An Integrated Primary Social Studies Unit
EDCP 331-107
March, 2013
The classroom that I have been placed in is a grade 1/2 at Champlain Heights Annex in
Vancouver. There are 18 students (one of whom will be new after spring break), with 5 girls and
13 boys! There are many active boys in the class and, as such, incorporating hands-on activities
that don’t require a lot of sitting is important throughout the day. One girl in grade 1 is autistic
and has an SEA assigned to her. There are three ELL students, two of whom have quite a firm
grasp of oral English. One girl in grade 2 moved from China in January and is slowly but surely
learning English.
In order to maintain an effective learning environment it is important for this active group to be
motivated and engaged, while being mindful of classroom rules of respect. I have noticed that
the activity level increases and ability to focus on “seat work” decreases after lunch for many of
these students. Engaging them in more active experiences in the afternoon, therefore, will be a
goal during my practicum.
Unit Overview: A Trip Across Canada!
Come and join us on our journey across Canada! In this unit students will learn about Canada
through research, reading and writing, mapping, speaking, listening,creating art and drama under
the motivating and engaging theme of taking a trip across the country.
PLOS
Grade 1
B4 identify symbols of Canada
E1 recognize maps of Canada
E2 identify characteristics of different environments
Grade 2
A1 interpret simple maps using cardinal directions symbols, and simple legends
A2 create simple maps representing familiar locations
A3 gather information from a variety of sources for presentation
B4 identify significant language and cultural characteristics of Canadian society
E1 locate on a map landforms and bodies of water of local and national significance including
Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Arctic Ocean, Vancouver Island Rocky Mountains, locally
relevant examples
E3 describe how the physical environment influences human activities
Grade 3
A2 identify a variety of symbolic representations
A3 use simple maps to interpret and present information
A4 gather information from a variety of sources
B4 identify characteristics of Canadian society
E1 locate major landforms and bodies of water in BC and Canada including:
St. Lawrence Seaway, Great Lakes, Fraser River, Queen Charlotte Islands, Canadian Shield,
Hudson Bay, locally relevant examples
E2 identify characteristics of the provinces and territories of Canada
E4 describe how the physical environment influenced early settlement in their local
community or another community studied
Language Arts
A3 listen purposefully to understand ideas and information, by identifying the main ideas and
supporting details.
C5 use a variety of strategies during writing and representing to express thoughts, including
examining models of literature.
UNIT LESSON OVERVIEWS
Lesson 1: A Trip Across Canada! (see detailed lesson plan)
 watch a you tube video that showcases Canada; discussion to follow
 whole group: students will locate Canada on a world map and then label provinces and
territories on a Canada map
 Introduce Project: individually, students will research each province. When all the
questions on the province inquiry cards have been completed and approved they get a
stamp for their passport for that province, then can move on to the next.
Lesson 2: Canadian Symbols (see detailed lesson plan)
 Guessing Game- symbols of Canada; whole class activity
 in pairs: complete T-Chart for symbols of Canada (symbol/meaning)
 individually: design a personal flag which will be shared and posted
Lesson 3: Canadian Landforms (see detailed lesson plan)
 read book “Introducing Landforms”
 talk about representing landforms on maps (2D vs. 3D)
 in pairs, research landforms for a given province or territory and create a 3-D
representation of it out of salt dough
 present these masterpieces and combine into a 3-D map of Canada
Lesson 4 & 5: Canada’s location in the World/Myths (see detailed lesson plan)
 students will read listen to creation stories from Indigenous cultures.
 students will listen to a 6 minute recording of the Cowichan creation story. Students will
sit at their desk and begin to fill out the graphic organizer of the elements of the creation
story while listening.
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Coyote U: Stories and teachings from the Secwepemc Education Institute, read one of the
coyote trickster stories to compare to the creation story.
Students will create their own creation myths after reading using a fishbone template.
Lesson 6: Bodies of Water
in pairs students will use an atlas to locate and label Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean and
Arctic Ocean, Great Lakes and St, Lawrence Seaway and Hudson’s Bay on a map
students will also locate and label Haida Gwaii and the Fraser River on their BC map.
