Canada’s regions: Provincial and territorial capital cities

Learn the name of each provincial and territorial capital city

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by ESL Directions

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Back to “Citizenship”

Lesson plan overview

Task	To learn the names of Canadian capital cities.
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 (depending on class size)
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 understand the significance of Canadian capital cities (i.e., as seats of the provincial/territorial governments) and will learn about the three levels of Canadian government.
Specific task learning objectives	Students learn the names, location, and pronunciation of Canadian provincial/territorial capitals. Students learn about three main regions of Canada (Western Canada, Eastern Canada, and the North). Students understand that capital cities are part of the three levels of Canadian government. Students will understand some of the responsibilies of provincial and territorial governments (optional). Students can match capitals and provinces.
ESL Directions original video (🎥) and audio (🔊) activities?	This lesson plan includes 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 capital cities.
What is a capital city?
How is a capital city different from other cities?
Can you name some Canadian capital cities?
What is a province?
Can you name some Canadian provinces?

Skill-building activities

FEATURED CONTENT

Canada’s three levels of government:
- Canada has three levels of government. The provincial governments meet in capital cities. Learn more from the infographic below:

Use the infographic below if you want to teach more about the three levels and their responsibilities:

Learning the names of the capital cities:

Canadian provincial and territorial capital cities* (Learn the names by watching this video.) 🎥
Listen to the names again.* (Pay attention to how to say the cities and to their locations.) 🔊
Fill in the blanks*
Concentration game: Match provinces/territories and provincial/territorial capitals*

Skill-using tasks

Western Canada (4 provinces):
- Label the map* 🔊
- Western Canadian capital cities: Unjumble the sentences*
Eastern Canada (6 provinces):
- Label the map* 🔊
- Eastern Canadian capital cities: Unjumble the sentences*
Northern Canada (3 territories):
- Label the map* 🔊
- Northern Canadian capital cities: Unjumble the sentences*

Assessment/review tasks

Reflection questions

How many capital cities can you name? Can you also tell us which provinces/territories these cities are in?
Tell us how capital cities are different from other cities.
How many Canadian capital cities have you visited? Are there cities you would like to visit?
Do you have a favourite Canadian city? Why is it your favourite?

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CANADA 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.