Questions For Canadians

Second grade students, parents, and teachers at Fall Creek thought of many questions to ask real Canadians. Naturally, we couldn’t ask them all! Below is the introductory letter (with questions) that we sent to friends all across Canada. If you are a Canadian who we didn’t send questions to, and would like to contribute your responses, please feel free to email them to Mr. Mac at patrick_mceneany@hotmail.com – we’d love to hear from you!

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Dear (Canadian Neighbor):

The 2nd grade classes at Fall Creek Elementary School in Ithaca, New York, are currently learning about Canada. As part of this unit we are learning about Canada’s geography, environments, animals, and cultures. We’re also particularly interested in learning about sustainability issues related to each region (what concerns people have and what is being done to preserve culture, wildlife, or the environment). In addition, we’re creating a play to be performed in June with “sustainability” as the theme.

There’s one more important part of our Canada unit … you! We’re really hoping learn from real live Canadians who live in the different regions. If you are interested, we would greatly appreciate it if you would take the time to answer some or all of the questions found below. Of course, if you have more to say about Canada or your region, please do. We’d like to post your answers on our blog at fallcreek.wordpress.com (no www.), where people from anywhere can learn from you and share their own ideas. Please feel free to check it out. You are welcome to respond to any comments if you wish.

Here are our questions for you:

1. What city and province (or territory) do you live in? Is it a big city, small town, or out in the country?

2. What is the weather like where you are? Is it very cold?

3. What kind of animals do you see?

4. What are some of the most beautiful things about where you live?

5. What do you or people you know do for fun?

6. What sports are popular in your area?

7. What kind of music is popular or important to your area?

8. How do people use the environment for enjoyment?

9. How do people use the environment for resources?

10. What is an environmental concern where you live, and what’s being done to fix it?

Lastly, the big question(s) related to your region:

The Maritimes & Newfoundland – Have their been any problems with over-fishing? What’s being done about it? Have their been any problems with keeping the water or beaches clean? What’s being done about that?

Quebec – How is French culture different from English culture? How is French culture being maintained when different English cultures surround Quebec?

Ontario – How has the huge population of Ontario affected nature? As the population continues to increase and spread out, what is being done to minimize human impact in your region?

The Prairies – We know that Canada exports a lot of food to other countries. How does farming affect the environment/wildlife in your region? How is farming maintained?

British Columbia – Canada is said to have one-tenth of the world’s forests. How are Canadian’s using and maintaining the forest’s in your region? Do you know how the wolf repopulation efforts are going?

The Territories – How has recent changes in global climate affected your region? How are people in your region approaching energy usage?

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer our questions! Please email your responses or feedback to patrick_mceneany@hotmail.com .

Patrick McEneany
Second Grade Teacher
Fall Creek Elementary School
Ithaca, NY, USA