CANADIAN NORTH – LIFE AND LAND SASKATCHEWAN – ELEMENTARY

Comparing My Community to

A Northern Community

Lesson Overview:

This lesson asks students to describe their community in relation to its place, region and human systems and then to compare the same data with a northern polar region community in Canada to understand the similarities and differences between the two communities.

Grade Level:

Grade 3

Time Required:One or two 60 minute classes

Curriculum Connection:

Saskatchewan: Social Studies Grade Three: Unit One – Identity

Module 3- Comparing Canadian Communities

Links to Canadian National Standards for Geography:

Essential Element #1: The World in Spatial Terms

  • Location and distribution of physical and human features

Essential Element #2: Places and Regions

  • Physical and human characteristics of neighbourhood and community.
  • Similarities and differences of local places and regions with other places and regions.

Essential Element #4: Human Systems

  • Patterns of cultural traits (e.g. language, religion, family structure).
  • Patterns of land use and economic activity in the community (e.g. agricultural, industrial, commercial, residential, educational, recreational).
  • Transportation (people and goods) and communication networks.
  • Human settlement patterns (e.g. rural, urban, suburban).

Geographic Skill #2: Acquiring Geographic Information

  • Locate, gather and process information from a variety of primary and secondary sources including maps.
  • Make and record observations about the physical and human characteristics of places.

Geographic Skill #4: Analyzing Geographic Information

  • Use texts, photographs and documents to observe and interpret geographic trends and relationships.

Geography Skill #5: Answering Geographic Questions

  • Present geographic information in the form of both oral and written reports accompanied by maps and graphics.
  • Use methods of geographic inquiry to acquire geographic information, draw conclusions and make generalizations.

Link to the Canadian Atlas Online (CAOL)

View the interactive map at

Selecting Explore the Maps on the left hand side will allow students and teacher to answer questions related to population, human settlement patterns, distances, etc. and will allow for quick comparisons between two locations in Canada.

Additional Resources, Materials, and Equipment Required:

  • Computer with access to the Internet
  • Large classroom map of Canada or globe.
  • Websites:

-Google Earth – may allow access to mapping data of a 3-D nature to illustrate differences in physical geography, settlement patterns, transportation routes, etc.

-Flickr (and other open source photography sites) that allow access to a wide range of photographs of buildings, people, plants, animals, etc to help illustrate similarities and differences.

  • Student Handouts (one for each student)– suggested ways to compare and contrast information students gather to compare their region to a polar/northern region in Canada:

1. Comparing Communities Graphic Organizer

2. Comparing Communities Comparison Chart

3. Comparing Communities Using Webs to Compare Communities

Main Objective:

Students will be able to discuss, record and represent the similarities and differences between their community and region of Canada and that of a northern polar community of Canada.

Learning Outcomes: By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

  • Identify characteristics of their community and another community in a different region of Canada.
  • Identify and explain some similarities and differences between these communities.
  • Suggest various reasons that could determine the differences and similarities between these communities
  • Represent the similarities and differences in a variety of ways (visually, graphically)using graphic organizers and/or multi-media story telling

The Lesson:

Teacher Activity / Student Activity
Introduction / Review with students the basic information about their community- physical features, population, constructed environments, etc.
This may be achieved by using a walking tour, slide show or brief discussion.
Locate place names of northern communities and determine distances from the community the students live. Use the link to the interactive online atlas to quickly determine distance and location. / Record in chart form the review material. Match with supporting visuals provided or collected- photos, maps, etc.
Lesson Development / Read stories about different communities.
Have students listen for similarities and differences between their community and the ones in the stories.
Help students locate other ways to compare communities that may not be covered in stories and print materials in introduction (encyclopedias, web sites, CR-ROMS, videos, etc) / Listen to stories/photos.
Record similarities and differences in graphic organizers (see suggested examples).
View videos, web sites and other resources to find more information to complete their comparisons.
Conclusion / Create a group display (bulletin board, blog site, digital story, etc) that captures the similarities and differences in a visual and textual way. / Contribute to sections of the display, i.e. complete the building comparisons, or the population comparisons to add to the larger finished display.

Lesson Extension:

A possible extension may be to partner with a similar grade and class in a northern community to share their finished project or to communicate with through a pen-pal/e-pal exchange or blog site so that students could share their questions and find other ways to compare their experience.

Assessment of Student Learning:

  • Completion of note taking graphic organizer (both guided and individually)
  • Contribution to the larger display project (a visual and a text component) to demonstrate ability to creatively display research in an organized and interesting manner.

Student Worksheets

COMPARING COMMUNITIES: GRAPHIC ORGANIZER

MY COMMUNITY

DATA / PROOF AND EXAMPLES
POPULATION
LOCATION
CLIMATE
KIND OF GOVERNMENT
VEGETATION
ANIMALS
HOMES
STORES AND BUSINESSES
SPORTS AND ACTIVITIES
LANGUAGE
ROADS
PARKS
SCHOOLS
TOYS AND GAMES
TRANSPORTATION
ECONOMY
NATURAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE REGION
LAND USE IN THE COMMUNITY

Students Worksheet

COMPARING COMMUNITIES: COMPARISON CHART

______AND ______

COMMUNITY #1 ______/ COMMUNITY #2______
POPULATION
LOCATION
CLIMATE
HOMES
BUILDINGS/BUSINESSES
TRANSPORTATION
LANGUAGE
ECONOMIC ACTIVITY
COMMUNITY #1 ______/ COMMUNITY #2______

Student Worksheet

COMPARING COMMUNITIES: USING WEBS TO COMPARE COMMUNITIES

Canadian Council for Geographic Education 1

Canadian Polar Commission