'Exploring the Newspaper' Activity

Learning Activities

The 2025 Canada Remembers Times contains stories ranging from the First World War of 1914-1918 to the War in Afghanistan at the beginning of the 21st century. As a way to introduce readers to the wide variety of stories in the newspaper, the teacher could distribute the papers and ask participants to find one interesting fact on each page and record what war or peace support operation it is from, what happened and why it interested them. Once complete, the teacher could then debrief the class with each youth sharing what they learned, allowing the class to gain a good overview of the content from one another. Alternately, a similar activity could be done where youth find three interesting stories to share—one from the First World War or earlier, one from the Second World War, and one from the Korean War or a more-recent Canadian peace support effort.

Another activity is to do a 'newspaper quest' where students must find the answers to the questions below by exploring the pages of the Canada Remembers Times. Once the students have answered the questions, the teacher could then run through the answers as a group, using it as an opportunity to explore the existing student knowledge.

‘Newspaper Quest’ Questions and Answers

Page 1
  1. How many Canadians died in the Liberation of the Netherlands?
    More than 7,600 Canadians lost their lives.
  2. What natural disaster hit the Caribbean country of Haiti in 2010?
    A devastating earthquake struck the Caribbean country of Haiti.
  3. What famous war poem was written by John McCrae in May 1915?
    Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae wrote In Flanders Fields in May 1915.
  4. What junior hockey team has the logo seen to the left?
    The Newfoundland Regiment, a Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League team.
Page 2
  1. How many Canadian warships went to the Middle East in the Gulf War?
    Three Canadian warships and CF-18 jets deployed to the Middle East.
  2. What year did the Great Ice Storm hit Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick?
    The Great Ice Storm was in 1998.
  3. What city is Royal Canadian Navy Veteran Émilie Létourneau from?
    Émilie Létourneau is from Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec.
  4. What is the name of the special monument in Ottawa seen below?
    The Tomb of the unknown soldier, located in Ottawa.
Page 3
  1. What is the home province of Major Mary Cameron-Kelly?
    Mary was born in Nova Scotia.
  2. What is the name of the Glebe Collegiate Institute remembrance project?
    The Glebe Collegiate Institute launched a research project called Walking them home.
  3. What year was the Royal Canadian Navy founded?
    The roots of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) date back to 1910.
  4. Who was the First Nations chief and Veteran seen to the left?
    Chief Joseph Dreaver, of the Mistawasis Nêhiyawak First Nation in Saskatchewan.
Page 4
  1. Where did a military transport plane crash on October 30, 1991?
    On October 30, 1991, a Hercules transport plane also went down 16 kilometres south of Alert.
  2. What Veteran was inducted into the PEI Sports Hall of Fame in 1975?
    George Walker was inducted into the PEI Sports Hall of Fame in 1975.
  3. What does the abbreviation NORAD stand for?
    North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD)
  4. Who was the Canadian soldier seen to the right who died in Afghanistan?
    Trooper Michael Hayakaze
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