Who Lives in Canada?

Selected Teaching Canada Resources  

Elementary History and Social Studies Curriculum Framework

Fiction Chapter Books

- Books by Eric Wilson are dialogue-rich mysteries, each set in a province or territory http://members.shaw.ca/ericwilsonweb/books.htm
- Books by Roy MacGregor are dialogue-rich adventure stories about a youth hockey team, and each is set in a    province or territory - http://www.screechowls.com/books/index.html
- Dear Canada chapter book series - http://www.scholastic.ca/dearcanada/books/
- Meet Canadian Authors and Illustrators: 60 Creators of Children's Books http://www.umanitoba.ca/outreach/cm/vol8/no20/meet60.html

Coming to Canada: Building a Life in a New Land
Hughes, Susan. Toronto , ON : Maple Tree Press, 2005. ISBN: 1-897066-46-5 “A WOW Canada ! Book” www.mapletreepress.com
Elementary and Middle Level illustrated reference describing in 2-3 pages, immigration experience from First Nations to most recent Kosovo and Somali refugees.

Je parle français: A Portrait of La Francophonie in Canada -http://www.fedpubs.com/subject/canada.htm
In English or in French

Inuit Kids: Life in the Arctic for two 13-year olds - http://www.bullfrogfilms.com/catalog/inuit.html

Documentary Photography by Harry Palmer - http://www.harrypalmergallery.ab.ca/doc.html

Images on postage stamps show the history and culture of Canada - (view by year) http://www.archives.ca/02/02011703_e.html

Canadians in the World - educational resource - http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/ciw-cdm/menu-en.asp

Teaching and Learning about Canada - page of links - http://www.canadainfolink.ca/teach.htm

Culture Canada - organized and annotated web links - http://www.culturecanada.gc.ca

Canada e-Book - an online version of the Canada Year Book with texts, tables, charts and audio clips that present the country's economic and social trends. - http://142.206.72.67/r000_e.htm

Canada's First Nations - http://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/firstnations/

First Nations Information Project - http://www.aboriginalcanada.com/firstnation/
A listing of First Nation communities across Canada, grouped by region and province/territory.

Aboriginal Languages -  http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/ks/5000_e.html
There are over 50 Aboriginal languages in Canada, and many more dialects. 

Aboriginal Place Names - organized by province and territory - http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/ks/2000_e.html

Information Sheets - http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/ks/7000_e.html
These are written for children aged 8-11, and offered in PDF

Aboriginal People Profiles - Biographies - http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/ks/3000_e.html
"Surf through these People pages and learn more about the lives and contributions of some prominent Aboriginal people in Canada – devoted individuals who have made a real difference in their fields: writers, actors, musicians, athletes and more!"

Claire and her Grandfather - http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/ks/cgf/index_e.html
"The story of Claire and her Grandfather is designed to enhance young people's awareness of some of the many contributions and inventions by Aboriginal people. The story is meant to be a versatile teaching tool for children ages 7-12, although older students might enjoy the story and its images. Teachers of children in the target age group can use the story to initiate a broader examination of the many historical and contemporary contributions of First Nations and Inuit to Canada and the world."

Teachers' Guide to Aboriginal Literature-  http://www.curriculum.org/tcf/teachers/projects/aboriginal.shtml
 Downloadable resource for teachers of upper grades or as background.  Covers six major aboriginal cultures.

Our Languages - http://www.sicc.sk.ca/heritage/sils/ourlanguages/
History, background, alphabet and phrases for Woodland Cree, Plains Cree, Swampy Cree, Dene, Dakota, Nakota, Lakota and Nakawé

Through Mala’s Eyes – Life in an Inuit Community   http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/ks/12060_e.html
"This site offers some insight into the lives of Inuit, as related by a fictitious 12-year-old Inuk boy from Salluit in Nunavik, Northern Quebec. Although designed for students from 9 to 12 years of age, some of the lesson plans and strategies in these units can be adapted for other grade levels. Through Mala’s Eyes will help you and your students to learn more about the history, customs and traditions of Inuit in Canada. Each lesson provides teachers with a story or narrative, activities sheet, and an outline of the resources required for that lesson."

Canada is Movies - http://projects.cbe.ab.ca/jshort/b1-2/movie/arcticmovies.html
Home-made video of children at school in the Arctic, demonstrating elements of Arctic life.

Live from the tundra - http://www.nunatinnit.net
Still photos with captions and streaming media from a remote outpost on Baffin Island, Nunavut

Inuit Games - http://www.ahs.uwaterloo.ca/~museum/vexhibit/inuit/english/inuit.html;   
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/Exhibitions/Traditions/English/inuit_games.html

Write in Inuktitut - http://www.halfmoon.org/inuit.html

Inuit Myths - http://www.windows.ucar.edu/cgi-bin/tour_def/mythology/inuit_culture.html

Cape Dorset Inuit Art and Inuit Cultural Perspectives   http://collections.ic.gc.ca/cape_dorset/index1.html
Site shows slides of the work of some of the outstanding pioneer artists, and stories and descriptions of Inuit life from interviews conducted with Inuit elders.

Inuit Artists Project - http://www.ccca.ca/inuit/index.html
Opening page features an audio of throat singing; site contains lists of artists and communities, community map, legends and stories and Inuit throat and harp songs.

Inuit statistics - http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/products/analytic/companion/abor/groups3.cfm

A Day in the Life of an Inuit Child - http://www.kativik.qc.ca/ulluriaq/Nunavik/inuitlife/aday/index.html
Nunavik girl in Grade 4 shows her day in photos.

