One 1885 newspaper in Toronto calls the events in Saskatchewan “a rebellion”. A Métis oral history from Batoche calls them a defence of land and rights.
Grade 8 · Social Studies · Unit 1 of 15
Think Like a Historian
Sources, perspectives, cause and consequence
What your child practises
The historical inquiry process: asking good questions, telling primary from secondary sources, judging credibility and bias, comparing perspectives, using maps and timelines, and building conclusions from evidence.
Ontario Curriculum expectation: History A2.1–A2.7, B2.1–B2.7 · forming inquiry questions, gathering and judging sources, comparing perspectives, using maps and evidence, and communicating findings
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
“Historical perspective” means…
- assuming everyone thought the same
- judging the past only by today's rules
- ignoring what people believed
- understanding people and events in the context of their time without excusing harm
Show answer
understanding people and events in the context of their time without excusing harm
Hint: We can explain the attitudes of the time and still say that harm was done.
Question 2
A map shows the locations of the Klondike gold fields and the routes to them. What kind of question can it help answer?
- What was the price of gold?
- Who was the prime minister?
- What did miners eat each day?
- Where did events happen, and how did geography shape the rush?
Show answer
Where did events happen, and how did geography shape the rush?
Hint: Maps show where things are and help explain why.
Question 3
What should a historian do?
- Compare the accounts and consider each author's purpose and point of view.
- Choose only the newspaper.
- Ignore both.
- Choose only the oral history.
Show answer
Compare the accounts and consider each author's purpose and point of view.
Hint: Different sources can both be useful, even when they disagree.
Question 4
Which source would best show the perspective of a Métis family in 1885?
- a railway advertisement
- a map of Ontario
- a tariff chart
- a letter or oral history from a Métis family
Show answer
a letter or oral history from a Métis family
Hint: To learn a group's perspective, look for sources from that group.
Question 5
Historical significance asks whether an event…
- had a big impact on many people or lasting results
- happened on a weekend
- was written about once
- happened close to home
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had a big impact on many people or lasting results
Hint: Significance is judged by consequences and by how people remember an event.
Question 6
Put the steps of the historical inquiry process in order.
- 🧩Analyse the evidence
- 🔍Check how credible the sources are
- ❓Ask a question
- 📣Communicate the findings
Show answer
Ask a question → Check how credible the sources are → Analyse the evidence → Communicate the findings
Hint: Historians ask questions first, then gather and check sources, analyse them, draw conclusions and communicate.