Grade 7 Social Studies: how to help at home
What your child learns in Grade 7 social studies in the Alberta Curriculum, and simple things to try at home.
The Big Ideas this year
- Canada: Origins, Histories and Movement of Peoples is the Grade 7 focus
- 7.1 Toward Confederation: how First Nations, Métis, Inuit, French and British peoples shaped what became Canada
- 7.2 Following Confederation, Canadian Expansions: how Canada grew, including into the West, and what that meant for the people who lived there
- Different peoples have different perspectives on the same events, and a fair history includes many voices
Easy ways to practise social studies at home
- Follow a current event together and ask who is affected and why people see it differently.
- Build a timeline of a family event or a historical topic they are studying.
- Use an atlas or online map to trace a trade or travel route.
- Ask “Whose voice is missing from this story?” when reading about the past.
What each unit covers
New France & the Fur Trade
Daily life in New France (seigneurs and habitants, towns, Church), the fur trade and its partnerships with First Nations, the Métis, and migrant fishers, compared with life in Canada today.
The Fur Trade in the West
The Hudson's Bay Company and North West Company in the West, trading partnerships with First Nations and Métis people, pemmican and trading posts such as Fort Edmonton.
Power & Conflict, 1713 to 1800
The Treaty of Utrecht, the expulsion of the Acadians, the Seven Years' War, the Royal Proclamation of 1763, the Quebec Act, the Loyalists and the Constitutional Act, with attention to the perspectives of different groups and to checking sources.
Loyalists & the War of 1812
Loyalist settlement, the causes, key people and outcome of the War of 1812 (including the roles of First Nations allies and the Treaty of Ghent), and growth after the war: canals, the fur trade companies and the Red River.
Reform & Rebellion
Government in Upper and Lower Canada, the Family Compact and Château Clique, the Rebellions of 1837 to 1838 from several points of view, the Durham Report, the Act of Union, immigration and hardship, and responsible government in 1848.
Confederation
Why the colonies joined in 1867, the conferences that led to it, who was included in the decisions and who was not, and how the country grew to include the West.
The Métis & the Red River
The Métis as a distinct Indigenous people, the Red River Settlement, Louis Riel and the Manitoba Act, 1885, and Métis Settlements in Alberta today.
Treaties 6, 7 and 8
The numbered treaties, especially Treaties 6, 7 and 8 in Alberta, different understandings of the treaties, and the Indian Act and residential schools in age-appropriate terms.
Railway & Settlement
The Canadian Pacific Railway, the North-West Mounted Police, homesteading under the Dominion Lands Act, the loss of the bison and how Alberta became a province in 1905.
People on the Move
Reasons people moved to the Prairies, immigration policies, the contributions and hardships of newcomers including Ukrainian, Chinese and Black settlers, and the long history of Indigenous peoples in the West.
What the report card levels look like at home
- Beginning
- Just getting started with this idea. Short, regular practice with lots of support helps most.
- Approaching
- Understands parts of it and is building confidence. Keep practising the tricky parts.
- Meeting
- Has it! Mixed review now and then keeps it strong.
- Exceeding
- Applies it confidently, even in new or harder situations. Try challenge mode and real-life problems.
Your child’s teacher decides the level on the report card. Read the Alberta report card guide.
Common questions
How can I help my Grade 7 child with social studies?
Follow a current event together and ask who is affected and why people see it differently. Build a timeline of a family event or a historical topic they are studying. Keep sessions short, about 10 to 15 minutes, and stop on a success.
What does my child learn in Grade 7 social studies in Alberta?
The Alberta Curriculum Grade 7 social studies units include new france & the fur trade, the fur trade in the west, power & conflict, 1713 to 1800, loyalists & the war of 1812, reform & rebellion, confederation.
Free printable Grade 7 social studies practice sheet
Questions from every unit, with an answer key.