Introduction to Resources and Teaching about Canada Tina Storer, Education and Curriculum Specialist, WWU

1. Resources For Teaching About Canada
Tina Storer, Education & Curriculum Specialist
Center for Canadian-American Studies
Western Washington University
STUDY CANADA Summer Institute for K-12 Educators
Across the Salish Sea: Canada-US Connections in the Pacific Northwest
Seattle, WA and Victoria, BC – June 27-July 1, 2016

2. The best practice is simply to teach Canada
As seen in the video “Tom Brokaw explains Canada to Americans”, it is
important for American students to know more about our northern neighbor and
its relationship to our own nation:
Teaching Canada meets international education goals that consider North America first, encourage
American students to be prepared as 21st
century citizens who are good neighbors, good economic
partners, good allies, and more.
Teaching Canada has students explore our international relationship beyond mutually-beneficial
economic interests to include the stewardship of N. America and the world.
Teaching Canada advances student knowledge, provides comparative context for history and politics,
and encourages global thinking.
Canada is perhaps the best comparative lens regarding all core social studies topics.
It’s important that American 8th
Graders recognize that Canada is not a dictatorship.

3. Canada and the American Curriculum
As per the article “The Country Left Behind”, Canada sometimes falls
in a curriculum “gap” that many educators aren’t aware of.
KEY
TAN color:
CDN content required in elementary school
curriculum (grades: K-5)
BLUE color:
CDN content required in middle school
curriculum (grades: 6-8)
PURPLE color:
CDN content required in high school
curriculum (grades: 9-12)
RED color:
CDN content required in two different levels
of K-12 school curriculum (grades: either K-
5 & 6-8; or K-5 & 9-12; or 6-8 & 9-12)
GREEN color:
CDN content required in all three different
levels of school curriculum

4. Resources for Teaching Canada
Key Question: Why aren’t more resources for teaching Canada available?
 Canada only appears intermittently in social studies standards and, sometimes,
is not addressed at all in K-12 classrooms.*
 Standards (esp. California, Texas and New York) drive the textbook industry and,
without standards that specifically mention Canada, Canada is often
minimized and/or left out of textbooks even in key areas like economics.
 National education organizations such as NCSS, NCHE, and NCGE support
increased inclusion of Canada in curricula.
* To learn more, see SUNY Plattsburgh Study: The Country Left Behind by Dr. Joseph-André Senécal, Professor
Emeritus, University of Vermont, on homepage of www.k12studycanada.org.

5. Resources for Teaching Canada
Preview:
 US Department of Education Title VI National Resource Centers and Resources
 Recommended Print Publications
 Recommended Multimedia Materials (Videos, CD-ROMs, CDs)
 Recommended Internet Websites
 If time permits, resource tours of the K-12 STUDY CANADA teacher loan-kits.

6. The US DOE Title VI Program – Area Studies
The launching of Sputnik I in 1957 led to the federal government’s most significant
participation in modern foreign language and area studies research and training in
history—The National Defense Education Act (NDEA) of 1958.
The federal Office of Education began administering the National Resource
Centers (NRC) Program under Title VI of the NDEA, and the U.S.D.O.E. continues
to administer it under the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended.
The centers supported under the NRC Program conduct a broad range of activities
that include instruction, outreach, scholarly research, maintenance of library
resources, and teacher training. Collectively, these activities represent a
programmatic effort that focuses on particular regions of the world and the relevant
issues connected to those regions; and, they constitute a national capacity in
modern foreign languages and area and international studies.
From: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/iegpsnrc/index.html

7. National Resource Centers on Canada
U.S. Department of Education Title VI program provides
a competitive grant, offered every 4 years, to support
two National Resource Centers on Canada in the US:
1) Pacific Northwest NRC (U Washington and WWU)
2) Northeast NRC (U Maine and SUNY Plattsburgh)

8. Both NRCs on Canada offer:
Classroom Resources
Print Publications
Teachable Online Information
Online Curricula
Multimedia Classroom Tools
Instruction for Professional Development
National Resource Centers on Canada

9. ...and partner with many organizations to serve K-12 educators:
 Embassy of Canada and Consulates of Canada in the US
 Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, UW
 Individual Teachers/Teacher-Librarians
 K-12 STUDY CANADA Teacher-Associates
 National Education Groups (eg: NCSS, NCHE, NCGE, CS4, ACSUS)
 State Councils of the above groups
 State and District-Level Social Studies Curriculum Directors/Coordinators
 Educational Collaboratives and Individual Schools
 Québec Government Offices in the US (and in Canada)
 State Government Offices (and Provincial Government Offices in Canada)
 US and State Departments of Education
 Canada-America Society (Seattle, WA)
 Faculties of Education at our own institutions and at other universities
National Resource Centers on Canada

