What your child is learning

In Grade 6 students learn about the following four themes:

Building a Nation (1867 to 1914)

• new provinces and territories: immigration, agriculture, the railroad
• treaties and reserves; Métis Nation

Canada from 1914 to 1945

• The Depression, First World War, Second World War
• social change, women’s rights, labour rights, urbanization

Canada from 1945 to the Present

• diversity: Aboriginal rights; immigration; language rights and francophone population; bilingualism and multiculturalism
• technology and industry
• Canada in the world

Canada Today: Democracy, Diversity and the Influence of the Past

• Canadian culture and identity; responsibilities and rights of citizens
• elections and government
• social justice: Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms; citizenship and democracy

Learning experiences help students to respect diversity and collaborate with others. Students formulate questions, conduct research, and draw conclusions based on information and evidence. They learn about the enduring importance of the past as they explore what it means to be a citizen in their community, Canada, and the world.

To find out more about what your child is learning, we encourage you to talk to the teacher. You may also find helpful information on the Curriculum Essentials posters, which are interactive PDFs, designed for teachers that provide an overview of the knowledge, processes, and skills for this subject area.

The first page gives an overview of what your child will be learning, grouped into big ideas so that the curriculum is easier to understand. The letter and number codes correspond to the curriculum learning outcomes. The arrow at the top of the page highlights the skills and competencies, which are described in more detail on the third page. These should be integrated throughout the teaching and learning of social studies. The second page organizes the specific learning outcomes by the six general learning outcomes, along with a more detailed description of what your child will learn and the categories found on the provincial report cards regarding assessment.

You may also wish to refer to the Social Studies - Manitoba Curriculum Framework of Outcomes.

How your child is assessed

Assessment in Social Studies is based on the themes and topics in the tab WHAT MY CHILD IS LEARNING. Your child’s progress will be reported under three areas of learning:

• Knowledge and Understanding:
  What does your child know and understand about the social studies themes and topics?
• Research and Communication:
  How does your child gather, organize and share ideas in social studies? 
• Critical Thinking and Citizenship:
  How does your child apply social studies learning as a citizen in her/his community, Canada, and the world?

Resources

Activities to do with your children in the community

Visit art galleries, museums and historic sites. Here are just a few examples:

• The Winnipeg Art Gallery
• The Manitoba Museum
• The St. Boniface Museum
• The Canadian Museum for Human Rights (open September 2014),
• Lower Fort Garry
• The Forks
• community parks and landmarks
• commemorative sites
• local galleries and museums

Participate in cultural events such as:

• Festival du Voyageur
• Culture Days in Manitoba
• Local Canada Day celebrations
• National Aboriginal Day
• Heritage Day
• International days
• Remembrance Day
• other commemorative days

Make travel a learning experience.
If you have opportunities for family travel near or far, prepare in advance using maps, pictures, stories and other types of research. While travelling, explore local sites and culture, take pictures, talk or write about experiences, share observations and memories.

Activities to do with your children in the home
Talk to your children about current events, look at maps and globes, look at artwork from various times and places, share stories of family and community history, read historical fiction, watch historical films.

Suggested websites
Kayak, Canada’s History Magazine for Kids
The Canadian Encyclopedia
Historica Canada, Heritage Minutes
Kids’ Stop,  Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development
Canadian Museum of History (formerly of Canadian Museum of Civilization)

• First Nations Storytelling, the Art of Knowledge
• Virtual Museum of New France

Atlas of Canada Maps from Natural Resources Canada  
Kids’CBC parents zone
Canada, A People’s History (CBC history videos)
Library and Archives Canada

• First Among Equals, The Prime Ministers in Canadian Life and Politics

Learning Resources from Veterans Affairs Canada, Remembrance zone
Student resources of the Canadian War Museum

Frequently Asked Questions

How do Grade 6 students demonstrate citizenship? Grade 6 students demonstrate citizenship when they collaborate with others to establish and carry out group goals and responsibilities; resolve conflicts peacefully and fairly; make decisions that show fairness and equality in their interactions with others; make decisions that show care, concern, and responsibility for the environment; negotiate with others to find a consensus and solve problems; recognize bias and discrimination and find solutions; treat places and objects of historical significance with respect.

How do Grade 6 students demonstrate critical thinking? Grade 6 students use critical thinking skills when they plan topics and goals for historical research; evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of solutions to a problem; use research and evidence to draw conclusions; evaluate personal assumptions based on new information and ideas; distinguish fact from opinion and interpretation; observe and analyze material such as artifacts and photographs for research; validate information sources; compare different points of view of historical events; compare many different views from different sources of information; explain the meaning of the information and ideas that we can find in art, music, and historical fiction; recognize that the way we understand history can change when new information is discovered or accepted.