British North America · 1867-1885

Canada: Confederation and the Métis

In 1867 four colonies unite as the Dominion of Canada and set out to stretch from sea to sea. Students follow the railway west, meet Louis Riel and the Métis, and ask who was included in the new country.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
50 minutes
Ages
12–15
On the map
3 steps, AD 1800 to AD 1885
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

In 1867 four colonies unite as the Dominion of Canada and set out to stretch from sea to sea. Students follow the railway west, meet Louis Riel and the Métis, and ask who was included in the new country.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Describe how Canada was formed in 1867 and reached the Pacific by 1871.
  • Explain why the Métis resisted under Louis Riel in 1869-1870 and 1885.
  • Discuss how the railway and settlement affected First Nations on the prairies.
2

Explore the map

15 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

AD 1800

Rupert's Land

Open the map in 1800 and find Rupert's Land, the huge fur-trade territory of the Hudson's Bay Company. Then drag the slider to 1880. Which country now covers it?

Open this view on the map
b

AD 1880

From sea to sea

Open the map in 1880 and follow Canada's southern border from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Why did Canada want a railway running all the way along it?

Open this view on the map
c

AD 1885

The prairies

Type "Where is Batoche?" in Ask the atlas. Zoom in on the prairies around the Saskatchewan River. Why did people living here fear the settlers coming by railway?

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

15 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. Why did four British colonies decide to unite in 1867? Think about the United States after its Civil War.
  2. Canada bought Rupert's Land in 1869-1870 without asking the people who lived there. Why did that lead to resistance?
  3. The Métis had their own language, culture and way of farming. What did they want to protect?
  4. First Nations signed treaties with the Crown in the 1870s. What do you think each side expected from them?
  5. Was Louis Riel a rebel or a founder of Canada? Can he be both?
4

Game round

10 min

No Rule History ruler comes from Canada. Play Abraham Lincoln: the US Civil War made many people in British North America fear their powerful neighbour. Discuss: how did events in the United States push the colonies to unite in 1867?

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

€19 per month unlocks every worksheet, every live lesson and the class workspace. The free lesson prints without a subscription.