Grade 5 Social Studies Ontario - Indigenous Peoples & The Impact of Europeans

Grade 5 Ontario Social Studies – Indigenous Peoples & Early European Explorers (Strand A)

Are you teaching Strand A of the 2020 Grade 5 Ontario Social Studies curriculum? This comprehensive inquiry-based unit has everything you need to cover the history of Indigenous Peoples and the impact of Early European Explorers in what would eventually become Canada.

Designed to run over 8–10 weeks, this unit gives students flexibility and choice while helping them dive deep into meaningful issues. It has been created in consultation with an Indigenous Knowledge Keeper to ensure cultural accuracy and sensitivity, following the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

🌿 What Students Will Learn

Students will explore the way of life of 10 Indigenous Nations prior to European contact, including:

• Eastern Cree
• Inuit
• Algonquin
• Abenaki
• Huron-Wendat
• Haudenosaunee
• Innu
• Mi’kmaq
• Ojibwa
• Beothuk

They’ll also learn about the ethnogenesis of the Métis in the Great Lakes region at the end of this period.

🎯 Student Learning Goals

Through inquiry-based instruction, students will:

• Research the lives of Indigenous Nations prior to European contact
• Explore interactions within and between Indigenous groups, and with Europeans before 1713
• Analyze the benefits and consequences of contact for all groups involved

📘 Engaging Activities (Beyond Worksheets!)

• Reading and interpreting maps of Indigenous communities
• Comparing Indigenous groups’ food, social organization, government, beliefs, alliances, and conflicts
• Learning about major European Explorers in Canada
• Contrasting European settlements with Indigenous ways of life
• Constructing timelines of key events
• Analyzing and evaluating the impact of contact