Historica Canada Education Portal

In this lesson students recognize symbols as Canadian, they present their significance, and find its place in the Coat of Arms of Canada.

To familiarize students with symbols and what they represent, to develop an awareness of self, group, and Canada.

Students will:

- Research the significance of symbols found in the Arms of Canada.
- Develop research skills to investigate the meaning of each symbol.
- Present orally the findings of their research.
- Locate the position of each...

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 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...

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 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...

Students will learn about the harsh treatment of Canadian immigrants and the selective nature of Canadian immigration policies during the first half of the twentieth century by researching one of the following events:

- the Chinese Exclusion Act
- the Komagata Maru incident
- the SS. St Louis affair
- the internment of Japanese Canadians during the Second World War

Students will then prepare a case that they will present before a mock tribunal of the Canadian Human Rights Commission....

Have your students explore the Japanese Canadian experience in Canada in the twentieth century through sports. Students will examine the remarkable story of the Asahi baseball team as a window into this history. Students will be asked to use primary source material and explore the concepts of continuity and change in history.

Prescribed Learning Outcomes

• Apply critical thinking skills, including questioning, comparing, summarizing, drawing conclusions and defending a position,...

The public has long been fascinated with cemeteries. This program will make use of this fascination to engage the students while they learn. Cemeteries can be primary sources of information for much more than just social studies. This program will make use of the information available in local cemeteries to meet aspects of the mathematics curriculum.

Students will collect primary data found on the headstones and organize the data. Students will make use of a variety of methods...

The student will create a document demonstrating empathy with the experiences of immigrants to Canada.

Time Allowance: 3 hours

Procedures:

Activity: An Immigrant’s Letter Home

Outcome
The student will create a document demonstrating empathy with the experiences of immigrants to Canada.

Content
Immigrants underwent a variety of experiences as they adjusted to life in a new land. Many would never return to their countries of origin, and their only contact with family was through...

Nearly every Canadian can trace their family tree back to an ancestor who immigrated to Canada at some point. Somewhere back in time, most of us have a homeland from which our forefathers, fathers, or selves immigrated. For what reasons did they immigrate and what method did that immigration take?

How long ago the immigration took place may dictate the mode of travel. If the ancestors arrived many generations ago the method of travel was likely limited to boats. Later arrivals may...