What’s Included in the Canadian History Guide:
You will receive a PDF with a 36-week breakdown of work, with each week showing what pages of which books to read, as well as a brief description of what you’ll be covering in those pages. Most of the books should be available at public libraries in Canada that have a good children’s section, and the guide includes a list of all the books with the year they were published and the author(s). About 80 books are used over the course of the year; not all are read in their entirety. There are non-fiction and historical fiction books, some are picture books to read more quickly, many are chapter books to read aloud to your children over several weeks. Several graphic novels and books of poetry are also included. Notes have been made in the guide about the occasional pages that may be hard for sensitive children to hear, so parents can preview those areas if they wish.
Areas Covered:
This 1-year guide will help you cover Canadian history starting from early explorers all the way to recent history. The history of Aboriginal people in our land is intertwined throughout the year. The traditions and culture of many specific First Nations groups are discussed. Black Canadian history is also presented.
The guide covers each province and territory, including the history, types of terrain, and industries of each. Government is discussed, including profiles on many Canadian Prime Ministers. The history of voting in Canada, and the current federal voting process is also covered. The works of several Canadian poets and artists are highlighted in a child-friendly way. It includes scripture memory verses for each week (in New Living Translation).
What ages is it for?
The Canadian History Guide is recommended for use with elementary students, with the ideal age being 7 and older. It is suitable for teaching several children of different ages together.
How long will it take to do?
There are readings for 5 days per week, for a full 36-week school year. Depending on the day, it takes a maximum 30-45 minutes to get through the readings listed for the day. Some families leave the “Read Alouds” (chapter book) until bedtime, and then the other books for the day may be read through in 15 minutes or less. If you don’t love reading chapter books aloud to your children every day, you may want to consider dropping a few of the Read Alouds. However, they add a lot to the content so if you plan on dropping all the Read Alouds this may not be the best curriculum choice for you to use to cover Canadian history.
Do I need to buy any of the books used in the guide?
If you have it in your budget, you may wish to purchase a copy of The Story of Canada (amazon.ca sells it for $40). Also, Wow Canada! Exploring this land from coast to coast to coast ($25 on amazon.ca) is a fun book that goes along with each of the provinces and territories. Both these books are used on about 13-15 different weeks in the guide. The remaining books you would just need to borrow from your library. If you find your library doesn’t have one of the books, you can decide if you’d like to try to find an alternate book to cover that topic, or just skip it.
Are there worksheets to fill out?
There are no tests or questions included in this guide. You can have discussions with your children about what you read, make connections to things already learned, and refer to maps at home often. The guide itself does not include any pictures, but most of the books that you will use are filled with pictures.
Can I share it with a friend?
Each person who purchases the Canadian History Guide has permission to make digital and/or print copies of the Canadian History Guide for use with their immediate family only. Please refer friends to purchase their own copy.
About the author:
Amanda Landgraff and her husband have 3 children, and she has taught them at home since they were young. She was a Registered Nurse before having children, and worked in a NICU and then in Public Health. She has stayed home since 2010, and finds parenting to be the hardest job she has ever had, as well as the most rewarding! After searching for a curriculum to cover Canadian history but not finding quite what she was looking for, Amanda spent about a year putting this guide together. She spent hours poring over books she could borrow from the public library in their small Northwestern Ontario town. After using it with their family, her husband encouraged Amanda to make the Canadian History Guide available for other families who may be looking for a similar product.
