Europe’s colonization of Canada begins with the explorers Jacques Cartier and Samuel de Champlain. The stories of these men are rich with adventure, excitement, and the experience of both finding a “new world” and encountering new peoples.
The Dictionary of Canadian Biography has put together an Exploring the Explorers lesson plan for each of these men, designed for students in grades 5 through 12, but easily adaptable to whatever grade range you are teaching.
Jacques Cartier’s lesson is based around a stamps that depict his life as an explorer. Using the biographical detail provided either in the materials or on their website, students first examine the stamp closely, then redesign it to better fit what they have learned in the biography.
Samuel de Champlain’s lesson focuses on the monument in Quebec City. Using the same method as above, students evaluate and examine the monument and then redesign it based on his biography.
Both of these lesson plans also include additional suggestions on how to incorporate other subjects within them, such as language, French, math, physical education, art, music, and geography. These activities are fun add-ons.
I am hoping they create more of these lessons as I think they have a great potential to be a unique tool to approach people and events in our history.
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