The First Trans-Canada Auto Trip

Halifax: August 27, 1912 <<<    >>> Victoria: October 17, 1912

Lesson Ideas

Research Ideas

• research Canada in 1912 and compare it to 1997. Email your findings to be posted on the website
• research significant events which ocurred in 1912. Email your findings to be posted on the website
• research the 1912 trans-Canada trip by Wilby and Haney
• research other "first Canadian" crossings - by rail, foot, wheelchair, bicycle, etc.
• study transportation in 1912 and compare it to 1997
• study communication in 1912 and compare it to 1997
• study education in 1912 and compare it to 1997
• discover how a 1912 car operated (Email questions to the website)
• research famous Canadians in 1912 - in Science, the Arts, Politics, Sports, etc.
• research the Canadian automotive industry - what cars were built, where were they built, were there any Canadian innovations or milestones? Who were the famous Canadian auto builders?
• read the story of the Dionne Quintuplets who were born near North Bay, Ont.
• research Terry Fox's Marathon of Hope
• research the role of the float plane in opening up Canada's north.
• research the history and role of farmer's cooperative organizations in Canadian prairie grain farming.
• research the lifestyle and beliefs of the Hutterites.
• read the story of the Frank Slide in 1903
• research the B.C. coal mining industry in the Crowsnest Pass
• research the lifestyle and beliefs of the Doukhobors.
• research the Cariboo Gold Rush in British Columbia, including the Cariboo Road, the BX Stages, and "The Hanging Judge."
• research Simon Fraser's dangerous trip through Hell's Gate on the Fraser River.
• read about the Skuzzy, the only steamer to sail through Hell's Gate.

Mr. Findlay's research questions along the route:

• Why are the tides so great in the Bay of Fundy?
• What is the story of Glooscap, the legendary Micmac chief?
• Why did they build covered bridges in New Brunswick?
• Why are there roadside ovens in Quebec?
• How did Wolfe get his troops up the steep cliffs to Quebec City?
• What are Les Forges Du St. Maurice near Trois Rivieres?
• What is the story of the Edmund Fitzgerald, which Gordon Lightfoot sang about?
• What is special about The Canadian Shield?
• Why are there so many stacks of rocks piled alongside the highway in Northern Ontario, particularly around Kenora?

Mr. Findlay's math questions along the route:

• What are the Reo's averages: speed, fuel consumption, distance?
• What will the final figures be?

Language Arts

• read Jack Haney by John D. Nicol. Published in 1989 by Fitzhenry and Whiteside as part of the CAA's "The Canadians" series. 63 pages, lots of photos, suitable for upper elementary and junior high
• research and create skits about some of the people the 1912 cross-country travellers might have encountered - homesteaders, first nations, immigrants, ranchers, fishers, shantymen, roadbuilders, etc. What were they doing and how did they do it?
• brainstorm ways that the 1912 cross-country travellers could solve problems that made their journey challenging or nearly impossible
• read Longfellow's Hiawatha, based loosely on the Agawa Rock Pictographs
• read A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh, based on the bear from White River, Ontario

Social Studies

• Map each day's progress on a class or school map
• compare the different ethnic and cultural regions the cross-country travellers encounter
• compare the different geographical regions the cross-country travellers encounter
• compare the different environmental regions the cross-country travellers encounter

Math

• graph daily statistics such as mileage, fuel consumption, average speed, temperature, etc.
• use an electronic spreadsheet to create charts of the daily statistics (above)
• predict or estimate final mileage, fuel consumption, average speed, etc. Revise these estimates as the days pass
• create a budget for your own cross-country trip
• build a (working?) model of a shipping lock such as those found on the Welland Canall

More ideas ...

• discover and learn some early Canadian folk songs (Phil Thomas' Songs and Stories of Canada may help here)
• study the Group of Seven painters to find their portrayals of the Northern Ontario landscapes (including Montreal River)
• use the internet to contact another school that is on the cross-country route. Exchange greetings, research findings, and other lesson activities. The eastern students could report on when and how the Reo passed through their city, The western students could ask questions and send a follow-up report after the trip has reached them.
• plan a field trip to see the car when it is in town. (Unfortunately, the car will not be "on display" in every town it passes through - see the itinerary for lunch and overnight stops.)