Hi! My name is Alec. I live in Fort Chipewyan. People who visitour area are impressed by the landscape and wildlife. It’s a land ofrocks, lakes, and spruce trees. The challenge of getting to andaround remote areas is one reason why many Albertans have notseen this wonderful part of the province.

In summer, some people travel by boat on the rivers to andfrom surrounding communities. In winter, people might use asnowmobile or drive a truck on the snow-packed roads.

My father flies the plane that brings people from Fort McMurray.People in the Canadian Shield depend on the delivery of goods byair all year long. I want to be a pilot just like my Dad when I growup. I already build my own planes—model airplanes, that is!

7 The Canadian ShieldRegion

What makes the Canadian Shield region a unique partof Alberta?

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Chapter

Fort Chipewyan is oneof Alberta’s fly-incommunities.

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What I Want to Know…What I Want to Know…

…About the Canadian Shield Region

The Canadian Shieldregion covers a largearea of Canada. InAlberta, it covers the farnortheast corner of theprovince. Connectionsto communities in otherregions, such as theBoreal Forest region, are very important.

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What shaped the landand bodies of waterin the CanadianShield region?

How are communitiesin the CanadianShield connected toother communities in Alberta?

What are somefeatures of theenvironment that areimportant to peoplein this region?

What do you valueabout the CanadianShield region?

What is life like inFort Chipewyan?

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Landforms

The Canadian Shield is an area of low rocky hills, forests, lakes,and low swampy areas. Glaciers shaped this rocky landscape.

Fort Chipewyan is located along the shore of Lake Athabascaand on red granite bluffs. These are high banks overlooking LakeAthabasca.

North of Lake Athabasca is an area of low, rolling hills and rocksthat were scraped, pushed, plucked, and polished by moving glaciers.

What shaped the land and bodies of water in theCanadian Shield region?

The glaciers also leftlong sandy beaches onthe shores of lakes inthe region.

These rounded rockswere polished to ashine by glacial ice.

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Bodies of WaterLow marshy areas, muskeg, and lakes are found throughout the

region. Lake Athabasca is shared by northern Saskatchewan and theCanadian Shield region of Alberta. It is fed by the Athabasca River,which starts at the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park.

There are many rockyislands on LakeAthabasca.

This is a muskeg areatypical of those in theCanadian Shieldregion.

PausePause

1. Are there signs of glacier activity where you live? What evidence do you see?

2. Why is it difficult to build roads in this region?

3. How could people get to the lakes to go fishing?

Rock and gravel hills, sand dunes, wet boggy areas, and lakescan make it a challenge to travel around the region. That’s why we rely on air travel so much.

NAMES IN ALBERTA

The name “Athabasca”is from the Cree wordAthapison (at tip askcow). It means,“where there are reedsor grass.”

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Climate

The Canadian Shield region has short, dry summers with warmtemperatures. Occasionally, though, summer temperatures in theregion can reach 30 degrees Celsius. Most of the rain falls betweenJuly and October.

Overall, the region is one of the coldest parts of the provincebecause of its northerly latitude, or distance from the equator. It isfurther from the equator than most other Alberta places. Wintersare long. Some days, the temperature can drop to –40 degreesCelsius. Most winter days are closer to –20 degrees Celsius.

PausePause

1. Use an atlas to findthe latitude of FortChipewyan.Compare thelatitude of yourcommunity orEdmonton to thelatitude of FortChipewyan. Whichcommunity has acolder climate?Why?

What are some features of the environment that areimportant to people in this region?

The Canadian Shield region is so far north that during part of thesummer the sun doesn’t set until 11:30 pm, and it comes up at 3:30in the morning. In the winter, we have only a few hours of daylight.The northern latitude also means this is a great location for fantasticviews of the northern lights, or aurora borealis.

It is a Dene Sù¬iné belief that the northern lights are the linkbetween the human world and the spirit world. It is said they areour ancestors dancing in the sky and watching over us. Thenorthern lights are of great importance to us.

During winter, we usually get about 160 centimetres of snow.That’s about the height of my aunt! All that snow is great forsnowmobiling, ice fishing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and of course, dogsledding, which is my newest activity.

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The Bear Stole the SunThe tale “The Bear Stole the Sun” is told in many ways and

by various First Nations in Canada’s north. This is one part of thestory. It tells of the animals’ struggles over control of the sun andits heat.