Inuit life in Nunavik - http://www.kativik.qc.ca/ulluriaq/Nunavik/inuitlife/index.html

Totems - http://www.lafete.org/new/totem/
"This site offers insight into the traditions, language and culture of the Kwakwaka'wakw people who have lived for centuries in the northwest coastal region of North America. Along with candid interviews, teaching lessons, extensive graphic material, quicktime movies and audio clips, it tells the story of a young Kwakwaka'wakw artist, who has allowed his work and vision to be shared through this medium."

Potlatch: Then and Now - http://collections.ic.gc.ca/potlatch/raven.htm
Potlatch: Then and Now has been designed with a fourth grade Social Studies learner in mind. The narrative is simple but presents many ideas that can be used as starting points for further discussion

Sto:lo Nation - http://www.stolonation.bc.ca/sdc/stolo_nation.htm

 I Am Sto:lo!: Katherine Explores Her Heritage - http://www.goodminds.com/books/I%
20Am%20Sto%20lo!%20%20Katherine%20Explores%20Her%20Heritage.html
Grade 4 culture study text book designed as a story of a girl whose family helps her with a heritage project.

Sto:lo Art - http://www.logbuilders.net/stologallery.htm
Images of carvers' art.

Info Sheet - http://museum.gov.ns.ca/arch/infos/mikmaq1.htm

Oral histories with Mi'kmaq elders - http://mrc.uccb.ns.ca/oralhis.html

Mi'kmaq Portraits Collection - http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mikmaq/

Mi'kmaq Studies - high school student reports - http://www.cbv.ns.ca/mikmaq/

Talking Mi'gmaq/Mi’kmaq dictionary - http://www.mikmaqonline.org/

Mi'kmaq Cinderella Story -http://www.kstrom.net/isk/stories/cinder3.html

Mi'kmaq story telling - http://www.civilization.ca/aborig/storytel/mi'k1eng.html

Mi'kmaq foods, medicines and teas - http://www.nativetech.org/lacey/

Mi'kmaq Poet Rita Joe - http://collections.ic.gc.ca/craftspeople/Morefiles/RJPG.htm

Portrait of a People - http://www.gnb.ca/0007/heritage/virtual_exibition/Portraits/Welcome.htm
A photographic journey into the lifestyles, landscapes, technologies and spoken histories of a People

Maliseet-Passamoquoddy Dictionary - http://www.lib.unb.ca/Texts/Maliseet/dictionary/

Cree hand signals - http://collections.ic.gc.ca/cree/cree/1.htm
Animated photos of a signer illustrate the hand signals

Games of the Plains Cree - http://collections.ic.gc.ca/games/

Iroquois Language and Songs - http://collections.ic.gc.ca/language/index.html
English words translated into Mohawk, Onondaga, and Cayuga, and audio of 20 songs

Homes of the Past: The Archaeology of an Iroquoian Longhouse - http://www.rom.on.ca/digs/longhouse/index.html
"By studying the archaeological remains of an Iroquoian longhouse, we can find out details of Iroquoian life 500 years ago." Interactive research site targeted for elementary and middle school students, produced by the Royal Ontario Museum.

Chinese-Canadians
A Chinese-Canadian Story: The Yip Sang Family - http://collections.ic.gc.ca/yipsang/
British Columbia's mainland was first settled by large numbers of non-Natives during the Gold Rush which began in 1858. These early settlers included many single men from China who came to work in BC, and, like others, hoped to strike it rich in the Gold Rush.

Across Generations: a history of Chinese-Canadians - http://collections.ic.gc.ca/generations/index2.html
By the 1880s, Chinese settlement patters in western Canada were becoming established.  When gold had been the main attraction, Chinese communities were set up along the Fraser Canyon and in the Cariboo.  The building of the railroad further affected the distribution of Chinese communities on the British Columbia mainland.  Communities sprung up near Yale, Lytton, Savona's Ferry and Kamloops.

East Indian-Canadians - Sikhs
Becoming Canadian: Pioneer Sikhs - http://collections.ic.gc.ca/sikh/
An outline of the book Becoming Canadians: Pioneer Sikhs In Their Own Words by Sarjeet Singh Jagpal. Contains history and interviews.

Ukrainian-Canadians
Harvest of Dreams - http://collections.ic.gc.ca/centennial/index.html
There are nearly a million Canadians who trace their ancestry to Ukraine.They are prominent in every area of Canada's economic, political and social life. Although Ukrainians are very much a part of the fabric of Canada, they have vigorously maintained their own distinctive cultural identity, which is reflected in unique regional life styles, a vibrant community life, rich religious customs and colourful art forms.

Ukrainian Folklore Archives: Ukrainian Weddings - http://129.128.116.48:8890/photo_archives/pages/weddings/index.html
A r ich Ukrainian-Canadian wedding complex has taken shape over the last century in Canada. Like all folk traditions, it has inherited elements from the past which are constantly influenced by the changing cultural environment.

Ottawa: Ukrainian Reflections - http://collections.ic.gc.ca/plast/
History and an interactive walking map of Ottawa showing sites of Ukrainian heritage and interest

Mennonite-Canadians-
Who are the Mennonites? - http://www.mhsc.ca/index.asp?content=http://www.mhsc.ca/mhsc/whoweare.html - select "projects" from the link bar at the top to choose "Who are the Mennonites".

Languages of Canada - http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=Canada

Map: French is Spoken Throughout Canada - http://www.umaine.edu/canam/pdf/french%20thoughout%20canada.pdf

Map of Aboriginal Language speakers - http://atlas.gc.ca/site/english/maps/peopleandsociety/lang/aboriginallanguages/abilityindex

Chart of where Aboriginal languages are spoken - http://www.mun.ca/aboriginal/CAB.html