School Programs 2012-13

Fort George and Buckingham House - School Programs 2012-13

At Fort George and Buckingham House Provincial Historic Site we believe history and culture are most easily understood when grounded in experience. We offer a variety of interactive, hands–on educational programs that give students the opportunity to experience the past for them selves.

Each program focuses on a particular facet of the story of the people associated with the Forts and is designed to meet particular curriculum objectives. Key strands and outcomes are identified for each program.

General Tour – Our Story - Grades 3 and Up

The General Tour or Littlies Tour are an essential part of any visit.

Discover the stories of the people who lived worked and traded at the Forts. These forts brought people of European and Native cultures together for the purpose of trade. Learn the stories of the Native and European people who lived, worked, and traded at the forts. Your students will learn about the international connections; the resources involved; the purpose and nature of trade; and the role of culture and community in the fur trade of the 1790's. Our guided tour takes your students through our modern interpretive gallery, then along a wooded trail to the sites of the archaeological remains of the two forts. Your students will stand where history really happened.

Strands
Economics and Resources; Global connections; Power and authority; The Land: Places and People
Grade 3 - Quality of Life
Grade 4 - Stories, Histories, and People of the Alberta Government
Grade 5 - Histories and Stories of Ways of Life in Canada; Shaping an Identity Grade 7 - Towards Confederation

Outcomes
Historical thinking; Geographic thinking

Littlies Tour - Grades ECS-2

Get ready to use your imaginations! Visit the tipi, learn about the bison, enter the fort and meet the families who lived there long ago. Feel the soft furs, get dressed to trade, and then "paddle" your canoe full of furs to Hudson's Bay. Collect items for your story bundle so you can tell of your adventures when you get home.

Strands
The Land: Places and People - Relationships Between People and the Land
Grade 1 - My History My Community
Grade 2 - A Community in the Past

Outcomes
Respecting cultural diversity; Appreciating literature, the arts, and the creative process

Bison Hunt - Grades ECS – 2

Students will learn about the importance of the bison in everyday life of the native people of the plains and of the fur traders. Before the arrival of fire arms, hunting bison required participation and cooperation of the whole community to succeed. Each student will learn about the uses of the bison and then create their own stick horse "prairie pony". Then they will participate in a simulated Bison hunt where they will test their skill and speed as they cooperatively drive our friendly bison into a traditional hunting pound.

Strands
Culture and Community / Economics and Resources
Grade 1 - My history My Community
Grade 2 - A Community in the Past

Outcomes
History of Canada; Understanding the physical world; Respecting cultural diversity; Active lifestyle; Appreciation for the arts

Fur Factor - Voyageur Skills Competition - Grade 2 to adult

Here is an opportunity for your students to learn while having fun discovering if they have what it takes to be a voyageur. Through participation outdoors in a fun series of team competitions, participants discover some of the skills and abilities needed at the forts in the 1790's.

Strands
Culture and Community
Grade 2 - Community in the Past
Grade 4 - People of Alberta
Grade 5 - Shaping Identity
Grade 7 - Toward Confederation

Outcomes
History and Geography of Canada; Initiative, leadership, flexibility, and persistence; Active lifestyle

Archaeology - the Puzzle of the Past - Grade 3 - 6

Archaeology is all about discovering the past and how people lived. Students will work in teams to excavate, record and solve the puzzle of the past found in our dig simulation boxes. This program brings the purpose, practices and processes of archaeology to life.

Strands
Time, Continuity and Change
Grade 4 - Alberta: Celebrations and Challenges - Archaeology
Grade 5 - The Land, History and Stories

Outcomes
Demonstrating critical and creative thinking

From the Bounty of the Land - Grades 4 and up

Two hundred years ago the European fur traders brought few items other than tools and trade goods to the fur posts and depended on the aboriginal people and the land for what they needed to survive. Your students will learn how the people of the forts used the plants, animals, and natural resources found in and around the site for food, medicine, housing, transportation and tools.

Strands
The Land: Places and People, Economics and Resources
Grade 4 - Celebrations and Challenges, The Land, Histories and Stories
Grade 5 - Histories and Stories of Ways of Life in Canada

Outcomes
Understanding the physical world, ecology, and diversity of life

Trappers and Trade - Grade 4 to adult

This is our all-time most popular program and is based on the real historical competition between the two forts at this site. In this fur trade role-play game, students become clerk traders representing the forts or trappers representing groups of people coming to trade. The companies compete for furs while the trappers bargain and trade for the items they want. Students are immersed into the fur trade, deal using the Made Beaver standard, and discover for them selves the power of competition.

Strands
Economics and Resources, Power, Authority and Decision-making, Global Connections
Grade 4 - Stories, Histories and People of Alberta, Histories and Stories of a Way of life in Canada, Shaping an Identity
Grade 7 - Towards Confederation
Grade 9 - Issue for Canadians: Economics

Outcomes
Learning the history and geography of Canada; Understanding Canada's political and economic systems within a global context; Using mathematics to solve problems in business; Demonstrating critical and creative thinking skills in problem-solving and decision-making; Evaluating your own endeavours; Managing time and resources

This program can also be purchased on CD. Find out more here.

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Reserve your May or June Education Program now!

Booking Information

WINTER
Labour Day through May 15
Phone: (780) 645-6256, or call toll-free by dialing 310 0000 first
Office hours: Monday to Friday 8:15 am to 4:30 pm
Email: ross.stromberg@gov.ab.ca

SUMMER
May 15 through Labour Day
Phone: (780) 724-2611, or call toll-free by dialing 310-0000 first
Hours: Open daily from 10 am to 5 pm
Email: ross.stromberg@gov.ab.ca

TDD/TTY phone 1 (800) 232-7215

COST
$2.50 per student, per program (all programs)
No charge for accompanying adults and bus driver (up to a ratio of 1 adult for
every 5 students)

Programs run between 10 am and 2 pm weekdays from May 15 through Labour Day.
www.fortgeorgebuckinghamhouse.org