Students will add the bodies of water and Haida Gwaii to their 3D models
Lesson 7: Lesson 7: Language and Cultural Characteristics of Canadian Society
 who are Canadians? Other than those from Indigenous cultures, the people of Canada
have cultural roots in other places in the world.
 discuss immigration and feelings around coming to a new country
 read “The Name Jar” by Yangsook Choi about a child who immigrates to North America
from Korea (talking about feelings and personal connections while reading)
 have students interview family members to discover their cultural backgrounds
 write stories about their relatives coming to Canada. In groups, choose one story and
create a short dramatization/skit of this adventure, focusing on feelings
Lesson 8: Salmon industry in BC & lifecycle
 KWL: salmon, the salmon industry and why it is important to BC.
 students will watch a video about the life cycle of salmon; complete a diagram in their
journals and write a story about the lifecycle of a salmon.
 Exit slip: why is the salmon industry important to BC
Lesson 9: Mapping – Cardinal Directions
 discuss N S E W and what they mean; use a compass, globe and maps as visual aids
 Cardinal Bounce game: in small groups students will play a game that involves moving
their bodies to show NSEW
 challenge: students will find out which direction their front door faces
Lesson 10: Mapping – Community
 look at map of local community; find NSEW; discuss legends and symbols
 students will create/label a map of the classroom and include a legend
Lesson 11&12: Celebration of Learning- Group Tableaus and Trivia Game
 whole group: students will be introduced to, and practice tableau technique
 in small groups students will practice and present a tableau related to some aspect of one
of the provinces they have been studying (eg. Salmon fishing in BC).
 Using an IPad, the teacher will take a picture of the tableau and using the App Skitch,
students will label themselves in the picture.
 Trivia Game: students will be in small groups and work as a team to answer trivia
questions related to the unit.
ASSESSMENT & EVALUATION
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maps
salmon story
landforms model
exit slips
participation
trivia game
heritage stories
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Social Studies journals – province
inquiry
Tableaus
creation myth
family interviews
personal flags
heritage skits
RESOURCES
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Passports and blank Canada map
for each child
Symbols and text for matching
activity – 10 sets
Resource books for research
Atlas’ and maps of Canada
Activity sheets for mapping and
labeling lessons
Salmon lifecycle video
Social Studies Journals
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Materials for landforms activity
www.worldatlas.com
Salt dough (recipe and ingredients)
Templates for 3D maps
Book: “Introducing Landforms”
http://abed.sd79.bc.ca/acip/grade8/english8
_lessons/creation_story8.html
elements of a creation story graphic
organizer
fishbone graphic organizer template
LESSON PLAN: Unit Launch: A Trip Across Canada
Grade: 1/2/3
Subject: Social Studies
Theme: Canada
P.L.O.(s):
Grade 1
 B4 identify symbols of Canada
 E1 recognize maps of Canada
Grade 2
 A3 gather information from a variety of sources for presentation
 B4 identify significant language and cultural characteristics of Canadian society
Grade 3
 A4 gather information from a variety of sources
 B4 identify characteristics of Canadian society
 E2 identify characteristics of the provinces and territories of Canada
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Objectives: SWBAT:
 Begin research project
 Label the provinces, territories and capital cities on a map
Materials and Resources:
 http://www.youtube.com/watch/?v=fUp2Xo-05os – video of Canada
 Resource books on Canada and its provinces
 Passports for each child
 Social Studies Journal
 Map of Canada on the smartboard with provinces and capital cities
Lesson Hook/Intro:
 Guess what!? We are going to be taking a trip across Canada to learn more about the
country we live in.
 The teacher will tell the students we are going to be starting a new unit about Canada
in Social Studies. KWL: What do you know about Canada?
 Now we are going to watch this short video. As you watch, look for familiar places;
places you have been to or heard about; think about any other questions you may
have.
 Show you-tube video of Canada.
Activity: BC Inquiry Card
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Let’s take a look at this map (map of the world up on smartboard). Do you know
where Canada is? Great. Let’s take a closer look at Canada. Put up map of Canada. I
wonder if we can label this map with the provinces and their capital cities. Anyone
want to have a try? Students will then take turns labeling the map of Canada. You
will each receive a blank map which you will need to fill in as you move through the
project. But first, back to our trip.
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The teacher will hold up her passport and ask the students if they know what it is for.
Travelling. Do any of you have your own passport? If yes, ask the students what kind
of information can you find in there. The teacher will show the students her passport,
the information inside and the stamps and what they are for. Today you will all be
receiving your passports for your trip across Canada. This is what they look like.
Over the next few weeks, you are going to research facts about each province and
write them in your Social Studies Journal. You will use these inquiry cards to guide
your research. Please add 1 question of your own (and answer) that you became
curious about for each province. When you have completed the card for a province,
bring your work to the teacher to share what you’ve learned and the teacher will
sign, date and stamp your passport. Let’s do British Columbia together so you can
see what I mean.