10. Pacific Northwest NRC on Canada
Western Washington University
Center for Canadian-American Studies
University of Washington
Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies
Canadian Studies Center
Website: www.k12studycanada.org
Contacts: tina.storer@wwu.edu (Tina Storer)
nfabbi@uw.edu (Nadine Fabbi)

11.  Annual STUDY CANADA Summer Institute for K-12 Educators (since 1978)
 Canada Northern Neighbor (2nd
Edition)
 O Canada! The True North Strong and Free! Newspapers in Education Supplement
NCHE “Connections to Canada in US History” Articles
Half/Full-Day Professional Development Programs and Conference Workshops:
• Archives on the Arctic: Connecting to Global Issues…
• From Coal Trains to Classrooms: Cross-Border Trade, Energy and Environmental Issues…
E-Resource Newsletters (every 2 months September-June)
 Teacher Loan-Kits (2 Types: Novel Collection (36) / Resource Valise (9 units))
 Various Topic Resource Tours/Teaching Guides
K-12 STUDY CANADA Resources

12. Northeastern NRC on Canada
University of Maine
Canadian Studies Center
State University of New York College at Plattsburgh
Center for the Study of Canada and Institute on Québec Studies
Websites: www.umaine.edu/canam
http://canada-acsus.plattsburgh.edu/cesca.htm
Contacts: barntzen@umit.maine.edu (Betsy Arntzen)
sotheral@plattsburgh.edu (Amy Sotherden)

13. Northeastern NRC Initiatives
Canada Valise (Teacher-developed loan-kit with books,
classroom artifacts and Grade 7 curricula by Les Buell)
Articles in Education Journals
Half/Full-Day Professional Development Programs and
Workshops at Teacher Conferences:
• Canada and the New Hampshire Curriculum
• Canada and the Massachusetts Curriculum
• Canada and the New York Curriculum
 Annual (Alternate Year) Summer Institutes:
• Québec Dimensions Summer Teachers’ Institute
• Summer Institute for Teachers of French
Canada Community Leadership at NCSS

14. Recommended Print Publications
“Resource tours” are available on the www.k12studycanada.org homepage
with book recommendations identified as appropriate for elementary, middle,
and high school classrooms.

15. Recommended Print Publications

16. Recommended Print Publications

17. Recommended Print Publications

18. Recommended Print Publications (K-3)

19. Recommended Print Publications (K-6)

20. Recommended Print Publications (4-8)

21. Recommended Print Publications (4-8)

22. Recommended Print Publications (5-10)

23. Recommended Print Publications (K-8)

24. Recommended Print Publications (4-10)
and a Favorite Video….

25. Atlases & Classroom Maps of Canada

26. Fun Picture Books

27. Picture books that teach about
people and history…

28. …about Canada’s Aboriginal Peoples

29. … about the Arctic

30. Students are never too young to read
literature by Canadian authors…

31. Historical fiction engages students and
teaches about interesting time periods…

32. Youth fiction creates a sense of place…

33. …for students of all reading levels…

34. Recommended Print Publications
Also visit Canadian Review of Materials (CM) at https://www.umanitoba.ca/cm
for book reviews and recommendations in their online magazine. Many reviews are
by classroom teachers/university faculty.

35.  Pacific Edge Publishing
www.classroomresources.com
 Chapters Bookstore
www.chapters.ca
 Kidsbooks Vancouver
www.kidsbooks.ca
 Powell’s Books (Victoria)
www.powells.com
 JK Publications
www.cardseh.ca
Publishing & Purchasing Sources

36. Canada on the Internet: Top 10 Websites
1 Government of Canada www.canada.ca Click “More Services” (above right) to learn about
Canadian history, identity, culture, geography, world issues, etc.
2 Statistics Canada www.statcan.gc.ca
Explore many lesson plans and data for K-12 and post-secondary students and educators.
3 The Canadian Review of Materials - CM Magazine http://umanitoba.ca/cm
This online publication is overseen at the University of Manitoba, produced by volunteers, and
targeted
to educators/librarians with reviews of books and other materials that are authored, illustrated and/or
published by for children and adolescents.
4 Great Unsolved Mysteries in Canadian History http://canadianmysteries.ca/en/index.php
Students will be drawn into Canadian history and archival research through the enticement of solving
real "cold crimes"! Sound pedagogy behind material and teacher resources.
5 The Canadian Children's Book Centre www.bookcentre.ca
The CCBC is dedicated to encouraging, promoting and supporting the reading, writing, illustrating, and
publishing of Canadian books for young readers with resources to help educators.

