Learning about Canada

 I love teaching about Canada and Canadian symbols.  I read the students some cute books about Canada and we talk about the symbols on our coins and the flag, etc.  The kids usually get a kick out of my stories about being SO OLD that I was alive before Canada had one dollar and two dollar coins.

This book (Why I Love Canada) is a sweet book with kids' words about why they love Canada.  

 This other one (Oh, Canada) goes through the provinces and territories and shows the province's flag, provincial tree, provincial flower, and provincial bird.  It also shows a famous landmark or pastime from each province.  Because I've been to most of the provinces across the country, it's fun to see many landmarks that I've been privileged to visit!

If you go to YouTube and type in the name of a province/territory as well as "tourism video" you will find some amazing high quality videos (1-5 minutes long) about different provinces.  They usually have majestic arial videos as well as cultural, geographic beauties, and attractions from that province/territory.  My students (and I!) really enjoy them.

I use some printables throughout my unit on Canada. We learn about symbols of Canada, animals of Canada and landforms and landmarks.  

We read a little reader with photographs of animals, landscapes and landmarks.  

And we colour and complete our own booklet to take home.  

 One of the things that the students need to learn is how to locate Canada on a world map.  We practice with Google Earth and of course take a look around at some important landmarks along the way!

 The students complete quick little booklets about Canadian symbols during center time.

 They also learn to identify Canadian coins.  We learn the song "Canada in My Pocket" by Michael Mitchell.  

 A game we play throughout the unit is "I Have, Who Has".  The game includes Canadian symbols, some landforms, Canadian animals, etc.

 We go on a field trip to a local pond where there is evidence of beavers and we do a mini research project about beavers.

You can project these pages on the screen and complete them together.  Alternately, you can have students complete them independently or in partners.  

 During center time students are able to play a quick game of coin memory.  

I hope you have enjoyed reading about my All About Canada unit.  If you would like to see my Canadian Symbols unit download, you can find it here.