Symbols Tour at Parliament

Available from September to April

A visit to Parliament can help your class build on the activities from this Web site to make connections between Canadian symbols and Canada’s Parliament.

Tour Information

Searching for Symbols is a curriculum-based, interactive tour that examines symbols and where they are found at Canada’s Parliament. Specially designed for Grades 1 to 3 (primary cycles 1 and 2 in Quebec), this on-site tour is an excellent complement to a unit on Canadian symbols, citizenship and heritage.

Students will:

Learn the definition of a symbol
Play the role of detective on tour
Use clues and images to find various symbols in the Centre Block
Discuss symbols and their significance to Canada
Identify other important symbols in their lives

Tour Overview

Theme: Canadian Symbols at Parliament
Grade Level(s): 1 to 3 (primary cycles 1 and 2 in Quebec)
Curriculum Links: Canadian traditions, symbols, heritage and citizenship
Length of Tour: 20 - 45 minutes (varies depending on parliamentary activity)
Cost: Free

What will my students learn on this tour?

After the tour, your students will be able to:

Understand and explain the meaning of a symbol
Describe what symbols tell us about ourselves and our country
Identify symbols at Parliament and how they represent Canadians and Canada as a whole
Describe why symbols are important to people, groups and countries

How can I help prepare my students for the Searching for Symbols tour?

Introduce your students to concepts associated with government and nationhood.

These concepts include:

Nation, identity, citizenship and belonging
Elections and voting
Community helpers, leadership

Introduce your students to the concept of a symbol through activities such as:

Identifying personal symbols
Identifying school symbols and local community symbols
Identifying sports symbols (local or professional teams, Olympic symbol)
Learning about provincial or national symbols