Elementary Social Sciences Help

If you are a student (or parent!) looking for Social Sciences help at LEARN, this is the place to be!  As always, check our @Homepage for Parents which also has many resources and links to the Ministry Open School site and various English School Board Support Pages. 

Recently we also published "History at Home – Time to Wonder and Wander" my latest blog entry here , and if you are a teacher you can also tap into our many other resources and learning strategies in the teacher sections here  . 

Below are a few ideas and sites we are making, finding and organizing for doing Elementary History and Citizenship Education and Geography @Home.

Ideas and Websites For All Elementary Students

Fun Ideas For Learning about History at Home

If you are looking for some fun ideas for ways to use the resources on LEARN, and on other key web sites, to learn History or practice the various skills in our Social Sciences programs at home, check out our expanding Google Doc of ideas! 
Go to site

And follow us or share back via our #LEARNHistoryatHome twitter tag!
 

Here's a short preview of available ideas for students of all levels:  

Photograph your neighbourhood
Take pictures of key buildings in your neighbourhood while walking around. Construct a poster or Google Drawing of with those images.   Or … with parents map your community places onto a Cartograf map!

Family Treasures assignment
“Every family has items that are special to them.  These treasures might be an old family bible that your great-grandmother was given by her grandmother or it might be the hubcap from your Dad’s first car.  Whatever the item is, it has special meaning to someone and a story behind it.” Check out the Family Treasures assignment!

For details and to browse through many more ideas as they develop click here...

 

Activity ideas and key web sites by level
For activity ideas and key web sites appropriate to specific levels, browse their corresponding  sections below.

Cycle 1 (Grades 1 and 2) Help Social Sciences Resources

Social Sciences activites that work for Cycle 1

Here are some ideas you will find in our growing ideas document
that fit well for this level:

Photograph your neighbourhood
Take pictures of key buildings in your neighbourhood while walking around. Construct a poster with those images using Glogster or just a large Google Drawing.  Or … with your parents map your community places onto a Google Maps or Cartograf map!  Share with friends and family in far off places!

Make a family tree
Use photos and information from your parents, then a simple mind map program or Google Drawing to create your own family’s tree!  Share with parents and grandparents so they can add their pictures!  For program connections and other ideas how, see LEARN’s Building My World Cycle 1 package here.

Create a spot-it game with people you know
Gather photos of family and friends.  Use Aaron Barker’s Spot It clone generator page here and photos of people you know!  An example of printouts using Elementary-level historical characters are at bottom here.  This type of game could also be designed around images of neighbourhood buildings!

Create a What-Is-It game
A flash card game idea, this one asks children in different families (friends or classmates) to use a digital camera or phone to take close-up pictures of objects around the house or in the neighbourhood. Then with a parent they could design flash cards like these sample cards.  (You can copy and use our cards and edit them to make more.)  Then using only a video conferencing app like Zoom, Hangouts or Messenger Kids, get together with at least two other children.  Each child shows a card and the others get to win points by guessing the object. First to get to a certain number of points wins.  Expand on this idea to identify family, famous people, historical objects, etc.

and many more...

Some Elementary Cycle 1 sites for Social Sciences

As always, check our @Homepage for Parents which also has resources and links to the Ministry Ecoleouverte.ca and English School Board Support Pages .  Below you will find some sites specifically for this level that we recommend.

LEARN's Building My World guide
On family, where we live and how we live together, this guide for teachers is easy to read and contains various activity suggestions families can use too!  Go to page

Elementary Cycle 1 Digital Citizenship at LBPSB
In this day and age learning how to live online is more important than ever!  Check out Lester B. Pearsons site specifically targeted for Grades 1 and 2, and their teachers and parents.  Go to site 

Super Simple Songs
Why not!?  Enjoy and dance to various songs on topics and in different playlists.  For Cycle 1 social sciences search things like family, holidays and transportation, to be able to reflect on home and our community.  Go to site

Cycle 2 (Grades 3 and 4) Help Social Sciences Resources

Social Sciences activites that work for Cycle 2

MEES Activity Suggestion April 13: Sweet or Savoury Porridge
"The year is 1535 and you have travelled with Jacques Cartier to New France.  It has taken many days to cross the ocean. You can see the route of the trip on this map. You are now in Hochelaga (Montréal), and the Iroquois community introduces you to the three sisters. What are they?" Visit the suggested page Corn porridge on the menu from our Societies and Territories site for more information and games!  
 

For even more #LEARNHistoryatHome activites for this level
Browse through several more sample activities and suggested resources, on the MEES Open School site (Grade 3 and Grade 4),  via the various school board sites,  or via our "live" brainstorming ideas document

Teachers (and students) note that several program-targetted resource packages are available via the main learnquebec.ca/SocialSciences page!

 

Key Web sites

Societies and Territories - An English version by LEARN
 
Browse history texts and thousands of images on societies studied in the Quebec Elementary History program.  Visit our English adaptation of the RECITUS Sociétés et Territoires site.   Go to site

Societies Studied in Cycle 2
Iroquoians 1500Algonquians 1500Inca 1500New France 1645

Iroquoians 1745New France 174513 Colonies 1745

Canada History for Kids
Kayak: Canada's History magazine for kids, Young Citizens, Heritage Fairs, Contests for students, online fun and games for kids, educational resources for homeschooling
Go to site

History of Canada facts for kids (Kiddle.co)
The history of Canada covers the period from the arrival of Paleo-Indians thousands of years ago to the present day.  Includes Kpedia, Images, Kimages, News and Videos!
Go to site

Canadian History for Kids
Many articles with topics and facts, fun sketches, books and other items for purchase.
Go to site

Cycle 3 (Grades 5 and 6) Help Social Sciences Resources

Social Sciences activites that work for Cycle 3

Here are some ideas you will find in our growing ideas document
that fit well for this level:

Play a card game
Play one of our many printable games:  Chronos, Explora, Connect the Facts, and iSpy, and Spot-it games have been created with our texts and images. 

Map a card.  Google Earth and Cartograf 
Many of the Society and Territories site texts (and certain of our game strategy cards) have obvious locations you can browse with Google Earth or that you can even map yourself using Google Maps or our student tool Cartograf!

Visit a Museum, virtually or in person!
Based on time period, locations, themes and events, many museums have tours that connect with events mentioned on the S and T website.   For now check out this article and list!

and for many more ideas here...

Elementary History and Geography Key Web sites

 
To browse history texts and thousands of images on the societies studied in the Quebec Elementary History program, visit our English adaptation of the RECITUS Sociétés et Territoires site.   Go to site

Societies Studied in Cycle 3
Lower Canada 1820Quebec 1905Prairies 1905West Coast 1905

 

Quebec 1980Inuits 1980Miꞌkmaq 1980South Africa 1980


See also:  The Loyalists: Kids’ Zone
Texts on the history of the loyalists experience. Go to site

General External Sites

History of Canada facts for kids (Kiddle.co)
The history of Canada covers the period from the arrival of Paleo-Indians thousands of years ago to the present day.  Includes Kpedia, Images, Kimages, News and Videos!
Go to site

Canadian History for Kids
Many articles with topics and facts, fun sketches, books and other items for purchase.
Go to site

Canadian History for Kids
Many articles with topics and facts, fun sketches, books and other items for purchase.
Go to site