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The teacher will show the resource book for British Columbia and review features of
non-fiction texts and how to find information. Let’s look at question 1. The teacher
will then model (think aloud) answering the questions. The lined paper will be up on
the smartboard. The teacher will demonstrate how the title and date should appear
and questions should be answered – full sentences, neat, spelling correct. Students
will copy the example in their Social Studies Journals. When students have
completed BC, they will need to colour and label the province on their own maps,
bring their work to the teacher who will give them their passports and their first
stamp. They are now ready to begin researching their first province on their own.
The teacher will let them know how much time they have to work today.
Conclusion:
 At the end of the time the teacher will demonstrate how to place the inquiry cards
back in the books and return them. The passports will also be collected. We will
have a short discussion about any interesting facts they found, if there were any
questions or challenges etc.
Assessment:
 BC inquiry completed
 Map of BC coloured and labeled correctly
Extensions:
 Students will continue to work through the inquiry cards until they are all completed.
LESSON PLAN: Canadian Symbols
Grade: 1/2/3
Subject: Social Studies
Theme: Canada
P.L.O.(s):
Gr.1
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Gr.2
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Gr.3
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B4 identify symbols of Canada
B4 identify significant language and cultural characteristics of Canadian society
A2 Identify a variety of symbolic representations
B4 identify characteristics of Canadian society
Objective: SWBAT
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Identify symbols associated with Canada and what they mean
Create a flag to represent themselves and write an explanation
Materials and Resources:
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Symbols of Canada: Coat of Arms, Oh Canada, Canadian Flag, Maple leaf, hockey,
lacrosse, maple leaf tartan, RCMP, the Parliament Buildings, beaver, Loonie &
Toonie
Information text for each symbol for kids to use in matching activity: 10 sets
Social Studies Journals
Worksheet for flag design
Lesson Hook:
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The lesson will begin with a game. As a whole class activity, the teacher will have a
bag that contains various objects and symbols of Canada. Students will take an item
from the bag and place it on the board. When all the items are on the board the
teacher will ask the students if they know what all the items have in common. They
are symbols of Canada. The teacher will ask if they know why we would have these
symbols to represent Canada. They tell us about Canada. The teacher will ask if they
can think of any other symbols of Canada and record the responses.
Lesson Intro:
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The teacher will then make a t-chart labeled symbol and meaning. She will hold up
the picture of the tartan and ask the students what they notice about this symbol,
what they think it tells us about Canada, and write down their answers. She will read
information text displayed on the smartboard and will model how to complete the tchart. For example:
Symbols of Canada
Symbol
Meaning
Canada’s Tartan
-The colours resemble the changing colours of the maple leaf
leaf during different seasons.
-In summer the leaves are green. Leaves turn gold in early
autumn, then red in late autumn. Fallen leaves turn brown.
-The tartan was designed by David Weiser in 1964.
-The Maple Leaf Tartan was made an official symbol of
Canada on March 9, 2011.
Activity: Symbol Sort/T-Chart and Personal Flag
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The teacher will explain that they are going to do 2 activities. In the first, the
students will work in pairs to match Canadian symbols with meanings (which will be
in envelopes) and fill in their own charts in their Social Studies journal. Once that
task is complete, as a class we will talk about each of the symbols.
Then students will get a worksheet to create their own personal flag and write an
explanation. The teacher will model making her own flag and as a class they will
decide on criteria. For example: uses 2 or more colours, contains at least 1 symbol,
neat. Students will be given some time to share ideas with their neighbour and
discuss what their flag will look like and why prior to getting to work.
Conclusion:
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At the conclusion of the lesson, students can share their flags with the class. The
teacher will post the flags in the classroom.
Extensions:
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Students will continue to work through the inquiry cards until they are all completed.
Assessment
 Completed Canada symbols and meaning T-chart
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Personal flag and explanation
Canadian Symbols
LESSON PLAN: Canadian Landforms
Grade: 1/2/3
Subject: Social Studies
Theme: Canada
P.L.O.(s):
Social Studies
 identify characteristics of different environments (gr. 1)
 locate on a map landforms and bodies of water of local and national significance,
including: Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Arctic Ocean, Vancouver Island, Rocky
Mountains, and locally relevant examples (gr.2)
 locate major landforms and bodies of water in BC and Canada, including: St.
