How did Black individuals and communities shape early Canadian society?

How did Black individuals and communities shape early Canadian society?

What?

This learning module will support student learning about the various experiences, realities, challenges, and perspectives of members of Black settlements and communities across Canada between 1800-1850 and explore how the people in these settlements fostered a sense of belonging and pride in community.

Whom?

Gr. 7 History Curriculum, Strand B. Canada, 1800–1850: Conflict and Challenges

B3.5 describe various experiences, realities, challenges, and perspectives of members of Black settlements and communities across Canada and explore how the people in these settlements fostered a sense of belonging and pride in community.

How?

Please note all prompts and information included in this Teacher Toolkit are suggestions only. Educators are always encouraged to evaluate the specific needs of their learners and use their professional judgement.

1. Get ready...

Before you begin teaching, consider the following prompts to prepare yourself. Some suggested answers have been included as samples.

What materials will you need for this learning module?

device with internet access
a place to write and record ideas, can be physical or digital

What pre-conversations will you need to have with your students?

Pre-conversations about historical perspective, cause and consequence, and the Inquiry Process will support this learning module.

What vocabulary do your students need to know?

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Chattel slavery

A system where Black and Indigenous people were treated as property, forced to work, and had no freedom or rights.

Loyalists

People who stayed loyal to the British Crown during the American Revolution, including Black Loyalists who were promised freedom.

Proclamations

Official announcements by the British government, like the promises of freedom and land to Black people who joined the British army.

British Crown

The king, queen, and government of Britain, who controlled colonies and made promises to people during the American Revolution.

Underground Railroad

A secret network of routes and safe houses that helped enslaved Black people escape from the United States to freedom, including to Canada, in the 1800s.

Abolitionist

A person who worked to end slavery and believed that enslaved people should be free and treated equally.

Segregation

The forced separation of people based on race, often in schools, housing, and public spaces.

What pre-teaching needs to happen to prepare your students for this content?

The concept of chattel slavery in historical context.
Strategies for finding and evaluating reliable sources.
Approaches to learning about sensitive content, navigating dated or historical language (for example, should not be read aloud, written on assignments).

Is there any pre-reading that you need to do to facilitate this content?

All content knowledge required is included in the learning module. Various archives, museums, and encyclopedias will contain further information.

Will students work independently, in partners, in small groups, or is this a full class activity?

The demonstration of learning can be completed independently or in groups. The demonstration of learning can be used to make a collective historical newspaper.

2. Get set...

Before you begin teaching, consider the following prompts to prepare your learners. Some suggested answers have been included as samples.

What are the learning goals and success criteria for this learning module?

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Learning goals

We are learning to:

describe the experiences, realities, challenges, and perspectives of members of Black settlements and communities across Canada between 1800 and 1850
explain how people in these settlements fostered a sense of belonging and pride within their communities

Success criteria

You may choose to co-create the success criteria with your students or develop your own.

How will you activate and/or assess your students’ prior knowledge ahead of this learning module?

Use a photo, a short introductory video, an audio clip as an activation.
Have students complete a KWL chart (What I know, what I wonder, what I have learned).
Have students complete a mind map.
Students can answer a reflection question.
Students can attempt to answer the essential question based on knowledge (independently, with a partner, and in conversation with teacher).

How will you draw your students’ attention to the learning outcome for this learning module?

The learning outcome can be co-created and displayed for students throughout the learning activity.

3. Go!

Students will examine the experiences, realities, challenges, and perspectives of members of Black settlements and communities across Canada. They will explore how individuals and communities were resilient in the face of injustice and fostered a sense of belonging and pride. They will also reflect on why these stories matter.
Students will have an opportunity to check their understanding by completing true or false questions.
Students will demonstrate their learning about Black settlements and community efforts by creating a news report. They may show their learning in the following ways:
- written traditional news report
- script or video news report
- digital slide deck presentation

Students will follow the Inquiry Process and answer the overall inquiry question in a method of their choice.

Press the following Show Suggestions button for ways to assist students while they work through the learning module.

Assist students in their research.
Answer any questions or queries.
Observe students’ engagement with the content.
Conference with individual students using the self-check activity, the essential question, or the demonstration of learning section.
Lead a guided group discussion through the content.

Resources

As an extension of learning, extra information, or supplementary activities, please refer to the following resources:

Assessment opportunities

Access the following Rubric(Opens in a new window) to assess student learning.

Tips

Creating learning goals

Clearly identify what students are expected to know and are able to do in language that students can readily understand. This represents the knowledge and skills that the students must successfully demonstrate to achieve the overall expectation.

Triangulation of assessments

The following is a sample chart/checklist for use in documenting your triangulation of assessments during observations, conversations, and conferences:

Student Name	Demonstrates (insert specific expectation)	Demonstrates (insert specific expectation)	Demonstrates (insert specific expectation)
Blank	Date:	Date:	Date:
Blank	Blank	Blank	Blank
Blank	Blank	Blank	Blank
Blank	Blank	Blank	Blank
Blank	Blank	Blank	Blank

Student Name

Demonstrates (insert specific expectation)

Date:

Teacher ToolkitHow did Black individuals and communities shape early Canadian society?