- p.1 Lesson card
- p.2 Answer key and sources
- p.3–4 Split-grade lanes and swap-object cards (5/6 or 6/7 classes only)
- p.5–7 Curator cards: one per team (cut apart)
- p.8 Printed journal page, only for students who need it (everyone else writes in their notebook)
Canada in 10 Objects
PlaySay this (30 sec)"Today you're museum curators. Our museum only has room for five of Canada's ten objects. Your team will investigate one, pitch it, and the class decides which five get in."
Game: Curators’ Cut whole class · teams of 3 · the class builds one museum
- Model it: use the hockey stick (Object 6) to think aloud through the tests: changed many lives? still matters? a story people miss?
- Investigate: Team 1 gets Object 1 … Teams 6–9 get Objects 7–10. Teams fill the pitch planner on their card.
- Pitch (30 sec): what it is, what it changed, why it matters, but never the community’s name. The class guesses with 1–4 fingers, then show the answer slide.
- Museum Tickets: each team has 5 sticky notes, one per object, never its own. Each note: object · test number · one fact from the pitch. No fact = no count.
- Post together: teams decide quietly (2 min), runners post at your signal. A student counts each column. The top 5 are Canada in 5 Objects.
Tickets go under each object. Tallest columns win.
Notes
Observation only. Look for tickets with real facts, and who explains why an object matters.Answers, Stories & Sources
Key| # | Object | Answer | Read this after the answer slide | Src |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Birchbark canoe | B · Anishinaabe & other First Nations | Indigenous peoples perfected the birchbark canoe. Fur traders copied it: the big canot du maître carried about 4 tons of cargo and 12 paddlers, with French-Canadian and Haudenosaunee crews. | 1 |
| 2 | Kayak (qajaq) | C · Inuit | Inuit have used kayaks for over 2,000 years, according to oral tradition. Seal or caribou skin was stretched over a driftwood frame. Qajaq means “hunter’s boat,” and each one was built to fit its hunter. | 2, 2b |
| 3 | Métis sash | A · Métis | The sash combines First Nations finger-weaving with European wool. Voyageurs used it as a back support, rope and towel. Today it says "We are Métis": two cultures coming together to make something new. | 3 |
| 4 | Two Row Wampum | B · Haudenosaunee | Haudenosaunee Knowledge Keepers trace this agreement with the Dutch to 1613. Two rows mean two peoples, a canoe and a ship, travelling side by side without steering each other. | 4, 5 |
| 5 | Railway spike | C · Chinese Canadians | About 15,000 Chinese workers came to B.C. in the early 1880s and helped build the railway. Then Canada charged Chinese newcomers a head tax: $50 in 1885, rising to $500 by 1903. Canada apologized in 2006. | 6 |
| 6 | Hockey stick | B · Mi'kmaq | Early hockey sticks were carved by Mi'kmaw craftspeople from a single piece of ironwood, later yellow birch or ash. Eaton's sold "Micmac" sticks in its 1904 catalogue. | 7 |
| 7 | Acadian flag | A · Acadians | Chosen on August 15, 1884, in Miscouche, P.E.I. It's the French tricolour plus a gold star, the Stella Maris, which stands for Mary. | 8 |
| 8 | Horse & buggy | C · Mennonites | In 1800, Mennonite families from Pennsylvania settled along the Grand River, on land that had belonged to the Six Nations. It became the first large inland settlement in Upper Canada. Old Order Mennonites still use buggies here. | 9, 10 |
| 9 | Provincial Freeman | A · Black Canadians | Mary Ann Shadd started this newspaper in 1853, the first in North America founded and edited by a Black woman. Its motto: "Self-reliance is the true road to independence." It later moved to Toronto and Chatham. | 11 |
| 10 | Roseland Theatre | B · Black Canadians | On November 8, 1946, Viola Desmond refused to leave the whites-only section of the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow, N.S. She was pardoned in 2010. In 2018 she became the first Canadian woman on a regular bank note. | 12, 13 |
Split grades: 5/6 or 6/7
Same game, same day. A Grade 5 or Grade 7 team investigates a swap object instead of a regular one. Each grade gets its own notebook prompt and expectations. Everything is on pages 3–4: the lane plan and the swap-object curator cards.
