GRADE 6 SOCIAL STUDIES - CANADA AND WORLD CONNECTIONS: CANADA AND ITS
TRADING PARTNERS

IDEAS FOR 1999-2000

DRAFT 8, AUGUST 27, 1999


1. IDENTIFY SOME OF CANADA'S MAJOR TRADING PARTNERS

- Using information that may be available from Statistics Canada; Foreign
Affairs and International Trade; Industry Canada; the annual Canadian
Almanac; etc., have students study charts of import and export data to
determine the countries that trade with Canada. Each student will
identify, label and colour the countries on a world map. Each student will
display data in graph form about the volume of trade to and from these
countries.

At the Statistics Canada home page, <http://www.statcan.ca>, click on
Canadian Statistics, then Economy, then International Trade, then
International Trade again. Print the three charts of data on Canada's
imports and exports: Imports And Exports Of Goods On A Balance-Of-Payment
Basis; Imports Of Goods On A Balance-Of-Payment Basis; Exports Of Goods On
A Balance-Of-Payment Basis.

Call Foreign Affairs and International Trade in Ottawa, 1-800-267-8376, or
613-944-4000, and ask for any information that may be available in summary
form on Canada's imports and exports. This would include the names of
countries that Canada imports to and exports from, data on the volume of
trade, as well as the kinds of goods that are traded. Explain that you are
a grade 6 teacher in Ontario looking for data that would be suitable to use
with grade 6 students for the new Ontario curriculum in social studies-
Canada and World Connections: Canada and Its Trading Partners. The staff
of Information and Media Services will mail material to you.

At the Industry Canada home page, <http://info.ic.gc.ca/>, click on
English; then Frequently Asked Questions; then How do I locate information
on trading internationally?; then International Business Opportunities,
Trade and Investments; then Trade Statistics - Trade Data Online - Imports
and Exports by Product; then Generate Reports. You can create custom
charts of import and export data for specific countries and products, then
print them for use in the classroom.

Check out the online activity called Canada's Major Trading Partners, from
the WritingDen, <http://www2.actden.com/writ_den/g13/direct.htm>. The
focus of this site is reading comprehension and writing skills based on
this topic.

Canada And Its Trading Partners is a web site for teachers with 34 links to
General Sources of Information; Countries and Imports/Exports; Exports,
Imports, Agreements; Peacekeeping, Aid and Organizations.
<http://www.oxford.net/~dragon/self_and_society/gr6trade.htm>


- Using a world time chart, each student will calculate the time
differences between Canada and its major trading partners.

World Timezone Map <http://aa.usno.navy.mil/AA/faq/docs/world_tzones.html>.

Local Times Around The World <http://swissinfo.net/cgi/worldtime/>,
<http://www.hilink.com.au/times/>.

International Time Zones
<http://web.ukonline.co.uk/david.w34/_FIFTEEN.html>.

Date and Time Gateway <http://www.bsdi.com/date>.


2. DEMONSTRATE AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE DIFFERENT CONNECTIONS CANADA SHARES
WITH ITS TRADING PARTNERS

- Develop a postcard exchange with classes in the U.S.A., and other
countries around the world, where each student writes and sends a postcard
through the mail to another class.

You can join an International Postcard Exchange at
<http://internet-catalyst.org/projects/PCG/postcard.html>. Click on How To
Participate for ideas on preparing for the project, organizing students,
and many teaching ideas. You can also join a postcard exchange being
organized by grade 5 and 6 teachers across Canada, the U.S.A., and other
countries through the 5-6 Grade Connection list-serve. Contact Avis
Breding, <abreding@esosoft.com>, to inquire about joining the Connection
(tell her Neil in Canada sent you) and taking part in the postcard
exchange.

The message of the postcard can include an interesting connection with the
community and other parts of the world, or an interesting fact about the
community. For example, Almonte is the hometown of Dr. James Naismith, the
inventor of basketball. Basketball is played now in almost 200 countries
around the world.

Have the students ask friends, neighbours and relatives to send the class a
postcard if they are traveling in Canada, the U.S.A. or another country on
business or holidays. Invite community members to send the class a
postcard when they travel. Promote the project through a letter to the
editor, as well as a display at school and in the public library. Ask
store owners in the community to put a poster about the project in their
windows. Invite the community newspaper to promote the project through
photos and news items during the year.

