Canada in 1815

The first unit in my Socials 10 course (after review) is called "Canada in 1815". 

The key questions for the unit are:

1)   What was Canada like in 1815? Who was here and what were they thinking and doing?

2)   What were the problems with government?

My lessons go like this: 

1) Economy in 1815

2) Government in 1815

3) Immigration in 1815

4) Big Ideas in 1815

5) First Nations Relations: 1815-1840

6) Rebellions of 1837-1838

7) Government in 1840

Of course, "Canada in 1815" wasn't quite the same Canada as today. We are just talking about Upper and Lower Canada, or the very southern portions of Ontario and Quebec. 

Review Maps

Here are the maps that I use at the beginning of Socials 10 for review. Maps are the stereotypical socials activity that I try to avoid "all we did all year was colour maps", but find myself using more all the time. Maps provide a good visual, and a break from 'facts'. I found myself referring to places and events in Europe quite often in Socials 10 (plus in Socials 11, students will have to add to their understanding of European countries). 

I use this map (Map of Europe), and just have students label and colour the following places: Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, England, London, Ireland, Scotland, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Rome.

I then use this map (Map of Eastern Canada) as part of my review of early contact. The students label 

Landmarks: North America, South America, Hudson’s Bay, Atlantic Ocean, St. Laurence River, Newfoundland

First Nations: Cree, Obijwa, Huron,  Iroquois, Algonquin, Malecite, Mi'kmaq, Innu, Beothuk

Explorers: Jacques Cartier, Henry Hudson, Sir Walter Raleigh

Early Settlements: York, Jamestown, Montreal, Quebec City

If you have better map images, please let me know

Atlas of Canada

Ever get frustrated looking for good maps to draw on or label? Are you diving into the filing cabinet to find the master and hoping you kept one? Are you searching on google images for blank maps? Are you using out-of-date blackline masters from the textbook teachers guide?

These are all things I was doing when the geography unit came around until I started checking out the online Atlas provided on the government website. There are lots of cool things on the atlas, and I will do a separate post about "toporama", but for good outline maps you should click on "reference maps". You can print off an outline of Canada with lots of different options (such as with the rivers or without, or with the capitol cities or without, or even with longitude and latitude lines). I also use the outline map of BC when that unit comes along.

I no longer have to worry about my outline maps getting out of date or keeping master copies. I just follow the links and print 30 copies when I need them.