◆ Handle with care
Objects 5 and 10 involve racism (the head tax, segregation). Keep the answer slide factual and short: "This was unfair, and Canada later said so." We go deeper in Lessons 13 and 18. Avoid "guess the race" framing; the question is always which community's story.
Why this works
Cutting 10 objects down to 5 forces a real judgment, which is the heart of Significance. Tickets need a fact, so students have to listen to each other. “Whose story is missing?” sets up the book: their chapter can add a story the class left out.
Sources ● = Indigenous-authored or Indigenous organization
- Canadian Museum of History, "A Meeting Point: The Canot du Maître in the Canadian History Hall." historymuseum.ca
- The Canadian Encyclopedia, "Kayak." thecanadianencyclopedia.ca · 2b Government of Nunavut (Destination Nunavut), "The History of the Kayak." destinationnunavut.ca
- M. Margaret Froh (President, Métis Nation of Ontario), "The Métis Sash," Ontario Heritage Trust. heritagetrust.on.ca
- Onondaga Nation, "Two Row Wampum Belt – Guswenta." onondaganation.org
- Karine Duhamel (Anishinaabe historian), "The Two Row Wampum," Canadian Museum for Human Rights, 2018. humanrights.ca
- The Canadian Encyclopedia, "Chinese Head Tax (Plain-Language Summary)." thecanadianencyclopedia.ca
- Canada's History, "The Mi'kmaw Hockey Stick." canadashistory.ca
- The Canadian Encyclopedia, "The Acadian Flag." thecanadianencyclopedia.ca
- Ontario Heritage Trust plaque, "The Waterloo Pioneers," via ontarioplaques.com
- Township of Woolwich, "Self-Guided Tour… Through Mennonite Country." woolwich.ca
- The Canadian Encyclopedia, "The Provincial Freeman" and "Mary Ann Shadd." thecanadianencyclopedia.ca
- Parks Canada, "Viola Desmond (1914–1965) National Historic Person." parks.canada.ca
- Bank of Canada, "New $10 Bank Note Featuring Viola Desmond Unveiled," March 8, 2018. bankofcanada.ca
One Lesson, Two Grades
5/6 · 6/7How it worksEveryone plays the same Curators’ Cut. Two teams from the other grade investigate swap objects from their own curriculum (cards on p.4) and pitch them like everyone else. Each grade gets its own notebook prompt. Tickets work the same for every team.
5/6 class
Grade 5 Strand A: Interactions of Indigenous peoples and Europeans before 1713
| Object | What the team investigates | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Swap object: Three Sisters Garden (instead of the flag) | Gr 5 |
| 9 | Swap object: Port-Royal Habitation (instead of the newspaper) | Gr 5 |
| All others | Regular objects 1–5, 8, 10 | Gr 6 |
Grade 5 success criteria
- I can name an object that shows Indigenous peoples and Europeans meeting before 1713.
- I can explain who benefited, and how.
Grade 5 notebook prompt
Pick one object that shows contact between Indigenous peoples and Europeans. Who benefited? How?
Expectations
Gr 5: A1.2 · A3.5 · A3.6 (sash: Métis origins) · A3.3 (Port-Royal) · A3.7 (Three Sisters)
Gr 6: A3.4 · A1.1
Book lane
Grade 5 chapters come from a pre-1713 topic menu (first contact, fur trade, New France, Métis origins).
6/7 class
Grade 7 History: New France and British North America, 1713–1800 · Canada, 1800–1850
| Object | What the team investigates | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Swap object: Haldimand Proclamation (instead of the kayak) | Gr 7 |
| 10 | Swap object: Rideau Canal (instead of the theatre) | Gr 7 |
| All others | Regular objects 1, 3–5, 7–9 | Gr 6 |
Grade 7 success criteria
- I can place an object in 1713–1800 or 1800–1850.
