Information for the Teacher

This Webquest was created for students who are in division 2 or division 3. The topic directly relates to the Grade 5 Alberta Social Studies Curriculum, but can be integrated in Language Arts as well.

Curriculum:
General Outcome: History and Stories of Ways of Life in Canada

Specific Outcome: 5.2.7:
Examine critically how the Northwest Mounted Police shaped ways of life in Canada by exploring and reflecting upon the following questions and issues:

• What do stories of the Northwest Mounted Police tell us about the settlement and development of western and northern Canada?
• How have stories of the Northwest Mounted Police shaped identity in western and northern Canada?

Students will investigate the history of the Northwest Mounted Police during the time period between 1873 and 1904. They are expected to research and respond to the research by writing letters from the point of view of a member of the NWMP. The two areas covered in the letters are; the 'March West' and the Yukon gold rush.

Additional Resources:

For more information regarding authorized resources or curriculum outcomes, please consult the Alberta Education Program of Studies:

·         http://education.alberta.ca/teachers/program/socialstudies/programs.aspx

WELCOME TO THE NORTHWEST MOUNTED POLICE WEBQUEST

In order to complete all activities, you will need to click on the links (on the right hand side). 

Please follow this order to complete this Webquest:

1. Introduction
2. Task
3. First Letter to Mother
4. Second Letter to Mother
5. Rubric
6. Would you like to learn more?

HAVE FUN!

 

Would you like to learn more?

Now that you have completed one or more letters, you can choose to learn even more about the Northwest Mounted Police. For this activity, choose one more area to research and be willing to discuss with a partner in the class.

Choose either number 1 or number 2:

1. When did the Northwest Mounted Police become the Royal Canadian Mounted Police?

      http://youtu.be/oAriOdmczlA


2. A massacre happened at Cypress Hills. Why did the Americans attach the First Nations people and what was the response of the Canadian government?


http://www.mysteriesofcanada.com/Saskatchewan/cypress_hills_massacre.htm

Rubric

Please refer to the rubric below to assist you in completing your letter writing assignment.

If you require any assistance understanding the rubric, or would like to view any exemplars, please see your teacher.

Second Letter to Mother

This letter is being written several years after the first letter. You have now been a Northwest Mountie for twenty years. You have helped build Fort Walsh, Fort Macleod and Fort Saskatchewan. The railroad has now been built all across Canada. Thousands of people have moved to the west. Treaties have been signed with the aboriginal peoples to provide them with designated land and safety. Everyone is talking about the possibility of the territory being split into separate provinces. It is a very good time to be in the Northwest Mounted Police. Your mother still misses you, but enjoys your wonderful letters you write for her each week.

Out of the blue, gold has been discovered in the far north. The discovery is along the border with Canada and the United States. Americans are crossing the border to seek their fortune in the Yukon area of the territories. Thousands of people from all over the world are travelling to the Yukon to find some gold and strike it rich. The Gold Rush has begun!

Second Letter

The friendly to your mother will include the quality indicators including:

• date
• greeting
• body of letter (paragraphs)
• ending
• signature

Explain to your mother:

1. Why you must leave the settlement in the south to travel to the Yukon.
2. The characteristics of the Mounties being chosen to set up the new fort in the Yukon.
3. The challenges of living in the Yukon during the Gold Rush.

Click on the links below and watch the videos to learn a little bit more about the Gold Rush:

·         http://www.histori.ca/minutes/minute.do?id=10187

·         http://youtu.be/oAriOdmczlA

First Letter to Mother

For the first letter, write from the perspective of a young man who has just become a Northwest Mounted Policeman. You should describe how a young man would view everything around him, from the weather to the food, to the challenges and successes.

Your friendly letter should include the quality indicators including:

• date
• greeting
• body (in paragraphs)
• ending
• signature

Explain to your mother:

1. The reasons the Northwest Mounted Police as travelling to Fort Whoop-Up.
2. The 'March West' including facts about: the number of men, the distance travelled, the mistakes made on the journey and the hardships encountered.

To learn a little more about the Northwest Mounted Police, please click on these links:

http://www.tc.gov.yk.ca/archives/klondike/en/journey.html

http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/hist/ori-deb/index-eng.htm

Task

You have signed up to be in the Northwest Mounted Police for five years. You are about to begin a very difficult journey to the Northwest territories. Your mother is afraid for your safety and you have promised to write letters to explain your experiences in the NMWP.

You have several choices to make as you proceed through this webquest. You can choose to write one letter or two letters following the instructions provided. You also can choose to work alone or with a partner. Your letters can be completed on the computer or be hand written. Remember to add a few illustrations for your mother, to help her understand your journey.

Introduction

Webquest Objectives

Students will investigate the history of the Northwest Mounted Police during the time period between 1873 and 1904. They will write letters from the point of view of new members of the NWMP embarking on their march west and to the Yukon during the gold rush.

Welcome to an exciting adventure! You are about to begin a WebQuest!

You are a young man living in 1874 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. You have always enjoyed adventure and riding horses. On the way home from church one Sunday, you happen to see a sign about the Northwest Mounted Police. They are recruiting members! Free food, riding horses and carrying a gun- this sounds like a lot of fun for a young man.

After you sign up to be a member of the Northwest Mounted Police, you go home to tell your mother. Of course she is worried. She has heard that the NWMP are about to leave Winnipeg on a long journey. Your mother is concerned about your safety. You have never been outside of Winnipeg. You promise your mother that you will be safe in the police force and will write letters to her explaining all that you see and encounter.