Early Immigration to Canada

From 1867 to 1914, the Canadian West opened for mass settlement, and became home to millions of immigrant settlers seeking a new life. The Prairie Provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta grew rapidly in these years as settlers began to transform the barren prairie flatland and establish unique cultural settlements. Many motivations brought immigrants to Canada: greater economic opportunity and improved quality of life, an escape from oppression and persecution, and opportunities and adventures presented to desirable immigrant groups by Canadian immigration agencies. 

I have created a zip file to help students build an understanding of Prairie immigration experiences and settlement patterns.

The resource contains:

• A complete 45 page unit with six lessons 
• Six PowerPoints which coordinate with the unit's lessons 

The unit of study is organized around 6 big ideas of early immigration and its influence on cultural diversity. Each big idea has been developed into a session, or a lesson plan, which consists of the following:

1. Immigrating to Saskatchewan 
2. Attracting Newcomers
3. Establishing A Homestead
4. Farming the Land
5. Creating Communities
6. Appreciating Cultural Diversity

Social Studies Resources

I have been working away at developing resources for social studies.

Finally! I have finished a unit about dynamic relationships. This 138 page social studies unit explores the impact of geography, environment, and climate on lifestyles and settlement patterns. 

The unit includes 10 lessons:

1. Regions of Canada
2. Influences of Geography
3. Location -  Environmental and Climatic Factors 
4. Environmental Factors and Ways of Life 
5. Settlement Patterns
6. Characteristics of Geographic Regions
7. Influence of Geography on Architecture
8. Lifestyle Views of Land as Held by Indigenous Peoples
9. Ways People Interact With The Land
10. Environmental Concerns 

Each lesson includes:

• A Mini Lesson with Anchor Charts
• An Independent or Small Group Activity
• A Reflective Whole Class Discussion 

One Day Sale!

Last sale of the summer starts Tuesday ! All of my products in my store will be 25% off for one day only!

Happy shopping!

Sneak Peek - Math In My Classroom

Summer is almost over!

I organized the math section of my classroom today.
The video outlines my organization!
The anchor charts were created by Amy Lemons or myself.
The place value activities are part of my Place Value Rotation Games and Anchor Charts resource.

Hope you enjoyed a sneak peek into one part of my classroom!
More to come!

TPT Sale!

It's finally here!
TPT's Back To School Sale begins Tuesday, August 6!
My entire store is 25%!
Happy shopping!

Math Centers

Hello!

I recently posted a picture on Instagram (@eclectecheducator) of my place value math centers. I received questions about my math center organization and rotations. I am happy to share!

Centers are part of my math rotation. I have ten centers for students to choose from at one time. The different centers can be completed in any order that the students would like. 

The independent center is a time where students are practicing skills that have already been taught during whole group and practiced in small group. The center activities include task cards, interactive activities, and constructed response math journal prompts. I laminate the directions and title page on card stock.

I put each center in a dry erase pocket. The dry erase pocket is wider and taller than a letter sized piece of paper, so the title page, direction page, recording sheets, and manipulatives fit easily. The pockets are clear, so students can quickly see which station they are choosing. The pockets are also sturdy and cheap! I purchase the pockets from my local Dollar Store, but the pockets are also available on Amazon.

I insert a station number card in each pocket to help students recall which stations they have completed.  The station cards are approximately a third of the page, so students can still see the title page behind the card.

I hope this helps!
Please post any comments or questions.

Organizing The Classroom BEFORE The First Day

Prepping the classroom can be overwhelming. Managing classroom materials, students, lesson plans, and organizing the environment… where to start?! 

Fear not, you are definitely not alone in this quandary. Teachers have more paperwork, activities, files, writing implements, paper, books, plans, books, stickers, and arts accessories than can possibly be fit into one classroom. 

While there are many ideas on how to organize, the act of organizing is a very personal endeavour. There is not a “one size fits all” implementation plan for managing classroom materials, students, or lesson plans, and much of it is trial and error.

However, some resources for helping teachers through the organization process can help prepare and define their classroom, while allowing for personalization of the environment.

I have designed three resources to help get your classroom ready:

1. Preparing the Classroom Before The First Day 
2. Classroom Planning and Management
3. Subject Organization

The first resource, Preparing The Classroom, focuses on organizing the environment before the students arrive for the first day of school. The included materials and suggestions help your students know where items belong and to identify designated areas in your classroom. Included in the resource are: 

1. Organizing Your Themes and Units
2. Organizing Students' Submission of Work 
3. Organizing Storage of Students' Notebooks and Duotangs
4. Labelling Designated Areas In the Classroom
5. Organizing the Classroom Library