Historica Canada Education Portal

This guide is designed to support teachers and students as they explore Canada’s constitutional monarchy and the role the monarchy plays in Canada’s history, culture and identity as the nation celebrates the Diamond Jubilee Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s ascension to the throne.

Sir John A. Macdonald and the Fathers of Confederation are among the most famous – and controversial – Canadians in history. Using an approach developed by the Historical Thinking Project, this learning tool challenges students to think critically about Confederation and draw meaningful conclusions by examining evidence. This tool was developed for social studies, history and civics classes in grades 9–12 and secondary III to secondary V within Québec.

The Key Moments in Indigenous History Timeline poster that accompanies the Indigenous Perspectives Education Guide, provides a chronological overview of Indigenous history in what is now Canada from time immemorial to present.

This timeline is designed to accompany Historica Canada’s Indigenous Perspectives Education Guide, which includes lesson plans and classroom activities based on the Historical Thinking Concepts. Download the Guide at...

Popular narratives of Canadian history have most frequently been told from the perspective of European settlers. As a result, Indigenous experiences have often been neglected or excluded from the telling of our country’s history. For a more comprehensive understanding of Canada’s history, it is important to examine it from Indigenous perspectives. Doing so requires students to explore the depth, breadth, diversity, and regional variation of experiences of Indigenous peoples in the land that...

This list of resources has been compiled to further students’ knowledge of Indigenous contributions to Canadian military history. Students can read and listen to the articles and testimonies to learn more about the reasons Indigenous people joined the Canadian military, their achievements and challenges while serving, and their experiences following their service.

Teachers are encouraged to preview the testimonies before assigning them, as stories of war often include graphic content.

The Think Like a Historian series of videos and resources is a curriculum-based learning tool to build skills to analyze and interpret primary sources.Watch the videos, and download the education guide and worksheets to learn the five key steps to analyzing primary sources.

In this series, we look at letters and sketches from the Halifax Explosion of 1917.

The Citizenship Challenge Lesson Plans and Worksheets are educational resources for teachers, group leaders and individuals to help them prepare for Historica Canada's Citizenship Challenge, a national contest that asks students to take a mock citizenship exam.

Teachers and group leaders, register to access the answer keys.

Note: Although the Lesson Plans and Worksheets refer to the Discover Canada guide, it is not necessary for educators to obtain or use the Discover Canada guide to complete...

The objective of the Cadet Learning Tool is to prepare cadets to participate in Historica Canada's Citizenship Challenge, a national contest that asks students to take a mock citizenship exam. Based on the Sea, Army and Air Cadets qualification standards and training programs, the learning tool will help cadets become more familiar with Canada, develop leadership skills and encourage active citizenship.

The objective of the Citizenship Challenge Scouts Canada Learning Tool is to prepare Scouts for Historica Canada's Citizenship Challenge, a national contest that asks students to take a mock citizenship exam. Based on Scouts Canada qualification standards and training programs, the learning tool will help Scouts become more familiar with Canada, develop leadership skills and encourage active citizenship.

The objective of the Girl Guides Learning Tool is to prepare Guides for Historica Canada's Citizenship Challenge, a national contest that asks students to take a mock citizenship exam. Based on Girl Guides of Canada qualification standards and training programs, this learning tool will help Guides become more familiar with Canada, develop leadership skills and encourage active citizenship.

The Host a Speaker Kit is designed to help educators and students deepen their understanding of military history and develop thoughtful questions for a Memory Project speaker.

To celebrate the 175th anniversary of the election of Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine and Robert Baldwin, Historica Canada, the country’s largest organization dedicated to enhancing awareness of Canada’s history, culture and citizenship, has created this education guide.

Using the concepts created by Dr. Peter Seixas and the Historical Thinking Project, this guide complements Canadian middle- and high-school curricula. It invites students to explore the history of democracy and equal language...

In 2017, Canada turns 150! In marking Canada’s sesquicentennial, Historica Canada is highlighting 50 events that have helped shape our country since Confederation. At the same time, it is important to note that that the human history of what is now known as Canada began well before 1867. Indigenous peoples lived on this land long before European contact, and have histories that significantly predate modern Canada. We can look back upon many proud moments in our history, but must also examine...

Historica Canada has created this Education Guide to mark the sesquicentennial of the Fenian Raids, and to help students explore this early chapter in Canada’s history. The Fenian Raids have not figured prominently in Canadian history, but they are often cited as an important factor in Confederation. Using the concepts created by Dr. Peter Seixas and the Historical Thinking Project, this Guide complements Canadian middle-school and high-school curricula. It invites students to deepen their...

3D Pyramid: 5 Steps to Analyze Primary Sources

THE 5WS: Question the source. Who created it? When and where was it created? What is the source about? Why was the source created?
CONTEXT: Situate the source in space and time, placing it in the wider picture of history. What else was happening at the time?
EXPLORING: Examine the details of the source. What is it about? What words, images or symbols are used? What was its purpose?
REACHING CONCLUSIONS: Use context, evidence and observations to...