- I can explain how it changed life for one community.
Grade 7 notebook prompt
Pick one object from 1713–1850. What changed for a community because of it? Who gained and who lost?
Expectations
Gr 7: A3.2 (wampum, Haldimand) · A1.3 (displacement: Haldimand, Acadians) · B3.4 (Rideau Canal) · B3.6 (Mennonite settlement, 1800)
Gr 6: A3.4 · A1.1
Book lane
Grade 7 chapters come from a 1713–1850 topic menu. A 6/7 class's book covers a full timeline.
Why these swaps
The flag and newspaper objects are mostly after 1713, so 5/6 classes trade them for two pre-1713 stories. The kayak and theatre objects sit outside Grade 7's 1713–1850 window, so 6/7 classes trade them for two that sit inside it.
Local link (6/7)
The Haldimand object connects straight to Lesson 2: our region sits inside the Haldimand Tract.
Swap Objects
Cards
Three Sisters Garden
Corn, beans and squash planted together in one mound. Each plant helps the others grow.
Who: Haudenosaunee
Evidence [S1 ●]
- Corn is planted first.
- Beans climb the corn and add nutrients the corn needs, and squash leaves shade the soil to keep it moist.
- They are “real sisters” because they help each other.
Pitch planner
Port-Royal Habitation
Built in 1605 in what is now Nova Scotia. In 1606 it hosted the first play ever performed in Canada.
Who: French settlers
Evidence [S2]
- An expedition led by Pierre Dugua de Monts and Samuel de Champlain built it after a disastrous winter at St. Croix.
- Champlain started the Order of Good Cheer there, called “the first social club in North America.”
Pitch planner
Haldimand Proclamation
A 1784 promise: land six miles deep on each side of the Grand River, from the lake to the river’s source.
Who: Six Nations
Evidence [S3 ●, S4]
- On October 25, 1784, Governor Haldimand set aside about 950,000 acres along the Grand River.
- About 48,000 acres remain today, and our region sits inside the original tract.
Pitch planner
Rideau Canal
Built 1826–1832 as a military route between Montréal and Kingston. 202 km long, with dozens of locks.
Who: Irish labourers
Evidence [S5]
- Up to 2,000 men built it.
- Irish labourers suffered great hardship, and many died of malaria.
- It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Pitch planner
Sources for swap objects ● = Indigenous-authored or Indigenous organization
- S1. Onondaga Nation, The Three Sisters (booklet). onondaganation.org
- S2. The Canadian Encyclopedia, “Port-Royal.” thecanadianencyclopedia.ca
- S3. Six Nations of the Grand River, “Haldimand Proclamation.” sixnations.ca
- S4. University of Waterloo, land acknowledgement (Haldimand Tract). uwaterloo.ca
- S5. The Canadian Encyclopedia, “Rideau Canal.” thecanadianencyclopedia.ca
- Photos: U.S. National Park Service, public domain · Dennis G. Jarvis, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Thomas Ridout, 1821, public domain · Robert Linsdell, CC BY 2.0
Curator Cards
Cards
Birchbark Canoe
Made from tree bark. Light enough to carry on your shoulders, strong enough to carry 4 tons of furs.
Made by: Anishinaabe & other First Nations
Evidence [1]
- Indigenous peoples perfected the birchbark canoe.
- Fur traders copied it: the big canot du maître carried about 4 tons of cargo and 12 paddlers, with French-Canadian and Haudenosaunee crews.
Pitch planner
Kayak (qajaq)
A one-person boat covered in seal or caribou skin, used in the Arctic for over 2,000 years.
Made by: Inuit
Evidence [2, 2b]
- Inuit have used kayaks for over 2,000 years, according to oral tradition.
