CREATE A NEW PROVINCE UNIT SUMMARY

Inquiry questions:
How do people and places shape one another?
How do we share the land with visitors to Alberta?
How should we protect the land we share?

In this unit, students will learn about the regions of Alberta with the goal of coming up with
their own province within part of Alberta. Through the process of designing their own province,
students will gain understanding of how the land, peoples, and places are interconnected. It’s
important for students to understand how our province has developed through the relationships
between peoples and the land. Through the creative process, students will practice their critical
thinking and research skills, which are important features of social studies throughout all grades.
To achieve these goals, students will need instruction in the inquiry skills they will be applying
throughout the unit. Since they will be working in groups, specific strategies for collaborating will
also need to be addressed.

RESOURCES
• Our Alberta textbook
• Alberta Regions Research PBL by Brain Ninjas
• The People of the Boreal Forest - Heritage Community Foundation (http://wayback.archive-
it.org/2217/20101208160347/http://www.albertasource.ca/boreal//index.html)
• Landforms (scholastic) - https://studyjams.scholastic.com/studyjams/jams/science/rocks-
minerals-landforms/landforms.htm
• Zooming In... Alberta’s Regions - https://www.learnalberta.ca/content/sszi/en/index.html
• Walking Together Interactive Map - https://www.learnalberta.ca/content/aswt/map/
• Alberta (Harry Beckett, 2001) & Alberta (Jill Foran, 2004)
• Nitsitapiisinni: The story of the Blackfoot people. (Glenbow Museum 2001)
• What’s so funny about Alberta? (Michael Kerr, 2005)
• The Story Behind Alberta Names (Harry Sanders 2003)
• Chinook! (Michael Tunnel, 1993)
• C is for Chinook: An Alberta Alphabet (Dawn Welykochy, Lorna Bennett, 2004)
• Alberta tomorrow – (www.albertatomorrow.ca,
https://www.youtube.com/user/albertatomorrow/videos)
• Regions playlists on youtube
(https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7OIbSNLoJAUE0nkTFHM88DaZl6w3K--C,
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1GCvBjlrumpclrItVxaKGqlpIccoWof_)
 LESSONS

JANUARY
10 11 12 13 14
Pre-assessment & Grassland region Parkland region Parkland region Foothills region
Grassland intro
17 18 19 20
Foothills region Boreal Forest Canadian Shield Region Escape Region Quiz
region region room
24 25 26 27 28
A new province Regional industries Unique jobs in Indigenous & PD Day
brainstorming & & resources different regions Settler Homes
quality of life
FEBRUARY
January 31 1 2 3 4
Homes Parks & Tourism Flags & Symbols
Recreation
7 8 9 10 11
Coat of Arms Work period Making the case Work period
for your province
14 15 16 17 18
Work period Work period Sharing provinces Sharing provinces

ASSESSMENT

• Students will practice gathering information in the first series of lessons as they learn the basic
information about Alberta’s regions. This will also provide them with some foundational
information to draw on for their province project.
• The regions escape room on the 20th of January is a formative assessment to ensure that
students have the foundational knowledge of the regions to begin working on creating their
own new province. This will act as a review too. On the 21st they will complete a short quiz to
show what they know about the regions so far.
• The final assessment will have students working in groups on creating a province. Students will
complete self-assessments and check-in with me as they work through the project to ensure
regular feedback to support refinement of their work.
 Create A Province Rubric

Level Excellent Proficient Adequate Limited* Insufficient/

Criteria Blank*

Access and Project Project Project Project No score is

collect demonstrates a demonstrates a demonstrates a demonstrates a awarded
information skillful ability to competent simplistic questionable because there is
(4.S.7.2, 4.S.7.3, access and ability to access ability to access ability to access insufficient
4.S.7.4, 4.S.7.5) retrieve and retrieve and retrieve and retrieve evidence
information. information. information. information. of student
performance
Select a location Provides a rich Provides a Provides a basic Provides a based on
for a new and detailed substantial description of superficial the
province description of description of the region’s description of requirements of
(4.1.1.1, the region’s the region’s physical the region’s the assessment
4.1.1.5, 4.1.2.1, physical physical geography. physical task.
4.1.2.2) geography. geography. geography.

Justify the choice Provides Provides Provides Provides weak

of location compelling convincing believable reasons for
(4.1.2.3, reasons for reasons for reasons for selecting the
4.1.2.5, 4.1.3.2, selecting the selecting the selecting the location.
4.1.4.1, 4.3.1.2, location. location. location.
4.3.1.5, 4.3.1.6,
4.3.4.2, 4.3.4.3,
4.3.4.4)

Create a name, Creates/selects Creates/selects Creates/selects Creates/selects

flag & coat of perceptive thoughtful basic questionable
arms representations representations representations representations
(4.3.3.6, of the province. of the province. of the province. of the province.
4.3.3.8)

Communicates Communicates Communicates Communicates

Present information in an information in a information in a information in an
information intriguing purposeful straight- ineffective
(4.S.8.4, 4.S.8.5, manner to manner to forward manner manner that
4.S.8.6) engage the interest the that generally does little to
audience. audience. holds the sustain the
attention of the attention of the
audience. audience.

*When work is judged to be limited or insufficient, the teacher makes decisions about
appropriate intervention to help the student improve.