This course is designed for Grade 3 students to teach social studies by addressing two important aspects of social studies such as (i) heritage and identity: communities in Canada, 1780–1850 and (ii) people and environments: living and working in Ontario. In heritage and identity, students compare ways of life among some specific groups in Canada around the beginning of the nineteenth century, and describe some of the changes between that era and the present day; use the social studies inquiry process to investigate some of the major challenges that different groups and communities faced in Canada from around 1780 to 1850, and key measures taken to address these challenges; identify some of the communities in Canada around the beginning of the nineteenth century, and describe their relationships to the land and to each other.
In people and environments, students demonstrate an understanding of some key aspects of the interrelationship between the natural environment, land use, employment opportunities, and the development of municipal regions in Ontario; use the social studies inquiry process to investigate some of the environmental effects of different types of land and/or resource use in two or more Ontario municipal regions, as well as some of the measures taken to reduce the negative impact of that use; understanding context: describe major landform regions and types of land use in Ontario and some of the ways in which land use in various Ontario municipalities addresses human needs and wants, including the need for jobs.