This document provides resources for teaching about Canada in K-12 classrooms. It discusses how teaching Canada meets educational goals of preparing students as global citizens and good neighbors to Canada. It outlines that Canada is sometimes not adequately covered in social studies standards and curricula. It then provides an overview of the various resources available, including national resource centers, government publications, loan kits, print materials, multimedia resources, and websites. It specifically highlights the two US Department of Education-funded National Resource Centers on Canada and their initiatives and resources.

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
A Capital View of Canada: Nations within a Nation
Ottawa, ON – June 28, 2014

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.

3. Canada and the
American Curriculum Project
Canada sometimes falls in an curriculum “gap” that 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 and Texas) 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.
 NCSS continues to 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
Overview:
 National Resource Centers
 Government Publications
 Teacher Loan-Kits and Media Libraries
 Recommended Print Publications
 Recommended Multimedia Materials (Videos, CD-ROMs, CDs)
 Recommended Internet Websites

6. The US DOE Title VI Program
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 Grants
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 & 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)
 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)
 International Studies Schools Association
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.  Learning portal website at www.k12studycanada.org
 Canada Northern Neighbor (2nd
Edition)
 O Canada! Newspapers in Education Supplement
 e-Resource Notices (September-June every 2 months)
 Loan-Kits
Student Novel Collection (1) Resource Valise (2)
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 traveling suitcase of books and objects
Articles in education journals
Half-day or full-day in-service 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
Québec Dimensions Summer Teachers’ Institute
Summer Institute for Teachers of French
Canada Community leadership at NCSS

14. Bilingual (English and French) publications and Internet sites
Primary Gateway: www.gc.ca
Government of Canada Resources

15.  ACSUS (Association for Canadian Studies in the US)
www.acsus.org
 Canadian Embassy & Consulates
www.canadianembassy.org
www.canadainternational.gc.ca/can-am/offices-bureaux/index.aspx
 ICCS (International Council for Canadian Studies)
www.iccs-ciec.ca
 Canadian Educators and Education Resources (Dr JL Bencze - UT/OISE)
http://webspace.oise.utoronto.ca/~benczela/Educational_Resources.html
Other National Organizations

16. K-12 STUDY CANADA Loan-Kits at WWU:
 K-12 STUDY CANADA Resource Valises
(9 multimedia resource-based units for teaching)
 K-12 STUDY CANADA Student Novel Collection
(36 regional novels for young adults - Grades 4-9)
Loan-Kit at University of Maine:
 The Canada Valise
(Teacher-Developed Curriculum & Artifacts)
Loan-Kits and Media Libraries

17. Loan-Kits and Media Libraries
Notable Film Libraries and Resources:
 University of Washington
http://pokey.css.washington.edu/css/emc/titles.php?topicid=33
 SUNY-Plattsburgh
http://canadaacsus.plattsburgh.edu/video.htm
 National Film Board of Canada
www.nfb.ca/e
 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
http://cbc.ca

18. Recommended Print Publications

19. Recommended Print Publications

20. Recommended Print Publications

21. Recommended Print Publications (K-3)

22. Recommended Print Publications (K-6)

23. Recommended Print Publications (4-8)

24. Recommended Print Publications (4-8)

25. Recommended Print Publications (5-10)

26. Recommended Print Publications (K-8)

27. Recommended Print Publications (4-10)

28. Atlases & Classroom Maps of Canada

29. Fun Picture Books

30. Picture books that teach about
people and history…

31. …about Canada’s Aboriginal Peoples

32. … about the Arctic

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

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

35. Youth fiction creates a sense of place…

36. …for students of all reading levels.

37.  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

38. Canada via the Internet: Top 10 Websites
1 Government of Canada http://canada.gc.ca
Click "About Canada", "About Government" or "Provinces/Territories“…so much to learn that you may
never visit another site!
2 Statistics Canada www.statcan.gc.ca
Explore many lesson plans and data for K-12 and post-secondary students and educators.
3 PBS' Online Extra Teacher Resources www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/teachers
Type "Canada" and discover 4521 matches! 3084 just for Québec.
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 U Alberta Canadian Studies WebCentre www.canadianstudies.ca
Middle/H.S. students can easily navigate the many useful graphics and information bites.

39. Top 10 Websites (Cont’d.)
6 Canada Eh? http://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 Dominion Institute Professional Development Page
www.histori.ca/prodev/default.do?page=.lp_index
Middle/HS-level lesson plans covering different periods and events in Canadian history.
8 Parks Canada www.pc.gc.ca
9 Unofficial Canadiana
www2.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs.cmu.edu/user/clamen/misc/Canadiana/Travelogue.html
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.

40.  Kids Canada www.infocan.gc.ca/kclinks_e.html
 Indian & Northern Affairs www.inac.gc.ca/index_e.html
 “How Canadians Govern Themselves”
www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/process/library/forsey/how-e.htm
 Canadian Info by Subject - National Library of Canada
www.nlc-bnc.ca/caninfo/ecaninfo.htm
 Canadian Heritage Information Network www.chin.gc.ca
Key “GC” Gateways to Learning

41. The War of 1812 and Other Special / New
Resources
• 2012 marked the 200th anniversary of the start of the War of 1812.
Many exciting new resources have been developed to commemorate
the war. Visit our site to access them all easily:
http://www.k12studycanada.org/links_resource_links.html#Hist
ory
• The NRCs on Canada, NCSS, and Canadian provincial SSTAs have
also supported development of an interactive digital iBook suitable for
Grade 7-12 classrooms called 1812: Who Won the War? It’s the
first in a series to be produced by Epoch Multimedia Inc. Now available
for $5.99 at: https://
itunes.apple.com/us/book/1812-who-won-the-war/id717238942?mt=13

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

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

45. 9 Units of Study
• Artifacts
• Teacher Resources
• Internet Lists
• Multimedia Resources
• 8 CD-ROMs
• 8 Music CDs
• 7 Videos/DVDs

46. 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

47. 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)

48. 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

49. 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

50. 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

51. 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

52.  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!”

53. 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

54. 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

55. 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

56.  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

57. 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

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

59. 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

60. 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)

61. 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)

62.
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)

63. 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)

64. 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

65. 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)

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

67. 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)