Grade 4 · Social Studies · Unit 3 of 10
People & the Land
How the environment shaped early ways of life
What your child practises
How rivers, deserts, mountains, forests and Arctic seasons shaped food, homes and travel for societies such as ancient Egypt, Greece, the Haudenosaunee and the Inuit, and how to investigate this with maps and evidence.
Ontario Curriculum expectation: A1.4, A2.1–A2.6, A3.4, A3.5 · how the local environment shaped how early societies met their needs
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
Why is farming almost impossible in the Arctic?
❄️- it rains every day
- the ground is frozen and the summers are short
- it is too hot
- there is too much soil
Show answer
the ground is frozen and the summers are short
Hint: The Arctic climate shapes how people live.
Question 2
The Inuit made tools and clothing from animals. How does this show their relationship with the environment?
🧵- they used what the land and sea provided
- they ignored the land
- they bought everything
- they avoided animals
Show answer
they used what the land and sea provided
Hint: Knowledge of the environment guided their lives.
Question 3
Many Indigenous peoples take only what they need from the land. Why is this important?
🌱- to save money
- because they have no tools
- so the land and animals stay healthy for the future
- because the land is useless
Show answer
so the land and animals stay healthy for the future
Hint: This is stewardship.
Question 4
Why did ancient Egyptians farm near the Nile?
🌊- its yearly floods left rich soil in a dry land
- it was far from any water
- it was snowy and frozen
- it never flooded
Show answer
its yearly floods left rich soil in a dry land
Hint: The Nile gave water and fertile soil.
Question 5
Why are an Arctic community's winter and summer homes different?
🏠- they like variety only
- the seasons and the animals they hunt change
- they move to cities
- they must hide from the Sun
Show answer
the seasons and the animals they hunt change
Hint: Homes fit the season.
Question 6
The Haudenosaunee used the forests for…
🌲- building pyramids
- mining gold
- wood and bark for homes, and for hunting
- growing wheat only
Show answer
wood and bark for homes, and for hunting
Hint: The forest supplied materials.