Formal Lesson Plan:

Reading
Canada
Bruce Lawrence

Objectives: Students will learn the provinces, capitals and some major cities of Canada.
They will learn what various names of places mean in Indian languages.

Prerequisites: Students need to know the general geography of Canada.

Level: Low Intermediate

Duration: 2 hours

Materials:
Canada map (empty)
Canada map (full)
Canada strips
Canada quiz
Canada trivia

Set up: group map, then individual strips, then individual/large group quiz

Anticipated problems: Some students will finish earlier than others. In that case give
them the quiz questions and have them guess the answers.
Warm up:

<General Qs>
T: Are you a Canadian citizen or a landed immigrant?
Ss: Various answers
T: Did you take any test for that?
Ss: various answers

<Specific Qs>
T: How many provinces does Canada have?
Ss: 10/12/13 various answers
T: What province is Vancouver in? What’s the next province?

<Anecdote>
Yeah, when I was a little boy, the teacher gave us a map of Canada and told us to identify
all the provinces and capitals. I don’t know why but I was really competitive and I always
wanted to get it perfect. I guess I really love maps.

Teaching:

<building interest>
T: So, today we’re gong to learn all of the provinces, capitals and the major cities of
Canada. <write three words on board>
What province are we in?
What is the capital?
What is the major city?

<Vocabulary for Part I>

Province British Columbia
Capital Victoria
Major city Vancouver

<Vocabulary for Part II>

T chooses various difficult words and elicit definitions
bank harbour tree line rampart tundra
parliament maritime Artic circle rugged gold rush
confederation Titanic fjord ethnic good luck
praries atmosphere meadow wander sour
luck
woods groovy pristine cosmopolitan

<eliciting definitions>
For example:
T: Who knows what “bank” means? Any guesses?
Ss: money place
T: Yes, but it has two meanings. One is where you keep your money. Do you know a
second meaning?
Ss: various guesses/silence
T: What is on the side of a river?
Ss: ???.
T: In the middle there is water; on the sides there are …?
banks

Main Activities:

I Canada map

<Instructions & example>

T: Take a look at this map. Can you see the white marks? Those are the missing
provinces. Can you name all of the provinces? It’s difficult isn’t it?

You are going to work together in groups of three and try your best to write the names of
the provinces in the blanks.

For example this one is number one. It is on the west coast. The capital is Victoria. The
major city is Vancouver.
S: BC!!
T: Right, so try your best.

<closure>
T: OK, finished? Did you fill up all the blanks?
Ss: Yes/no
T: OK, Lilly what is province number one?
<Lilly reads, T explains or elicits names of provinces>
T: Do you know what “British Columbia” means? Do you know where “Spanish
Colombia” is?
Ss: Yes/no
T: It’s in South America

II Canada strips

<Instructions & example>

T: OK, here are some strips of paper. You are going to choose one strip of paper, read it,
but don’t show it to anyone. You can ask me questions, or look in the dictionary or ask
the TESL students about the vocabulary. When you finish, you are going to read it and let
people try to guess the answer.
As Ss are reading their strip, check vocabulary.
When Ss finish reading their strip, give them the Canada Quiz

III Canada Quiz

<Instructions & example>

T: OK, now here is the Canada Quiz. You are going to read your part and we are going to
try to guess the answer. For example, who has number one?
S: I do!
T: So you are going to read it. Don’t tell us the answer. And we will try to guess.

<Closure>
T: So, what’s the answer to number one? How do you spell it?

Wrap up

<Review Qs>
(T chooses a few difficult words and asks review Qs)
What does … mean?
Can you use it in a sentence?

<Common errors>
What’s the difference between a “capital” and “major city”?
What’s the difference between “Province” and “Territory”?

Contingency plan
Have students read Canada trivia sheet and underline difficult words.

Homework
Easy: Use five words from our vocabulary list in a sentence.
Difficult: Write a paragraph describing your favourite province/capital/major city of
Canada.
 Canada (strips)

1. Ottawa
Canada's capital is on the southern bank of the Ottawa River. It's a government town,
dominated by the old, green Parliament Buildings. While not very exciting, the air is
clean, the streets are wide and the people are friendly. Can you guess?

2. Charlottetown
It is the capital of Canada's smallest province, so it is an old, quiet country town. The
issue of Canada becoming a country was first officially discussed here in 1864, and
nowadays the tiny capital is known as the birthplace of Canadian confederation in 1867.
Can you guess?