37. Top 10 Websites (Cont’d.)
6 Canada Eh? www3.sympatico.ca/taniah/Canada
A personal page that offers downloadable Canada graphics useful for the
classroom as well as a variety of information for students about Canada.
7 Historica Canada https://www.historicacanada.ca
This site is devoted to enhancing awareness of Canadian history and citizenship. Access Heritage
Minutes, a collection of more than 70 video vignettes that recreate historical events of great importance,
accomplishment and bravery. It’s also home to The Canadian Encyclopedia, a free online resource
that offers the largest collection of continuously updated articles focused on Canada and Canadiana.
Don't miss the "Education" section. Middle/HS-level lesson plans cover different periods and events.
8 Parks Canada www.pc.gc.ca
View QuickTime videos promoting tourism and information about national parks throughout Canada.
9 Canadiana www.canadiana.ca/en/home
Access Canada's documentary heritage. The collections include: On This Day…; Early Canadiana
Online; The Héritage Project (some of Canada's most popular archival collections); and the Canadiana
Discovery Portal, a gateway to diverse digital collections from many libraries, museums and archives.
10 The Canadian Social Studies Super Site www.ualberta.ca/~jkirman
Carefully screened connections to quality websites about Canada are offered that also give a
glimpse into how Canadians teach about themselves.

38. … Enjoy exploring book stores and museum shops while in Canada, and
then developing new curricula based on your STUDY CANADA
experience so that your students will, in turn, appreciate learning about
Canada, its relations with the US and its role in the world!
The end of this presentation is really
your beginning…

40. A PowerPoint walk-through of…
The K-12 STUDY CANADA Resource
Valise

41. 9 Units of Study
• Artifacts
• Teacher Resources
• Internet Lists
• Multimedia Resources
• 8 CD-ROMs
• 8 Music CDs
• 7 Videos/DVDs

42. Multimedia Resources
 Canadian Geographic Explorer
 Canada: Confederation to Present
 Cross Country Canada
 Totem Poles
 Adventure Canada
 Land of the Inuit
 Nunavut Territory
 Canadian Treasures
8 CD-ROMS

43. Multimedia Resources
8 Music CDs
 Sing a Song of Canada + Songbook (Kim Soleski-Ward)
 Stompin’ Tom Sings Canada’s History (Stompin’ Tom Connors)
 Canada is for Kids – Vol. 1 & 2 (Michael Mitchell)
 Un Pays Qui Se Chante (Various Québec Artists)
 For the Times (Schooner Fare)
 This Child (Susan Aglukark)
 Gord’s Gold (Gordon Lightfoot)
 Sing a Song of Canada: A Musical Journey
Across Canada (Kim Soleski-Ward CD & Songbook)

44. Multimedia
Resources
7 Videotapes/DVDs
 The Canadian History Series (1939-2000)
 Postcards from Canada
 Paddle to the Sea
 The Group of Seven
 The Sweater
 CBC Life & Times: L.M. Montgomery
 Breaking the Ice: The Story of Mary Ann Shadd

45. Unit 1: O Canada!
 Artifacts:
 Set of Provincial & Canada Flags
 Deck of “Cards Eh!”
 Fold-Out & Laminated 3-D Maps
 12 Laminated Placemats
 Canada-at-Glance Binder Insert
 Teaching Resources:
 Canada Northern Neighbor
 The Spirit of Canada
 Canada’s Maple Leaf: The Story of
Our Flag
 The Kids Book of Canada
 Sing a Song of Canada
 O Canada! NIE Supplement
 Internet List: 20 websites

46. Unit 2: BC – Totems & Emily Carr
 Artifacts:
 Totem Pole
 Teaching Resources:
 Emily Carr:
An Introduction to her Life and Art
 The Art Room
 Bentwood Box; Button Blanket; Cedar
Plank Mask; Spindle Whorl
 BC: Land and People
 Internet List: 12 websites

47. Unit 3: Images of Ontario – From City to
Shield
 Artifacts:
 CN Tower Model & Brochure
 Art Pin (A.J. Casson’s “White Pine”)
 Teaching Resources:
 Looking at Landscape
Resource Package
 Images of Nature: Canadian Poets and
the Group of Seven
 Meet the Group of Seven
 Internet List: 12 websites

48.  Artifacts:
 Montreal Canadians “Away” Hockey
Jersey
 Teaching Resources:
 Québec: Land and People
 The Sweater (book)
 The Rise and Fall:
1700-1775 New France
 Internet List: 12 websites
Unit 4: Québec – les Habitants & “the
Habs!”

