Grade 7 Social Studies: how to help at home
What your child learns in Grade 7 social studies in the Ontario Curriculum, and simple things to try at home.
The Big Ideas this year
- Geography A1 Application: Interrelationships between People and the Physical Environment: Analyse some challenges and opportunities presented by the physical environment and ways in which people have responded to them (FOCUS ON: Spatial Significance; Interrelationships)
- Geography A2 Inquiry: Investigating Physical Features and Processes: Use the geographic inquiry process to investigate the impact of natural events and/or human activities that change the physical environment, exploring the impact from a geographic perspective (FOCUS ON: Geographic Perspective)
- Geography A3 Understanding Geographic Context: Patterns in the Physical Environment: Demonstrate an understanding of significant patterns in Earth’s physical features and of some natural processes and human activities that create and change those features (FOCUS ON: Patterns and Trends; Spatial Significance)
- Geography B1 Application: Natural Resources and Sustainability: Analyse aspects of the extraction/harvesting and use of natural resources in different regions of the world, and assess ways of preserving these resources (FOCUS ON: Spatial Significance; Interrelationships)
- Geography B2 Inquiry: Investigating Issues Related to Natural Resources: Use the geographic inquiry process to investigate issues related to the impact of the extraction/harvesting and/or use of natural resources around the world from a geographic perspective (FOCUS ON: Geographic Perspective)
- Geography B3 Understanding Geographic Context: Using Natural Resources: Demonstrate an understanding of the sources and use of different types of natural resources and of some of the effects of the extraction/harvesting and use of these resources (FOCUS ON: Spatial Significance; Geographic Perspective)
- History A1 Application: Colonial and Present-day Canada: Analyse aspects of the experiences of various groups and communities, including First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities, in Canada between 1713 and 1800, and compare them to the lives of people in present-day Canada (FOCUS ON: Continuity and Change; Historical Perspective)
- History A2 Inquiry: From New France to British North America: Use the historical inquiry process to investigate perspectives of different groups and communities, including First Nations, Métis, and/or Inuit communities, on some significant events, developments, and/or issues related to the shift in power in colonial Canada from France to Britain (FOCUS ON: Historical Significance; Historical Perspective)
- History A3 Understanding Historical Context: Events and Their Consequences: Describe various significant people, events, and developments, including treaties, in Canada between 1713 and 1800, and explain their impact (FOCUS ON: Historical Significance; Cause and Consequence)
- History B1 Application: Changes and Challenges: Analyse aspects of the lives of various groups and communities, including First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities, in Canada between 1800 and 1850, and compare them to the lives of people in Canada in 1713–1800 (FOCUS ON: Continuity and Change; Historical Perspective)
- History B2 Inquiry: Perspectives in British North America: Use the historical inquiry process to investigate perspectives of different groups and communities, including First Nations, Métis, and/or Inuit communities, on some significant events, developments, and/or issues that affected Canada and/or people in Canada between 1800 and 1850 (FOCUS ON: Historical Significance; Historical Perspective)
- History B3 Understanding Historical Context: Events and Their Consequences: Describe various significant people, events, and developments, including treaties between Indigenous nations and imperial powers, in Canada between 1800 and 1850, and explain their impact (FOCUS ON: Historical Significance; Cause and Consequence)
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
Landforms & Change
Landforms, the natural processes (tectonic forces, weathering, erosion, deposition, glaciation) and human activities that change them, and how to read topographic maps with contour lines.
Water & Climate
Major water bodies and drainage basins, how people and natural events change them, the world's climate regions and the factors behind them, and how to read climate-graph data.
Plants, Land & People
Natural vegetation regions, how landforms, climate and vegetation interact, how human activities such as overgrazing and deforestation change them, and how people have responded to challenges in their physical environments.
Natural Resources
Renewable, non-renewable and flow resources, how a resource's location shapes how it is taken and used, and the short- and long-term effects on people and the environment, including reading GIS map layers.
Sustainable Choices
Different groups' perspectives on resource use, responses such as renewable energy and certification, the roles of governments and organizations, and making a specific personal action plan. Includes checking sources for bias.
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.
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.
Black History in Canada
Slavery in early Canada and how people resisted it, Black Loyalists, the Act to Limit Slavery in Upper Canada, the Slavery Abolition Act, the Underground Railroad, and Black settlements that built a sense of belonging and pride up to 1850.
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.
What the report card levels look like at home
- Level 1
- Just getting started with this idea. Short, regular practice with lots of support helps most.
- Level 2
- Understands parts of it and is building confidence. Keep practising the tricky parts.
- Level 3
- Has it! Level 3 is the provincial standard. Mixed review now and then keeps it strong.
- Level 4
- 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 Ontario 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 Ontario?
The Ontario Curriculum Grade 7 social studies units include landforms & change, water & climate, plants, land & people, natural resources, sustainable choices, new france & the fur trade.
Free printable Grade 7 social studies practice sheet
Questions from every unit, with an answer key.