W2 L3: Histories of Canada - March 17/21

Teacher Ana Ferzacca Grade Level 5/6

Subject Social Studies Unit Histories of Canada

Time 12:40-1:55 (75 mins) Overarching How does the fur trade reflect
Question Metis culture and heritage as well
as British influence in Canada?

Description and Rationale

In this lesson students will play the fur trade game. They will act as traders hunting for beaver
pelts and trade them for European goods. This will be in preparation to fill out their fur trader
logbooks.

GLOs 5.2 Students will demonstrate an understanding of the people and the stories
of Canada and their ways of life over time, and appreciate the diversity of
Canada’s heritage.

SLOs 5.2.3 examine, critically, ways of life in New France by exploring and
reflecting upon the following questions and issues:
● How do stories and legends of the coureurs des bois and voyageurs
inform us about Francophone history, culture and presence
throughout Canada? (I, CC, TCC)
● What do stories about the habitants tell us about Francophone
history, culture and presence in Canada? (I, CC, TCC)

Learning 1. Students will be able to describe the challenges that fur traders may
Objectives have faced during the fur trade.
2. Students will be able to understand the roles of the forts in the fur
trade.

Learning Objectives Driving Questions

1. What was challenging about the game today?

What would this have meant for the people
participating in the actual fur trade?

2. What was the role of the forts?

How did the forts decisions affect your ability
to trade?
Pre-Lesson Preparation

Material/Equipment/Resources Teacher Tasks

Printed beaver pelts and goods for trading Print and cut out pelts, trade goods, and
Fur trader logbooks logbooks
Price sheet (slide) Hide beaver pelts around the field.

Body Time(mins)

Activity 1 Explain Game: 20

They are going to be First Nations hunters in the fur trade:
● There are beaver pelts hidden around the field for them to
go find
○ If they find one at the same time, rock paper
scissors
○ It was important that the pelts be good quality,
ripped or half pelts might not count
● Once we come back inside there will be a list of what they
can trade for, they must decide what they want to trade
their pelts for

Activity 2 Go Hunt for Beavers - beavers will be hidden in the field before 30
the class.

Activity 3 Trade: 20
● Students will get a chance to see the price sheet and
decide what they want to trade their pelts for.
● Then they will be able to trade with the HBC (me) or the
NWC (Leah)
○ NWC will take ripped beavers
○ HBC will only take beavers that are whole
● They will glue the beavers and what they traded for into the
logbooks
● They can start working on reflection questions in logbook
● *make sure they keep track of these books for next class

Closure Talk about the challenges that they may have had and what other 5
challenges fur traders may have faced.

Assessment
Formative: Closure discussion about challenges they had
Summative: Their fur trader logbooks will be collected for marks

Reflection

What Worked After explaining the game I asked students what roles they were playing
and what roles Leah and I were playing. They picked up on this right
away that they were First Nations traders and we were the British and the
French. They also understood quickly that the metis were not included in
this game.
The game worked really well, things that I did not expect happened such
as students sharing beavers with others who did not get any and making
deals with each other when trading. The trading was fun too and students
seemed to enjoy it.
We had a talk after they hunted their beavers about the problems they
faced. Problems such as being hard to find, some people having way
more beavers than others, and bugs in the grass came up, In our
discussion we were able to relate these to problems that real fur traders
may have had.

What Didn’t I should have hid the beavers better and farther apart. Students found
Work them all very quickly. I also should have been more clear about the
guidelines for trading the beavers.

What I Would I would hide the beavers better. I could also add other hides that were
Change worth less or more items to trade. I would also make one company have
less supplies, that way one would run out and students would need to
figure out which company had more.
Finding a way to include the metis in the game would have been
beneficial as well.
The metis could have had clues on where the beavers were and then
they would be able to work as guides for the hunters.