3. Edmonton
It is the capital of Alberta, the most westerly of the prairie provinces. While Calgary has
the wild west image, this city is famous for the world's largest shopping and
entertainment mall, but it still enjoys an attractively wooded riverside setting. Can you
guess?

4. Halifax
This city is on one of the world's largest natural harbours. More and more travellers are
setting course for Nova Scotia's capital. Most of it’s attractions have a maritime theme
and it is famous for being the base of rescue operations for the Titanic tragedy. Can you
guess?

5. Montreal
This city’s charm lies in its relaxed atmosphere. It's friendly and easy to get around and
the old town is a wonderful feast for the senses. The streets are filled with musicians,
restaurants, groovy Quebecois shops and squares. Grab an outside table, shut your eyes
and take in the smells, sounds and general atmosphere. Can you guess?

6. Nunavut
This province is wild and isolated, stretching north above the tree line up to within
spitting distance of the North Pole. It holds Canada's third largest national park, which is
one of a few in the world north of the Arctic Circle. The pristine wilderness of mountains,
valleys, fjords and meadows is spectacular for experienced hikers and climbers. Can you
guess?

7. Quebec City
This city is the European-flavoured capital of Québec province, divides between an Old
Town full of historic ramparts, churches, narrow lanes and former battlefields, and new
districts with museums, cafes, bars and restaurants. Can you guess?
8. St John's
This city is Newfoundland’s rugged island capital and is North America’s oldest city
(1528). It is on a hill rising up from the waterfront - stairs are everywhere, leading to
narrow, winding streets lined with multicoloured houses. Its fishing village origins are
never far away, so the number of drinking establishments in town is huge! Can you
guess?

9. Toronto
Although the famous Niagara Falls is nearby, this city is not really full of attractions. It's
a business city that has summer festivals, spicy markets, beachfront boardwalks and
music pouring out of its neighbourhood restaurants. Start your tour with the cloud-
brushing CN tower, and wander through the ethnically-flavoured neighbourhoods. Can
you guess?

10. Vancouver
This city offers a combination of big-city lifestyle and outdoor fun. Ski in the morning,
sail in the afternoon and still make it back to town in time for a cocktail. Begin a tour
through Stanley Park, continue through cosmopolitan downtown, and don’t miss
Gastown, the city's original settlement. Can you guess?

11. Winnipeg
This city is the beginning of Canada's wild west and is the capital of Manitoba. It has US
flavour and architecture, and it's often compared to Chicago because it has the windiest
downtown corner in North America (Portage Ave and Main St intersection)! Can you
guess?

12. Yellowknife
This city is the place to organise your outdoor activities before heading out into the
mountains, forests and treeless tundra of Canada's wild Northwest Territories. A walk
around the Old Town takes you past wooden miners huts built during the 1934 gold rush,
on streets with good-luck-turned-sour names like Ragged Ass Rd. Can you guess?
 Canada Quiz

1. Canada's capital is on the southern bank of the Ottawa River. It's a government town,
dominated by the old, green Parliament Buildings. While not very exciting, the air is
clean, the streets are wide and the people are friendly. Can you guess?

2. It is the capital of Canada's smallest province, so it is an old, quiet country town. The
issue of Canada becoming a country was first officially discussed here in 1864, and
nowadays the tiny capital is known as the birthplace of Canadian confederation in 1867.
Can you guess?

3. It is the capital of Alberta, the most westerly of the prairie provinces. While Calgary
has the wild west image, this city is famous for the world's largest shopping and
entertainment mall, but it still enjoys an attractively wooded riverside setting. Can you
guess?

4. This city is on one of the world's largest natural harbours. More and more travellers are
setting course for Nova Scotia's capital. Most of it’s attractions have a maritime theme
and it is famous for being the base of rescue operations for the Titanic tragedy. Can you
guess?

5. This city’s charm lies in its relaxed atmosphere. It's friendly and easy to get around and
the old town is a wonderful feast for the senses. The streets are filled with musicians,
restaurants, groovy Quebecois shops and squares. Grab an outside table, shut your eyes
and take in the smells, sounds and general atmosphere. Can you guess?

6. This province is wild and isolated, stretching north above the tree line up to within
spitting distance of the North Pole. It holds Canada's third largest national park, which is
one of a few in the world north of the Arctic Circle. The pristine wilderness of mountains,
valleys, fjords and meadows is spectacular for experienced hikers and climbers. Can you
guess?

7. This city is the European-flavoured capital of Québec province, divides between an

Old Town full of historic ramparts, churches, narrow lanes and former battlefields, and
new districts with museums, cafes, bars and restaurants. Can you guess?

8. This city is Newfoundland’s rugged island capital and is North America’s oldest city
(1528). It is on a hill rising up from the waterfront - stairs are everywhere, leading to
narrow, winding streets lined with multicoloured houses. Its fishing village origins are
never far away, so the number of drinking establishments in town is huge! Can you
guess?
9. Although the famous Niagara Falls is nearby, this city is not really full of attractions.
It's a business city that has summer festivals, spicy markets, beachfront boardwalks and
music pouring out of its neighbourhood restaurants. Start your tour with the cloud-
brushing CN tower, and wander through the ethnically-flavoured neighbourhoods. Can
you guess?

10. This city offers a combination of big-city lifestyle and outdoor fun. Ski in the
morning, sail in the afternoon and still make it back to town in time for a cocktail. Begin
a tour through Stanley Park, continue through cosmopolitan downtown, and don’t miss
Gastown, the city's original settlement. Can you guess?

11. This city is the beginning of Canada's wild west and is the capital of Manitoba. It has
US flavour and architecture, and it's often compared to Chicago because it has the
windiest downtown corner in North America (Portage Ave and Main St intersection)! Can
you guess?

12. This city is the place to organise your outdoor activities before heading out into the
mountains, forests and treeless tundra of Canada's wild Northwest Territories. A walk
around the Old Town takes you past wooden miners huts built during the 1934 gold rush,
on streets with good-luck-turned-sour names like Ragged Ass Rd. Can you guess?
 11 12 13
1 10
2
4
3 6 8
5
7
9

1. _______________ 7. _______________
2. _______________ 8. _______________
3. _______________ 9. _______________
4. _______________ 10. ______________
5. _______________ 11. ______________
6. _______________ 12. ______________
13. ______________
1. British Columbia 8. Prince Edward Island

2. Alberta 9. Nova Scotia

3. Saskatchewan 10. Newfoundland

4. Manitoba 11. Yukon Territory

5. Ontario 12. Northwest Territories

6. Quebec 13. Nunavut

7. New Brunswick
Canada

history
The 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, Canada, were marred by boycotts and
drug allegations. Before the Olympic Games, New Zealand's rugby team toured
South Africa (still mired in apartheid) and played against them. Because of this,
much of the rest of Africa threatened the IOC to ban New Zealand from the
Olympic Games or they would boycott the Games. Since the IOC had no control
over the playing of rugby, the IOC tried to persuade the Africans not to use the
Olympics as retaliation. In the end, 26 African countries boycotted the
Games.Read more

person
Wayne Gretsky: holds just about every significant scoring record of the National
Hockey League and is consistently ranked as the greatest ice hockey player of
all time. Read more

film
The Mysterious Moon Men of Canada (1989): written and directed by Colin
Brunton and starring Larry Hudson and Gerry Quigley. Plot Outline: A filmmaker
searches for two Canadians who flew to the moon in 1959, but because they
were Canadian, were too modest to tell anybody about it. Find more

numbers
2,000,000: the number of lakes in Canada, which is more than all the rest of the
lakes in the world combined.

100,000: the number of tulip bulbs that Princess Juliana of the Netherlands gave
Ottawa as a thank-you gift in 1945. The bulbs were for the safe refuge after
Holland exiled the royal family during World War II and in recognition of the
Canadian troops who helped free the Netherlands.

800: the number of shops and restaurants in the West Edmonton Mall, in Alberta,
Canada. It is the largest shopping centre in the world and also has a dolphin
show, an amusement park, the world's largest indoor lake with four working
submarines, 26 cinemas, and an ice arena.
 thing
Loonie or loony: the colloquial name for Canada's dollar coin, which came out in
1987. The plural is loonies.

wordplay
The longest place names in Canada appear to be
PEKWACHNAMAYKOSKWASKWAYPINWANIK LAKE in Manitoba (31 letters,
not counting "lake") and ILE KUCHISTINIWAMISKAHIKAN in Quebec.

literature
Saul Bellow: born in Lachine, Quebec, a suburb of Montreal, in 1915., he was
awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1976 "for the human understanding and
subtle analysis of contemporary culture that are combined in his work". Read
more

quotes
Canada was built on dead beavers.
Margaret Atwood, Canadian novelist, poet
Canada is not really a place where you are encouraged to have large
spiritual adventures.
Robertson Davies, Canadian author
If the national mental illness of the United States is megalomania, that of
Canada is paranoid schizophrenia. Margaret Atwood
I don't even know what street Canada is on.
Al Capone, US gangster