Canadian Armed Forces

Serving Canada at home

When most Canadians picture the military, they think of far-away combat zones. Soldiers in desert fatigues, fighter jets soaring or warships patrolling foreign waters.

But for retired Public Affairs Officer Desmond James, some of his most intense and meaningful military service took place right here at home.

Summary

Students will be challenged to create a 3-day emergency kit as they learn about how Canadian Armed Forces Veterans have helped Canadians respond to natural disasters.

An optional extension activity expands discussion to include Canada’s Cold War history as students consider what supplies would be needed to keep their entire class safe in a Cold War bunker for 30 days.

Objectives

Through this activity, students will:

Learn to read, write and say “Canadian Rangers” in several languages!

More than 60 percent of Canadian Rangers serving with the Canadian Armed Forces are Indigenous. Canadian Rangers live in more than 200 communities across Canada. They speak more than 25 different languages!

Let’s honour their service and recognize their diversity. Using the list below, read and hear the words “Canadian Rangers” in several languages. We’ve included some of the most spoken Indigenous languages in our country.

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.

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