LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE

TEACHER Sam, Austin

Subject/Class/Course Grade 9 Social Studies
Topic Geography
Grade Level 9 Duration 30 min

Objectives/Outcomes (Indicate GCO and SCO) (Indicate SCO in student friendly language)
GCO: analyse how the movement of people, goods, and ideas have shaped, and continue to shape, political,
cultural, and economic activity
SCO: 9.2.2 Analyse the effects of selected geographic factors on Canadian identity
- describe where Canadians live and explain why communities are established and grow in particular
locations
- account for the variations in growth of settlements due to physical and human factors
- explain the effect of natural and human resources on regional prosperity
SFL:
I can describe how geographic factors effect Canadian identity and…
- Why Canadians established communities in certain areas.
- Why some settlements grow at different rates.
- The effects of different resources on regional prosperity.

Introduction
- While entering the classroom students will be divided into 1 of 4 groups. In the middle of the room on the
floor in a visible location (or hung on a wall if visibility is a problem) there will be a giant map of Canada
with colored hexagonal tiles (the game board for Settlers of Catanada).
- As an APK students will be asked trivia questions about Canadian geography to determine who goes first
during the activity.
- Based on population, what are the 3 largest Canadian cities? (Toronto 5.5 million, Montreal 3.5
million, Vancouver 2.2 million)
- Name 3 geographic regions in Canada. (Boreal Forest, Interior Plains, Canadian Shield, Cordelia
Region, Great Lakes, Atlantic, Mountains)
- What are 3 major industries in Canada? (Energy: oil, gas, coal, etc. Mining, Forestry, Agriculture,
Fishing)

Assessment
Through participation in a class wide activity students will demonstrate and explain their prior and acquired
knowledge. During an activity debrief guided by specific questions, students will be able to further
demonstrate an understanding of key points.

Develop the Instruction

Intro
Activity: Settlers of Catanada
- This activity is based on the popular board game Settlers of Catan.
- Students will be divided into 4 groups at the beginning of class and will play in teams and given a
handout with some information about the game and some questions for discussion at the end of the
class.
- In the middle of the classroom there will be a giant map of Canada with hexagonal tiles of various
colors drawn on it. Each color corresponds to a different resource common to the area. Coastal areas
will be red for the fishing industry. Forested areas are green for lumber. The prairies are mainly
yellow for wheat. Part of the Northwest is black for oil.
- The order of play will be determined by trivia questions (APK).
- Team 1 will place their first settlement on the board, followed by team 2, followed by team 3…
o Settlements must be at least 2 spaces away from other settlements.
- Starting with team 1, groups will roll a 6-sided die with the numbers 1-3 (each number appears twice).
Whatever appears on the die is how many resources they may collect that turn
o Settlements can be upgraded to increase a team’s choice of resources and how many they can
collect
o Settling Family – collects the resource that they are built on based on the roll of the die
o Town – may choose resources from the tile that they are built on or adjacent to
o City – same as town but collects 2x the roll die
o Metropolis – same as town but collects 3x the role of the die

- After all teams have a chance to collect resources they will have 1min to trade resources with other
groups (indicated by the sound of a bell or some timing device).
- At the start of their next turn, teams will have the chance to upgrade their settlements
- Play will continue for 15-20 min (or until everyone has achieved a metropolis)
Discussion
- The handout that students are given for the activity will also include discussion questions for a
activity debrief. These questions are:
o How did you decide where to settle?
o What strategy did you use to upgrade/grow your city?
o What did other people do that worked well?
o Why did some settlements grow faster than others?
o What types of jobs do people in your city have?
o What are people in your city like?
o What type of climate does your city have? Would you like to live in that climate?
o What would you change about the game?
- These questions are designed to link the activity to the SCO/GCO/Curriculum theme (Canadian
identity)
- Students are invited to quietly discuss their answers to these question while they wait for their turn.

Closure
Activity debrief/Class discussion (see above)

Materials, Technologies, Safety or Special Considerations

- Giant map of Canada (Catanada board)
- Handouts
o Game sheet
o Discussion questions
- 3 sided die (or a 6 sided die with only 1-3)
 - Resource counters (we use colored popsicle sticks)
- Assorted game tokens
- Bell/buzzer/timer

- Organize classroom so that everyone can see the game board

Reflection
Were my students successful in meeting the outcomes and objectives? How do I know? Did my instructional
decisions meet the needs of all students? What could I do to improve the lesson?
 Wheat
Grows well in the plains region of Canada where it is
arid and dry most of the year
Forest
40% of Canada is covered in forested area
Cost:
Town = 2 different resources
City = 2 of each resource
Metropolis = 4 of each resource
Moving your settlement = 1 of each resource
Bank Trade 3:1
Oil
Because of the unique makeup of the boreal forest
region there is an abundance of oil beneath it
Fishes
The fishing industry is active in all major coast
regions of Canada
Resource collection:
Family = 1-3 resources the spot where the family is
located
Town = collect 1-3 resources from the surrounding
tiles
City = 2X the resource amount on the die
Metropolis = 3X the resource amount on the die
While other teams take their turn during the game quietly discuss some of the
following questions with you group.

o How did you decide where to settle?

o What strategy did you use to upgrade/grow your city?
o What did other people do that worked well?
o Why did some settlements grow faster than others?
o What types of jobs do people in your city have?
o What are people in your city like?
o What type of climate does your city have? Would you like to live in that
climate?
o What would you change about the game?