PausePause

1. How did the actionsof the animals inthe story affect theenvironment?

2. Do you think we affect theenvironment insimilar ways to the animals? For example, doyou think we arebeing selfish withthe environmentlike Bear or carelesslike Mouse? Howcan we care for ourenvironment?

Bear and Squirrel argued over the length of daylight andnighttime. Bear wanted darkness and long cold winters to allowhim time to reach a deep sleep. Squirrel insisted the animals neededmore light and long summer nights. The other animals agreed.

Bear was unhappywith their decisionand told them hewould gain controlof the weather. Bearwent to live alone.

Soon after, thedarkness of nightcame very early. Thesnow became deeperand deeper. Plantsand bushes were covered and only the top of the tallest pinetrees were visible on the Earth. The Earth froze over like a hugeglacier. All the animals were hungry and very cold. The animalsfigured out what had happened. Bear had stolen the sun!

The animals had to find Bear and get the sun, and thenreturn it to its proper place in the sky. The animals found thesun in a bag in Bear’s den, on an island. Bear had been using thesun to heat the den.

Caribou hooked the bag in his antlers. All the animals beganto swim away from the island. SPLASH! Beaver’s tail warned theanimals that Bear was coming back. Bear jumped in a canoe andpaddled after Caribou. Suddenly, a loud CRACK was heard.Bear’s paddle broke and he fell into the water. Earlier, Mouse hadchewed through the paddle!

On the way home, Mouse cut a small piece of the bag to repairhis worn-out moccasins. Warmth began pouring out of the bag!The snow began to melt. The bird, Ptarmigan, quickly knittedrepairs to the bag. It was too late, and the Earth flooded. Even themountains were covered. The animals believed it was the end ofthe world, but “Old Man” had built a boat and saved the animals.

—told by Lorraine Hoffman-Mercredi and Phillip R. Coutu,

Inkonze: The Stones of Traditional Knowledge

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VegetationVegetation in different areas of the region varies depending on

the amount of soil and moisture. Along the rocky shoreline of LakeAthabasca, there are forests of spruce trees and jack pine ridges.

Black spruce and tamarack trees grow in the wet, marshy areas.Birches and aspen can be found throughout the forests. Along theriverbanks, there are often mixed forests of aspen, balsam, poplar,and white spruce.

Bushes can grow where it is wet or where there is less soil.Labrador tea, wild blueberry, saskatoon, bearberry, bog cranberry,wild raspberry, and juniper are common. Cattails are found alonglakes or marshes. Marsh grasses and reeds are found in marshes oralong rivers.

PausePause

1. Do you think itwould be easy toharvest the trees inthis area for use aswood products?Give reasons foryour answer.

2. Compare thevegetation of theCanadian Shieldwith the vegetationin another Albertaregion.

3. Predict whichanimals wouldthrive in thedifferent areas inthe region. Checkyour predictionsafter you readpage 127.

Reindeer lichen often grows in theforest areas. It is a favourite food of caribou.

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Animal LifeThe forests in the Canadian Shield provide habitats for a variety

of animals, including birds, lynx, black bears, foxes, moose, wolves,and snowshoe hares. The graph following shows there are 45 different types of mammals in the Canadian Shield region.

Golden eagles and osprey nest near the lakes. Bald eagles neston the granite cliffs along Lake Athabasca. Loons, ducks, gulls,moose, beaver, muskrat, and mink are found in the wet boggy areasand near lakes.

Arctic animals, such as the arctic fox, barren ground caribou,and ptarmigan, sometimes migrate south to this region.

= 10 types

= 10 types

= 10 types

= 10 types

Mammals:

Types of Living Things in the Canadian Shield Region

Fish:

Birds:

Amphibians:

Key:

Visitors come from across North America to fish for northernpike, walleye, and lake trout. The record for a lake trout caught in Lake Athabasca is 46.4 kilograms!

Someone who hooks a northern pike, like the one in this photo,had better be ready for a struggle. These fish can grow to 22 kilograms and nearly one metre in length. This is like two 10-kilogram sacks of potatoes laid end-to-end! Pike hide in the reedsat the edges of lakes and rivers and will attack almost anything. They eat mice, frogs, muskrats, ducklings, and fish—even other pike!

PausePause

1. How might theanimals beimportant to thepeople in theregion?

2. Many wet, boggyareas have beendrying up over thelast 100 years. Howmight this affectthe wildlife?

conclusionsDraw

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Fort Chipewyan

The first people in the northern regions of Alberta were theDunne-za, Dené Tha’ (de nay thaa), and Dene Sù¬iné. FortChipewyan was started by Roderick Mackenzie in 1788 on thesouthwestern end of Lake Athabasca. It was moved to its present-day location on the northwestern end of the lake around 1800.

