THE CANADIAN ATLAS ONLINE
NOVA SCOTIA – GRADES 9 TO 11
Ò AS A THA THU?: “Where are you from?” (Gaelic Pron. QUASAHOW?)
Lesson Overview
The Gaels of Canada, an often forgotten group, had a significant impact on the settlement
of Canada from the 1770's onwards. They have discreetly left their mark in place names
such as Calgary, Craigellachie, Mackenzie River, Stornoway, Monashee (Monadh Sidh)
Mountains, Canmore, and many more.
Throughout the years, Gaels settled in community groups in places such as Eastern Prince
Edward Island; Codroy Valley, Newfoundland; Southern Saskatchewan; Glengarry, Ontario;
and the Eastern Townships of Quebec to name a few. By the mid 1900's, most had
assimilated into Canadian society leaving little evidence of their existence other than in their
music and traditions, personal names, and place names.
One area, however, remains a Gaelic stronghold, the only one recognised outside Scotland
at this time, and that is Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. Here the culture of the Gael is
strongly in evidence, and although the language has declined in daily usage, it still survives
and thrives. Between 1800 and 1850, it is estimated that close to over 25 000 Gaels landed
on the shores of Cape Breton Island leaving their mark on the hills and glens wherever they
set up their homes.
This lesson will focus on identifying and studying place names of Cape Breton Island as they
reflect one of the island’s major ethnic groups, the Gaels.
The lesson can be adapted for other regions of Canada such as those named above, or for
other ethnic groups on Cape Breton Island and elsewhere in Canada.
Grade Level
9-11
Time Required
60 minutes (Excluding time for extension activities)
Curriculum Connection (Province and course)
Atlantic Provinces Education Foundation Curriculum for Social Studies:
 Atlantic Canada in the Global Community: NB (Grade 8) NS, PEI, and NL (Grade 9)
 Gaelic Studies 11(NS)
 Canadian History 11(NS)
 Settlement Geography (any province)
Links to Canadian National Geography Standards
Essential Element #1 (Grade 9-12) – The World in Spatial Terms
 Map, globe, and atlas use
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THE CANADIAN ATLAS ONLINE
NOVA SCOTIA – GRADES 9 TO 11
Links to Canadian National Geography Standards (cont’d)
Essential Element #2 (Grade 9-12) – Places and Regions:
 The importance of places and regions to individual and social identity
 Political and historical characteristics of a region
Essential Element #4 (Grade 9-12) – Human Systems
 Impact of human migration
 Convergence and divergence of cultures
Essential Element #6 (Grade 9-12) – The Uses of Geography
 Influence of geographic features on the evolution of significant historic events and
movements
Geographic Skill #1 (Grade 9-12) – Asking Geographic Questions
 Identify geographic issues, define geographic problems and pose geographic questions.
Geographic Skill #2 (Grade 9-12) – Acquiring Geographic Information
 Systematically locate and gather geographic information form a variety of primary and
secondary sources.
Geographic Skill #3 (Grade 9-12) – Organizing Geographic Information
 Select and design appropriate forms of maps to organize geographic information.
 Use of variety of media to develop and organize integrated summaries of geographic
information.
Geographic Skill #4 (Grade 9-12) – Analyzing Geographic Information
 Make inferences
representations.
and
draw
conclusions
from
maps
and
other
geographic
 Use the process of analysis, synthesis, evaluation and explanation to interpret
geographic information from a variety of sources.
Geographic Skill #5 (Grade 9-12) – Answering Geographic Questions
 Formulate valid generalizations from the various kinds of geographic inquiry.
Principal Resource
www.canadiangeographic.ca/atlas
Additional Resources, Materials and Equipment Required

Information Sheet: Gaelic place names (attached)

Activity Sheet (attached)

Wall map of Canada

Wall map of the world
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THE CANADIAN ATLAS ONLINE

Outline Map of Cape Breton Island (attached)

Internet Access

Whiteboard and markers
NOVA SCOTIA – GRADES 9 TO 11
Main Objective
To gain an understanding of the impact of one ethnic group on a specific area of Canada by:

analyzing the place names of an area

valuing the information contained in a single place name

assessing how historic events can impact an area and leave a permanent mark
through the migration of peoples

familiarizing students with Cape Breton Island
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

Access, use, and be familiar with the resources of The Canadian Atlas On-line

Study and analyze maps of a specific area of Canada

Identify Gaelic place names on a map of Cape Breton Island and be prepared to
extend that to any where in Canada

Develop a deeper understanding of the origins and meanings of place names

Follow the migration of place names across the Atlantic Ocean

Interpret the root of a number of place names

Analyze the origins of place names
The Lesson
TEACHER ACTIVITY
Introduction
STUDENT ACTIVITY
1. Introduce the term “toponym” and ask for
the meaning. Explain that today’s lesson
will involve toponyms, or geographical
names.
1. Participate in the discussion and contribute
ideas.
2. (Five minutes) Ask for suggestions as to
what might be learned from toponyms e.g.
features of the landscape, local history,
names of explorers, fanciful names, biblical
names etc. Write their suggestions on the
board.
2. Students will share the origins of their own
communities if known. Record as a
homework assignment, if origins unknown.
3. (Five minutes) Ask students to consider the
names of their own communities and to
take five minutes to share the origins with
the class through questioning:

What does it mean?

