Grade Level

Grade 4 to 5 (but could be modified for students being introduced to the study of Canada)

Time Required

Approximately 60 minutes

Curriculum Connection

Ontario, Social Studies Grades 1 to 6

Link to Canadian National Geography Standards

Essential Element #1 – World in Spatial Terms

• provinces and territories of Canada (Grade 4 to 5)
• major cities of the province and Canada (Grade 4 to 5)

Geographic Skill #1– Ask geographic questions

• Where is it located? (Kindergarten to Grade 5 skill)

Geographic Skill #2 – Acquiring Geographic Information

• locate, gather and process information from a variety of primary and secondary sources including maps (Kindergarten to Grade 5 skill)

Geographic Skill #3 – Organizing Geographic Information

• prepare maps to display geographic information (Kindergarten to Grade 5 skill)

Atlas of Canada Resources

Go to the Atlas of Canada Web site found at: atlas.gc.ca The following parts of the Web site will be accessed by students during the lesson:

• Explore Our Maps

Reference Maps » Canada » Political Divisions Map

Reference Maps » Canada » Political Divisions (Interactive) Map

Reference Maps » Canada Outline » Coastline and Boundaries of Canada Map

Additional Resources, Materials and Equipment

• print atlas
• computer lab with Internet access
• ruler, pencil and pencil crayons

Main Objective

The main goal of this lesson is to have students locate and label a map of Canada with the provinces, territories and capital cities using the Atlas of Canada.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

• locate and label provinces, territories and capital cities within each region on a map of Canada (a specific expectation from the Ontario curriculum)
• access and navigate the Atlas of Canada Web site with some confidence
• use maps in the Explore Our Maps section to locate places in Canada
• construct and read a wide variety of graphs, charts, diagrams, maps and models for specific purposes (a specific expectation from the Ontario curriculum)

Introduction

Teacher Activity

• introduce the provinces and territories

Student Activity

• introduce this mapping activity, challenge the students to draw a map of Canada on a piece of paper from memory (five minutes)

Lesson Development

Teacher Activity

• introduce students to the Atlas of Canada Web site at atlas.gc.ca using the student worksheet
• hand out copies of the Canada outline map showing the boundaries and shoreline
• make sure the students review the What Maps Need section of the student worksheet

Student Activity

• complete the student worksheet
• using the Atlas of Canada Web site, locate and label a map of Canada with the names of the provinces, territories and capital cities
• after labelling, colour the map

Conclusion

Teacher Activity

• collect maps and worksheets

Student Activity

• hand in map and worksheet

The student worksheet is printed separately for distribution to students.

• Student Worksheet – Provinces and Capitals of Canada

1. Have students add the major bodies of water (lakes and oceans) and the United States to their maps.
2. Explore the other maps that are available on the Atlas of Canada Web site.
3. Have students use the Atlas of Canada Quiz section, specifically the Shapes of Canada quiz to test their knowledge.

Use the included evaluation rubric to evaluate mapping results.

• Evaluation Rubric

• PDF version (Adobe Acrobat Reader required)