I was recently asked to provide a top ten list for students studying for the History 404 exam.  I knew it was a hard call, but nonetheless the process of finding some of my favourites proved interesting.  (And I am sure you have some suggestions you can add in the comments!)

Here is what I came up with, starting with a few general sites then working through some of the themes:

 

Canadian Encyclopedia http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com

Dictionary of Canadian Biography http://www.biographi.ca/

McCord Keys to History and Thematic Tours http://www.mccord-museum.qc.ca/en/keys/

Canada in the Making http://www.canadiana.ca/citm/index_e.html

RECITUS  and their Banque d’images  http://www.recitus.qc.ca/ressources/banque-images

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First Peoples at CMC http://www.civilization.ca/cmc/exhibitions/aborig/fp/fpint01e.shtml

VMNF First Nations http://www.civilization.ca/cmc/vmnf/premieres_nations/en/index_intro.shtml

Four Directions Teachings.com http://www.fourdirectionsteachings.com

People & Society Maps at Atlas Canada http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/maps/peopleandsociety

New France New Horizons http://www.champlain2004.org/

Fur Trade at Canadian Atlas http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/atlas/themes.aspx?id=furtrade&lang=En#

Exploration The Fur Trade http://www.canadiana.ca/hbc/

Virtual Museum of New France http://www.civilization.ca/virtual-museum-of-new-france/

Canada Hall http://www.civilization.ca/cmc/exhibitions/hist/canp1/canp1eng.shtml#plan

Peace and Conflict at http://www.histori.ca/peace

Quiet Revolution site: Beginning of a new era http://larevolutiontranquille.ca/en/index.php

History Resources at LEARN  (Gee, how did that get there?!)
http://www.learnquebec.ca/en/content/curriculum/social_sciences/sec_history/resources/

 

One of my favourite quotes:

“There are only three kinds of people:  Those who can count, and those who can’t.”

 

 

Many of you know I am teaching history  online this year for LEARN.  That means I have the distinct advantage of always having the Internet at my finger tips, and my students also have the same luxury, something not every teacher can say!  Though there are other challenges involved, like teaching students not to just copy information, and how to search effectively, on the whole the year has been an utter joy.  (Plug for some of the articles I wrote on the LEARN blog about the experience!)

Part of my workflow was to collect links to valuable web sites we used during the Secondary 4 history course.   At one point I started to organize links according to the 4 Progressions of Learning for the course.  They are not yet on the LEARN site database (a summer project no doubt!) but this blog seems a good place to start sharing them and getting your feedback (and suggestions for sites I have missed!  Use the comments feature!).  FYI… I am presently finishing up our year on the Culture section, so you should see that collection growing daily.  The other Progressions are a patchwork, but will fill in throughout next year.

Here are the four google documents according to the themes in Secondary 4:

Progressions Sec 4 – POPULATION THEME Resources – Google Doc

Progressions Sec 4 – ECONOMICS THEME Resources – Google Doc

Progressions Sec 4 – CULTURE & CURRENTS OF THOUGHT Resources – Google Doc

Progressions Sec 4 – POWER THEME Resources – Google Doc

 

 

The Beginning of a New Era

The Beginning of a New Era…. is  an impressive website on the Quiet Revolution, in English (and French of course), by the Virtual Museum of Canada. It contains information on Prominent Figures, Important Events, and a timeline of the years preceding, during and following the 1960s.

Visit the site at

http://larevolutiontranquille.ca/en/

The Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park:
A Protected Territory


Source: Flickr user Jenny & Jan

The following learning and evaluation situation uses images as a learning tool. Its purpose is to help students discover and understand the role played by protected areas on Earth by closely examining an example of a unique Canadian territory: the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park. This LES was developed through a special collaboration between Parks Canada, LEARN Québec, the Direction des ressources didactiques of the Ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport and the Récit national de l’univers social.

 

Click here to visit the LEARN adaptation in English

Cliquez ici pour visiter l’originale SAE de Récit national de l’univers social

 

What can I say, I laughed out loud when I saw some of the “crazy talk” projects on this site, and heard some of the songs.  There are a lot of great ideas for teachers here, and student projects.  And there are a lot of good resources as well, produced by students for…. well, for other students I suppose, or just for fun.  Enjoy!

Visit:

http://mapleleafpro.net

Célébrez le lancement de la version française du livre Cartographie des souvenirs : lieux et récits, jeunes réfugiés et médias participatifs. Il s’agit d’un livre accompagné d’un DVD et d’un site Web qui mettent les récits de jeunes réfugiés en vedette. Vous y trouverez des indications utiles pour aider les gens à raconter leur vécu au moyen de la narration numérique, de la cartographie, de la vidéo, de la photographie, du paysage sonore et de l’histoire orale. Découvrez des récits et des films numériques traitant de la migration, l’appartenance, la tolérance, l’identité culturelle et la résilience personnelle. Explorez la force des récits personnels pour toucher le public, contrer les préjugés et favoriser la compréhension dans les classes et au sein des communautés.

For more information on MAPPING MEMORIES/ CARTOGRAPHIE DES SOUVENIRS
visit http://www.mappingmemories.ca

 

View the online version of the book (English and French on the way)

And tour the rest of the site for teaching strategies, classroom resources, videos and to arrange class visits!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is an underlying subtext that subversively sneaks in and out of my grade 10 history course this year.  It’s called reality.  Sometimes we call it the present day, sometimes it is just called news.  The textbooks we use and the Quebec programs call it the Contemporary Period (though more often than not that ends in the 1980s).  And occasionally a student will refer to it indirectly, without knowing, when she says, “Ah, I get it now.  That actually makes sense to me!”

This was introductory paragraph to my latest contribution on the LEARN Blog.  In it I go on to discuss ePortfolios, Technology, Exams…. and Parties, as ways to make history relevant to students today.  Or not.

Read, enjoy and add your comments to it all here….

 

 

Citizenship and Immigration Canada has a Youtube channel containing several videos related to Black History in Canada.   They recently posted a sample with transcript of Proud of our History on their main site as well at
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/multimedia/video/bhm/liveaction.asp

 

 

 

“The largest independent organization dedicated to Canadian history, identity and citizenship, The Historica-Dominion Institute is committed to bringing the stories and experiences of Canada into the classroom. This innovative Education Guide explores seminal events and personalities in Black Canadian history through engaging discussion and interactive activities. It was made possible with the generous support of TD Bank Group, whose commitment to Black history and culture has been celebrated.”
For more information and to download the complete guide, visit:

http://www.blackhistorycanada.ca/education.php

 

 

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