Historica Canada Education Portal

This lesson is based on viewing the Ruth Lowe biography from The Canadians series. Following the untimely death of her husband, Ruth Lowe wrote the song, I'll Never Smile Again. It became one of the most popular songs during the Second World War.

These activities encourage students to consider the significance of Ruth Lowe, and to reflect on the role that music plays in society.

Through powerful tones and sensational lyrics, music often expresses emotions for which...

This lesson will guide students as they learn about a significant number of concepts and facts related to New France through the study of an historical figure.

This lesson is based on an interview format, with open-ended questions and detailed, full-sentence answers, a portrait of the person, a drawn geographical map, and a timeline (indicating important dates in the person's life and important dates in the corresponding history of the country).

All too often, research...

“What's the point of studying that? That's the past. That has nothing to do with my life.” Students often speak of history as a dead subject, a collection of past events with no bearing on the present and even less on the future. This lesson intends to engage students in historical thinking: consider significance, analyze evidence, assess continuity and change, examine cause and consequence, consider historical perspective and form moral judgment. Ultimately, they will produce their...

The lesson allows students to gain a better understanding of the trenches and the effects of chlorine gas on the soldiers through the use of poetry through an analysis of the poem "Dulce et Decorum est" by Wilfred Owen.

The aim of the lesson is to show how horrific war was for the soldiers that fought in the First World War. It also shows the horrors of the gas attack as witnessed by a soldier, Owen, who served in the war. The poem brings a different dimension to the study of...

This lesson is based on viewing the Emily Murphy biography from The Canadians series. Murphy was a mother, magistrate, author, reformer, and legislator. She is best remembered as one of the "Famous Five" who successfully took the "Persons Case," which advocated the recognition of women as persons in the eyes of the law, before the Supreme Court of Canada, and the British Privy Council.

Studying the life of Emily Murphy will provide students an opportunity to learn about the...

This lesson examines social attitudes towards East Asians in the early 1900s in British Columbia and Canada. The arrival of the Komagata Maru in Vancouver harbour in 1914 challenges the Canadian government’s continuous passage rule.

This lesson is based on viewing the Grey Owl biography from The Canadians series. It explores the life and work of this infamous conservationist, who convinced the world that he was of Aboriginal descent.

With role-playing and debates, students will focus on the controversy surrounding Grey Owl and decide whether they think he should be regarded as an important conservationist, or as an imposter and fraud.

Grey Owl was the most famous Aboriginal of his day. The...

This lesson explores intolerance in historic and contemporary Canada through primary and secondary source analysis. It aims to foster citizenship and education through the production of a fictional Public Service Announcement and/or journal entry.

- Inquire into examples of intolerance in Canadian societies and to anticipate future examples of intolerance
- Develop skills in document analysis and critical thinking
- Foster citizenship and an understanding of the rights and...

This lesson will introduce students the following issues and questions:

1. Why was the war so brutal?
2. Why did Canadians want to fight?
3. Literature during the First World War
4. Was the war a needless or necessary sacrifice?

To make students think about the issues that face soldiers and officers during the war. Students will be encouraged to examine the content from a contemporary perspective instead of their own post-modern perspective.

The background is established...

This lesson is based on viewing the Katherine Ryan biography from The Canadians series (external resource). Katherine Ryan, more commonly known as "Klondike Kate," has become a legend of the Yukon Gold Rush. Her decision to join the Gold Rush went against the expectations of women in her time.

A study of Katherine Ryan's life provides students with the opportunity to learn about the Klondike Gold Rush as well as the suffrage movement, women's roles in society, and women's roles...

In April 2001 and again in February 2007 a storm of controversy erupted in the press of the province British Columbia. This lesson reflects on that controversy and encourages students to engage with the information in different ways.

"By studying historic artifacts of all people, the important and the unimportant alike citizens have a stronger foundation for understanding how and why the past tells us a great deal about the present and the future. All history is selective and...

This lesson is based on viewing the Kit Blake Coleman biography from The Canadiansseries. Coleman’s twenty-five year career helped carve a new niche for women in journalism.

The life and career of Kit Coleman will provide students with a starting point to learn about a variety of themes and topics. In several research and writing activities, students will learn about the historic events that Coleman reported on, the history of women and work, and the field of journalism.

The beginning stages of the First World War saw increasing suspicion by the Canadian populace of immigrants from Germany and Eastern Europe, particularly Ukrainians, Austrians, Poles, Czechs and Slovaks. Over 80,000 immigrants from these nations were forced to carry special identity cards and report for regular interviews with local authorities. Further, 8,579 "enemy aliens" (5,000 of which who were of Ukrainian origin) were interned in twenty-four detention camps during the course...

Students will be required to conduct research on the relocation of the Mushuau Innu from coastal Labrador to the settled location of Davis Inlet. Students will examine the reasons why the federal government chose this course of action. In addition, students will study the effects the forced relocation had on the Innu community.

Students will:

- Identify the difficulties with relocation
- Analyze the resources regarding the relocation of the Innu
- Explore the history of the Innu...

This lesson is based on viewing the John Ware biography from The Canadians series. John Ware remains a prominent figure in Canadian history. As a former slave from the American South who transplanted himself in Southern Alberta's range country, he triumphed over prejudice and discrimination to become a legend of the Canadian West.

Students will use the life of John Ware as a starting point to investigate several themes. The following activities focus on African-Canadian...