This document introduces a WebQuest activity where students take on the roles of either European explorers or First Nations people in early 1600s Canada. They will research aspects of the culture and lives of their group and those they encountered to compile a "letter home" sharing what they've learned about the other group and possibilities for the future. Resources on both cultures are provided for students to investigate food, housing, religion and other topics. Their work will be evaluated based on criteria like gathering relevant information and demonstrating understanding of cultural similarities and impacts of contact.

1. Introduction
Task
The Process
Resources
Evaluation
A letter from Kanata:
Conclusion A Grade 6 WebQuest
Credits about Canada’s First
Nations and European
explorers
Teacher Page

2. Introduction
Welcome to the early 1600s, a fascinating time to be
alive in this enormous land that stretches from one
ocean to another! Encounters are about to
happen…which will change the fate of many, many
people and their descendants. You and your team
will help us understand the stories of some of these
people, as they might have told them themselves, in
letters home.

3. Introduction continued…
A couple of years ago, a small group of people arrived
from Europe in the new world. They soon realized they
could not hope to understand this vast land all by
themselves. They didn’t speak the language, they knew
none of the local customs, and they were not prepared
for the geography, the weather or the way people did
things.
They decided to hire a group of young natives to act as
their guides and interpreters, to help them figure out
what life might be like if they stayed and settled down.
It has been two years, and the Europeans and the
natives have learned a lot about each others’ ways.
The Europeans are putting together a package of
information to send back home to their friends and
family, telling them how things are going. At the same
time, the young Natives are doing the same thing!

4. The Task
You and two teammates You’ll describe some
are either the Europeans aspects of their
or the natives, and culture, how it’s different
together, you will from your own, and your
assemble a document thoughts and concerns
telling your friends and about the future for you
family what you have and them, together in this
learned about these land.
strange people over the
past two years.

5. The Process
If you’re Europeans, you
might be
explorers, labourers, fur
 With your team, explore traders, wives or
the resources listed. daughters, nuns, priests …
 Together, choose your Are you from a First Nation
group’s identity. Use community? Which one?
Inspiration to map out Learn about about where
your individual roles, and “you” are from – which
region? What does that
research areas.
mean, in terms of how you
live?
As you proceed, I will provide you with a progress checklist, character and note-taking
charts, guidance with Inspiration, and examples of good student work. Make sure you consult
the rubric to be sure you’re meeting expectations!

6. Onward…(more process)
In role, each of you will Choose three topics from:
research at least three food, fashion, housing, art,
areas from the list, or music, religion, health, attit
another area that interests udes about
you. Try not to overlap with land, money, education, val
your team members’ ues, government, family
research areas. life, livelihoods, transportat
ion, weather, landscape, pa
stimes…
What others can you think
of?

7. Consider the following:
Here are questions to guide your Your friends and family want to know what
might happen if you and the other group
research, as you investigate your continue to be involved in each other’s lives.
three topics:
In what ways could your
How are these strange own lives change?
people different from Why might that be?
you? What are the possible
How are they the same? advantages to each of
Why might that be? you if you continue to
live together in this
territory? What could go
What do you most want your friends wrong?
and family to know about your
life?

8. The Research
On your own, complete comparison charts for
each of your research areas (I will give you
these)
Back to your team! Share all your findings with
other members.
What do your findings have in common with
theirs?
Together, plan your product.

9. Together, you will
The Product
create a “letter • a narrated slideshow
home” in any format • a video interview
you choose. with your characters
Combine all your • a Glogster using
team’s findings in sound, video, graphi
cs and text,
some way to put
• an actual package of
together… letters, or
• a Storybird.

