education, English Language Arts, Environmental Studies, French as a Second Language, Geography, History and Social Studies, Economics, Home Economics and Family Studies, Law, Economics, Mathematics, Multicultural Education, and Science.
- Lesson Plans by level: Intermediate
- Teachers Kits
- Teachers Guide (PDF)