Canadian Identity 
Compare & Contrast: how others view Canadians vs. how we represent ourselves.
How are geography & identity linked?  

How Others View Us

How We Represent Ourselves

"We are More" by Shane Koyczan (2:15:49)

I am Canadian Rant & We are More


Where's Matt?  (PG version)


Think of the children's book Where's Waldo?  and the show Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?  Now, there is a guy named Matt who dances (badly) across the world.  All of these individuals, fictional and real, have one thing in common... they are all taking their own twist on geography.  That's right... GEOGRAPHY!  

Check out Matt's website: http://www.wherethehellismatt.com

Sometimes, it just doesn't work... 

A brief background on how it all began: 

Where in the World Are We??? 

Instructions: 

*For this activity, you are encouraged to use your smart phones and computers to find the correct location. 
  • Find a location (city) 
  • Develop clues: needs to be challenging enough that your peers won't automatically guess it... point is to learn how to build search terms quickly!
  • Include a mixture of historical and present day examples in your clues 
  • Tell a story afterwards 
               -provide background information about your location 
               -tell the class why you chose it 

(Ms. Cunningham)   Example 

Clues: 

  • This area is a city that was annexed by the British in the 19th century
  • Today, you can hear monks chanting in the mountains & see prayer flags flying throughout the city 
  • After a failed uprising, a major political & spiritual leader fled to this location and considers it his home in exile 
  • One of the largest mountain ranges is seen from this spot

How is Canada divided? 


Geography is linked to identity.  The ways we choose to separate areas often portray our values and current perspectives in politics.  Keep this in mind when looking at past maps.

The blank map will be used for a variety of mapping activities in class. 
Picture
* Make sure you refer to this list during your mapping activities

Five Themes of Geography: 
1) Location
2) Place
3) Human Environment Interaction
4) Region
5) Movement

Places interact with other places:

  1. Human activity leaves a mark on the physical environment.  (i.e. people build a railway and a town is built)
  2. Environment also impacts the decisions people make.  (i.e. water attracts people and other resources)  
  3. Place and sense of identify are intertwined.  

Mapping Physical Features... traditional, current, & future