Social Studies 4
Construct arguments defending the significance of individuals/groups, places, events, or developments (significance):
Key questions:
- What events are most significant in the story of BC’s development
This painting shows Captain James Cook in his vessel Resolution entering Nootka Sound in 1778. Gordon Miller painting
- Should James Douglas be remembered as the father of BC?
- What was the most significant reason for BC’s entry into Confederation?
Sequence objects, images, or events, and determine continuities and changes between different time periods or places (continuity and change):
Sample activity:
- Create a timeline of key events in BC’s history.
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Key questions:
- How have the economic centres of BC changed over time?
- Why is Barkerville no longer a significant economic centre?
- What resources are important to people in present-day BC compared to people in the past? Explain what has changed over time.
- Search for a resource, eg:
Differentiate between intended and unintended consequences of events, decisions, or developments, and speculate about alternative outcomes (cause and consequence):
Sample activities:
- Hold a debate about whether BC should have joined the United States or Canada, or become an independent country.
- Track the positive and negative effects of key events in BC’s development on First Peoples.
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Key questions:
- Was joining Canada the best decision for BC?
- Why did Vancouver become BC’s largest city?
Construct narratives that capture the attitudes, values, and worldviews commonly held by people at different times or places (perspective):
Sample activity:
- Compare the “discovery” and “exploration” of North America from European and First Peoples perspectives.
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Key question:
- Who benefited most from the early west coast fur trade: First Peoples or Europeans?
Make ethical judgments about events, decisions, or actions that consider the conditions of a particular time and place (ethical judgment):
Sample activities:
- Evaluate the fairness of BC’s treaty process.
- Describe the importance of protecting minority rights in a democracy.
- Identify key events and issues in First Peoples’ rights and interactions with early governments in Canada (e.g., the Indian Act, the establishment of the residential school system, potlatch ban, reserve system, treaties).
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Early contact, trade, co-operation, and conflict between First Peoples and European peoples:
Sample topics:
- Early explorers: Cabot, Frobisher, Hudson, Cartier, Champlain
- Voyages of Cook and Vancouver
- Provision of muskets to First Peoples by Europeans
- Spread of horses to the Prairies
- Marriages between First Peoples and Europeans
- Colonial wars and alliances between Europeans and First Peoples (e.g., between Maquinna [Nuu chah-nulth] and the Cook expedition or between French colonists and the First Peoples living around the Great Lakes)
Key questions:
- What motivated explorers and settlers to come to Canada?
- How did the geography of Canada affect European exploration?
The fur trade in pre-Confederation Canada and British Columbia:
Sample topics:
- Fur trading companies (e.g., the Hudson’s Bay Company and the North West Company)
- Russian and Spanish trade on the coast
- Establishment of trading posts (e.g., Victoria, Fort Langley, and other forts; Metis communities)
Demographic changes in pre-Confederation British Columbia in both First Peoples and non–First Peoples communities:
Sample topics:
- European and American settlement and migration
- Relocation/resettlement of First Peoples
Economic and political factors that influenced the colonization of British Columbia and its entry into Confederation:
Sample topics:
The impact of colonization on First Peoples societies in British Columbia and Canada:
Sample topics:
- More complex political systems
- Loss of territory
- Impact on language and culture
- Key events and issues regarding First Peoples rights and interactions with early governments in Canada (e.g., the Indian Act, potlatch ban, reserve system, residential schools, treaties)
The history of the local community and of local First Peoples communities: