Grades
4 and 5: European Exploration and "Settlement" in British Columbia,
1787-1867
Suggested
Procedure
1. Arrange students in groups
to access different chapters of the Ghosts of the North West Coast website or
print out and distribute the relevant web pages for use and discussion, as follows:
- the "Voyageur!"
chapter to enable a comparison between bartering and a monetary exchange system
- the "Spanish Banks"
chapter to appreciate factors that influenced early European exploration of
North America and to introduce technology used in exploration
- the "Richard Moody"
chapter to introduce technology used in exploration
- the "Steamboatin'
Jamiesons" and "Ghosts of Read Island" chapters to appreciate
the influence of technology on lifestyle and work.
2. Make copies of the student
handouts. Divide students into groups or pair them off. Distribute the copies
of the student handouts
Questions for the "Voyageur!"
and "Steamboatin' Jamiesons" Chapters,
Questions
for the "Spanish Banks" and "Richard Moody" Chapters,
and
Questions for the "Ghosts of Read Island"
Chapter.
3. Instruct the groups or
pairs to answer the questions on the handouts by accessing the website or using
the relevant material copied from it. Some of the questions ask them to engage
in creative thinking about the experience of the early explorers and "settlers"
of British Columbia.
4. Collect the handouts
when the groups or pairs have completed their work. Use the answers as a basis
for class discussion of the various aspects of early exploration and "settlement."
5. Arrange for students
to listen to the songs on the website as a class or ask them to access them
in groups or pairs. Prepare for this activity by asking students to:
- record their impressions
and feelings when listening to the songs
- note words that they
find difficult or want to have explained
- think about why people
use music to record their experiences or to preserve memories of the past
- list the instruments
used to accompany the singer.
6. Debrief the listening
activity by emphasizing how songs about British Columbia's past are important
not only to create an awareness of the province's history but also to form a
cultural identity in the present. Ask students to think about places that they
would like to hear a song about and to explain their choices.
7. Make and distribute copies
of the student handout
How Do We Know Where We Are?,
assigning students to read it together either in pairs or groups, partnering
off good readers with weaker ones for a cooperative learning experience.
8. Debrief the reading.
Explain vocabulary as needed and emphasize how mapping relies on various kinds
of skills and demands cooperative work. Explain the impact that changing technologies
have played in mapping and surveying.
9. After debriefing How
Do We Know Where We Are?, distribute copies of the student handout
Exploring
Together. Divide students into groups or pairs to work together on a project.
After they have completed their work, bring the class together to share the
discoveries and to reinforce the material.