Learn the names of the 10 Canadian provinces
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THIS WEEK’S FEATURED POST
Week of Aug. 10/26
This lesson plan offers engaging activities for your first day of class, focusing on classroom rules, introductions, and cultural exchanges.
The plan includes lesson objectives, warm-up exercises, two short videos, and a range of…
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Lesson plan overview
| Task | To learn the names of the 10 Canadian provinces. |
| CLB level | CLB Stage I (CLB 1-3) |
| Delivery method | Online |
| Class size | 10-15 students (vary the number of activities according to your class size) |
| Estimated time | 1.5 hours |
| 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 will learn the names of each province. They will also learn how to differentiate the provinces, e.g., by their very different terrains. |
| Specific task learning objectives | Beginning ESL students learn some basic facts about Canada’s geography from the Discover Canada study guide. Students learn the names (and pronunciation) of Canada’s provinces. Students learn the location of each province within Canada. Students learn about two large regions in Canada: Western Canada and Eastern Canada (and which provinces are in each region). |
| ESL Directions original video (🎥) and audio (🔊) activities? | This lesson plan 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 talk about Canadian provinces.
- We will also learn about two large regions in Canada (Western and Eastern Canada) and which provinces are in each region.
- What is a province?
- Can you name some provinces?
Western Canada
FEATURED CONTENT
- What is Western Canada? Can anyone name any of the four provinces in Western Canada?
- Before we start: Review the four directions*
- Label a map of the Western Canadian provinces* 🔊
- Learn the vocabulary, and listen to the name and description of each province* 🔊
- Western Canada: Four provinces* 🎥 (Learn names, locations, pronunciation, and some basic facts about each province.)
- Western Canadian provinces* (Click on each tile to display the description, a short video, and a map showing the province’s location.)
- Western Canada: Complete the sentence*
Eastern Canada
FEATURED CONTENT
- What is Eastern Canada? Can anyone name any of the six provinces in Eastern Canada?
- Label a map of the Eastern Canadian provinces* 🔊
- Learn the vocabulary, and listen to the name and description of each province* 🔊
- Eastern Canada: Six provinces* 🎥 (Learn names, locations, pronunciation, and some basic facts about each province.)
- Eastern Canadian provinces* (Click on each tile to display the description, a short video, and a map showing the province’s location.)
- Eastern Canada: Complete the sentence*
Review/Assessment
Reflection questions
- How many provinces does Canada have?
- Can you name the provinces?
- What can you tell us about Western Canada and Eastern Canada?
- Can you describe the province you live in, e.g., mountainous/flat, many lakes and rivers/dry, old buildings/new buildings, many people/few people?
- Where have you travelled or lived in Canada? Describe these provinces.
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: Provincial and territorial capital cities
The lesson plan teaches your beginner ESL students the names, locations, and pronunciations of Canadian provincial and territorial capital cities. The…
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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ABOUT ESL DIRECTIONS
Kathy Garnsworthy, the creator of ESL Directions, is an 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, she specializes in teaching online classes of beginner ESL students.
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