Fort Chipewyan was a base for northern and westernexploration. It also became one of the most important fur tradingforts in western Canada. It had an ideal location. Canoes carryingfurs or trade goods could travel on the surrounding rivers.

In 1848, Father Alexandre-Antonin Taché (ta shay) chose the sitefor a new Roman Catholic mission. Bishop Émile Grouard (groo ar),sisters of the Grey Nuns, and other Francophone missionaries set upa school and orphanage and planted grain and gardens.

Fort Chipewyan is Alberta’s oldest permanent settlement and hasbeen named a national historic site by the government of Canada.

People and PlacesPeople and Places

What is life like in Fort Chipewyan?

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The original design ofthe Athabasca DeltaCommunity Schoolreflected the area’s furtrade history.

NAMES IN ALBERTA

The word “Chipewyan”is Cree. It means“pointed skins.” Thisdescribes the traditionalhide garments worn bythe Dene Sù¬inépeople, which came toa point in the back.Cree trappers preparedthe hides for trade.

The area around FortChipewyan was alsocalled Yahti Kuen (yahtee kua) by the DenéTha’. This word means“priest house.” TheDene Sù¬iné word forFort Chipewyan is K’áiTéli (guy tail eh),which means “land ofthe willows.”

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The PeopleThere are currently just over 1000 people living in Fort

Chipewyan. The population includes members of the Mikisew Cree First Nation, Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, and FortChipewyan Métis Local, as well as people of other origins. Thereare also a few hundred people living outside Fort Chipewyan. They live in remote locations around the rest of the region.

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Population of Fort Chipewyan

FirstNations:

Métis:

Other:

Key:= 50 people

I am a member of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation. Myfamily is Dene Sù¬iné. We speak Dene Sù¬iné at home. Members ofthe Mikisew Cree First Nation speak Cree. We study Cree, DeneSù¬iné, and English at school. Some Métis people in our communityspeak Michif (mi chif). Michif is a language developed by the Métispeople. It combines parts of the French and Cree languages.

English Cree Dene Sù¬iné Michif

Hello tân’si edláneté tánishi(tan si) (ed la net ay) (tah nish shee)

How are tân’si kiya? tanishi kiya?you? (tan si (tah nis shee

kee ya) kee ya)

FACTSFACTSThe local Dene Sù¬inépeople belong to theAthabasca ChipewyanFirst Nation, and somerefer to themselves asChipewyan.

FastFast

Most of the people inFort Chipewyan areFirst Nations or Métis.

continued

This chart shows greetings that might be used by people inthis region.

Chapter 07 5/5/06 3:27 PM Page 129

Jane Ash PoitrasJane Ash Poitras (pwaa

traa) was born near FortChipewyan in 1951.When Ms. Poitras wasfive, her mother died. She was raised by aGerman Canadian womanin Edmonton. Art became a way for Ms. Poitras toreconnect with her Creeand Chipewyan heritage.

Ms. Poitras uses acollage technique andsymbols to tell storiesabout First Nationspeople. Many of her worksshow the spiritual beliefsof Aboriginal peoples.

Ms. Poitras’s artwork has been shown at galleries in Canada andaround the world. She was honoured with the AboriginalAchievement Award for Arts and Culture in 2006.

Fort Chipewyan BicentennialMuseum

The Bicentennial Museum is a great place to learn about thehistory of the area. There are items about the fur trade, fur traders,trappers, and early European explorers. The museum was built tolook like the general store in the original Hudson’s Bay fort.

People and PlacesPeople and Places

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PausePause

1. If you were creatinga collage torepresent yourculture orcommunity, whatsymbols would youinclude?

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The Winter CarnivalDuring the winter, the residents of Fort Chipewyan hold a

winter carnival. There are many contests: nail pounding, moosecalling, log sawing and chopping, dogsled racing, and bannockbaking. Bannock is a type of bread made from flour, bakingpowder, and lard. It is cooked on a griddle or baked in an oven.There is also traditional Cree and Dene Sù¬iné dancing and singing.

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PausePause

1. What do the Winter Carnivalactivities tell youabout the naturalenvironment of thecommunity? Whatdoes it tell youabout the peoplewho live there?

