This year, I will have students in grades 5, 3 and 1. This plan will take the place of the American history "spine" and biographies in AO Year 5. Of course, I am always careful not to overload my younger students and will take history books out of their AO years to make room for Canadian history.I want to caution you that this is my personal plan for this coming year. It has not been worked out yet. It's possible that I may decide four weeks in that I have been too ambitious, and start cutting out some of the supplemental reading. I may decide I haven't planned enough and fill it up with more Roughing it in the Bush. It's also possible that I may decide to excuse my Year 1 student from some of the lessons. Anything could happen... use your own discretion! I will try to come back to this post and tell you how it went.
The Books
"Spines"The Story of Canada by George Brown, Eleanor Harman, and Marsh Jeanneret (hereafter BHJ)
The Story of Canada by Janet Lunn and Christopher Moore. (hereafter LM. My page numbers are from the 1992 edition.)
For more on Canadian history spines, see here. I have been using BHJ (published in 1950) for several years now, but as we approach more modern times I am hoping to move into LM. For this year, I skimmed through both books and chose whichever readings appealed to me most for the subject. I skipped some sections of both because they overlapped with supplemental readings I was planning to do. Please keep in mind that this is a read-aloud, family plan. For an independent student, I would probably have chosen one spine to keep it less complicated.
Supplemental Reading
Roughing it in the Bush by Susanna Moodie (will not read entire book, may finish later as a free read)
Revolt in the West: The Story of the Riel Rebellion by Edward McCourt
Canadian Yesterdays by Edgar A. Collard, 2 selections: "The Apostle of Nova Scotia" (pp 84-90) and "The Lady on the Cowcatcher" (pp. 1-6)
Great Canadian Adventures by Reader's Digest (hereafter GCA), 11 Selections:
"Lieutenant Worsley's Revenge" pp 346-355
"A Voyage to a New Land" pp 220-235
"Franklin's Last Voyage" pp 207-217
"Tales of the Plains Crees" pp 99-108
"Down the Roaring Fraser" pp 173-179
"Overland to the Cariboo" pp 488-498
"The D-dest Man that Ever Came Over the Cariboo Road" pp 523-531 (I will edit out offensive words as I read, of course)
"The March West" pp 534-547
"Wild and Wooly Days" pp 550-565
"Van Horne Moves the Troops West" pp 368-375
"The Stampeders" pp 500-512
Free Reading (Will likely use as bedtime reading over the course of the school year.)
Underground to Canada by Barbara Smucker
George Dawson, the Little Giant by Joyce Barkhouse
The Schedule
I have spread out these readings over four days a week to give myself some margin for map and timeline work. Also, in real life I schedule a regular time slot for Canadian history and just keep picking up where I left off. This "weekly schedule" will not be a strict rule for me...I may move through it more quickly at times, or more slowly at others. If my pace consistently doesn't line up with the weeks, I will adjust (add more Roughing it in the Bush readings, or take away unnecessary supplemental readings) and keep moving.
Term 1
Week 1
"The Apostle of Nova Scotia" (Canadian Yesterdays pp 84-90), 2 lessons
"The War of 1812-1814" (BHJ 208-210), 1 lesson
Roughing it in the Bush, 1 lesson (not scheduling chapters, just picking up where I left off every time.)
Week 2
"Lieutenant Worsley's Revenge" (GCA pp 346-355), divide into 3 lessons and do 2 this week.
"The Story of a Shawnee Chief" (BHJ 211-214), 1 lesson
Roughing it in the Bush, 1 lesson
Week 3
"At Queenston Heights" (BHJ 214-216), 1 lesson
"Lieutenant Worsley's Revenge" (GCA pp 346-355), lesson 3 of 3
"An Even Struggle" (BHJ 217-219 ...Plattsburg and LM 90 Sea fights...-91 ...would stay British), 1 lesson
Roughing it in the Bush, 1 lesson
Week 4
"The New Comers" (LM pp 91-96), divide into 2 lessons and do 1 this week.
"A Voyage to a New Land" (GCA pp 220-235), divide into 4 lessons and do 2 this week.
Roughing it in the Bush, 1 lesson
Week 5
"The New Comers" (LM pp 91-96), lesson 2 of 2.
"A Voyage to a New Land" (GCA pp 220-235), lessons 3 and 4 of 4.
Roughing it in the Bush, 1 lesson
Week 6
"The People In Between" (LM pp 122-125), 1 lesson
"The Red River Colony" (BHJ 221-227), 2 lessons
Roughing it in the Bush, 1 lesson
Week 7
"The Bay's Empire" (LM 126 And the Fur... - 128), 1 lesson
"Ruling Our Law-Makers" (BHJ pp 242-243), 1 lesson
"The Little Rebel" (BHJ pp 244-249), divide into 2 lessons and do 1.
Roughing it in the Bush, 1 lesson
Week 8
"The Little Rebel" (BHJ pp 244-249), lesson 2 of 2.
"The Struggle in Lower Canada" (BHJ pp 250-252), 1 lesson
"Nova Scotia's Great Leader" (BHJ pp 253-256), 1 lesson
Roughing it in the Bush, 1 lesson
Week 9
"The Cry for Reform" and "Government by the People" (BHJ 257-259), 1 lesson
"A Famous Report" (BHJ pp 260-262), 1 lesson
"Cabinet Government" (BHJ pp 262-263), 1 lesson
Roughing it in the Bush, 1 lesson
Week 10
"Lord Elgin's Decision" (BHJ pp 264-267, LM chart on p 109), 1 lesson
"Franklin's Last Voyage" (GCA 207-217), divide into 3 lessons and do 1.
