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Ontario Curriculum Expectations

Grade 7 History
Grade 8 History
Grade 12 Canada: History, Identity, and Culture
Grade 12 World History: The West and the World
Grade 12 World History: The West and the World


Expectations (Grade 7 Social Studies)
History: New France

Overall Expectations
By the end of Grade 7, students will:

  • outline the reasons why settlers came to New France; identify the social, political, religious, and economic factors that shaped the colony; and describe how settlers and fur traders interacted with the First Nation peoples;

  • use a variety of resources and tools to gather, process, and communicate information about how settlers in New France met the physical, social, and economic challenges of the new land;

  • identify and explain similarities and differences in the goals and interests of various groups in New France, including French settlers, First Nation peoples, and both French and English fur traders.

Specific Expectations
Knowledge and Understanding
By the end of Grade 7, students will:

  • explain why people came to live in New France (e.g., for land, for military reasons, for the fur trade, for religious reasons) and describe the impact of European immigration on First Nation settlements;

  • identify key characteristics of economic, political, and social life in New France (e.g., the seigneurial system; the roles of governor, bishop, and intendant);

  • identify and explain examples of conflict and cooperation between the French and First Nation peoples (e.g., with respect to the fur trade, religion and culture, military alliances/conflicts), and between the French and English fur traders (e.g., competition between the North West Company and the Hudson's Bay Company);

  • outline the background and causes of key events of the period (e.g., the expulsion of the Acadians, the Seven Years' War, the Battle of the Plains of Abraham) and describe their effects.

Developing Inquiry/Research and Communication Skills
By the end of Grade 7, students will:

  • formulate questions to aid in gathering and clarifying information (e.g., How did the Catholic Church influence the life of First Nation peoples and French settlers in New France?);

  • use a variety of primary and secondary sources to locate relevant information about how early settlers met the challenges of the new land (e.g., primary sources: artifacts, journals, letters, statistics, field trips, interviews, period documents and maps; secondary sources: maps, illustrations, print materials, videos, CD-ROMs, Internet sites);

  • analyse, synthesize, and evaluate historical information from different points of view (e.g., First Nation peoples' ideas about spirituality and Jesuit ideas about religion);

  • analyse and describe conflicting points of view about a historical event (e.g., the expulsion of the Acadians), giving examples of fact and opinion;

  • communicate the results of inquiries for specific purposes and audiences, using media works, oral presentations, written notes and reports, drawings, tables, charts, and graphs (e.g., create a chart illustrating the organization of the seigneury);

  • use appropriate vocabulary (e.g., seigneurial system, rivalry, expulsion, Acadian) to describe their inquiries and observations.

Application
By the end of Grade 7, students will:

  • compare the attractions and drawbacks for French Canadians in choosing life on a farm versus life in the church or in the woods (e.g., as an habitant, a Jesuit priest, an Ursuline nun, a coureur de bois, a fille du roi).

History: British North America

Overall Expectations
By the end of Grade 7, students will:

  • explain the origins of English settlement in British North America after the fall of New France, describe the migration and settlement experiences of the various groups of settlers, and outline the causes, events, and results of the War of 1812;

  • use a variety of resources and tools to gather, process, and communicate information about the beginnings and development of the new British colonies;

  • identify some themes and personalities from the period, and explain their relevance to contemporary Canada.

Specific Expectations

Knowledge and Understanding
By the end of Grade 7, students will:

  • explain the historical impact of key events on the settlement of British North America (e.g., the Treaty of Paris, the Quebec Act, the American Revolution);

  • describe the different groups of people (e.g., Black Loyalists, slaves, indentured servants, Iroquois allied nations, Maritime Loyalists) who took part in the Loyalists' migration and identify their areas of settlement;

  • outline the reasons for the early settlement of English Canada (e.g., as an outcome of the American Revolution);

  • explain key characteristics of life in English Canada from a variety of perspectives (e.g., family life, economic and social life, the growth and development of early institutions, transportation, relationships with First Nation peoples and French settlers);

  • identify the achievements and contributions of significant people (e.g., Sir John Graves Simcoe, Lady Elizabeth Simcoe, Joseph Brant/Thayendanegea).

