Learn about Central Canada: Ontario and Quebec
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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 Central Canada (the provinces of Ontario and Quebec). |
| 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 | 2.5-3 hours (This lesson plan includes a lot of vocabulary. Depending on your schedule, you may want to break the lesson plan 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 economy of Central Canada (Ontario and Quebec). Students compare any similar 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 Central Canada (Ontario and Quebec).
- Why are these provinces called Central Canada?
- What is a province?
- What is a region?
- What do you know about Quebec?
- What do you know about Ontario?
Skill-building and skill-using activities and tasks
Part 1: Central Canada
- 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 Central Canada*🔊 (This activity also includes comprehension questions.)
- Gap fill*
Part 2: Quebec
- 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 Quebec*🔊 (This activity also includes comprehension questions.)
- Gap fill*
Part 3: Ontario
- 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 Ontario*🔊 (This activity also includes comprehension questions.)
- Gap fill*
Assessment/review tasks
FEATURED CONTENT
- Central Canada* 🎥 (Listen to the combined reading passages.)
- Video quiz*
- Vocabulary quiz*
- Spin the wheel*
Reflection questions
- Tell us three new words you learned today.
- What two provinces make up Central Canada?
- What can you tell us about Quebec?
- What can you tell us about Ontario?
- Has anyone visited Central Canada? What was your experience like?
- What does Central Canada look like?
- What do people in Central Canada do to earn money?
- Do you have areas in your home countries that are similar to Central Canada (e.g., with many large cities and factories)? How are these areas the same as or different from Central Canada?
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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Canada’s regions: Provinces and territories
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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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