Social Studies

April 22^nd, 2015

Dear Parents

Here is some information students can read about to help prepare them for the new unit in social studies.

Before our visit to Fort Calgary please read:

In the fall of 1875 the North West Mounted Police built a small wooden fort at the confluence of the Bow and Elbow Rivers, and laid the foundation for the city that became Calgary. They came to bring law and order to the west, to stamp out the whiskey trade, and to befriend the First Nations peoples in preparation for the treaties that would open the land for settlement. The hopes, dreams and values of that time are still evident in the city we enjoy today.

Check out the website for more information

http://www.fortcalgary.com 

First People’s of Canada

Historical Overview

Canada's First Nations have been in the country we now call Canada for at least 12,000 years, perhaps much longer.

For almost all that time, they survived very well in a harsh environment, making everything they needed without polluting the water, or air, and without destroying the land or decimating the animal populations.

Each First Nation had self-government and recognized the sovereignty of other First Nations. They all developed unique systems of government, and complex material cultures (tools, clothing, shelter, transportation, etc.)

Most First Nations of Canada lived mainly from hunting and fishing. They migrated seasonally to get food. They did not wander aimlessly.

They moved their camps from season to season to specific places and areas where they knew there would be food. In one season, they would hunt large animals; in another they would fish; in the fall they would gather berries, and so on.

The only farming people were the Iroquois and Hurons, and related tribes, in what is now southern Ontario.

For more information visit

http://firstpeoplesofcanada.com/index.html

Did you know?

·      *    Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump is a high cliff in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. For thousands of years, natives killed herds of buffalo by driving them off the cliff and then collected their carcasses below. Today, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

·      *    Alberta is nicknamed the Princess Province because it was named after a daughter of Britain’s Queen Victoria, Princess Louise Caroline Alberta.

For more information about Alberta

http://online.culturegrams.com/provinces/province.php?pid=4