Historica Canada Education Portal

The Cenotaph Project is an engaging activity that gives students an opportunity to get to know the individual men and women who served, and potentially died, in wartime. Begun by Ontario teacher Blake Seward, teachers and students nationwide have undertaken this project. The document below serves as a step-by-step guide.

To mark the 175th birthday of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, Historica Canada has created this Education Guide on Canadian history during Laurier’s life and the importance of his legacy.  

It invites students to deepen their understanding of Laurier’s role in Canada’s evolution, and how his politics shaped Canada’s future, through primary- and secondary-source research and analysis, engaging discussion questions and group activities. The Guide asks students to look at Canada’s...

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...

This guide is intended to assist teachers and students as they study Canada’s involvement in the Second  World War. It highlights some of the significant historical themes and events of that period but is not meant to  be a comprehensive history of Canada and the war; in fact, some teachers may choose to highlight different  aspects of this period in their classes, such as the naval war on Canada’s doorstep or Canada’s participation in  the bombing offensive against...

Residential schools were government-sponsored religious schools established to assimilate Indigenous children into Euro-Canadian society. Successive Canadian governments used legislation to strip Indigenous peoples of basic human and legal rights, dignity and integrity, and to gain control over the peoples, their lands and natural rights and resources. The Indian Act, first introduced in 1876, gave the Canadian government license to control almost every aspect of...

Beginning in the early 1600s, the British Crown (later the Government of Canada) entered into  a series of treaties with Indigenous nations in Canada. The treaties were intended as formal  agreements to encourage peaceful relations and to specify promises, obligations and benefits  for both parties. Indigenous peoples wanted to protect their traditional lands, resources, and  ways of life, while ensuring peace and friendship, and eventually receiving...

Immigrants who came to Canada in the late nineteeth century and early twentieth century were also motivated by similar push and pull factors that motivate modern day immigrants. Each individual, family, and ethnic group had specific reasons to move to Canada, whether they were pulled here by propaganda posters and stories about the uncharted territory or they were forced to leave their home country. Your task is to research a specific ethnic group that immigrated to Canada during this...

The introduction to the topic. It concludes with your thesis — a specific statement that you plan to prove or argue in your essay.

A good way to prepare to write your body paragraphs is by using a template. It will help you to organize your thoughts and allow you to focus on your evidence.

Attached are a few useful tips to help you get the most from your time reading through books, the Internet, newspapers and magazines.

The purpose of this Guide is to enhance your students' knowledge and appreciation of the Black Canadian experience, drawing from Lawrence Hill's award-winning historical fiction, The Book of Negroes, the remarkable journey of Aminata Diallo and the historic British document known as the "Book of Negroes." Structured around themes of journey, slavery, human rights, passage to Canada and contemporary culture, this Guide asks students to examine issues of identity, equality, community, and...

This learning tool complements Historica Canada’s Richard Pierpoint Heritage Minute by exploring his life and the experiences and contributions of Black soldiers in the War of 1812.

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In May 1812, Major General Isaac Brock, the commander of British forces in Upper Canada, visited the Six Nations chiefs at “Brant’s Ford” (near presentday Brantford, Ontario) to enlist their help. Brock knew that their support would be crucial to protect the vast Upper Canadian frontier if the United States declared war, which they did in June 1812.

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This learning tool complements Historica Canada’s Sir George-Étienne Cartier Heritage Minute by exploring the role of Cartier in the negotiations surrounding Canada’s Confederation. The role that Sir George-Étienne Cartier played in uniting the provinces of Canada is so extensive that it was impossible to choose only one achievement to commemorate. Therefore, the Heritage Minute features a series of Cartier’s notable accomplishments.

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This learning tool complements Historica Canada’s Sir John A. Macdonald Heritage Minute by exploring the role of Sir John A. Macdonald in the negotiations leading up to Canada’s Confederation. The Charlottetown Conference in 1864 was attended by delegates from the Province of Canada, including Sir John A. Macdonald, who met with the leaders of the Maritime colonies. While at the Charlottetown Conference, leaders heard Macdonald speak about his vision of a future union. The...