10. Resources
You have copies of the class text, and we’ve
learned the basics – who came here, and who
was already here. Now, here are online
resources for you to use: articles, maps, virtual
museums, videos, music and games !
o http://www.canadiana.ca/hbc/intro_e.html This website shares stories about
exploration, the fur trade, and the Hudson’s Bay Company – with lots of
images and sections on characters in our past
o http://kidsspace.torontopubliclibrary.ca/genCategory15933.html This site
from the Toronto Public library has links to First Nations games, sites where
you can hear different native languages, Canadian Geographic historical maps
and more
o http://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/ Stories about first contact between
native and explorer groups, with some good photos of artifacts
o http://www.civilization.ca/ The virtual museum of the Canadian Museum of
Civilization, with exhibits of native art, artifacts and early Canadian life
o http://eciexplorerproject.wikispaces.com/Explorer+Resources An exploration
wiki with links arranged under the names of many different explorers
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVY8LoM47xI This video is the “other
Canadian anthem,” Stan Rogers’ “The Northwest Passage.”

11. …more resources…
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rhy5jje6JLA
Check out this video of aboriginal music!
o http://www.fourdirectionsteachings.com/main.html
The short film at this site will teach you a lot about
native spirituality, including creation stories.
o http://www.etfo.ca/Resources/This one is a
resource full of classroom activities based on native
life: transportation, dwellings, First Nations
heroes, and more.
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=playe
r_embedded&v=R-x5QOSqP3E This BBC video
shows how an iglu is built.

12. …and more resources!
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Etn92M
s8plo&feature=related This video shares the
Ojibway creation story.
o http://www.historica-
dominion.ca/content/videos Watch
Heritage Minutes here about exploration
and native culture.
o Finally, there is a wonderful collection of
short animated videos on topics like “I Wish
I was an Explorer,” “The Vikings are
Coming!” and “The Age of European
Exploration.” You’ll need to use your
password for the Ontario Educational
Resource Bank to get to these at
o https://resources.elearningontario.ca/

13. Evaluation
The next page shows the
rubric we will use. Note
that part of your mark is
yours alone, but your
group will also receive an
overall mark based on your
achievement as a team.
You and I will each
complete a rubric to
evaluate your success.

14. Evaluation
Success Criteria: 1=Rarely 2=Sometimes 3=Usually 4=Always 1 2 3 4
In role, I gather relevant information to identify, describe and compare three areas in native and
European life, and explained how differences might lead to conflict.
I organize my information, together with my own ideas, to demonstrate understanding of
differences and/or similarities between these cultures, and show understanding of possible
explanations for those differences and similarities.
I demonstrate understanding of three possible impacts of contact, both positive and negative, on
members of both groups.
Our team demonstrates effective use of collaborative skills —we share the workload, we encourage
accountability in team members, and we resolve conflicts fairly.
We demonstrate effective time management skills; we share resources, ideas and information.
We choose an appropriate format for team presentation of our team’s findings and ideas, and use
it effectively to communicate the results of our inquiries.
Our product demonstrates creativity, and engages its audience through effective use of graphics,
sound, video or other media.
We use appropriate conventions (spelling, punctuation, capitalization) accurately.
We employ relevant vocabulary with accuracy.
Our ideas and information are organized for maximum clarity.
All required elements are present; we have answered all assigned questions.

15. Conclusion
Well done — you’ve nearly In your journal, consider this:
completed your first WebQuest! whenever two groups of
You’ve developed good people encounter each other
teamwork skills, improved your for the first time, they will
technology skills, and built both be changed in some way.
understanding of the period of When we consider Canada’s
first contact between European current relationship with its
explorers and First Nations First Nations peoples, how
members. does what you learned on this
WebQuest help you?

16. Credits
Useful guidance for creating
WebQuests can be found at
Kathy Schrock’s website for
The WebQuest model was educators,
developed by Professor Bernie http://school.discoveryeduc
Dodge, at San Diego ation.com/schrockguide,
University, with assistance and on Ellen Finkelstein’s
from Tom March. This blog post, Create a
WebQuest is modelled on their WebQuest in PowerPoint, at
work, as they describe it at http://www.ellenfinkelstein.
http://webquest.org/index.ph com/
p

17. Teacher Page
I’m Nancy
Fischer, a grade
six Language
Arts and Social
Studies teacher.
This is my first
WebQuest!