Grade(s): 1/2

Title of Unit: The Canadian North : IllustraTED and RecounTED

Overview of Unit Topic/Theme:

The Canadian North: IllustraTED and RecounTED is a week long grade 1/2 unit integrating language
arts, fine arts, and social studies. Throughout the unit students will have the opportunity to explore and
further develop their competencies in each of the six elements of language arts: reading, listening,
viewing, writing, speaking, and visually representing. This unit will use three distinct works written and/
or illustrated by Ted Harrison. Ted Harrison is an iconic Canadian artist well known for his vibrant
depictions of Northern Canada. Throughout this unit students will discover the intrinsic relationship
between art and language. As they learn about the Canadian North they will also develop an
understanding of regionalism in text and in art. This new understanding of regionalism will be applied in
their assignments and activities which will encourage and support them in exploring their own region
and identity. Students will engage in active listening, interactive discussion and building shared
knowledge, playing with language and words, communicating stories through action and speaking, and
creating their own stories, both written and illustrated. Incorporating some of the additional ideas and
activities listed in this unit plan the unit can be extended to take place over the course of two weeks.
Rationale for Unit:
As students in grade 1 and 2 develop more clearly articulated and defined individual identities it is
important for them to discover various modes of expressing this identity. In A Northern Alphabet Ted
Harrison provides wonderful examples of expressing the regional identity of the North and thus can
provide a model for students to explore their own local region. The Cremation of Sam McGee, written
by Robert Service and illustrated by Ted Harrison, introduces students to a classic work of Canadian
poetry and opens the door for students to develop skills necessary for interpretation and reflection on
poetry as well as explore literary conventions used in poetry. The Blue Raven introduces students to
first people's legends, culture, and wisdom and provides an opportunity for them to encounter the first
people's wisdom of their own local region.
BC Language Arts Curriculum
Big Ideas
- Language and stories can be a source of creativity and joy.
- Stories help us learn about ourselves and our families.
- Stories can be told through pictures and words.
- Playing with language helps us discover how language works.
- Listening and speaking builds our understanding and helps us learn.
Learning Standards
- Use play and other creative means to discover foundational concepts of print, oral, and visual texts.
- Use age-appropriate reading, listening, and viewing behaviours and strategies to make meaning from
texts.
- Engage actively as listeners, viewers, and readers, as appropriate, to develop understanding of self,
identity and community.
- Use personal experience and knowledge to connect to text and make meaning.
- Recognize the importance of story in personal, family, and community identity.
- Show awareness of how story in First Peoples' cultures connects people to family and community.
- Begin to communicate in print.
- Create stories and other age-appropriate texts to deepen awareness of self, family, and community.

Lesson Plans Sequence:

1. A Northern Alphabet, written & illustrated by Ted Harrison (see attached lesson plan)
2. The Cremation of Sam McGee, written by Robert Service & illustrated by Ted Harrison
(see attached lesson plan)
3. The Blue Raven, written & illustrated by Ted Harrison
This is a longer text that would be difficult to cover in a single lesson. It is an important story for
understanding First Nations experience and wisdom. The content is appropriate for grades 1-2
however I think students would benefit most from this story if it was read throughout the course of a
week, every time reminding students what had happened thus far through inquiry and inviting students
to remind the teacher and classmates of the story. Various brief activities could be used to maintain
student engagements and reflect on what was previously read. This is an important skill for students to
learn, to be able to read a story, put it down, and pick up where they left off. I would read, discuss and
explore this book with students for 10-15mins at the beginning of each morning during carpet time and
then at the end of the week have an entire lesson dedicated to the book. One of the important aspects
of this book is that it echoes aboriginal legends pertaining to the raven. At the end of the week, after
having read this book, I would dedicate an entire afternoon to a lesson on this book, incorporating social
studies / Canadian history, art and English language arts. Ideally I would like to invite an elder from a
local first nation to visit the class and share stories from their culture relating to the raven (or another
bird). This book emphasizes the first nations wisdom of living in accord with one's natural environment.
I would invite the elder to share their perspectives on how we are to live on the land and what our
relationship is with the land. I would take my class outside for a walk (preferably in a wooded area or
along the beach, depending on the location of the school) and give directions to students to look for one
thing in nature, it could be an animal, plant, tree, rock, etc... that makes them feel brave/courageous.
We would then return to class and have an art lesson incorporating an image of themselves and that
object/animal. We would talk about how we can draw courage and strength from nature and the land.
Our artwork would be displayed in the hall.

