Learn about Canada’s three Prairie provinces
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THIS WEEK’S FEATURED POST
Week of Feb. 2/26
This simplified version of information in Canada’s citizenship guide focuses on several of the first Europeans to explore Canada.
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Lesson plan overview
| Task | To learn about Canada’s three Prairie provinces. |
| CLB level | CLB Stage I (CLB 2-4) |
| Delivery method | Online |
| Class size | 10-15 students (vary the number of activities according to your class size) |
| Estimated time | 2.5 to 3 hours (This lesson has a lot of vocabulary. Depending on your schedule, you may want to split this class into two classes.) |
| CLB Skills and Competencies | Speaking: Interacting with others Sharing information Listening: Interacting with others Comprehending information Reading: Comprehending information |
| Language focus | Learn the vocabulary needed to understand this topic. Use the appropriate grammar structures and vocabulary to respond personally to the reflection questions. (Encourage students to respond in full sentences.) |
| Cultural focus | Students may only have experienced one part of Canada. Here they broaden their knowledge by learning about a region that may have a very different history and geography. |
| Specific task learning objectives | Beginning ESL students learn some basic facts about Canada’s history in the Discover Canada study guide. Students learn about some of the history, geography, and economies of Canada’s Prairie provinces. Students compare any prairie regions in their first countries with this Canadian region. |
| ESL Directions original video (🎥) and audio (🔊) activities? | This lesson includes original video (🎥) and audio (🔊) activities. |
| Resource attribution | ESL Directions original resources are marked below with an asterisk (*). Feel free to use these, but please give credit to ESL Directions. |
Notes for ESL teachers and students:
This is a shortened and simplified version of some of the information in Canada’s citizenship study guide (intended to introduce this topic to beginner ESL students).
Students who are eligible to write the citizenship test should consult the Government of Canada’s full official guide, Discover Canada: The rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
Please check Discover Canada for any content changes made since this webpage was created.
Lesson plan
Warm-up: Introducing the topic and defining our terms
- Today, we’re going to learn about Canada’s Prairie provinces.
- What is a province?
- How is a region different from a province?
- One of Canada’s regions is called the Prairie provinces. Can you name any of the Prairie provinces?
- Where are the Prairie provinces?
- What do you know about the Prairie provinces?
Skill-building activities/Skill-using tasks
Part 1: Prairie Provinces/Manitoba
- Vocabulary flashcards*
- Let’s review the vocabulary and definitions* 🔊 (Pay attention to the order, pronunciation, and spelling of each word or phrase. Think about what the definitions mean.)
- Find the match*
- Listen to and read a passage about Canada’s Prairie provinces*🔊 (This activity also includes comprehension questions.)
Part 2: Saskatchewan and Alberta
- Vocabulary flashcards*
- Let’s review the vocabulary and definitions* 🔊 (Pay attention to the order, pronunciation, and spelling of each word or phrase. Think about what the definitions mean.):
- Find the match*
- Listen to and read a passage about Canada’s Prairie provinces*🔊 (This activity also includes comprehension questions.)
Assessment/review tasks
FEATURED CONTENT
- Canada’s Prairie Provinces* 🎥
- Video quiz* 🎥
- Group sort*
- Vocabulary quiz*
- Open the box* (Choose the correct province for each item.)
Reflection questions
- Tell us three new words you learned today.
- Name the three Prairie provinces.
- What can you tell us about each Prairie province?
- Has anyone visited the Prairie provinces? What was your experience like?
- What parts of the Prairie provinces do not look like flat prairie land?
- Do you have areas in your home countries that are similar to Canada’s Prairie provinces? What kind of work do people do in those areas?
- What do people grow in the main farming areas in your home countries?
RELATED PAGES
Introducing Canadian citizenship
This page provides simplified and shortened lesson plans for beginner ESL students on topics related to Canadian citizenship. The page is…
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Alberta
This webpage offers online lesson plans and other resources for ESL beginner classes on Alberta topics. Lesson plans cover Alberta’s history…
Keep readingCANADA YOUTUBE PLAYLIST
Click the small arrow at the top right of this video to play the videos or go to the YouTube Canada Playlist.
CANADA WORDWALL ACTIVITIES
Wordwall is a very useful interactive lesson-creation site. If you sign up for a free Wordwall account, you will be able to see our “Canada” folder, which includes ESL Directions activities that you can add to your lessons.
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ESL teacher, movie buff, constant reader, and former editor and communications pro. Now a graduate of the Teaching English as a Second Language program at the University of Manitoba and an ESL teacher in Edmonton, Alberta, I specialize in teaching online classes of beginner ESL students.
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