SOCIAL STUDIES LESSON PLAN- ALBERTA’S

BEGINNINGS
Instructor Name:
Colleen Trumble
Class:
Dr. Hamman Elementary School- Grade ¾
Time: 2:14-3:15
Lesson Title:
Alberta’s beginnings
Chapter 1
Tech Requirements: (list all materials you might need. Include special
materials like balloons and also basic classroom materials like chalkboards).
• Fossil Rock which teacher has
• Smart Board
• Internet
• Blank Map of Pangaea-17 copies
• Whiteboard
• Whiteboard markers
Administrative Notes: (if relevant, include any information needed to share
with the teacher or the class).
•
General Outcome:
• Students will demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of how
elements of physical geography, geology and paleontology are integral
to the landscapes and environment of Alberta
• Students will demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of the role
of stories , history and culture in strengthening communities and
contributing to identity and a sense of belonging
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Specific Learning Objectives:

• Students will recognize that every person has a different point of view
• Students will define what perspective is by physically showing it.
• Students will label the map of Pangaea

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KSA’S:
1)How contextual variables affect teaching and learning
4) Subject Disciplines you teach
5) All students can learn albeit at different rates in different ways
6) The purposes of short, medium and long range planning
7) Student’s need for physical, social, cultural and psychological
 security
8) Importance of respecting student’s human dignity
9) There are many approaches to teaching and learning
10) The functions of traditional and electronic teaching/learning
technologies
11) The purposes of student assessment
12) The importance of engaging parents, purposefully and
meaningfully, in all aspects of teaching and learning
13) Student learning is enhanced though the use of home and
community resources
16) The importance of guiding your actions with a personal, overall
vision of the purpose of teaching
17) You are expected to achieve the teaching quality standard
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ACTIVITIES
Name of Exercise: Expected Length: (in minutes)
What do you see? 10 minutes
Purpose: (why is this exercise included in the lesson)
To explain the meaning of “point of view” to the students, and explain how
multiple points of view create a larger picture
Detailed instructions: (how will this exercise be explained to the group)
• The instructor will show the first slide on the smart board, this will have
a few pictures and a link to the Cochrane mural mosaic.
• The instructor will ask the class “What do you think this is a picture of”?
The picture on the board will be a painting of a pilot
• Once the class has confirmed that they believe it is a pilot, the
instructor will click on the button which returns the mural.
• The instructor will then reveal that the “picture of the pilot” is actually
part of a bigger painting of a native woman and a horse. The picture of
the pilot actually serves as the horse’s eye.
• The instructor will explain that each of these tiny pictures is a person’s
point of view, however when put together; they all add up to one big
picture. This is very much like Alberta.
• There are many different points of view on how Alberta or the world
began; together they make up Alberta’s identity.
• We need to be able to look at all points of view to see the whole picture
• Link for this website is http://www.muralmosaic.com/Cochrane.html
• Students will be given the opportunity to come up and pick pictures to
look at in closer detail from the bigger mosaic.

Name of Exercise: Expected Length: (in minutes)

What is your perspective? 10 minutes
Purpose: (why is this exercise included in the lesson)
To introduce the students to the word “perspective” and how it relates to
Alberta’s beginnings.
Detailed instructions: (how will this exercise be explained to the group)
• Split the class in ½
• Ask one group to face one direction
• Ask the other group to face the other direction
• Ask each group what they can see
• Record what each group can see on the board
• Ask the class why they think they saw different things, how could they
achieve a clear view of everything in the classroom. Then point out that
there are still two directions that both groups cannot see.
• Write perspective on the board. Explain that perspective is what a
group’s point of view is.
• Explain that we have to share each other’s perspective to visualize the
whole picture
• Explain that we will be hearing different perspectives about Alberta’s
beginnings.

Name of Exercise: Expected Length: (in

Story Time minutes)
15 minutes
Purpose: (why is this exercise included in the lesson)
To tell the class on version of how Alberta was created. Cree creation story
Detailed instructions: (how will this exercise be explained to the group)
• Describe who (wee suh kee chahk) Wisahhkecahk is (Trickster figure in
Cree folklore)
• Laughter was extremely important to the aboriginal people, therefore
the Trickster character was an extremely important part of their stories.
• Instructor will now read the following story to the class.

After the Creator had developed all the animals and people, he said to Wisakedjak to
take care of the people and show them how to live. He was to show them, which are the
good roots and which are the bad roots and especially the roots which would kill them.
The Creator also warned Wisakedjak to not let the people and animals quarrel with each
other.

Wisakedjak did not obey and he allowed the animals and people to fight with one another
and shed much blood upon the earth. The Creator was not pleased by this and warned
Wisakedjak to keep the ground clean and not to let the people and animals fight with one
another.

Again Wisakedjak did not obey. He began to trick the animals and the people into
becoming angry with each other. Both groups quarreled and the ground became red with
blood. This made the Creator extremely angry, as he told Wisakedjak, he was going to
take everything away from him and clean the ground.

