SSW303: Canadian History

Course Title: Canadian History
GRADE LEVEL: 9 -12
CODE: SSW303
COURSE LENGTH: 36 weeks

Major Concepts/Content: The Canadian history course is a thematic look at twentieth-century Canada. The course focuses on four major themes: citizenship, government, and law; English-French relations; Canada-U.S. relations; Canada-international relations. Specifically, the content areas covered are: Canadian political process; laws and government structures; the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms; the Conquest and early rebellions; the rise of French-Canadian nationalism and separatism; the language issue; Canada-U.S. nineteenth- century relations; Arctic sovereignty; Canada-U.S. twentieth century trade relations; Canadian culture and the U. S.; gaining independence from Great Britain; becoming a Middle Power, the ‘third option - policy; recent foreign policy. The course will emphasize the connection between past events and present reality.

Major Instructional Activities: Instructional activities will include use of texts, documents, maps, charts, photographs, political cartoons, and other materials. Students will work on research and class projects; participate in class discussions and other group activities, including simulation exercises. Lectures, audiovisual presentations, and field trips will also be used.

Major Evaluative Techniques: Evaluation will be comprised of projects, essays, tests, quizzes and formal exams. Students will be expected to interpret graphs, charts, texts, maps, and photographs. Activities will be evaluated periodically.

Essential Objectives: Upon completion of the Canadian history course, students should be able to:

  • Understand Canada’s political system: government and legal structures; basic-laws relationship with Great Britain, the United States, and the rest of the world in past events.
  • Understand and appreciate Canada’s uniqueness, the relationship between its two founding cultures, its identity, and past events.
  • Develop skills and aptitudes necessary to understand and use the raw materials of the social studies.
  • Develop and practice higher-order thinking skills through the study and use of various social studies materials to make clear deductions, assumptions, and conclusions about Canada.

Last Revised: March 16th, 2009 at 12:00 pm.