Canadian History and Cross-Cultural Awareness

Here is a sampling of resources that can be helpful in teaching and learning English as a second language. Search our database to find more similar resources.

Legend:
	Available in English		Collections		Extra Cost
	Available in French		Access Restricted

About Canada
http://canada.gc.ca/acanada/acPubHome.jsp?font=0&lang=eng

Anything you want to know about Canada is presented on this site: maps, images, flags, symbols, weather, statistics, the national anthem, travel and tourism, society, government, land, and the economy.

ESL Activities Online: Canadian Corner
http://www.tcet.com/eaonline/CanadianCorner/index.html

This Web site contains links to Canadian reading texts followed by questions to enrich the user’s learning experience. ESL Activities Online also links to other reading comprehension, grammar and punctuation activities.

Canadian Citizenship Practice Test
http://www.yourlibrary.ca/citizenship/

We have created this practice test to help you prepare for the Canadian Citizenship Test. The practice test consists of over 100 multiple choice questions derived from the book A Look at Canada, 2007 edition, on which the test is based.

Canada in the Making: Teacher Resources
http://www.canadiana.org/citm/education/intro_e.html

This page contains activities and essays for use with the Canada in the Making Web site. Each structured lesson and activity includes a student work sheet, suggested assessment criteria, and links to useful resources, and is linked to provincial curriculum expectations, outcomes and objectives. Age-appropriateness is identified, as grades and levels vary between provinces.

Canada Post – Postal Planet – For Parents & Educators
http://www.canadapost.ca/corporate/about/community/postal_planet/eng/par_ed_e.asp

Free teacher-approved lesson guides and activities for children and elementary school students. They focus on postal themes such as writing letters or email, stamps and using the postal system.

Canadian Postal Archives
http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/postal-archives/080608_e.html

The National Archives of Canada, in collaboration with Canada Post, is pleased to present this new site on Canada's postal history and philatelic heritage. In addition, several thematic games allow visitors to discover and explore the treasures of this philatelic heritage.

The Great Names of the French Canadian Community
http://edimage.ca/edimage/grandspersonnages/en/

This page features links to thirty-three short biographies of great names in the French Canadian community.

Learning English with the CBC
http://www.cbc.ca/ottawa/esl/lessons.html

Have a little fun with the various exercises developed with Carleton University Applied Linguistics, whether it is filling in the blanks or multiple choice quizzes. Choose your clips based on your interest in a topic or on the level of difficulty. The lessons in this website are aimed at a range of English second language learners.

Parks Canada - Cultural Heritage
http://www.pc.gc.ca/culture/index_e.asp

This site from Parks Canada links to information on the following themes: Boulevard Saint-Laurent – The Main of Montréal; Canada’s Historic Places Initiative; Commemorating the Underground Railroad in Canada; Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office (FHBRO); Grave Sites of Canadian Prime Ministers; The Canadian Heritage Rivers System (CHRS); Heritage Railway Stations; Historic Sites & Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC); History & Archaeology; SchoolNet – Commemorating Canada’s History; World Heritage – Canadian Tentative List.

Passages to Canada
http://www.passagestocanada.com/passages_teacherresources.asp

Passages to Canada is the Dominion Institute's national storytelling programme, which explores the complexities of immigrant and refugee experiences. Teachers of ESL may explore Canada's stories of immigration with free curriculum-based resources.

Telling Stories : Narratives of Nationhood: Lesson Plans
http://www.nationhood.ca/html_en/lessonplans.cfm

The lesson plans represent one of the main cornerstones of the Telling Stories: Narratives of Nationhood Web site. To improve ease of access and use, the 400+ lesson plans are grouped into Integrated Learning Units, with three to five individual lesson plans in each unit.

Telling Stories : Narratives of Nationhood: Modules
http://www.nationhood.ca/html_en/index.cfm?lang=en

In Telling Stories: Narratives of Nationhood: Modules, a diversity of art by Canadian artists is the medium for the exploration of Canadian history, heritage, identity, culture, geography, and politics.

Virtual Museum - Teacher's Centre
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/English/Teacher/explore.html

The Virtual Museum – Teacher’s Centre allows teachers to discover Canadian history and culture. Subjects include: Aboriginal Art, Culture and Other Traditions of the Aboriginal People; Canada’s Contribution in World War I and World War II; The Harmonious Sounds of Musical Instruments; and the World of Butterflies.

The Symbols of Canada
http://www.pch.gc.ca/progs/cpsc-ccsp/sc-cs/index_e.cfm

The symbols of Canada can heighten not only our awareness of our country but also our sense of celebration in being Canadian. The symbols of Canada are a celebration of what we are as a people.