Saskatchewan and its Physical Geography – Lesson Description
Lesson Overview
The lesson introduces students to the diversity of Canada and the uniqueness of Saskatchewan
as one of Canada’s provinces. Students will use the online Atlas of Canada to research the
province of Saskatchewan, and answer questions posed in the student worksheet. Through this
activity students will learn more about Saskatchewan and its neighbouring provinces and
territories. At the same time, the students will acquire basic mapping skills while they discover
more about Saskatchewan and navigate around the Atlas of Canada Web site.
Grade Level
Grades 4 and 5
Time Required
60 to 120 minutes depending on the level of computer comfort of the students
Curriculum Connection
Saskatchewan Curriculum – Social Science – Covering the strand for Grade 4 Unit 1: Identity
(Places in Saskatchewan)
Link to National Geography Standards
Essential Element #2 – Places and Regions
· physical and human characteristics of places and regions
Geographic Skill #1 – Asking Geographic Questions
· Where is it located and what is its significance?
Geographic Skill #2 – Acquiring Geographic Information
· locate, gather and process information
· record observations about the physical characteristics of a place
Geographic Skill #3 – Organizing Geographic Information
· prepare and discuss information by presenting it
Atlas of Canada Resources
Go to the Atlas of Canada Web site found at atlas.gc.ca Students will access the following parts
of the Web site during the lesson:
· Explore Our Maps
o Environment
§ Geology
· Major Rock Categories Map
§ Land
· Relief Map
§ Natural Hazards
· Major Hailstorms Map
§ Ecology
· Ecological Framework
o Terrestrial Ecozones Map
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· Explore Our Maps
o Reference Maps
· Canada
· Political Divisions Map
· Canada Outline
· Coastline and Boundaries of Canada Map
Additional Resources, Materials and Equipment
· computer lab with Internet access
· coloured pencil crayons
· rulers in centimetres and millimetres
Main Objectives
The main objective of this lesson is to introduce students to the online Atlas of Canada. With this
resource students will be able to answer questions about Saskatchewan and where it fits into the
mosaic of Canada. The stepbystep instructions allow students to navigate the Atlas of Canada.
Students will learn about and become experts on their province of Saskatchewan by learning to
locate it and becoming knowledgeable about its physical geography.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
· access the Atlas of Canada Web site
· navigate through the Atlas Web site to find a map of the province of Saskatchewan and
maps containing information about the physical geography of the province
· use different features of the Web site, like Zoom to Region and Get Info from Map on
the interactive maps
· obtain information on the province of Saskatchewan and extend that knowledge to other
provinces and territories that make up the country of Canada
· understand the uniqueness of Saskatchewan as a province
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Lesson Outline
Teacher Activity Student Activity
Introduction · draw the cardinal points of · students play the direction
the compass (North, East, game. Using the cardinal
West, South) on the board points drawn on the board,
students have to turn to face
· ask students to stand up the direction given by the
and face the board. Let’s teacher. For example if
assume for this game that students are facing North,
the board faces north. Ask when the teacher says West,
students to indicate which students will make a 90
directions are North, East, degree turn to the left
West and South
Lesson Development · distribute the student · students complete the
worksheet and outline map worksheet as they work
of Canada to the students. through the activities
(Note: the questions and the
use of the Atlas of Canada
become progressively more
difficult and complex as the
students move through the
worksheet.)
· at the teacher’s discretion,
students may work
independently or in pairs
· review the instructions and
help students access the
Web site
· monitor and assist students
as they work through the
activities
Conclusion · collect the worksheets for · complete the worksheet and
correcting hand it in to the teacher
Lesson Extension
· go over the answers with the students
· discuss the different terms the students learned, such as, geology, relief and ecozones
and what they mean
· help students make the connection between latitude and ecozone characteristics
Assessment of Student Learning
At the discretion of the teacher, the worksheet may be graded.
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Saskatchewan and its Physical Geography – Lesson Description
Name: _____________________________
1. Using the Atlas of Canada:
a. Go to the Atlas of Canada Web site atlas.gc.ca
b. Click on English.
c. On the left side of the home page in the Explore Our Maps section find Reference
Maps.
d. Put your mouse on the word Reference Maps and a popout menu will appear.
e. Put your mouse on the word Canada and click.
f. Put your mouse on and click on the link Political Divisions Map.
g. You should now see a small map of Canada. Click on the link that says, View this map
as a JPEG. You should see a colourful map of Canada on your computer screen.
2. Where is Saskatchewan?
a. Using the map of Canada on your computer screen find the province of Saskatchewan.
b. On your blank map of Canada that your teacher has given you, colour the province of
Saskatchewan green.
c. On your map of Canada, write the title Saskatchewan in the top right corner of the
paper. You now have a map of Canada showing where the province of Saskatchewan is
located.
3. Compass Direction and Saskatchewan’s Neighbours
a. Do you remember the four main points of the compass that you reviewed at the
beginning of the lesson? Here is a compass rose to remind you of the four main points
of the compass so that we can find the direction of one place from another. On the
diagram below, write the names North, East, South and West next to the letters
representing these compass directions.
