Historica Canada Education Portal

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...

We want to hear from you! The Here’s My Canada contest is multilingual, nation-wide and invites Canadians to express what their country means to them in a 30-second video. For more details, visit heresmycanada.ca.

This learning tool is designed for junior/intermediate students from grades 5-8, and grade 5 to secondary II in Québec. It provides discussion topics and educational activities to help you create your submission to the Here’s My Canada contest.

Here’s My Canada is a Canada 150...

We want to hear from you! The Here’s My Canada contest is multilingual, nation-wide and invites Canadians to express what their country means to them in a 30-second video. For more details, visit heresmycanada.ca.

This learning tool is designed for senior students from grades 9–12, and secondary III–V in Québec.
It provides discussion topics and educational activities to help you create your submission to the Here’s My Canada contest.

Here’s My Canada is a Canada 150 Signature Initiative, and a...

To mark the centennial of the first achievements of women’s suffrage in Canada, Historica Canada has created this Education Guide.

It asks students to examine issues of identity, equity, activism and justice in historical and contemporary contexts.

This Guide does not focus on the suffrage movement’s links to ideologies such as socialism, imperialism, racism and classism, though teachers may want to address these intersections. In particular, many suffragists did not...

Apprenez-en davantage sur l’évolution de la démocratie au Canada.

Les élèves pourront approfondir leurs connaissances sur les problèmes qu’ont pu et que peuvent encore rencontrer les différentes communautés ethniques et culturelles du Canada.

Objectifs

Les élèves seront invités à analyser la Minute Hart et Papineau sous différents angles.
Ils seront amenés à comprendre l’évolution de la démocratie au Canada.

Les élèves seront invités à se pencher sur le sort qu'on connu les différentes...

This lesson is based on viewing the Madame La Bolduc biography from The Canadians series. It explores the personality and career of Mary Travers Bolduc, who was one of Québec's greatest singing sensations. She was one of the first recording artists to give the Québecois a sense of pride in their language.

With a variety of writing and role-playing activities, students will consider the accomplishments of La Bolduc. Students will reflect on her career within its historical...

This lesson is based on viewing the Ma Murray biography from The Canadiansseries. Murray became a legend in Canadian journalism despite her terrible grammar and spelling. Although her stories did occasionally generate public criticism, Murray had a loyal audience of readers.

Ma Murray was a strong, independent woman who spoke her mind no matter what the consequences. She even made things up for a good story. The following activities question what we can learn from Murray's brand...

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...

This lesson is based on viewing the Mona Parsons biography from The Canadians series. Although her story isn’t well known, Mona Parsons led a fascinating life. This Nova Scotia-born woman became part of a resistance unit in Nazi occupied Holland. She was imprisoned for her actions, but she managed to escape and make her way to safety by posing as a German.

Students will learn about:

- The life of Mona Parsons
- Nazi occupation of Holland during WWII
- Women in the war years
- The...

This lesson is based on viewing the Nell Shipman biography from The Canadians series. Shipman was a silent screen legend who is credited with performing her own stunts, filming the first nude scene, and being a devoted animal rights activist.

Students will explore the life and accomplishments of Shipman, paying particular attention to her concern for animal rights.

Filmmaking as we know it today began little more than a century ago with the birth of silent screen...

This lesson is based on viewing the Rose Fortune biography from The Canadians series. Rose Fortune is not a well-known Canadian, but as a self appointed policewoman she became somewhat of a legend in her own time. Fortune came to Canada after the American Revolution with her slave owners, who were loyalist refugees.

Studying the life of Rose Fortune is an excellent way for students to gain an understanding of the economic and social challenges that former slaves encountered upon...

This lesson is based on viewing the Ruby Keeler biography from The Canadians series. Keeler was an actor and performer who made her film debut in 42nd Street, which kicked off a string a musical hits in the 1930's starring Keeler.

In a variety of creative and role-playing exercises, students will examine Keeler's contributions to the art world, and reflect on the times in which she lived.

Ruby Keeler was born on August 25, 1910 in Halifax, NS and immigrated with her...

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...