Is it a geographic name?

Is it named for a person?

Is it a borrowed name?

Did the name migrate?
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NOVA SCOTIA – GRADES 9 TO 11
The Lesson (cont’d)
TEACHER ACTIVITY
STUDENT ACTIVITY
Introduction
(cont’d)
The teacher can model with his/her own
community. If it is unknown, make this a
homework assignment. In a rural area this
may cover several communities, whereas in
an urban setting, you may ask them to
research their street names.
Lesson
Development
1. Distribute Information Sheet and ask
students to think of any names with the
root words on the list provided e.g. ‘Glen’.
1. Discuss surnames and share their
knowledge of their personal identity if they
so desire.
2. (2 minutes) Lead into the idea that Canada
is a multi-cultural country has names
originating from many of its First Nations
peoples and from its immigrant settlers.
2. Locate Cape Breton Island and the
Highlands of Scotland on a world map and
trace the journey across the Atlantic
Ocean.
- Instruct that the emphasis of this lesson
will be on one particular area of Canada,
Cape Breton Island; and on one particular
ethnic group, the Gaels.
- Check to see if there are Gaels in the
class. E.g. anyone with the name MAC
(Gaelic for son of) in their names would
be Gaels or descendants of Gaels.
3. (Five minutes) Display a wall map of
Canada to locate Cape Breton Island.
- Question the students from where the
Gaels would have come.
- Use a world wall map to show movement
across the Atlantic Ocean. (An extension
activity could research WHY they came
across the ocean to Cape Breton Island.)
3. Examine the word list (second column
especially) on Information Sheet and try to
think of Canadian place names that contain
some of the geographically descriptive
words listed.
- Share with the class
- Use some of the introductory information
to show students where else the Gaels
went to settle in large communities in
Canada* and conclude with the fact that
CBI is the only stronghold of Gaels left in
Canada. (*See Introduction and
Background)
- Note how a stranger entering Cape Breton
Island would immediately be able to
recognize the connection to the Gaels of
Scotland by reading highway signs of
place names.
4. (30 minutes) Distribute Activity Sheet to
the students and assign them to work on
computers to complete the exercise.
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4. Complete Activity Sheet using
www.canadiangeographic.ca/atlas
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NOVA SCOTIA – GRADES 9 TO 11
The Lesson (cont’d)
Conclusion
TEACHER ACTIVITY
STUDENT ACTIVITY
Call the students back and review their
answers for a final discussion of their findings.
Discussion of:
 Observations on the value of place
names
 Effects one dominant ethnic group can
have on the map of Canada
 Effect of the Gaels of Cape Breton on the
place names of Cape Breton Island
Lesson Extension
1. Select one Cape Breton Gaelic place name. Research the geography of that particular
place and the origin of its name. Present your findings using the Five Themes of
Geography.
2. Select a place on Cape Breton Island that has borrowed its name from Scotland.
Compare and contrast the place in Scotland with the place in Cape Breton Island and
comment on whether the borrowed name has any geographic connection to the
original.
3. Create a collage of pictures comparing and contrasting a place in Cape Breton Island
with a counterpart in name in Scotland e.g. Oban (Option: Do the same assignment for
two places of the same Gaelic name in Canada e.g. Glengarry)
4. Create a pictorial dictionary of Gaelic geographical terms, which are found in the place
names of Canada.
5. Using Google Earth http://earth.google.com research the geographic accuracy of five
descriptive Gaelic names found in place names in Canada.
6. Create a new name for your own community and research the process to be followed in
order to have it accepted. Suggested website:
http://geonames.nrcan.gc.ca/index_e.php
7. Create a word puzzle using the derivations of place names with a Gaelic origin.
8. Trace the development of settlement patterns on Cape Breton Island from 1770
onwards.
Assessment of Student Learning
Students are to be assessed on:
 Level of class participation in discussion and activities (students should be engaged at
all times)
 Level of completion of written activities and map work
 Successful navigation of On-line Atlas website
This could be summed up in a custom made rubric. http://www.teachnology.com/web_tools/rubrics/
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NOVA SCOTIA – GRADES 9 TO 11
Information Sheet 1
Gaelic Origins of Place Names
Note: Some names that are now considered Gaelic in origin, actually had their roots in the
Norse language but were borrowed into Gaelic during the Viking invasion and settlement of
the North West of Scotland over a thousand years ago.
The following is a list of more common words to be found in place names in Canada. Most
are descriptive names of geographic features.
GAELIC
ENGLISH SPELLING
MEANING
ceann
ken/kin
head
gleann
glen
valley
srath
strath
wide valley
loch
loch
lake
cnoc
knock
small hill
cill
kil/kill
cell, or church
mòr
more
big
ach(achadh)
ack/ach
meadow
creag
creig/craig
rock
dùn
dun
fort, or small rounded hill
beinn
ben
hill
uisge
uska/usca(also whiskey!
water
baile
bal
village, or farm
dail
dal/dale
meadow
garradh
gary
garden, wall, or dike
uig(from Norse)
vik/wick/wik
bay
nis(from Norse)
nis/nish/ness
headland
sgeir (from Norse)
skir/skerry
reef
obar
aber/abar
mouth (confluence) of a river
abhainn
avon
river
inbhir
inver
river meeting the sea
rudha
rue/rhu/row
headland/point
innis
inchis
land
òb
ob/tob
bay
tobar
tobar
well
monadh
mona
mountain
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NOVA SCOTIA – GRADES 9 TO 11
Student Activity Sheet
A Study of Place Names Given by the Gaels
You will need:

Internet access

An outline map of Cape Breton Island. (attached)

Information Sheet 1
1.
Log on to Internet and access: www.canadiangeographic.ca/atlas
2.
Enter the site. Choose English.
3.
Click on ‘Explore by Themes’ section, then on The People.
4.
Go to ‘Settling Canada’. Take the cursor to the middle of the blue bar, on After 1800 and click on ‘Red
River Settlers’.
Answer these Questions:
• Who were the west’s first European settlers?
• How successful was this first settlement?
• Investigate any visible evidence in the place names on maps, of this settlement.
• Go to “Explore the Maps’ on the website, and search “Portage La Prairie”. Zoom in to 280 km. Identify any
place names of Gaelic or Scottish place names that might reflect the origin of the first European settlers in the
west.
• Pan the area around the Red River using the ‘hand’ symbol. Write down your observations in relation to Scottish
settlement.
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NOVA SCOTIA – GRADES 9 TO 11
Student Activity Sheet (cont’d)
• Now enter Cape Breton Island in the “Feature Name” in the “Explore the Maps” section and enter Nova
Scotia under “Province.” You should be 325km out. Zoom in on Highway 19 to 63km. You should be looking
at an area on the west coast of Cape Breton Island.
1. Locate the following place names on the map that are all reflective of the settlement of Gaels in Cape Breton
Island. Check them off as you find them. Categorize the names (e.g. descriptive; named for people;
borrowed; totally Gaelic, i.e. not anglicized; other):
MacKinnon’s Brook, Mac Donald’s Glen, Glengarry, Glenora, Glenville, MacCormacks, Finlay Point, Mac Neil
Point, Dòmhnall Ruadh’s Head, Glendale, MacIntyre Mountain, Glencoe, MacLeod Settlement, Dunakin, Skye
Glen, Stewartdale, Glencoe Station, Dunmore.
Categories:
Descriptive
Named for people
Borrowed
Totally Gaelic
Other
Note that many of these are “borrowed” names and although categorized as descriptive, the description may
no longer be accurate, e.g. Glencoe is the valley through which the River Coe runs. That was true in Scotland
but Glencoe in Cape Breton is not a valley and there is no River Coe running through it. This is an example of
a name that migrated with the people.
2. Zoom to 150 km from Cape Breton Island and eventually bring it in to 63km. Label the following places all of
which have a Gaelic origin, on your outline map of Cape Breton:
Creignish; Craigmore; Inverness; Dungarry; Loch Lomond; Boisdale; Skye River; Lake Uist; Mull River;
Glendale; Dunvegan; Glencoe; Aberdeen; Dundee; Oban; Barra Strait; (Add more as you find them.)
3. Select any FIVE names and break down the word to determine its meaning. Use Information Sheet 1 to help
you, e.g. Creignish = The rocky headland ((craig=rock nis=headland)
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NOVA SCOTIA – GRADES 9 TO 11
Student Activity Sheet (cont’d)
4. Conclusion: What is in a name?
a) Discuss the quantity of names found in the Red River area as compared to Cape Breton Island. Give
suggestions for the discrepancy.
b) From studying the map of Cape Breton Island, make three observations about the value of place names to
geographers.
i)
ii)
iii)
c) Formulate three geographic questions that could be follow up activities for this lesson.
i)
ii)
iii)
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NOVA SCOTIA – GRADES 9 TO 11
Outline Map of Cape Breton
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