Soon rains fell from the sky and the water began to rise. After a time it rose over the
banks and flooded the land. Wisakedjak tried to stop the water from flooding the land, but
it was no use as he sat on top of the water and cried. Everything drowned except one
otter, one beaver, one muskrat and all three sat beside him and rested their heads on his
thigh.

Wisakedjak did not have the power to create, but only to expand on what already existed.
He didn’t know what to do, as he couldn’t dive and didn’t know how far underwater the
old earth was. The Creator took pity on him and told him he could re-create everything if
he used the materials, which were underwater.

Wisakedjak turned to his three animal companions and exclaimed they would all starve if
only one of them could bring up a piece of the earth from under the water so he could
create an island for them to live on.

He first turned to otter. “You are brave, strong and active,” if you can dive down and bring
back a piece of the earth, Wisakedjak promised the otter plenty of fish to eat. Three times
otter dove under water and three times he was unable to bring up a piece of the earth.
The last time he was so exhausted he was unable to dive again. Wisakedjak called the
otter a coward and turned to the beaver, “You are brave, strong and wise. If you were to
dive down and obtain a piece of the earth for me to make an island for us to live on, I will
make you a home, which will keep you warm in the winter months. Twice the beaver
dove but he was unable to get a piece of soil for Wisakedjak. This time Wisakedjak
begged beaver to dive once more and he will provide him with a wife. The beaver
obliged, diving down once more. He was underwater quite a long time, and when he
came up he was almost lifeless. He had not obtained a piece of the earth.

Wisakedjak was disheartened by this, as he felt if otter and beaver couldn’t succeed,
certainly muskrat wouldn’t either, but Wisakedjak knew muskrat must try, as he was the
last hope. He explained to muskrat, “You are brave, strong and quick, even if you are
strong.” He promised to make the muskrat many roots for which to eat and rushes so the
muskrat could make his home with them.

He told otter and beaver that they were foolish, as they had gotten lost in the water. He
urged muskrat to dive straight down in order to find the flooded ground. Muskrat dove
down the first time only to come up empty handed. He made a second attempt. He
stayed under water for a long time. When he returned Wisakedjak sniffed the front paws
of the muskrat. He could smell the scent of the dirt.

Muskrat was urged to dive again, as Wisakedjak promised to give him a wife even if he
was able to only bring back a small piece of earth. The muskrat dove straight down
again, trying to go as far down as he could go. Muskrat was underwater so long, the
others at the surface began to believe he had drowned. Then bubbles rose from the
water. Wisakedjak reached down and pulled muskrat from the water. The poor creature
was almost dead, but he was clutching a piece of the earth close to him.

Wisakedjak happily seized this small piece of ground and made an island from it where
he and the three animals celebrating surviving the flood. Wisakedjak then took a bit of
wood and made the trees and a piece of bone where he created the second race of
animals.

The Creator then commanded the rivers to take all the salt water back to the sea. He
created the rest of mankind and animals. He also took Wisakedjak’s powers over people
and animals away and left him only with the ability to flatter and deceive.

Wisakedjak turned to playing much mischief on the animals and this is why the First
Nations people tell many stories about him in the winter months to amuse themselves.

Several forms of this Creator Story and of the Great Flood Story have been told by
different segments of the Algonquian tribes. Wisakedjak is a character in many Cree
stories. His name means the flatterer.

• After this story, instructor will ask if anybody else can think of any other
creation stories that they have heard, for how the world was created.
• If no ideas are given, suggest ideas such as God creating the world
(bible story), Adam and Eve, Mother Earth creating the world.
• Students have been sitting for quite awhile now; instructor will ask them
to do 20 jumping jacks to get their bodies and brains moving.
Name of Exercise:
Discovering Pangaea
Expected Length: (in minutes)
30 minutes

Purpose: (why is this exercise

included in the lesson)
So the students will be able to
identify what Pangaea is, and
understand the location of all of
the present day continents in
Pangaea.

Detailed instructions: (how will

this exercise be explained to the
group)
• First the instructor will put
up a smart board slide of
Pangaea’s migrating
continents.
• Instructor will explain that
according to science facts,
when the world first began,
all of the continents were
one giant continent called
“Pangaea”
• As the sun warmed the
waters and the land, plants
and animals evolved from
the water and moved to the
land.
• Throughout the years, parts
of Pangaea kept rising and
falling and it broke apart
into several continents
which drifted to where they
are now. This took millions
of years.
• Instructor will then place link
to Pangaea game on the
smart board and click on it.
• Instructor will get student
helper to hand out the blank
Pangaea maps
• Instructor will then explain
that the class is going to
label Pangaea together.
• For the game, Instructor will
ask for volunteers to come
up and label each continent
 is labeled on the smart
board, students will be
asked to copy it on the maps
in their neatest printing.
Students will also be asked
to place a compass on their
maps.
• After they have finished
labeling the map, the
instructor will ask them to
color the map, coloring each
continent a different color,
and the ocean blue.
**If students do not finish
coloring before end of class,
send this home for
homework**