- Seal or caribou skin was stretched over a driftwood frame.
- Qajaq means “hunter’s boat,” and each one was built to fit its hunter.
Pitch planner
Woven Sash
Woven from wool, worn around the waist. Fur traders used it as a rope, a towel and a back brace.
Made by: Métis
Evidence [3]
- The sash combines First Nations finger-weaving with European wool.
- Voyageurs used it as a back support, rope and towel.
- Today it says "We are Métis": two cultures coming together to make something new.
Pitch planner
Two Row Wampum Belt
A belt of purple and white beads. Two purple rows stand for two peoples travelling side by side.
Made by: Haudenosaunee
Evidence [4, 5]
- Haudenosaunee Knowledge Keepers trace this agreement with the Dutch to 1613.
- Two rows mean two peoples, a canoe and a ship, travelling side by side without steering each other.
Pitch planner
Curator Cards
Cards
Railway Spike
Thousands of workers hammered spikes like this through the mountains of British Columbia in the 1880s.
Made by: Chinese Canadians
Evidence [6]
- About 15,000 Chinese workers came to B.C. in the early 1880s and helped build the railway.
- Then Canada charged Chinese newcomers a head tax: $50 in 1885, rising to $500 by 1903.
- Canada apologized in 2006.
Pitch planner
Hockey Stick
Carved from a single piece of ironwood in Nova Scotia. Stores across Canada sold them by the early 1900s.
Made by: Mi'kmaq
Evidence [7]
- Early hockey sticks were carved by Mi'kmaw craftspeople from a single piece of ironwood, later yellow birch or ash.
- Eaton's sold "Micmac" sticks in its 1904 catalogue.
Pitch planner
A Flag
Blue, white and red with a gold star for Mary. Chosen in 1884 in Prince Edward Island.
Made by: Acadians
Evidence [8]
- Chosen on August 15, 1884, in Miscouche, P.E.I.
- It's the French tricolour plus a gold star, the Stella Maris, which stands for Mary.
Pitch planner
Horse & Buggy
In 1800, families arrived from Pennsylvania and settled along the Grand River, right here in our region.
Made by: Mennonites
Evidence [9, 10]
- In 1800, Mennonite families from Pennsylvania settled along the Grand River, on land that had belonged to the Six Nations.
- It became the first large inland settlement in Upper Canada.
- Old Order Mennonites still use buggies here.
Pitch planner
Curator Cards
Cards
A Newspaper
Started in 1853 by a woman who told readers: "Self-reliance is the true road to independence."
Made by: Black Canadians
Evidence [11]
- Mary Ann Shadd started this newspaper in 1853, the first in North America founded and edited by a Black woman.
- Its motto: "Self-reliance is the true road to independence." It later moved to Toronto and Chatham.
Pitch planner
A Movie Theatre
In 1946 a woman refused to leave her seat here. In 2018 her face appeared on Canada's $10 bill.
Made by: Black Canadians
Evidence [12, 13]
- On November 8, 1946, Viola Desmond refused to leave the whites-only section of the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow, N.S.
- She was pardoned in 2010.
- In 2018 she became the first Canadian woman on a regular bank note.
Pitch planner
Our Town’s Object
Teams pick one object from our town or region that tells a community’s story and pitch it with the three curator tests. Save the best ideas for the book.
Pitch planner
Photos: Fungus Guy (CC BY 4.0) · Ville Miettinen (CC BY 2.0) · Wilfredor (CC0) · Nativemedia (CC BY-SA 4.0) · James St. John (CC BY 2.0) · unknown (public domain) · Hayden Soloviev (CC BY 4.0) · Robert Taylor (CC BY 2.0) · Provincial Freeman (public domain) · Dan Conlin (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons
Canada in 10 Objects
Journal2 · I’d keep it in our museum because…
Example: The canoe, because fur traders copied it from First Nations and used it to carry 4 tons of furs. Without it, the fur trade couldn’t have happened.