Social Studies Grade Five

Unit 2: Heritage

Unit Overview for Grades 1 to 5

Learning at each grade level is organized around four units of study.
Unit 1 Identity Unit 3 Interdependence
Unit 2 Heritage Unit 4 Decision Making

This curriculum uses a spiral model for organizing learning objectives. With this developmental model, concepts are introduced and developed within the context of a theme and at a level appropriate for the students in the classroom. The unit "Heritage" is developed in the following way:

Unit Summary for Grade Five
Students will study some of the historical experiences that brought Canadians together. They will study the First Nations Peoples from an historic as well as current perspective and will focus on some major events (e.g., the fur trade, Confederation, building of the railway) which have helped shape our country. They will explore some of the causes of these events, study the groups of immigrants the events brought to Canada, and discuss how the lives of the various peoples were/are influenced by them.

Major Concepts and Learning Objectives

Concepts
Heritage

history, oral tradition, First Peoples, origin, explorer, immigrant, push/pull factors, Métis, nation, Confederation, treaty, war, peace, change
Knowledge Objectives
Students will know that:

writers of history do so within the context of their own beliefs, values, and perspectives. (C, PSVS, CCT)
First Nations peoples have been living in this country tens of thousands of years. (N, PSVS)
there is great diversity among First Nations peoples. (CCT)
explorers, traders, and immigrants came to this country for various reasons and brought with them their own cultures. (PSVS, CCT)
events and interactions among peoples brought about profound changes. (CCT, PSVS, TL)
Skills/Abilities Objectives

Students will:

use various resources to identify perspectives and points of view. (CCT, PSVS, C)
access, organize, and present information. (IL, C, TL, CCT)
make comparisons and connections. (CCT, C, IL)
identify changes that occurred and relate them to the present. (C, CCT, N, IL)
Attitudes/Values Objectives
Students will:

appreciate and value the cultures and traditions of various people. (PSVS, IL, CCT)
appreciate the people and events that have helped shape this country. (CCT, PSVS)
Citizen Action Objectives
Students may:

practise seeing things from various points of view. (PSVS, CCT, C)
negotiate a modern day treaty. (C, PSVS, CCT)

Suggestions for Integration

Language Arts:
Use literature (e.g., historical fiction, biography, case studies) to study past experiences of various peoples of Canada. Develop themes in the social and the historical contexts. This could be an ongoing theme throughout the year.
Arts Education:
See Arts Education: A Curriculum Guide for Grade 5 , p. 329-339. Study past and present art forms of various peoples, including Indian peoples, exploring reasons why these art forms evolved. Use art forms to present information.
Science:
Units: Plant Structure and Function , Communities and Ecosystems.
Student skills/abilities may be supported in all subjects.

Teaching History to Elementary Students
Unit Two focuses on the historical experiences of people of Canada. Research shows that using a traditional approach (using the steps, lecture, take notes, learn facts/dates, write test) to teach history to young students is not as productive as a resource-based learning approach. However, research also shows that young students are very interested in the events and experiences of the past. Literature is a very important resource to use when developing historical understandings with elementary students.
Use learning experiences in this unit to develop understandings about stereotype, assumptions, bias, point of view, and prejudice. Use resources that present different perspectives. Have students think about the perspective being presented in each case. Develop skills and attitudes necessary to counter bias when accessing information about historic experiences.
Because there are many different cultural groups represented in Canada, it is not possible to deal with them all. Literature may be chosen to focus on the following:

Canada's First Peoples
Explorers and Fur Traders - These include people from Britain and France.
The Métis people
Immigrants - These may include people from virtually every other country. Groups the teacher may want to focus on include Western and Eastern Europe, United States (including Africans who came to Canada from the United States), and Asia.
One of the objectives of the study is that students will empathize with the experiences of the past. Guide students in setting guidelines about not making judgemental statements and about showing respect for the experiences and feelings of all people. Some initial discussions or activities would be in order so that objectives will be met.
The teacher may wish to focus on the historical experiences of ethnic groups represented in the classroom. In that case, the teacher and students should be cautious when dealing with issues that may be considered personal or that may be painful to some students. The teacher should also include ethnic groups not represented in the class.
For assessment purposes, the teacher, in addition to assessing knowledge acquired, may develop criteria and instruments to assess attitudes and skills. Rating scales or checklists may be used. Assessment may be done by the teacher or by the students. The teacher may wish to refer to Student Evaluation: A Teacher Handbook (December 1991) for additional ideas and guidelines for evaluation and to Social Studies: A Curriculum Guide for the Elementary Level, pages 17-25 for some examples of templates that may be used or adapted.
See Social Studies: An Activity Guide for Grade Six, p. 479 - 485, for suggestions on how to conduct and evaluate a literature study designed to teach historical events and experiences.