Canada C3 Expedition Webpicks

The C3 Expedition is participating in the Canada 150 celebrations. The 150-day expedition following Canada’s three coasts from east to west, and visiting many different communities on the way. These video and audio resources will on communities the expedition will visit and on visiting the Arctic are perfect for using this theme in class.

These videos from young Canadians presenting their communities to the C3 expedition and all the Canadians following offer wonderful insight into the diversity of Canada's landscape and of the young people who inhabit it.

The C3 organisers encouraged young people in the 60 communities the ship will visit to become "Community Youth Storytellers", very much in the tradition of Canada's indigenous peoples. You can find all the videos here. The sound on some makes comprehension difficult.  We've picked out two that are particularly well adapted to language learners, and which present two very different communities.

First, Chukita Gruben in Tuktoyaktuk, North-west Territory, an Inuit community in the vast frozen north west. The voiceover in the first minute is indistinct and partly covered with music. But the video is mainly in the form of a slide show and the images and onscreen text provide plenty to comment on and understand. From 1:04 the commentary is clear and slow and can be used from A2+.

A "pingo" is an earth-covered ice hill typical of polar regions which have permafrost.

The next video shows a very different landscape and lifestyle. Made by youth leaders in Vancouver, on the west coast, a vibrant, multicultural city. The first 1'30" is a description of Metro Vancouver (the city and the region), usable from B1. You will need to help them with the unusual element in the list: "A regional district with a population of approximately 2.5 million people from 21 municipalities, one electoral area and one Treaty First Nation." A Treaty First Nation is a an indigenous group or tribe that has land rights because it signed a treaty with the European settlers.

The second half is a presentation of the youth leaders and what they do. Some activities are rather abstract  ("the co-chair of a youth-led sustainablilty conference", "youth heritage initiatives"). The point is just to show the diversity and then perhaps skip to the reasons they love Vancouver (from 2'04").

 

Young Travellers
Find more young travellers in Give me five! 3e
Unit 2 "Teens Crossing Borders"
Download a sample double-page here.

Audio Resources

There are audio extracts with interactive comprehension activities on the theme of visiting the Arctic in the Banque de ressources anglais cycle 4. To see the resources, register now or log in, then go to:

Audios > A2 > Langages et Modes de vie > Saynètes > Arctic Checklist (preparing for an expedition)
Audios > A2 > Langages et Modes de vie > Saynètes > The Polar Bear Project (a project to save polar bears from climate change.