49. Unit 5: The Maritimes & the Land of
Anne
 Artifacts:
 P.E.I. License Plate w/ Anne
 Teaching Resources:
 Lucy Maud Montgomery: A Writer’s Life
 Duncan’s Way
 Internet List: 14 websites

50. Unit 6: Canada’s North & the
Inuit
 Artifacts:
 Inuksuk Kit
 Teaching Resources:
 Artists in the Arctic Resource
Package
 The Kids Book of the Far North
 The Inuksuk Book
 Arctic Stories
 Internet List: 12 websites

51. Unit 7: Canadian Dreams – The
Railroad,
RCMP & Yukon
Gold
 Artifacts:
 CN Model Railway Car or RCMP
Postcards/Poster
 Teaching Resources:
 The Cremation of Sam McGee
 The Kids Book of Canada’s Railway
 Boldly Canadian: RCMP
 The Mounties For Kids Activity Book
 Life in the Old West Series:
The Railroad and The Gold Rush
 Internet List: 12 websites

52.  Artifacts:
 Child’s Game
 Teaching Resources:
 Contemporary Art By First
Nations Artists Resource
Package
 Canada History: Prehistoric
Canada (Ancient Canada–
Aboriginal People)
 Paddle to the Sea
 From Time Immemorial
 Maple Moon
 Internet List: 12 websites
Unit 8: Canada’s First Nations

53. Unit 9: Black Canadians & the
Underground
Railroad
 Artifacts:
 2 Posters
 Teaching Resources:
 In Our Time: An Introductory
Learning Guide
 The Spirit of Africville
 The Story of Mary Ann Shadd
 The Kids Book of Black Canadian
History
 Internet List: 11 websites

54. A PowerPoint walk-through of…
The K-12 STUDY CANADA Student Novel
Collection

55. Unit 1: O Canada!
• Tunnels of Time (M. Harelkin Bishop) Saskatchewan
• Rebellion (J. Scanlon) Manitoba
• Who Has Seen the Wind? (W.O. Mitchell) Saskatchewan
• Jake and the Kid (W.O. Mitchell) Saskatchewan
• Ticket to Curlew (C.B. Lottridge) Alberta

56. Unit 2: BC: Totems and Emily Carr
• Will’s Garden (L. Maracle) also suitable for use with Unit 8
• The West Coast Murders (R. MacGregor)
• Raven’s Flight (D. Silvey)
• Lambs of Hell’s Gate (M.L. Bright)
• Cariboo Runaway (D. Davis)

57. Unit 3: Images of Ontario —
From City to
Shield
• The Lost Sketch (Adventure.Net Series – A. and D. Spalding)
• A Bushel of Light (T. Harrison)
• The Ghost of the Stanley Cup (R. MacGregor)
• Horror on River Road (R. MacGregor)

58.
Unit 4: Québec: les Habitants & “the
Habs!”
• Terra Incognita (A. Metikosh)
• The Hollow Tree (J. Lunn)
• The Quebec City Crisis (R. MacGregor)
• The King’s Daughter (S. Martel)

59. Unit 5: The Maritimes & the Land of
Anne
• The Girl on Evangeline Beach (A. Carter)
• Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
• Anne of Avonlea (L.M. Montgomery)
• Anne of the Island (L.M. Montgomery)
• Lucy Maud and Me (M.F. Coady)

60. Unit 6: Canada’s North and the Inuit
• Napachee (R. Feagan)
• The Screech Owls’ Northern Adventure (R. MacGregor)
• Lost in the Barrens (F. Mowat)
• Call of the Wild (J. London) Not a Canadian author

61. Unit 7: Canadian Dreams: The Railroad,
RCMP & Yukon Gold
• Jason’s Gold (W. Hobbs) Not a Canadian author
• Ambush in the Foothills (B. Freeman)
• Gold Fever Trail (Monica Hughes)
• Steel Across the Shield (P. Berton)

62. Unit 8: Canada’s First Nations
• Maybe Tomorrow (J. Weir)
• My Name is Sepeetza (S. Sterling)
• Will’s Garden (L. Maracle)

63. Unit 9: Black Canadians and the
Underground
Railroad
• Underground to Canada (B. Smucker)
• If I Just Had Two Wings (V.F. Schwartz)
• The Last Safe House (B. Greenwood)