What Does it Mean to be Canadian?

In Social Studies, we are learning about the different groups of people who have come to Canada over the years, their ways of life and appreciate the diversity of Canada's heritage.   Students are applying for a job as a tour guide for the National Museum of Canada, assigned to a new exhibit that will examine the diversity and complexity of Canadian identity. The exhibit will share the stories of the many groups of people who made Canada what it is today. As part of your application, you will become an expert on one group and create a presentation to share. By listening to the presentations of the other applicants, you will make some conclusions about the diversity and complexity of Canadian identity. The museum curator requires guides who are knowledgeable about Canada, both past and present.

Students should have answered the following questions to help guide their research for the project. 

Questions for Research

•   Where did they come from?


•   How did they get to Canada?


•   How did they live once they were in Canada?


•   How did they adapt to their environment in Canada?


•   Where did they settle in Canada? (rural, urban)


•   Why did they come to Canada? 


•   Who were they?


•   What did they bring with them?(customs, traditions…)


•   What kind of housing did they live in when they arrived?


•   What did they eat? (did they continue to eat their traditional foods or did they change what they ate)


•   How did they feel about coming to Canada?


•   When did they come to Canada? 


•   What did it mean for them to be Canadian?


•   How did their lives change once they came to Canada?

When they are finished their research they need to ask themselves the following questions:

•   Is the information on topic?

•   Is there enough information to help the audience understand my topic?

•   Does the information help me understand how these people felt?

They will also be working with a peer coach to help them answer these questions and give them feedback on their research.

The final step will be to use a visual or oral format to create an exciting and informative presentation about your selected group that:

•   Shares important information from your research (how they lived, their hardships and their contributions to present-day Canada)

•   Draws conclusions about how they felt about their lives (their sense of identity) supported with evidence obtained from your research.