2. How are specialevents, such as awinter carnival,important toquality of life in a community?

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MushingMushing means using dog teams and toboggan sleds for travel

through snowy areas. Mushing was once the common form oftransportation for people in the north.

In the 1960s, snowmobiles started to replace the dog teams. People used the toboggan carryall by attaching it to the back of thesnowmobile. Today, some people keep dogsled teams for recreation.

My aunt is a nurse at the nursing station. In her spare time, sheraises sled dogs and runs her team in dogsled races. She’s beenteaching me. Not long ago, I made my first solo run!

First, I untied the dogs from their posts and hooked up the leadand swing dogs to the harness. My aunt reminded me to harnessthem in the correct order or there would be a dogfight. Each doghas their own special place on the team. Blackie is the lead dog.

I gave the command, “Line out!” to get the dogs straightenedin the harness. Once I had checked the dogs’ snow booties, I positioned myself at the back of the sled. I checked that myheadlight was operating properly, and I gave the command,“Hike!” There was a surge of power as we headed onto the trail.

It was perfect dogsledding weather. We’d had flurries and coldtemperatures. The trails were hard-packed snow with an icy crust.The sled slid quickly over the trail.

I loved my first solo run. My next goal is to compete in ourWinter Carnival dogsled race.

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Natural ResourcesThe forests, lakes, and wildlife of the Canadian Shield have

always been the region’s most important natural resources. Many residents of the region still follow a traditional lifestyle.

They hunt for food or run a family trapline. Some residents fishcommercially for walleye on Lake Athabasca. More than 80 000kilograms of walleye are caught on Lake Athabasca during the six-week fishing season. The fish are flown to Edmonton and then toplaces across North America.

Each year, there are more jobs in the tourism industry. Someresidents work as guides for tour groups. Others have jobs inrestaurants and lodges.

FACTSFACTSPeople in the regionalso work for thegovernment in health,education, socialservices, and at WoodBuffalo National Park orthe post office.Sometimes, residentsget jobs in the summerfighting forest fires.

FastFast

More and more visitors are travelling to the region to stay atwilderness lodges. They come to fish, hunt, or go bird watching.

Whitefish, shown here, is one type of fish caught in the region.

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Northern Alberta

Northern communities sometimes share services and facilities tomeet the needs of the scattered, remote population. People travelbetween communities to work and use the services. Residents ofFort Chipewyan and surrounding areas have this kind of aconnection with Fort McMurray.

Fort Chipewyan has a First Aid and Medical Nursing Station.The medi-vac service flies patients by air ambulance to FortMcMurray for hospital care. Twice a month, a dentist flies to townfrom Fort McMurray.

The Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation owns an environmentalclean-up company. Fort Chipewyan residents who are employed bythe company work in the oil sands near Fort McMurray. FortChipewyan workers fly to these jobs.

Community ConnectionsCommunity Connections

How are communities in the Canadian Shieldconnected to other communities in Alberta?

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PausePause

1. Look on a map ofAlberta to find thethree closestcommunities toFort Chipewyan.Use the scalemeasure. How farapart are thecommunities?

2. What other kinds of communityconnections mightFort Chipewyanhave with FortMcMurray andother communities?

Many residents of Fort Chipewyan work in the oil sandsindustries near Fort McMurray.

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The Peace-Athabasca DeltaA delta forms at the mouth of a river or stream. As the water

slows, it is no longer able to carry sand and soil. The sand and soilsettles out over a broad, triangular-shaped area.

Just west of Fort Chipewyan, sand and soil from the Athabasca,Peace, and Birch Rivers have settled out and collected over manyyears. The waters spread out to form marshes, lakes, and mud flats. This is now one of the largest freshwater deltas in the world.

About 80 per cent of the delta is in Wood Buffalo National Park.Although this is mostly in the Boreal Forest region, it is veryimportant to the people of the Canadian Shield region.

Dropping Water LevelsThe annual flooding of the Peace River used to provide enough

water for the delta to stay wet all year. The Bennett Dam was builtin British Columbia in the 1960s. Since then, the water levels inthe delta have changed because the dam holds back the springflood waters.

Changes in climate, with less snow in winter and driersummers, have also affected the delta. Many of the once wet,marshy areas and small lakes are becoming dry land.

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PausePause

1. What concerns doyou think residentsof Fort Chipewyanhave about thedelta? What couldthey do about theirconcerns? Howmight communitiescooperate toaddress theirconcerns?