Additional Activity/Lesson Ideas:

- Create a Yukon Regional Newspaper having each child write an article/column for the newspaper

(connecting to a topic from the stories and books you have read in class). Incorporate technology,
having students type their stories, and incorporate all the articles into a single document. Give each
child a copy of the newspaper and read together in class.
Create a math and science lesson looking at the temperatures, snowfall, etc... of Dawson City at
Christmastime (referring to the Cremation of Sam McGee). Calculate averages and math problems
of addition and subtraction (snow accumulation vs. melting).
Incorporate Canadian history, regionalism, and First Nations' ways of knowing exploring how people
would survive the winter and stay warm in the north prior to electricity. Incorporate art into projects
depicting these methods of staying warm.
Develop a word wall for the unit and incorporate this vocabulary into activities. Charades, word
searches, journal entries, definition games, etc.
Expand this unit to incorporate other Canadian literature from the North (perhaps from rom the North
West Territories, Nunavut, and Northern Quebec).
Building on the Northern Alphabet you could also expand this unit into a unit on alphabet books.
Have students in small groups build board games based on the expedition of Sam McGee.
Create a recording of the students reading the Cremation of Sam McGee accompanied with their
drawings depicting the particular stanza(s) they are reading. This could be made into a private
YouTube video (in the style of Johnny Cash reading the Cremation of Sam McGee) that could be
shared with parents and presented at a school assembly.
While working on this unit have an image and quote of the day taken from the material being used.
Place these in a visible location in the classroom such as the door or front board (or next to the word
wall).

Culminating Task(s):
Students will have collaborated to create a laminated and bound alphabet book reflecting their local
community and surroundings. Each student will practice reading their page out loud. The entire class
will visit their "buddy class" of older grade 7 students and read and present the class book to their
buddies. For the following month the book will be on display in the school library so that other classes
can appreciate and admire the work that the students have done. It will then be returned to the
classroom and given a prominent place in the classroom reading corner.

Resources:
Gibson, Katherine. A Brush Full of Colour: The World of Ted Harrison. Toronto: Pajama Press, 2014.
Bud, Robert. Ted Harrison Collected. Toronto: Douglas & McIntyr, 2015.
Harrison, Ted. The Blue Raven. Toronto: MacMillan Publishing Canada, 1989.
Harrison, Ted. The Cremation of Sam McGee. Toronto: Kids Can Press, 2013.
Harrison, Ted. A Northern Alphabet. Toronto: Tundra Books, 2009.
BC Curriculum. British Columbia Ministry of Education. http://www.curriculum.gov.bc.ca
Ted Harrison Studio [tedharrisonstudio]. (May 6, 2011). Ted Harrison Interview.
Retrieved from: https://youtube.com/watch?v=dK9HrbZrM8M
[shartfel]. (Nov. 26, 2009). Ted Harrison Interview on Canada AM.
Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3w_-Z9KVEhI
[DrSwarly]. (Apr. 20, 2011). The Cremation of Sam McGee - Read by Johnny Cash.
Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v==wGhFNYll_mU
[NorthwestelTV]. (Jan. 16, 2015). Ted Harrison 1986 Interview.
Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7KmWH4EqNw
Links to access the above resources, as well as additional resources are available at:
www.educationrelation.weebly.com/ted-harrison-unit.html
Various classroom supplies needed: paper, writing utensils, erasers, paint, pencil crayons, felts, paper,
templates for book pages, chart paper, photocopied and cut sections of The Cremation of Sam
McGee, construction paper, glue, laminating and binding supplies, electronic device with internet
access, digital projector, etc.