Lawrence Seaway, Great Lakes, Fraser River, Queen Charlotte Islands, Canadian
Shield, Hudson Bay, and locally relevant examples (gr. 3)
 identify characteristics of the provinces and territories of Canada (Gr. 3)
Language Arts
 use strategies when expressing and presenting ideas, information, and feelings
including: accessing prior knowledge; organizing thinking by following a simple
framework; and predicting some things the audience should know (Gr. 1)
 use strategies when expressing and presenting ideas, information, and feelings
including: accessing prior knowledge; organizing thinking by following a framework
or rehearsing; clarifying and confirming meaning; predicting what the audience
needs to know for understanding; and adjusting volume and tone to the needs of the
audience (Gr. 2 and Gr. 3)
Visual Arts
 create 2-D and 3-D images for a given purpose; of personal significance; that
represent time; to communicate experiences and moods; in response to objects and
other images they have experienced (Gr. 1)
 create 2-D and 3-D images to communicate experiences, moods, and stories; to
illustrate and decorate; that represent a point in time; that represent specific places;
based on events or issues topics in their school and community (Gr. 2)
 create 2-D and 3-D images to communicate experiences, moods, and stories; to
illustrate and decorate; that represent time as transformation (Gr. 3)
Objectives: SWBAT:
 look up landforms that are specific to their chosen province or territory (in books
and on online resources) and represent them in 3D form on a map
 orally and visually present the chosen province or territory, describing landforms
specific to this area of Canada
Materials and Resources:
 smart board
 book “Introducing Landforms”
 books about landforms, Canada, maps of Canada
 website www.worldatlas.com
 paper templates of provinces and territories
 cardboard cutouts of provinces and territories
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salt dough ingredients
tempera paints
toothpicks and flags
Lesson Hook/Intro:
 Create a KWL chart and ask the students what they know about landforms
 Read the book “Introducing Landforms” by Bobbie Kalaman, asking questions and
discussing the landforms throughout the read aloud
 Add more to the chart, including what landforms they think/know are in Canada
Activity:
 Show students a map of Canada labeled with places, but without a visual
representation of landforms
 Ask “Can you tell by looking at this map what sorts of landforms you might find in
each province or territory?”
 Show another map of Canada, this time with a pictorial representation of landforms
and ask the same question
 Ask what would be an even better way to show these landforms on a map. Talk
about 3D models and representations. Explain that we will be creating a 3D map of
Canada which shows the landforms found in the provinces and territories (show an
example of a landform map made of cardboard and salt dough)
 Have students get into pairs and draw names to decide on a province or territory that
this pair will be responsible for. If there aren’t enough groups, the Atlantic provinces
may be grouped together
 Show students a template of their province, with outlines indicating landforms that
they will be learning about. Have students think-pair-share, predicting what
landforms they think might be in these areas
 With the students, come up with criteria for assessment of the final landform maps
and oral sharing
 In the computer lab, have students look up their province on a landform map on the
website www.worldatlas.com and fill out their template with labels and pictures to
show the landforms which go in their province or territory. They will also use books
and other maps to research these landforms
 Once their template is approved by the teacher, the students will be given a
cardboard template of their province and some salt dough to create their landforms
 Students will create mountains, bodies of water, etc. out of the salt dough and, once
dry, paint their creations. They will be encouraged to bring any artifacts from home
that would add to their map, such as miniature boats, tractors, etc. They will use
toothpicks and flags to label their landforms
Conclusion:
 Each partner group will share their 3D map of a province or territory with the class,
describing each landform and what they have learned about it
 After sharing, each province or territory will be added to the class map of Canada
Assessment:
 Contributions to discussions about landforms
 Research of landforms – completion of graphic organizer
 Paper template with landforms added
 Final product – 3-D representation of province/territory and oral presentation
(criteria will be decided with student input before the project is completed)
Transition:
 Clean up and put away materials
Extensions:
 Students can add to their map as they learn more about different places in Canada
 3-D maps can be used in the filming of a video, either factual or creative, set in
Canada
LESSON PLAN: Canadian Creation Stories
Grade: 1/2/3
Subject: Social Studies
Theme: Canada
P.L.O.(s):
 A2 identify a variety of symbolic representations
 B4 identify characteristics of Canadian society
Language Arts
 A3 listen purposefully to understand ideas and information, by identifying the main
ideas and supporting details.
 C5 use a variety of strategies during writing and representing to express thoughts,
including examining models of literature.
