Winter 2022 Issue

The quarterly newsletter from Study Canada K-12
US. Dept. of Education Title VI National Resource Center on Canada

In this Issue
Survey Says and Win $50
Meet Our NCSS Winner
Resource Round-Up: Winter Olympics Edition
Western Reads: Greenwood by Micheal Christie
House of Anansi Press
Read the North

Professional Development Survey

Tell Us What You Need for a Chance to Win!

Our mission is to provide quality professional development opportunities to the educator community but what does that look like for you today?

Going into our third year of pandemic teaching, what capacity do you have for extracurricular learning?

How can we best serve you going forward?

Your answers will help drive our programming for the coming year and as a thank you for filling out our survey, you will be in a drawing for a $50 Amazon gift card. Thank you for your input!

Photo by Michael Chupik on Unsplash from Two Jack Lake, Banff, A

Enter Survey Here!

NCSS 2021 and our Give-Away Winner!

NCSS 2021 had to become a virtual event but there were still lots of great connections to be made. With my colleagues from the East Coast NRC on Canada, we were able to present on topics such as Diversifying Westward Expansion and Reimagining Cartographies with an Indigenous lens, as well as man our virtual booth of resources. Educators who visited our booth were entered into a giveaway for Canadian books and a gift certificate from the Strong Nations Indigenous bookstore.

Our drawing winner was Jessica Colburn, an 8th Grade teacher at La Pine Middle School in La Pine, Oregon who teaches US History: Revolution to Reconstruction.

Jessica was kind enough to answer some of our questions about teaching today and the role Canada plays in her classroom.

Check out her interview below and thank you Jessica - and all educators working so hard to keep schools vibrant and safe.

Hardest part of being an educator in Covid times:

The hardest part about being an educator in COVID times is the extra work that teachers are taking on: from ensuring masks are being worn correctly, to disinfecting rooms, to stepping into the counselor role more as students are having a hard time adjusting to COVID life. These very important roles, on top of everything else we do, it is very difficult.

Best part of being an educator in Covid times:

The best part of being an educator during COVID times is that my relationship with students is a lot stronger. We are living a shared experience, and for many of us it has not been positive. By sharing what our lives are like, the struggles, and the positives, we have a much more welcoming classroom environment where it is easier to understand those around us.

Does Canada come into your curriculum or classroom and if so, how?

Canada does come into our curriculum and classroom because we teach that the United States is not an island and could not have become a country without Canadian influence and partnership, from its founding to today. We also learn that Canada and the United States depend on each other, along with Mexico, to preserve North American land and customs.

Do you have a personal connection to Canada?

My mother's side of the family is descended from The Filles du roi, something I just found out within the last year when I was researching my genealogy. Through this research, I also found I am a 10th cousin of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

What’s your favorite kind of professional development opportunity?

My favorite kind of professional development opportunities are ones where I can meet up with other educators and discuss what they are teaching, what is working, what they are having trouble with, and learn from each other. I love large conferences where I can learn a ton of different things that I can use in my classroom. I also love experiential based professional development so I can experience history in the places where it happened.

Thank you Jessica! You sent us down a real Canadian History rabbit hole with the Filles du Roi and we appreciate you sharing what life is like in the classroom these days, we know it isn’t easy, and we are so appreciative of all teachers do.

Resource Round-Up: Winter Olympics

If there’s one thing Canadians know, it’s winter sports. If you’re looking to talk about or explore the Feb. 4-Feb. 20 2022 Winter Olympics in your classroom, we have compiled some lesson plans for you:

Lesson plans for Figure Skating, Curling, even more Curling, Ski Jumping, Bobsleigh and Skeleton, Speed Skating, and of course Hockey. There are even social and emotional learning lessons around Olympians' stories and athletes.

Western Reads: Greenwood

Western Reads is a new WWU Center for Canadian American Studies this Winter, focussing on one Canadian book, like a book club, for college credit. We have started with Greenwood by Michael Christie, a multi-generational, cross-Canada story of trees, resources, family and how the experiences we have shape future generations. If you’d like to read along, you can access the Whatcom Reads virtual events through February and March - and if you’re reading along, let us know what you thought of Greenwood!

House of Anansi Newsletter

The Groundwood/House of Anansi Press, one of the most historic in Canada, has launched a new newsletter and resource collection for teachers, with reading lists and resources to support the themes. This month's theme: Finding Friendships, Building Belonging and Creating Community Through Picture Books.
Sign Up Here

Groundwood/House of Anansi Press also publishes the Massey Lectures, and this years lecturer was Esi Edugyan, author of Washington Black. Her book Out of the Sun, based on her lectures which "illuminate myriad varieties of Black experience in global culture and history and examine Black histories in art".

You can also listen to the 6-part series on the CBC Radio program, Ideas

Read the North

Some notable new releases from Canadian publishers and author/illustrators in Winter 2022.

On the Trapline
By David A. Robertson and illustrated by Julie Flett
Tundra Books for ages 4-8

A picture book celebrating Indigenous culture and traditions. The Governor General Award--winning team behind When We Were Alone shares a story that honors our connections to our past and our grandfathers and fathers - and which also won the 2021 Governor General Award for Children's Literature.

As Glenn as Can Be
By Sara Ellis and illustrated by Sarah Vo
House of Anansi Press for ages 3-6

A biography of genius and eccentric Candian pianist, Glenn Gould. Gould was known for his interpretation of Bach's Goldberg Variations, and also for his sensory needs in his environment, especially while performing. An introduction to music history - and our differences can be our superpowers.

Powwow: A celebration through song and dance
By Karen Pheasant-Neganigwane
Orca Books for ages 4-12

From the Publisher: Powwow is a celebration of Indigenous song and dance. It’s a journey through the history of powwow culture in North America, from its origins in colonization, the Indian Act and the Wild West shows of the late 1800s to the thriving powwow culture of today. As a lifelong competitive powwow dancer, Karen Pheasant-Neganigwane is a guide to the protocols, regalia, songs, dances and even food you can find at powwows from coast to coast, as well as the important role they play in Indigenous culture and reconciliation.

Hunting By Stars
By Cherie Dimaline
Penguin Random House for ages 13-18

The thrilling follow-up to the bestselling, award-winning novel The Marrow Thieves, about a dystopian world where the Indigenous people of North America are being hunted for their bone marrow and ability to dream.

Don't forget to fill out our professional development survey for a chance to win

Enter Survey Here!

Please share with fellow educators you think may be interested and subscribe here

K-12 Study Canada is part of the Title VI federally-funded National Resource Center with the Center for Canadian-American Studies at Western Washington University and aims to enhance and strengthen a better understanding of the Canada and the Canada-U.S. relationship through teaching and education.