Canadian Rangers puzzle activity

Who are the Canadian Rangers and what do they do?

Activity description

Students will learn about the Canadian Rangers by exploring the 5 Ws (who, what, when, where and why). They will work in teams to become “experts” on each aspect of the Rangers’ important work before reforming into mixed groups to share their findings. Students’ contributions will fit together into a puzzle forming an image representing a Canadian Ranger.

Aim

To increase youth awareness and understanding of the Canadian Rangers. Students will develop an understanding of some of the contributions Canadian Rangers have made over the years to help keep our country safe.

Objectives

Through this activity, youth will develop an understanding and awareness of:

• who the Canadian Rangers are;
• what the Canadian Rangers do;
• when members of the Canadian Rangers have served;
• where the Canadian Rangers serve; and
• why is the work of the Canadian Rangers important.

Target audience

This activity is suitable for grades 6 to 9.

Anticipated time frame

Approximately 90 minutes

Materials

• Video: Who Patrols Canada’s North? The Rangers on the Northern Frontier (Historica Canada – 6 minutes)
• Class set of handouts, including:
• One research reference article for each 5 experts groups – 5 Ws (PDF)
• Five graphic organizers with puzzle pieces (PDF)
• Canadian Rangers photo gallery (PDF)
• Wrap-up student reflection sheet about the Canadian Rangers – I learned (PDF)

Sequence of events

• Background discussion
• Expert groups (Step 1)
• Teaching groups (Step 2)
• Wrap-up discussion

Background discussion

Ask your class what they know about the Canadian Rangers. This group is part of the Canadian Armed Forces Reserves. If your class is unfamiliar with the Canadian Rangers, challenge them to try to guess what the lesson will be about.

Focus on discussing what a “ranger” may be. Explain that a Ranger is a person who is part of a group that observes, protects or patrols. Your students may know the “Power Rangers,” for example. They may even draw parallels to these superheroes (i.e., protecting others, special skills, wearing a uniform, working in a group for the better good, etc.). What responsibilities might a ranger in the Canadian Armed Forces have?

Introduce the Canadian Rangers to students by watching Who Patrols Canada’s North? The Rangers on the Northern Frontier (6 minutes) as a class.

This overview video features the experiences of Sergeant Jean Tsannie, of the Wollaston Lake Ranger Patrol. She shares the story of the Rangers and the distinct skills they bring to the Canadian military. She also highlights the important role the Rangers have played in protecting and supporting Canada’s Northern communities.

Step 1: Expert groups

Divide the class into five expert groups. Assign each group one of the following topics and provide them with the handout 5Ws:

• WHO are the Canadian Rangers?
• WHAT do the Canadian Rangers do?
• WHEN did the Canadian Rangers start to serve?
• WHERE do Canadian Rangers serve?
• WHY is the work of the Canadian Rangers important?

Explain that each group’s mission is to become an expert in their assigned topic. Students will read their assigned text together (Who, What, When, Where, Why). To become an expert, they can circle key words or underline important information from their reading. When students are finished reading, the group should discuss their topic and identify 3-4 facts they feel are the most important.

Next, give every student the puzzle graphic organizer corresponding to the topic for their expert group (one of the 5 Ws). Explain that each graphic organizer is split in three parts:

• the top is their puzzle piece
• the middle provides space for writing the 3-4 facts the “experts” decided were the most important information
• the bottom will be used in the next step

Every student should write their own bulleted list (3-4 important facts) on the middle portion of their “puzzle graphic organizer”.  They are now experts in their topic and will have to teach other students what they learned, during Step 2.

*Before moving to the next step, divide the students into new groups of 5. Each new group shall have experts from each of the 5 Ws (Who, What, When, Where, Why).

Step 2: Teaching groups

The new “teaching” groups are now together. Adjust the groupings as required to ensure at least one student from each expert group (Who, What, When, Where, Why) is represented in the new teaching groups. Students will bring their puzzle graphic organizer to their new group.

Just like the Canadian Rangers, who teach Canadian Armed Forces members northern survival skills, students will now teach their newly-gained “expert” knowledge.

Each student will share their findings, using the notes they made on their puzzle graphic organizers during Step 1. The other students use the bottom part of their sheet to write one key point they learn from each expert. Once each expert has taught their knowledge, every student in the teaching groups will have learned the 5 Ws about the Canadian Rangers!

The final step is to piece it all together. All group members should cut out and assemble their puzzle pieces. They can glue or tape the 5 puzzle pieces together, on a larger sheet of paper, to form the complete image of a Canadian Ranger in action!

Wrap-up discussion

Now that students understand the 5 Ws of the Canadian Rangers, review the Canadian Rangers photo gallery. It contains images of Rangers in action, in a variety of environments across Canada. Looking for more images? You can access hundreds of Canadian Rangers photos by visiting Combat Camera on Flickr and searching for “Canadian Rangers”.

Distribute the sheet Canadian Rangers – I learned and ask students to write a short text about what they have learned. If time allows, students can colour the puzzle on this sheet, using the reference image at the top of the page as their guide.

Here are some questions you may wish to explore with your students:

• Why do we say that the Canadian Rangers are “the eyes and ears” of the North?
• Why is it important to have a presence like the Canadian Rangers in remote and northern areas of our country? (maps in our Canadian Rangers photo gallery are a great resource!)
• How can our class recognize and thank Canadian Rangers for the important work they do?

For deeper learning

Stand on the top of the world

Check out Polar Knowledge Canada’s educational resources. You’ll find maps and puzzles and you can even book a giant floor map that gives students the opportunity to “stand at the top of the world” and view Canada and the Arctic from a new perspective.