Residents of Fort Chipewyan are concernedabout the changing water levels in the delta.We use the delta for fishing, hunting, andrecreation. Tourists come to the delta to watchthe millions of birds that go there to feed ornest. What will happen if water levels in thedelta continue to go down?

The delta is a habitatfor wildlife, especiallymigrating waterfowl,such as ducks, geese,and swans.

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Transportation

Air MikisewAir Mikisew is owned and operated by the Mikisew Cree First

Nation. Air Mikisew flies passengers to Fort Chipewyan from FortMcMurray and Edmonton. It also flies oil sands employees betweenFort McMurray and Fort Chipewyan. Tourists travel on Air Mikisewto remote lakes between Fort Chipewyan and Fort Smith.

We use all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and trucks for local travel. In winter, when the ground, lakes, and rivers are frozen, we usesnowmobiles. For more distant travel, we depend on airplanes.Aircraft carry everything: food, mail, drums of oil, passengers, and more.

Planes take people and supplies to the remote fishing andhunting camps and trapping cabins. Small charter aircraft also carry tourists to wilderness camps and resorts. My father has even transported canoes strapped under his plane.

Helicopters are used year-round to transport research, survey,and firefighting crews.

Air Mikisew operates a medi-vac plane foremergency transfers to hospitals in FortMcMurray orEdmonton.

Aircraft are equippedwith floats in thesummer for landing onlakes and rivers. In thewinter, pilots use skisand wheels to land onfrozen lakes and rivers.

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Winter Roads

In the winter, we use a snow-packed ice road heading southfrom Fort Chipewyan. This road goes to the highway we take toFort McMurray. The 280 kilometre trip to Fort McMurray takes atleast four hours in the winter.

Winter roads in the north are made by packing snow and thenicing the snow with water to form a hard surface. Once rivercrossings freeze in the winter, they are flooded with water andallowed to freeze. This is repeated until the ice bridges are thickenough for vehicles to travel across.

Snow-packed ice roads can bedifficult to drive on. The surface isvery icy and slippery. Sometimes,the weight of the trucks causesthe road surface to becomebumpy. People must plan aheadto travel safely.

Fort Chipewyan Winter Road UpdateMarch 21

Due to heavy overflow at the Athabasca River, the FortChipewyan—Fort McMurray winter road will be closedat 2 pm this afternoon until further notice.

Meanwhile, pleasedrive with extracaution, especially at the Athabasca Ice Bridge.

http://www.nelson.com/albertasocialstudiesR

CAUTION:• Travel with a second

vehicle and in a 4x4whenever possible.

• Carry a tow-strap, shovel,and an emergency kit.

• Make sure to fill your fueltank before leaving.

• Carry warm clothing andfootwear for allpassengers in case ofbreakdown.

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Many Points of View

My class discussed the advantages and disadvantages of building a permanent, all-season road to join Fort Chipewyan and FortMcMurray. Some students think it is a great idea. Others disagree. We asked our family and community members to find out their pointsof view. The photo on page 138 and 139 show us discussing the all-season road. Here are some of the community members comments.

“People in ourregion coulddrive to FortMcMurray tosee a doctor ordentistwhenever theyneed to. Wecould also shopwhere productsare lessexpensive.”

“Trees will be cut and road-buildingmachinery will damage the wilderness.New traffic might disturb the habitat ofsome wildlife. The number of animalskilled by vehicles would increase.”

Inquiry

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“A new road would bringmore business to ourcommunity. Tourists andvisitors would be able to reachour community and remoteareas more easily. MoreAlbertans could see and enjoyour region.”

“There could be an increase inpeople coming to hunt andfish. Some areas might beoverhunted or overfished.Many members of ourcommunity have traplines andhunt or fish for food. This roadmight disrupt our way of life.”

“There are jobs in the industries near Fort MacKay and Fort McMurray.With a road, we could drive to ourjobs. We could also develop industriescloser to Fort Chipewyan.”

“Why must we build somethingeverywhere? How would we explainthis to our children and grandchildren?We used to be proud that we leftthings as we found them.”

PausePause

1. Is more information needed to decide about the road?What questions do you have? Where might you find theanswers? As a class, discuss and find answers.

2. Use a chart like the one here to summarize the ideas ofthe community members. Add any other ideas you have.Draw a conclusion by answering this question: Would thenew road improve the quality of life for people in Alberta? Why?

3. Have a panel discussion with your class so everyone canshare their point of view. Did your conclusion change as aresult of the discussion?

4. There are many points of view about the permanent road. What behaviourand actions will be important to reaching a solution everyone can live with?

