Social Studies

In this unit you will explore communities in Canada, past and present. You will start by finding out whose land you are on and which treaty covers it. You will learn why different peoples came to Canada, what life was like in settler communities, and the contributions of many communities, including First Nations, Métis and Inuit. You will look honestly at the Indian Act and residential schools, at how Indigenous communities have stood up for their rights, at hard times faced by newcomer communities such as Chinese, South Asian, Japanese, Ukrainian and Black Canadians, and at the history of Jewish communities in Canada and the harm of antisemitism. Then you will compare communities today, investigate changes in your own community, explore Canadian identities and inclusion, and carry out your own inquiry into different perspectives.

Remember from earlier grades: you learned about communities in Canada from 1780 to 1850 in Grade 3 and about Indigenous and European interactions before 1713 in Grade 5. All the First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities in this unit are living communities today. Some lessons cover sad and serious history (residential schools, the Holocaust); each has a note for grown-ups. Every lesson has a hands-on activity, practice questions and a short quiz.

Curriculum expectations covered: A1.1 to A1.4, A2.1 to A2.6 and A3.1 to A3.10 (The Ontario Curriculum, Social Studies, Grades 1 to 6; History and Geography, Grades 7 and 8, 2018, revised 2023: Grade 6, Strand A, Heritage and Identity: Communities in Canada, Past and Present).

In this unit you will discover how Canada connects with the rest of the world and why international cooperation matters. You will learn the major ways the Government of Canada interacts with other countries (diplomacy, trade, international organizations and accords, aid, peace and security, people and culture); Canada's imports, exports and trading partners; trade agreements and how Canada's economic, social and political interactions affect other regions; why Canada belongs to organizations like the United Nations, NATO, the Commonwealth, La Francophonie and the Arctic Council; how First Nations, Métis and Inuit take part in the global community; the NGOs and individual Canadians who help; how Canada responds to disasters and emergencies; peacekeeping, human rights and refugees; global issues such as child labour, access to fresh water, food shortages and climate change; why many environmental issues need every country to take part; how to judge whether a response is effective; and how to carry out an inquiry like a social scientist.

This unit builds on Grade 5 (the federal government's responsibility for things that affect the whole country, rights and responsibilities, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, UNDRIP, and the inquiry process). It is non-partisan and names no current politicians. Statistics give their source and year; pretend examples are clearly marked.

Curriculum expectations covered: B1 (B1.1 to B1.3), B2 (B2.1 to B2.6) and B3 (B3.1 to B3.4, B3.6, B3.7, and the overall expectation B3) (Ontario Social Studies, Grade 6, People and Environments: Canada's Interactions with the Global Community, 2018, revised 2023). B1 (Application): explain the importance of international cooperation in addressing global issues, and evaluate the effectiveness of selected actions by Canada and Canadian citizens in the international arena. B2 (Inquiry): use the social studies inquiry process to investigate some global issues of political, social, economic, and/or environmental importance, their impact on the global community, and responses to the issues. B3 (Understanding Context): describe significant aspects of the involvement of Canada and Canadians in some regions around the world, including the impact of this involvement.