N
W E
S
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b. Use your understanding of the four compass points and the map of Canada on your
computer screen to answer the questions by filling in the table.
Is this neighbour a
Saskatchewan’s Name of the Province, Territory or province or territory
Neighbours: Country of Canada or
another country?
North
East
South
West
4. The Physical Geography of Saskatchewan
You will now use the Atlas of Canada to learn about the physical geography of
Saskatchewan. Physical geography is the study of what nature has made and where it is
located. You will learn about:
· geology (rocks)
· the land (relief)
· natural hazards (for example, hail)
· ecology (the shape of the land, the natural vegetation or plants, the soil type and
climate)
5. Geology
a. In the Explore Our Maps menu, place your cursor over the topic Environment. A pop
out menu will appear. Move your cursor over Geology and click. When the new page
appears, move your cursor over and click on the link Major Rock Categories Map.
b. The Major Rock Categories Map will appear on your computer screen.
c. Next to the magnifying glasses Zoom In and Zoom Out, you will see a pull down menu
called Zoom to Region. Click on the down arrow of this menu and scroll down until you
find Saskatchewan.
d. Click on Saskatchewan.
e. What type of rock covers most of Saskatchewan?
_____________________________________________________________________
(Hint: use the legend to the right of the map to find out what type of rock is represented
by
the bright yellow colouring on the map).
f. What types of rock are found in parts of northern Saskatchewan?
______________________________________________________________________
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6. Relief
a. In the Explore Our Maps menu, place your cursor over the topic Environment. A pop
out menu will appear. Move your cursor over Land and click. When the new page
appears, move your cursor over and click on the link Relief Map.
b. The Relief Map will appear on your computer screen.
c. Next to the magnifying glasses Zoom In and Zoom Out, you will see a pull down menu
called Zoom to Region. Click on the down arrow of this menu and scroll down until you
find Saskatchewan.
d. Click on Saskatchewan.
e. Use the map of Saskatchewan’s relief to check the box to show which statements are
true or false about Saskatchewan’s relief.
Statement True False
Most of Saskatchewan lies between 200 and 1000
metres above sea level.
South western Saskatchewan lies at a height of 3000
metres above sea level.
Saskatchewan consists mostly of plains.
f. For the statement(s) that are false, rewrite them so that they are true.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
7. Natural Hazards
a. In the Explore Our Maps menu, place your mouse over the topic Environment. A pop
out menu will appear. Move your mouse over Natural Hazards and click. When the
new page appears, move your mouse over and click on the link Major Hailstorms Map.
b. You should see a map showing major hailstorms on your computer screen.
c. Above the map, click the Zoom In tool and then click once on the province of
Saskatchewan on the map.
d. You are now going to learn about the major hailstorms that have happened in
Saskatchewan.
e. Click on the Get Info from Map button which you will find to the left of the magnifying
glasses. Now click on the red dot that represents a major hailstorm south east of
Regina. Answer the following questions:
i. When did the hailstorm occur? __________________________
ii. How much damage did the hailstorm cause? ______________________________
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iii. What is the name of the place where this hailstorm occurred?
_________________
f. Now click on the link Cedoux–1973 to the right of the word STORY. This window will tell
you more about the hailstorm event that happened at Cedoux in 1973. The largest
documented hailstone in Canada was produced by this storm.
g. What was the weight of the hailstone? ________________ grams
h. What was the diameter of the hailstone? _________________ millimetres. (Look at the
measurements on your ruler; this will show you how wide the hailstone was.) Close the
window by clicking on the X in the top right hand corner.
i. Now click on the Zoom In tool (the magnifying glass with the + sign). Click on Saskatoon
and you will see that the map has zoomed in on the city of Saskatoon. Click on the Get
Info from Map button and click on the red dot at Saskatoon. Now click on the link
Prairie Provinces – 1995 to the right of the word STORY. Hailstorms cause a lot of
damage on the Prairies. Read the Story and write down the answers in the table below.
Amount Paid Damage Caused To
$200 million
$50 million
8. Ecozones
An ecozone is an area that consists of biotic (living) and nonbiotic (nonliving) factors that
make it unique. In this section, you will study the ecozones of Saskatchewan and record the
information in the organizer below.
a. In the Explore Our Maps menu, place your cursor over the topic Environment. A pop
out menu will appear. Move your cursor over Ecology and click. When the new page
appears, look for the section called Ecological Framework and click on the link
Terrestrial Ecozones Map.
b. You should see a Terrestrial Ecozones Map of Canada on your computer screen.
c. Above the map, click the Zoom In tool and then click once on the province of
Saskatchewan on the map.
d. You should now see the province of Saskatchewan.
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e. Saskatchewan contains four ecozones. Click on the Get Info from Map button. Click
on each ecozone in turn. For each ecozone, record the information shown in the table.
Ecozone Name Vegetation Type Climate
Taiga Shield
Boreal Shield
Boreal Plains
Prairies
f. Which ecozone would you most like to live in and why?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
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