Objective:
Learn about creation stories of the Coast Salish Indigenous people. Identify four underlying
themes and characteristics of a creation story.
Materials and Resources:
 Smart Board
http://abed.sd79.bc.ca/acip/grade8/english8_lessons/creation_story8.html
 elements of a creation story graphic organizer
 fishbone graphic organizer template
Lesson Hook:
Cultures of Canada have creation stories about how this country came to be. What are
creation stories? What are some local creation stories? Today you will create your own
creation story!
Lesson Intro:
Today we will learn about the Cowichan creation story. What are elements of a creation
story?
Activity:
Discuss the creation stories to activate prior knowledge about creation stories. Different
cultures often have creation stories. Canadian Indigenous cultures have many different
kinds of creation stories. Today we are going to learn one of many different creation stories
of the Indigenous populations of Canada.
Hand out the elements of a creation story graphic organizer. Go over the four sections:
Story Main Topic/Theme, Story Characters, Sequence of Events, and Moral lesson. Explain
to the students that they will fill out each section while they are listening to the story.
Begin listening to the audio recorded story from the website.
Students will: Listen to the story and fill out the elements of a creation story graphic
organizer.
 Stop during important information and point them out for the students. Write names
down on the board. Stop and talk about different parts of the story.
Lead a discussion about the different elements.
 Ask students about what they wrote down.
OWN CREATION STORY
Students will then brainstorm their own elements for their own creation story. Take a piece
of paper and do a rough draft of the elements of the story. The teacher must approve their
rough draft before they begin to write.
Criteria:
 A challenge
 mystical (talking animals, transformations)
 Animals (Raven, coyote)
 Life altering event (right of passage, vision quest)
 Human
 Natural event (mountains, rivers, trees etc.)
Students will write own creation story containing all of the criteria in their journals.
Conclusion
There are many different unique Indigenous tribes in British Columbia alone, let alone all of
Canada. It is important to understand the diversity of Indigenous people in Canada. Canada
is very diverse with many different cultures, and each culture deserves respect! That is why
Canada is such a beautiful country.
Lesson Closure:
Students will partner up with a buddy and share their creation story.
Transition:
Put away journals and get ready for the next lesson.
Assessment:
 Contribution to the classroom discussion about elements of a creation story.
 Complete the criteria for a creation story. Using creativity, and effort.
 Completed editing for proper punctuation, using paragraph style and has a logical
sequence.
Extensions:
Listen to two different creation stories, either the Cowichan, Ktunaxa, or the Sinixt and
compare them. Do they contain all of the same elements? If not, why do you think so.
Read Coyote U: Stories and teaching and compare the difference between a trickster story
and a creation story.
RESOURCE CRITIQUE
McDermott & Gail McKeown. 1999. All About…Provinces and Territories. The All About
Series. Reidmore Books: Canada.
This is a series of non-fiction books about the provinces and territories aimed at the primary
level. The layout of the books is clear with a practical Table of Contents, glossary and index.
Sentences are simple, in large print and generously spaced on one page accompanied by a
colouful picture or map on the opposite page. The text is at a level that the primary students
would be able to work independently or with minimal support. A downside is that these books
are quite old and some of the information is out of date. Be sure to preview the books and
supplement where necessary.
http://www.pch.gc.ca/progs/cpsc-ccsp/sc-cs/index_e.cfm
This is the Canadian Heritage government website. It contains lots of information about
Canadian symbols but it would be difficult for primary kids to understand. Teachers could use
this site to gather pictures and simplify the text for use in the class. You can also order a
publication ‘Symbols of Canada’ free of charge.
http://www.aitc.sk.ca/saskschools/canada/index.html
This website was created by a teacher from Saskatchewan. It contains information about
Canadian Symbols but is designed for primary students, using less sophisticated text, an easy to
follow layout, shorter descriptions and pictures. It also contains information and links to other
Canadian topics such as animals, the Arctic and the early settlers. The section containing fact
about the provinces and territories has been recently updated and could be used as a resource for
the province inquiries.
http://www.worldatlas.com is a website which makes it easy for students (and teachers) to find
maps of many countries. This site also enables students to separate areas of a country, for
example the provinces and territories of Canada, in order to focus on the details of this part of the
country. There is also information on landforms, symbols, noteworthy people, and many other
areas of interest. The only downside to using this site is the advertisements that pop up
occasionally. Teaching children to navigate around these is a good idea before directing them to
the site.