Each student records the details of the postcards that are received by the
class in a log book - card number, country, province/state, community,
school. Each student identifies, labels and colours the country on a world
map, and the province/state on a Canada/U.S.A. map. The students read
their postcards aloud to the rest of the class. During the project, the
class discusses the different kinds of connections that Canada shares with
its trading partners. This could include friends and relatives that travel
abroad on holiday; pen and key pals in other countries; business contacts
or business travel by family members, relatives, friends and neighbours to
other lands; connections with club projects around the world; etc.

Each postcard is displayed on a class bulletin board and connected with
yarn to a pin on a world map that marks its location.


3. IDENTIFY PRODUCTS THAT CANADA IMPORTS

- As an "at home" assignment, each student investigates and records in
chart form the country of origin of household items, such as clothing,
appliances, furniture, books and personal items. At school, the students
will share and study their results by creating a class list of household
products and their country of origin. Each student will display the
information in graph form, as well as locating, labeling and colouring the
countries on a world map. Shading/colouring can be used to identify
variations in characteristics, such as agricultural products, textiles,
etc. Additional projects could be assigned for the students to create a
computer spreadsheet or database using the information.

- As a walking or bus excursion, the class will visit a local supermarket.
Teams of students will be assigned to record information in chart form
about the country of origin of food products that are available in their
community. This will include dairy products, fresh produce, meats, canned
fruits and vegetables, etc. At school, the students will share and study
their results by creating a class list of food products and the countries
they came from. Each student will display the information in graph form,
as well as completing a world map where each country was labeled and
coloured. Additional projects could be assigned for the students to create
a computer spreadsheet or database using the information.

- A similar excursion could be planned to a local department store.


4. IDENTIFY THE COUNTRIES TO WHICH CANADA EXPORTS GOODS

- Using information that may be available from Statistics Canada; Foreign
Affairs and International Trade; Industry Canada; the annual Canadian
Almanac; etc.; have students create a list of countries that Canada exports
goods to. Each student will identify, label and colour the countries on a
world map. Each student will display data in graph form about the volume
and kind of products that are traded to these countries.


5. IDENTIFY THE COUNTRIES FROM WHICH CANADA IMPORTS GOODS

- Using information that may be available from Statistics Canada; Foreign
Affairs and International Trade; Industry Canada; the annual Canadian
Almanac; etc.; have students create a list of countries that Canada imports
goods from. Each student will identify, label and colour the countries on
a world map. Each student will display data in graph form about the volume
and kind of products that are traded from these countries.


6. DESCRIBE CANADA'S INVOLVEMENT IN THE COMMONWEALTH, FRANCOPHONIE,
ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES, AND ASIAN PACIFIC ECONOMIC COMMUNITY

- Using information that may be available from these organizations, have
the students read and answer questions about Canada's involvement in world
organizations.

The Commonwealth, <http://thecommonwealth.org:8080/index1.htm>. The
Commonwealth is a voluntary association of sovereign states with a
membership of 54 countries spread over every continent and ocean of the
world. Queen Elizabeth II is accepted by all members as the symbol of
their association and thus Head of the Commonwealth.

At the Young Commonwealth site, <http://www.youngcommonwealth.org:8080/>,
you can click on What is the Commonwealth?, Who are the members of the
Commonwealth?, and What does the Commonwealth do?

Organization Internationale de la Francophonie,
<http://www.francophonie.org/>. The mission of this agency is to bring
together francophone countries for purposes of creating a worldwide
dialogue.

Organization of American States (OAS), <http:www.oas.org/lowdefault.asp>.
The OAS is the world's oldest regional organization. It is the principal
forum in the western hemisphere for dialogue on political, economic and
social interests.

Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), <http://apecsec.org.sg/>. APEC
was established in 1989 in response to the growing interdependence among
Asia-Pacific economies. It has since become the primary regional vehicle
for promoting open trade and practical economic cooperation. Other
information about APEC is available from the Asia Pacific Foundation of
Canada at <http://www.apfnet.org/apec/index.html>. Information about the
Foundation can be found at <http://www.apfnet.org/>.


