Historica Canada Education Portal

This lesson is based on viewing the Wilf Carter biography from The Canadiansseries. It explores the long and successful career of Carter, who was one of the founders of Canadian country music. He was born in Nova Scotia, but he got his start yodeling for tourists in Banff and Lake Louise, Alberta.

Students will examine Wilf Carter's life and consider the connections between the lives of individuals and historic events. Students will also have the opportunity to discuss Western...

Students will demonstrate an understanding of the challenges of governing communities or societies in which diverse value systems, multiple perspectives, and differing civic purposes coexist.

Skills

Time Allowance: 4 periods of 75 min.

Procedures:
Scenario

The federal government has decided to consult the...

This lesson is based on viewing the Sir Arthur Currie biography from The Canadians series. Despite the many controversies surrounding his career, Currie was one of the most successful Canadian military leaders during the First World War.

The biography of Sir Arthur Currie is a good way to introduce the study of the First World War. Students will compare Currie to other military leaders and study several war poems.

Sir Arthur Currie, or ‘Guts and Gaiters’ as he was...

This lesson is based on viewing the Louis Cyr biography from The Canadians series. At the end of the nineteenth century, Louis Cyr - the strong man from Canada - was arguably the best-known Canadian in the world, but an unhealthy lifestyle resulted in his early death at age 49 from overeating.

In a variety of activities, students will consider the life and accomplishments of Louis Cyr within historical context and in relationship to other athletes. Cyr's story also provides an...

Students should:
- Know that democracy depends on the participation of the citizens
- Participate appropriately and effectively in groups
- Research for specific information
- Demonstrate an attitude of acceptance of diverse values
- Read, view and listen effectively to gather ideas and information
- Classify and present pertinent information in logical order.

Students should be able to :
- Present ideas clearly and at a rate that enables others to follow
- Explain personal viewpoint clearly
-...

The Newfoundland Regiment suffered devastating losses at Beaumont-Hamel during the First World War. After this virtual annihilation, the Battalion was steadily brought back to full strength with the recruitment and training of new troops. The Newfoundlanders would go on to distinguish themselves in a number of important battles throughout the War including Gueudecourt, Monchy-le-Preux, Cambrai, and Bailleul. In recognition of their exceptional valour and skill, they were designated...

When Canada entered the First World War in 1914, men of all ages enlisted by the thousands. However, this zeal waned as reports of casualty rates arrived home. Recruitment posters were an integral part of encouraging men and women to enlist at all points between 1914 and 1918. They appealed to the many motivations for enlistment and used various propaganda techniques to achieve their goal. In this activity, students will examine reasons for enlistment, recruitment posters, and...

Your group has been transported back though time to the period of the Fur Trade in Canada (prior to Confederation). Your goal will be to create and perform a dramatic presentation to share your perspective of the social and economic impact of the fur trade through the eyes of your assigned role-playing characters. Your dramatic presentation will be the only way your classmates will develop a true understanding of the impact of the fur trade on your group.

Note: this assignment is...

This lesson is based on viewing the Pauline Johnson biography from The Canadians series. Pauline Johnson astounded audiences all over the world with her performances of poetry, comedy, and plays. The daughter of an Indigenous-Canadian father and an American mother, Johnson did not embody the stereotype of a Mohawk woman in the early nineteenth century.

In the following activities, students will learn about Pauline Johnson by researching the connections between her life and...

Students will read a Canadian novel to determine whether it provides an accurate picture of a Canadian event, experience, or character. In order to complete the assignment, students are expected to note the political, social, and economic circumstances outlined in the novel. Using primary and secondary sources the students will then write a report outlining the value of the novel as a historical source.

Students will:

This lesson is based on viewing the Percy Williams biography from The Canadiansseries. It explores the athleticism of this Canadian sprinter, who won two gold medals at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics. Despite his accomplishments, Williams's life had a tragic ending.

With a variety of individual and group activities, students will study Williams's accomplishments and compare them with other athletes. Students will also consider the place of athletes in society and decide whether...

The purpose of this lesson plan is to encourage students to research and produce short television documentaries concerning local individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the community or to the country. The goal for the project is to have students establish a deeper and more immediate connection to their own heritage, and to history in general.

The principal aim of the project is to develop a deeper understanding of the complex heritage and history we share as...

This lesson is based on viewing the Joseph Scriven biography from The Canadians series. Discover the tragic and fascinating story of Scriven, who wrote What a Friend We have in Jesus, which remains one of the most popular Christian hymns.

Studying the life of Joseph Scriven provides students with a starting place to research the larger topics of religious conflict, religious charity, evangelicals, and immigration in the nineteenth century.

Joseph Scriven lived a...

This lesson is based on viewing the W.A.C. Bennett biography from The Canadians series. William Andrew Cecil Bennett was the premier of B.C. for twenty consecutive years in the second half of the twentieth century. He ran the province with a mix of socialist, capitalist, and populist tactics; and his political dynasty transformed the economic, social, and cultural face of B.C.

By writing opinion pieces and engaging in discussion and debate, students will assess the leadership of...

An introduction to working with primary evidence including photos, graphs, and text from the time period. Most of the presentation is visual, with a minimum of text. Students work in small groups with each group assigned a different topic.

Depending on time available, the topics could be rotated if the content was important. But if it is used for teaching historical method only, then one activity should be adequate.

This particular lesson is the introduction, including a "practice...