School class follows massive map to learn about War of 1812

SOUTH HURON - Grade 7-8 students at South Huron DHS went time travelling recently.

Teacher Julie Knoblauch-Heimrich took her classes back to the War of 1812 using an 11 metre x 8 metre floor map, making SHDHS students the first class in the province to use the 1812 map.

The map allowed students to walk the paths of Laura Secord, Tecumseh, and Sir Isaac Brock in a variety of interactive lessons provided by Canadian Geographic Education.

The giant floor map featured historic forts and town, battle sites and first Nations villages that served as the stage for the War of 1812. Along with the map were numerous activities, educational resources and learning tools meant for an interactive experience for students of all ages.

The map was provided by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, which aims to build a broader knowledge and deeper appreciation of Canada’s history and geography. Currently there are five sets of Giant Floor Maps and activity kits traveling across Canada that can be book for a two-week period.

For more information on the Giant Floor Map, contact Ellen Curtis, Educational Programs Manager at 613-745-4629 ext. 124.

Written by on October 17, 2012 in Exeter, Schools, South Huron - 1 Comment

One Comment on "School class follows massive map to learn about War of 1812"

  1. Paul Carroll October 17, 2012 at 10:18 am · Reply

    If Julie – or any other teacher – would like to trace out the travels of our own Dr. William “TIGER” Dunlop who was a medical mate and army surgeon in the War of 1812, I can make arrangements to get them a book which inlcudes his opwn account of the war. He wrote about it in a serial of articles called “Recollections of the American War”.

    Following his 1813 arrival in Quebec, he made his way along the St. Lawrence to Lake Ontario and York, thence by frigate to Burlington Bay and the Niagara peninsula where he was present during major battles, attending to the wounded and dying by setting up field hospitals. It is said that, had Queen Victoria been on the throne, he would have been awarded the Victoria Cross for his amazing and daring rescues in one battle alone.

    At the siege of Fort Erie, he traded places with a front-line soldier and came close to injury and death as he fought along with his fellows in the Regiment. He concluded his time here by helping to open the road to Penetanguishine for the new naval establishment there – to replace the one at Nottawasaga (Wasaga Beach) where the HMS NANCY had been lost.

Leave a Comment

Please note: JavaScript is required to post comments.

About the Author

Heather has spent most of her career in local journalism and communications. She moved to Huron County more than two decades ago to join the newsroom at the Goderich Signal-Star, reporting local council and community news. Since then, she had been editor at the Walkerton Herald Times, city editor at the award-winning Observer in Sarnia, and freelance writer for the Hamilton Spectator and the London Free Press. She developed a local network with local government and businesses while working for Heritage and Cultural Partnership. She also worked with municipal and provincial governments in her role as communications manager for a wind energy development company. She has been active in the local community, most recently volunteering time to Habitat for Humanity Huron County. Heather graduated from Ryerson with a Bachelor of Applied Arts, Journalism.