7. IDENTIFY CANADA'S CONNECTIONS TO THE UNITED STATES THROUGH MEDIA,
TRADE, IMMIGRATION, CULTURE, TECHNOLOGY, TOURISM, HISTORY, AND GEOGRAPHY

- As an "at home" assignment, each student would watch television and keep
a log of their favourite programs and the stations they tune to. The log
sheet would have headings like date, time, station, city, country, program,
name of program, type of program, and program country. At school, the
class will share and study their information by creating a class chart to
see what stations and programs were the most popular, and what was the
country of origin for each. The students will make individual or group
presentations to the class, including a poster, an address to the class,
etc. It's probable they'll discover that they watch a lot of American
programs, even if they tune to a Canadian T.V. station.

- As a second "at home" assignment, each student will listen to AM radio in
the evening. Listening after dark will increase the reception of distant
stations. The students will keep a log of the stations they hear. The log
sheet would have headings like date, time, station call sign, program
format, city and country. At school, the students will share and study
their results by creating a class chart. As a measurement activity, each
student will use an atlas to determine the distance of each station from
their community.

During their listening at home, the students will discover that it's quite
easy to pick up American AM radio stations, as well as distant Canadian
radio stations, after dark. They'll notice that some stations are more
powerful than others, and have a greater range. They'll also notice that
some stations are mainly talk, pop rock, classic music, etc., in format.
They'll probably notice too that American stations sound different -
accent, items in the news, topics of local interest, type of program, etc.

These projects can lead to a discussion about the influence that American
television and radio can have on us.

- At school, set up a shortwave listening center and have the students
listen to the Voice of America on shortwave during the day. Each student
keeps a log of what they hear - date, time, frequency, program, details.
What does the VOA tell listeners around the world about the U.S.A.? Use
the internet and have students determine from the VOA web sit,
<http://www.voa.gov/>, when, and on what frequencies, listeners across
Canada can hear programs about the U.S.A. in English on shortwave from the
VOA.

References for radio projects: (1) "Radios In The Classroom: Curriculum
Integration and Communication Skills", Anton Ninno,
<http://ericir.syr.edu/ithome/digests/radios.html>. (2) "Integrated
Learning With An AM Radio", Anton Ninno, AskERIC lesson plan #:
AELP-INT0093, <http://ericir.syr.edu/Vitual/Lessons/>. (3) The Shortwave
Classroom. An international newsletter for teachers around the world about
using shortwave listening at school to reach out bring the world into the
classroom. Neil Carleton, <carleton@accglobal.net>.


8. DEMONSTRATE AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE CURRENT DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF
THE UNITED STATES

- Develop a CLASS TO CLASS exchange project with a class in the U.S.A.
Each class will make and exchange a scrapbook, or parcel, to learn about
the distinguishing features of each other's country. Each parcel will
include 30 local objects or student projects that tell the story of the
class, school, community and country. Each class works with the same
checklist of objects to prepare the parcel. The objects range from a
picture of a typical home, to a packaged food product that is produced in
the local area. Each of the objects, like a local recipe that is typical
of the area, or pictures of a local bird and animal, will help to tell the
story of the community and country.

When the parcels are exchanged through the mail, each class studies the
objects and projects to learn about each other's community and country.
The students will analyze, classify and interpret the information, such as
comparing the similarities and contrasting the differences. After the
parcels have been exchanged, the students in each class could also
correspond as pen pals, or key pals, to exchange information about the
distinguishing features of each other's country. The students will make
individual or group presentations that can include media works, oral
presentations, written descriptions, illustrations, tables, charts, maps
and graphs.


9. DEMONSTRATE AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF A
COUNTRY IN ANOTHER REGION (E.G., PACIFIC RIM)

- Develop a second CLASS TO CLASS exchange project with a class in a
country that is located in another region, such as Japan.

A 1999 profile of Japan is available from the Asia Pacific Foundation of
Canada: 12 pages, including historical background, government, economy,
international trade profile, relations with Canada, etc. Go to
http://apfnet.org/ <http://apfnet.org/>, then click on Education Services, then go to Pacific
Rim Profiles and request a fax order form by e-mail,
<info@apfc.apfnet.org>. The cost is C$9.50 each + GST + mailing.
Telephone orders: 604-684-5986. Fax orders: 604-681-1370.