"Wanderers and Artists" (LM pp 129-132)
Roughing it in the Bush, 1 lesson
Week 11
"Franklin's Last Voyage" (GCA 207-217), lessons 2 and 3 of 3.
"Leaders of the West" (LM pp 132-135), 1 lesson
Roughing it in the Bush, 1 lesson
Week 12
"Tales of the Plains Crees" (GCA pp 99-108), 3 lessons
Roughing it in the Bush, 1 lesson
Term 2
Week 13
"Mountains and Oceans" (LM 138-139), 1 lesson
"The Nootka Traders (LM 140-141), 1 lesson
"People of the Salmon" (LM 142-146), divide into 2 lessons and do 1.
Roughing it in the Bush, 1 lesson
Week 14
"People of the Salmon (LM 142-146), lesson 2 of 2
"From Canada, by Land" (LM 146-151), 1 lesson
"Down the Roaring Fraser" (GCA 173-179), divide into 2 lessons and do 1
Roughing it in the Bush, 1 lesson
Week 15
"Down the Roaring Fraser" (GCA 173-179), lesson 2 of 2
"The Father of BC" (LM 151-155), 1 lesson
"The Gold Fields" (LM 155-157), 1 lesson
Roughing it in the Bush, 1 lesson
Week 16
"Overland to the Cariboo" (GCA 489-498), 2 lessons
"Mountains and Oceans" (LM 158-159), 1 lesson
Roughing it in the Bush, 1 lesson
Week 17
"The D-dest Man" (GCA 523-531), 2 lessons
"Building a Dominion" (BHJ 298-302), 1 lesson
Roughing it in the Bush, 1 lesson
Week 18
"John A. MacDonald and Confederation" (BHJ 302-303), 1 lesson
"Breaking the Deadlock" (LM 165-166), 1 lesson
"The Idea of Confederation" (LM 166-169), 1 lesson
Roughing it in the Bush, 1 lesson
Week 19
"From Charlottetown to Quebec" (LM 170-171), 1 lesson
"The Battle for Confederation" (LM 171-178), 2 lessons
Roughing it in the Bush, 1 lesson
Week 20
"The Law that Made a Nation" (BHJ 305-307), 1 lesson
"Dominion from Sea to Sea" (BHJ 308-314), 2 lessons
Roughing it in the Bush, 1 lesson (This is where I will stop doing lessons from Roughing it in the Bush and either switch it to a free read or put it away.)
Week 21
"Into the West" (LM 180 The Metis... - 182), 1 lesson
"Massacre in the Cypress Hills" (LM 184) and "Scarlet and Gold" (BHJ 316-317), 1 lesson
Revolt in the West chapter 1, 2 lessons
Week 22 (If desired, can choose only one of the GCA supplemental readings for the NWMP, "The March West" or "Wild and Wooly Days" and spread it over more lessons for a lighter schedule)
"The March West" (GCA 534-547), divide into 4 lessons and do 2 this week.
Revolt in the West chapter 2, 2 lessons
Week 23
"The March West" (GCA 534-547), lessons 3 and 4 of 4.
Revolt in the West chapter 3, 2 lessons
Week 24
"Wild and Wooly Days" (GCA 550-565), divide into 4 lessons and do 2 this week.
Revolt in the West chapter 4, 1 lesson
Revolt in the West chapter 5, divide into 2 lessons and do 1 this week.
Term 3
Week 25
"Wild and Wooly Days" (GCA 550-565), lessons 3 and 4 of 4.
Revolt in the West chapter 5, lesson 2 of 2
Revolt in the West chapter 6, 1 lesson
Week 26
"Steel of Empire" (BHJ 321-326), 2 lessons
Revolt in the West chapter 7, 2 lessons
Week 27
"Van Horne Moves the Troops West" (GCA 368-375), 2 lessons
Revolt in the West chapter 8, 1 lesson
Revolt in the West chapter 9, divide into 2 lessons and do 1.
Week 28
Revolt in the West chapter 9, lesson 2 of 2
Revolt in the West chapters 10 and 11, 3 lessons
Week 29
Revolt in the West chapters 12 and 13, 4 lessons
Week 30
Revolt in the West chapters 14, 15 and 16, 3 lessons
Revolt in the West chapter 17, divide into 2 lessons and do 1.
Week 31
Revolt in the West chapter 17, lesson 2 of 2
Revolt in the West chapter 18, 1 lesson
Revolt in the West chapter 19, divide into 2 lessons and do 1
"Lady on the Cowcatcher" (Canadian Yesterdays 1-6), divide into 2 lessons and do 1
Week 32
Revolt in the West chapter 19, lesson 2 of 2
Revolt in the West chapter 20, 1 lesson
"Lady on the Cowcatcher" (Canadian Yesterdays 1-6), lesson 2 of 2.
"Sunny Ways" (LM 196-198), 1 lesson
Week 33
"Gold Fever" (LM ch 198-200), 1 lesson
"The Stampeders" (GCA 500-512), 3 lessons
Week 34
"The Last Best West" (LM 200-206), 2 lessons
"Isaac Barr's Fiasco" (GCA 109-119), divide into 3 lessons and do 1.
"Dreams and Struggles" (LM 207-208), 1 lesson
Week 35
"A Voice for Women" (LM 208-210), 1 lesson
"Isaac Barr's Fiasco" (GCA 109-119), lesson 2 of 3.
"A Turn of the Century Time Trip" (LM 210-214), 2 lessons.
Week 36
"Into the North" (LM 215-216), 1 lesson
"Isaac Barr's Fiasco" (GCA 109-119), lesson 3 of 3
"The Canadians and the Empire" (LM 217-219), 1 lesson
"Canada in WWI" (BHJ 344-346), 1 lesson.