Developing Inquiry/Research and Communication Skills
By the end of Grade 7, students will:

  • formulate questions to facilitate research on specific topics (e.g., Why were the Iroquois peoples allied with the British Crown? How were Indian reserves created in English Canada and French Canada and what were their impacts on First Nation peoples?);

  • use a variety of primary and secondary sources to locate relevant information about how early settlers met the challenges of the new land (e.g., primary sources: artifacts, journals, letters, statistics, field trips, interviews, period documents and maps; secondary sources: maps, illustrations, print materials, videos, CD-ROMs, Internet sites);

  • analyse, synthesize, and evaluate historical information (e.g., debate the question: Who won the War of 1812?);

  • describe and analyse conflicting points of view about a series of historical events (e.g., the Royal Proclamation of 1763, the Quebec Act of 1774, the Declaration of Independence of 1776, the Indian Act of 1876);

  • construct and use a wide variety of graphs, charts, diagrams, maps, and models to organize and interpret information (e.g., on a map of North America, trace the migration routes of the Loyalists and identify their areas of settlement);

  • communicate the results of inquiries for specific purposes and audiences, using media works, oral presentations, written notes and reports, drawings, tables, charts, and graphs (e.g., conduct a historical demonstration of immigrants coming to the Canadas);

  • use appropriate vocabulary (e.g., institutions, revolution, Loyalists, Patriots, Upper Canada, Lower Canada) to describe their inquiries and observations.

Application
By the end of Grade 7, students will:

  • prepare and present a biographical sketch of a historical person from the period 1759-1812 (e.g., Laura Secord, Isaac Brock, Tecumseh, Thomas Peters).


Expectations (Grade 8 Social Studies)
History: The Development of Western Canada

Overall Expectations
By the end of Grade 8, students will:

  • outline the main factors contributing to the settlement and development of the Prairie provinces, British Columbia, and Yukon, and describe the effects of development on various groups of people in the region from a variety of perspectives;

  • use a variety of resources and tools to gather, process, and communicate information about conflicts and changes that occurred during the development of western Canada;

Specific Expectations

Knowledge and Understanding
By the end of Grade 8, students will:

  • describe the everyday life of various groups (e.g., First Nation peoples, Métis, Europeans) in western Canada in the late nineteenth century;

  • explain the factors that led to the settlement of the Canadian west (e.g., federal government policy of opening up the prairies for European settlement, protective tariffs, railroad construction);

  • analyse how treaties and the Indian Act of 1876 transformed the lifestyles of First Nation peoples in the Canadian west;

  • describe the role of the Canadian Pacific Railway in furthering Canada's expansion, and identify the key individuals (e.g., Donald Smith, William Van Horne) and groups (e.g., Chinese workers) whose efforts led to the railway's completion;

  • describe the causes and results of the Red River Rebellion of 1869-70 and the North-West Rebellion of 1885 and explain the role of key individuals and groups (e.g., Louis Riel, Gabriel Dumont, the North-West Mounted Police, Thomas Scott, Big Bear, Poundmaker, General Wolseley, Catherine Schubert);

Developing Inquiry/Research and Communication Skills
By the end of Grade 8, students will:

  • formulate questions to guide research on issues and problems (e.g., Why did Big Bear receive the treatment he did from Canada's legal system?);

  • use a variety of primary and secondary sources to locate relevant information about the building of the railway, the settling of the land, and social and cultural life in the developing west (e.g., primary sources: photographs of Chinese labourers and prairie sodbusters, the poetry of Robert W. Service; secondary sources: maps, illustrations, print materials, videos, CD-ROMs, Internet sites);

  • analyse, synthesize, and evaluate historical information (e.g., trends in immigration, the impact of Treaties 1 to 8);

  • describe and analyse conflicting points of view about a historical event (e.g., the Pacific Scandal, the hanging of Louis Riel, the imprisonment of Big Bear);

  • communicate the results of inquiries for specific purposes and audiences, using media works, political cartoons, oral presentations, written notes and reports, drawings, tables, charts, and graphs (e.g., create diary entries depicting Louis Riel as a hero or a traitor);

  • use appropriate vocabulary (e.g., treaties, Métis, Rupert's Land, provisional government, prospector, panning for gold, staking a claim) to describe their inquiries and observations.


Expectations for Canada: History, Identity, and Culture
(Grade 12, University Preparation)

Communities: Local, National, and Global

Overall Expectations
By the end of this course, students will:

  • describe the main features of life in selected Aboriginal societies in Canada prior to contact with Europeans and how they have changed over time;

  • analyse the principal characteristics of the French and English colonial experiences in Canada;

  • assess the significance of successive waves of immigration in the development of regional, provincial, and national identities in Canada.

