Learning resources bulletin - October 2009

Dear teachers,

This bulletin presents free information and teaching materials available on Statistics Canada's Learning resources website.

In this issue:

• Hallowe'en facts and activities (primary-secondary)
• Facts about federal elections (intermediate-secondary)
• Civics: political activity (primary-secondary)
• Study: Canadian 9-year olds at school
• Food in Canada – a cross-curricular resource (intermediate-secondary)
• Education services in your region

Hallowe'en facts and activities (primary-secondary)

Did you know? 3.8 million children in Canada were of prime trick-or-treating age—5 to 14 years old—in 2008.The number of children in this age group has been decreasing annually since it last peaked in 2002, at 4.1 million. Find more related facts, as well as activity ideas for elementary classes, in our Hallowe'en feature.

Previously on the Teacher's page, our Features are now found on the Students page, in the top right-hand corner.

Facts about federal elections (intermediate-secondary)

While 72.8% of people in Canada aged 18 and over reported that they had voted in the last federal election, only 44.2% of those aged 18 to 24 said they had voted. Read more about voter participation rates and other related facts in our federal elections feature. Find it on the Students page, in the top right-hand corner.

Civics: political activity (intermediate-secondary)

Check out our updated Civics pages to learn about government and social participation. For example, did you know that one in three Canadians, aged 19 top 64, were politically involved in 2003 in activities such as searching for political information, volunteering for a political party or joining one, or writing to a newspaper or politician to express their views? The article entitled "Canadians and their non-voting political activity" in Canadian Social Trends (CST) explains factors that influence people's participation in these types of activities.

Another CST article "Willing to participate: the political engagement of young adults" reveals that young people in their twenties are more likely to engage in non-voting political activity than older people.

To find these articles, go to Civics: Key resources and under Articles on Society and civic participation, click on Canadian Social Trends: Volunteering and Participation.

From the Civics: key resources page, click on the Lessons tab. You'll notice a lesson on the above-mentioned article "Willing to participate: the political engagement of young adults", among other lessons. Find them at Civics: Lessons 

Click on the Data tab to get tables on elections and government, as well as social participation and social justice. See our new resource, Investigating Social Justice Issues, which offers datasets that senior students can analyze, on issues such as disparities in health care, income or prison admissions. Find these tables at Civics: Data.

Study: Canadian 9-year olds at school

Where can you find Statistics Canada's latest information on education? On our Career Education page, where we feature information on both education and the labour market.

The recent study "Canadian 9-year olds at school" examines the wide variation of these children's school achievement in 2006-2007. Some variations are linked to the child's gender, the income level of their household and their province of residence. There are also marked differences in the "education environment" of the child. These differences were linked most consistently to levels of household income. An article that summarises this study was published in The Daily of September 25, 2009.

To find this article, go to Career Education: Key resources. Under Articles, click on The Daily: education, training and learning. Then choose Study: Canadian 9-year olds at school.

Food in Canada – a cross-curricular resource (intermediate-secondary)

Food is much more than a commodity to be bought and sold. We can't live without it and it plays a significant role in our culture and daily lives. Yet, Canadians' spending on food and non-alcoholic beverages in 2003 resulted in almost 46,000 kilotonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, which represents 6.4% of the total national emissions that year.

The article "Food in Canada" in the 2009 issue of Human Activity and the Environment: Annual Statistics is relevant to many school subjects:

• Geography and environment: Read about how Canadian agriculture and fisheries put pressure on water, land, climate and air.
• Business/Economics: Find out how the food system has contributed to Canada's gross domestic product and employment over the past forty years.
• Home Economics/Food Studies: Explore how Canadians' diverse, evolving food preferences are impacting the environment.

As well as this article on food, the publication also provides updated maps and tables about the environment, including tables on extinct wildlife species and environmental management practices.

To find the article "Food in Canada" go to Environment: Key Resources. Under Articles, click on Human Activity and the Environment: Annual Statistics, then choose the 2009 edition Food in Canada.

To find The Daily summary of "Food in Canada", go to Environment: Key Resources. Under Articles, click on The Daily articles, then choose Human Activity and the Environment: Food in Canada.

Education services in your region

Need help using our resources in the classroom? Contact the Statistics Canada education representative for your region, who will be glad to help.

From our Teachers page, click on the peach coloured Education Services button on the right sidebar.