Advantages Disadvantages

My Conclusion: Building a roadto Fort Chipewyan would...

SAMPLE

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What Have We Learned?The Canadian Shield region in Alberta is an area of low rocky

hills, lakes, and forests. It is home to a variety of wildlife.We also looked at some history of the region.Fewer people live in this region than in others. There are few

roads in the region, and transportation, such as snowmobiles andairplanes, is vital.

The inquiry on pages 138 and 139 centred on the question ofwhether a permanent road should be built. We learned of severalpoints of view to help us draw our own conclusions about thisquestion.

Inquiring1. Do you think food and everyday supplies would be the same

price in Edmonton or Calgary as they are in Fort Chipewyan?Using what you have learned, discuss these questions as aclass:• How would the food and supplies be transported?• How does distance make a difference?• What effect do changes in weather have?• How long would it take to transport items? • How could foods that might spoil be transported?• How often could food deliveries be made?• Would people have the same choices as in some other

communities?What other questions do you have? Where could you find

answers to your questions?

Developing Your Thinking2. What is it like to live in the Canadian Shield region? Think

about how the land and climate affect the daily lives of thepeople who live in this region. Choose a graphic organizer tohelp you list the benefits and the challenges of living in thisregion.

Compare your list with a classmate. What new ideas didyou discover from your classmate? Why is it sometimes usefulto work both on your own and with a partner?

questionsAsk

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Appreciating Our Alberta 3. Look back at the questions on the strips of paper found

throughout the chapter. Think about how much you havelearned!

Now, it is time to share what you appreciate about ourAlberta. Write or draw your ideas to answer these twoquestions:

Reflecting4. As we have toured the province with our student guides, we

have learned many new things. Each region has interestingfacts and details that are unique to that region. We have alsobeen learning about the “big ideas” that help us connect thephysical geography to our ways of life.

What are some of the big ideas you have learned as youhave toured Alberta? What are some of the important thingsyou want to remember? Why is it important to think about thebig ideas? How do the big ideas help you make sense of whatyou are learning?

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What makes the Canadian Shield region a unique partof Alberta?

What do you value about the Canadian Shield region?

The Alberta ProjectThe Alberta Project

Work with a group to create a television advertisement to encouragetourists to visit this region. Create a model of one important part of theregion. Write a 30-second script that tells about quality of life in theCanadian Shield region and why tourists should visit. Use your modelsto create a multimedia presentation that could appear on the localtelevision station.

with othersShare

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Celebrating AlbertaAlberta celebrates its land and people in many ways. You have

learned about places such as the Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller,and events such as the Calgary Stampede. Across Alberta, there aremany museums, exhibits, and other displays. These highlight theimportance of Alberta’s land and natural resources. They show themany ways people in Alberta use, protect, and enjoy the land andits many resources.

What other Alberta events and displays do you know about?How do they help us celebrate Alberta’s land and people?

Children competed incostume at a farm andlivestock show inEdmonton.

The annual HoneyFestival in Falhercelebrates thebeekeeping industry in the area. This is abee-beard competitor.

The Canadian PetroleumInterpretive Centre islocated near Devon atthe site where crewsstruck oil in 1947.Visitors to the centre canlearn about the historyof the oil industry. TheCentre has displays andoil field equipment.

The Kerry Wood NatureCentre in Red Deer offersactivities, displays, andinformation about nature in central Alberta.

The Rainbow Spirit Dancersperformed at a NationalAboriginal Day celebrationin Edmonton.

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Your CelebrationRecall the key questions in the introduction in this textbook.

Think about and discuss your ideas to answer these threequestions:

Now, it is time to celebrate Alberta and show your appreciationof the geography, history, and people of Alberta.

Using your ideas from the discussion, work with a small groupor as a class to plan and prepare an Alberta Fair. Plan displays thatwill showcase your ideas about the land and people in Alberta. Youmight want to select some of your favourite Alberta books to show.You could include newspaper clippings related to Alberta’s history,people, geography, and natural resources. You may wish to includeparts of your Alberta Project or other samples of your work fromChapters 1 to 7.

As you plan your display(s), think about• Alberta’s unique geography

• ways people use, protect, and enjoy theland and its natural resources

• people and places in Alberta’s history

How will you explain the importance ofeach part of your display? For example, doyou plan to talk about its parts or will youinclude written explanations? Have fun!

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Does everyone see Alberta the same way?

What does it mean to be an Albertan?

What are some ways we can learn about Alberta?

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