History

Grade 8: The Development of Western Canada	Planning: Term # Tracking: Ach. Level
Overall Expectations	1	2	3	4
* 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;
* show how the history of the Canadian west has influenced both artistic/imaginative works and Canadian institutions.
Specific Expectations
Knowledge and Understanding
* 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);
* explain the effects of post-Confederation immigration, new wheat strains, and the Klondike gold rush on the expansion of western Canada and British Columbia (e.g., the development of prairie towns, the entry of the Yukon Territory into Confederation, the growth of Dawson City).
Inquiry/Research and Communication Skills
* 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.
Application
* compare the image and duties of the North-West Mounted Police to the image and duties of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police today;
* show how examples of art, poetry, music, and video reflect the history of the Canadian west (e.g., the art of Emily Carr, "The Cremation of Sam McGee" by Robert W. Service, "The Canadian Railroad Trilogy" by Gordon Lightfoot, Paul Yee's writings).
Student Name:

Expectations: Copyright The Queen's Printer for Ontario, 2004.  Format: Copyright B.Phillips, 1998.