This session will work through a number of lesson plans and activities that include topics of Canada’s Natural Regions, Alberta’s Natural Regions, Treaties, Indigenous and Metis Territories and Settlements, Alberta’s Natural Resources (Renewable and Non-Renewable). Come away with the knowledge and confidence of how to run the simulator and classroom ready lesson plans and activities in this interactive hands-on session. Bring your own computer if you can!
Fostering Inclusion Through Games explores how play and physical education can serve as a universal language to promote belonging, cultural understanding, and equity in schools. Beginning at the classroom level, the presentation demonstrates how culturally responsive games can reflect students’ identities, empower them to share their cultures, and build inclusive learning environments. It then connects this work to community partnerships and data-informed practices, showing how local insights can inform school-wide approaches and, ultimately, support district-level planning, resources, and teaching and learning structures. Participants are encouraged to consider how small, intentional classroom practices can scale to create systemic, sustainable inclusion across schools and the district.
This session walks teachers through the new K–6 Social Studies curriculum architecture, showing how outcomes, skills, and organizing ideas connect to planning and classroom instruction. Teachers will explore how these elements translate into sequenced learning experiences and examine the curriculum-aligned resources that have been developed to support confident, intentional teaching. Div 1, 2
From coast to coast to coast, people in Canada are observing a decline in the health of our democracy. Examples like increasing use of the Notwithstanding Clause to circumvent Charter rights and avoid the scrutiny of the courts, threats to judicial independence, and enacting legislation that permits governments to bypass other legal protections point to what many call "democratic backsliding" - governments that are less transparent, less accountable and accessible to the people they serve.
This session examines this trend drawing on examples from Québec, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, as well as the potential to fundamentally alter the criminal justice system in Canada at the federal level, and underscores the role of educators in pushing back against authoritarian governance by using the classroom as a space to foster democratic resilience.
Cet atelier interactif propose aux enseignants au secondaire des stratégies efficaces pour appuyer le développement de la langue à travers l’enseignement des études sociales. En analysant des exemples concrets et des activités pratiques propres à cette discipline, les participants exploreront des approches pédagogiques favorisant le développement des compétences linguistiques tout en renforçant la compréhension des concepts, des sources historiques et de la pensée critique en études sociales. L’atelier met l’accent sur la conception universelle de l’apprentissage, l’engagement des élèves et l’adaptation des stratégies selon les niveaux de compétence langagière. Div 2, 3, 4
What if instead of another PowerPoint presentation or five-paragraph essay, your students could respond to the issues they're studying by coding and producing their own original song?
Your Voice is Power (Ta Voix est Puissante) is a free, bilingual (English/French) program that aligns with exactly what Alberta Social Studies teachers are already teaching. Whether your students are exploring Canadian identity and Indigenous history in Grade 7, grappling with the legacy of residential schools in Social 10, examining nationalism and collective identity in Social 20, or debating ideology and social justice in Social 30, this program connects directly to the conversations already happening in your classroom.
Through eight ready-made modules, students explore Indigenous history and the TRC's Calls to Action through the music of acclaimed Indigenous artists like Aysanabee, Dakota Bear, Jayli Wolf, Samian and more. Students then use EarSketch, a free browser-based music editor powered by Python, to remix and create their own original songs as a tool for advocacy and social change. Have no fear - no coding experience is required!
Join this hands-on PD workshop where you'll explore the full program, get comfortable with EarSketch, and walk away with everything you need to run this program confidently in your own classroom. The lessons are already built, the curriculum connections are already there, and your students will thank you for this fresh, creative way to demonstrate their learning. Bring your own computer!
The impact of sport reaches far beyond the scoreboard. When done well, participation in sport has the potential to cultivate leadership skills such as collaboration, resilience, ethical decision-making, and responsibility—competencies also necessary for the development of active, engaged citizens.
In this session, we will explore how leadership lessons can live in sport and classroom practices. Drawing connections to leadership as a recurring concept within Alberta’s social studies curriculum, participants will examine how experiences in sports help students develop the skills and dispositions needed to contribute positively to their communities.
The session will also spotlight the powerful leadership ripple created by female athletes who remain engaged in sport—highlighting how their influence extends beyond competition into mentorship, community leadership, and advocacy.
Participants will leave with practical ideas for making leadership visible in their classrooms, connecting learning to real-world examples from sport, and inspiring students to see themselves as capable leaders both inside and outside of school.
Global crisis’, rights and equity issues are entering, and sometimes disrupting, classrooms with increasing frequency, leaving both students and educators feeling overwhelmed and hopeless. In this session, the Be an Upstander program and other approaches to create environments where they can explore complex topics and equip students with tools to address injustice. Participants will also examine how classroom culture, courage to engage in complex conversations and project-based learning, can be used together to help students find hope and equip them with skills to take action.
This informative session will familiarize participants with Historica Canada’s free, bilingual, and online resources, which are designed to promote critical thinking, inquiry, and bring diverse perspectives into history and social studies classrooms. Sports are a great uniter (and a great divider!), but their importance to the national psyche cannot be underestimated. The cultural commemoration of sport and the pride we take from that as Canadians are important parts of the historical record. From iconic sporting moments to athletic heroes themselves, our programs have captured these proudly Canadian stories. While mainstream sports have not always been an inclusive platform, people of all backgrounds have always played sports. Our multimedia resources, from videos to pedagogical activities to quizzes to research articles, cover not just the biggest victories, but also reflect milestones important to Canada’s diverse communities. Our resources explore all kinds of watershed moments, people, and events in sports history and culture. Historica Canada’s programs encourage students, educators, and the general public to explore, learn, and reflect on Canada’s history, and what it means to be Canadian. Our thematic education guides, which feature interactive lesson plans built around curriculum topics, are supplemented by multimedia resources, including videos (including the Heritage Minutes), podcasts, quizzes, and archival photographs that aim to promote historical thinking and inquiry among students. This session will equip teachers to use Historica Canada’s free resources and help them recognize the value of incorporating multimedia resources into their classroom. Historica Canada’s most recent and popular projects will be featured as case studies during the session and will include resources that highlight perspectives of diverse Canadians.
Session participants will recognize the importance of sport in a historical context, both as a unifier and a divider. They will explore how sport is reflected in our resources, and how incorporating multimedia resources in the classroom can expose students to a greater diversity of historical narratives and allow them to engage more deeply with the past. Session participants will explore multimedia content that appeals to different learning styles, allowing students to develop their critical thinking skills by engaging with stories and sources presented through text, quizzes, videos, and podcasts. Session participants will learn about Historica Canada’s programs and multimedia resources, which are produced in collaboration with educators, subject matter experts, and community stakeholders. Teachers will leave the session ready to incorporate Historica Canada’s multimedia content into their classrooms, including ready-to-use education guides, lesson plans and hands-on activities built around curriculum topics.
How do we move students from being passive observers of injustice to active participants in democracy? This fast-paced, dual-resource workshop provides educators with a complete blueprint for civic engagement, connecting Alberta’s history of activism to the practical tools of modern policy change.
Part 1: The Inspiration (35 Minutes) – Edmonton as a Human Rights City
We begin by exploring the "Living Legacy of Activism." Using a resource developed with the City of Edmonton Archives, we introduce the Expose–Oppose–Propose framework. Educators will explore video interviews and lesson plans featuring local changemakers like Michael Phair and Carola Cunningham. This segment focuses on building empathy and critical thinking, helping students see activism as a long-standing tradition in their own backyard.
Part 2: The Action (35 Minutes) – Advocacy 101 & Policy Engagement
Building on that inspiration, we transition to Ignite Change, a new three-module Google Classroom course. We move beyond theory to give students real-world tools to influence the laws that affect them. Using Canadian case studies (such as the advocacy following the cases of Amanda Todd and Rehtaeh Parsons), we demonstrate how "lived experience is evidence."
What Educators Will Gain:
The Advocacy & Policy Toolkit: Practical templates for writing to MPs, submitting testimony to Committees, and navigating the 7 stages of a Bill.
Ready-to-Use Curriculum: Access to both the "Activism Project" and the "Youth Engagement in Policy" LMS modules. Educators will be guided through a high-impact curriculum that uses landmark Canadian case studies—such as the advocacy following the cases of Amanda Todd and Rehtaeh Parsons—to demonstrate how youth mobilization can force systemic legal change.
Participants will walk away with a ready-made Advocacy & Policy Toolkit, including: Advocacy vs. Lobbying 101: Clear definitions and ethical boundaries. The 7 Legislative Stages: Identifying key entry points, such as the Committee Stage, where "lived experience is evidence". Practical Templates: Guides for writing effective letters to Members of Parliament (MPs), submitting written testimony, and requesting formal meetings.This session is ideal for Social Studies, Civics, and Leadership teachers looking to provide students with a "youth-led blueprint" for modern citizenship. Div 3, 4
Cet atelier interactif propose de partager des activités et stratégies parmi mes plus efficaces et engageantes au cours de ma carrière. J’ai l’intention de vous faire vivre l’expérience d’un de mes ‘Cafés intellectuels’, qui encourage le développement d’habiletés de débat informel à l’oral. Je partagerai mes expériences avec la plateforme du Miroir Civique, un modèle de jeu de simulation ainsi qu’avec le théâtre de marionnettes comme activités qui appuient l’apprentissage par projets.
Designed with new curriculum implementation in mind — especially when resources are limited but content expectations are high — this session introduces teachers to a variety of ready-to-use strategies that require minimal prep yet deliver meaningful engagement. From quick, low-prep activities and guided inquiry to larger projects that amplify student voice and choice, participants will walk away with practical tools they can use immediately.