Specific Expectations

Aboriginal Peoples
By the end of this course, students will:

  • explain why and how Aboriginal peoples helped European colonists adapt to their new environment;

  • analyse the impact of European contact on the lives of Aboriginal peoples and evaluate the responses of Aboriginal peoples (e.g., spread of disease; territorial relocation; introduction of new weapons and trade goods; rebellions of Pontiac and Tecumseh, and at Oka; consequences of the Royal Proclamation of 1763; political agitation for self-government);

Colonial Canada
By the end of this course, students will:

  • compare the colonizing policies of the French (e.g., Company of One Hundred Associates, Catholic missionaries, Colbert’s compact in Laurentian society, seigneurial system) and the British (e.g., absentee landlords in Prince Edward Island, settlement of Napoleonic War veterans, clergy and Crown reserves in Upper Canada) in colonial Canada;

Immigration and Identity
By the end of this course, students will:

  • describe significant waves of immigration (e.g., United Empire Loyalists in the late 1700s, Black immigration in the early 1800s, British immigration in the 1840s, Sifton’s “men in sheepskin coats”, post–World War II immigration, Asian and African immigration in the 1990s) and settlement patterns, and how they helped shape Canadian identity and culture;

Change and Continuity

Overall Expectations
By the end of this course, students will:

  • analyse how Canada’s changing relationships with France, Britain, and the United States have influenced the formation and transformation of Canada’s identity;

Specific Expectations

Transformation of Canadian Identity
By the end of this course, students will:

  • demonstrate an understanding of the resistance of French and British settlers to the establishment of European colonial institutions (e.g., coureurs de bois, habitant relationships with the Catholic church, William Lyon Mackenzie versus the Family Compact, the Métis);

Cultural Pluralism
By the end of this course, students will:

  • assess whether British colonial policies were directed towards the creation of a homogeneous society in Canada (e.g., Articles of Capitulation; Treaty of Paris, 1763; Quebec Act, 1774; Act of Union, 1840; nineteenth-century immigration policies);

Methods of Historical Inquiry

Overall Expectations
By the end of this course, students will:

  • demonstrate an understanding of historians’ methods of locating, gathering, and organizing research materials;

  • critically analyse interpretations related to Canadian history, culture, and identity;

  • communicate opinions and ideas based on effective research clearly and concisely;

  • demonstrate an ability to think creatively, manage time efficiently, and work effectively in independent and collaborative study.

Specific Expectations

Research
By the end of this course, students will:

  • formulate questions for research that lead to a more profound understanding of the evolution of Canadian culture, drawing on examples from Canadian history;

  • conduct organized research, using a variety of information sources (e.g., primary and secondary sources, audio-visual materials, Internet sites) that present a diverse range of perspectives on Canadian history and culture;

  • organize research findings, using a variety of methods and forms (e.g., note taking; graphs and charts, maps and diagrams).

Interpretation and Analysis
By the end of this course, students will:

  • demonstrate an ability to distinguish bias, prejudice, stereotyping, or a lack of substantiation in statements, arguments, and opinions;

  • compare key interpretations of Canadian history (e.g., as reflected in the “two founding nations” thesis or the notion of Canada as a land of immigrants);

  • explain relationships and connections in the data studied (e.g., chronological ties, cause and effect, similarities and differences);

  • draw conclusions based on the effective evaluation of sources, analysis of information, and awareness of diverse historical interpretations;

  • demonstrate an ability to develop a cogent thesis substantiated by effective research.

Communication
By the end of this course, students will:

  • communicate effectively, using a variety of styles and forms (e.g., essays, debates, role playing, group presentations);

  • use an accepted form of academic documentation effectively and correctly (e.g., footnotes, endnotes, or author-date citations; bibliographies or reference lists; appendices), and avoid plagiarism;

  • express ideas, opinions, and conclusions clearly, articulately, and in a manner that respects the opinions of others.

Creativity, Collaboration, and Independent Study
By the end of this course, students will:

  • demonstrate an ability to think creatively in reaching conclusions about both assigned questions and issues and those conceived independently;

  • use a variety of time-management strategies effectively;

  • demonstrate an ability to work independently and collaboratively and to seek and respect the opinions of others;


Expectations for World History: The West and the World
(Grade 12, University Preparation)

Communities: Local, National, and Global

Overall Expectations
By the end of this course, students will:

  • demonstrate an understanding of the nature of the interaction among diverse peoples since the sixteenth century;

Specific Expectations
The Nature of the Interaction Among Communities
By the end of this course, students will:

  • analyse the impact of Western colonization on both the colonizer and the colonized (e.g., enrichment and impoverishment; introduction of new foods, materials, products, and ideas; destruction of cultures through disease and policy; revival of commitment to indigenous cultural identities);


Expectations for World History: The West and the World
(Grade 12, College Preparation)

Communities: Local, National, and Global

Overall Expectations
By the end of this course, students will:

  • describe key elements of various types of interactions that have occurred among diverse peoples and cultures since the sixteenth century;

Specific Expectations

The Nature of Interaction Among Communities
By the end of this course, students will:

  • describe key aspects of the impact of Western colonization on both the colonizer and the colonized (e.g., enrichment and impoverishment; introduction of new foods, materials, products, and ideas; destruction of cultures through disease and policy; revival of commitment to indigenous cultural identities);
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