Ontario Grade 8 History (Grade 8, effective 2026–27)
Chapters: 2
1. A. Creating Canada, 1850–1890
A1 Application: Peoples in the New Nation · A2 Inquiry: Perspectives in the New Nation · A3 Understanding Historical Context: Events and Their Consequences
- Indigenous Peoples in Canada: From Ancient Nations to Reconciliation – Canada's Constitution names three groups of Indigenous peoples: First Nations, Inuit and Métis (about 1.8 million people, 5% of the population, in 2021). They lived on the land for more than 10,000 years, with their own nations, languages, laws and trade. After contact in the 1500s came the fur trade, alliances and treaties (Two Row Wampum, Royal Proclamation 1763, Numbered Treaties 1871–1921). The Indian Act (1876) and residential schools (1883–1996) tried to assimilate Indigenous peoples and caused deep, lasting harm. From the 1960s, Indigenous people won back rights: the vote (1960), the Calder case (1973), Section 35 of the Constitution (1982), Nunavut (1999), land claims and self-government. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (2008–2015) gave 94 Calls to Action. Today Indigenous voices lead in politics, law, art, literature and media.
- The Scientific Method – The scientific method is the careful way scientists find out how the world works. Observe something, ask a testable question, make a hypothesis (a clear, testable guess), test it with a fair experiment (change one variable, measure one, keep the rest the same), repeat and record data, analyse it, draw a conclusion and share it so others can check. Results that fail the test are useful too: they send you back to a new hypothesis.
2. B. Canada, 1890–1914: A Changing Society
B1 Application: Canada – Past and Present · B2 Inquiry: Perspectives on a Changing Society · B3 Understanding Historical Context: Events and Their Consequences
- Indigenous Peoples in Canada: From Ancient Nations to Reconciliation – Canada's Constitution names three groups of Indigenous peoples: First Nations, Inuit and Métis (about 1.8 million people, 5% of the population, in 2021). They lived on the land for more than 10,000 years, with their own nations, languages, laws and trade. After contact in the 1500s came the fur trade, alliances and treaties (Two Row Wampum, Royal Proclamation 1763, Numbered Treaties 1871–1921). The Indian Act (1876) and residential schools (1883–1996) tried to assimilate Indigenous peoples and caused deep, lasting harm. From the 1960s, Indigenous people won back rights: the vote (1960), the Calder case (1973), Section 35 of the Constitution (1982), Nunavut (1999), land claims and self-government. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (2008–2015) gave 94 Calls to Action. Today Indigenous voices lead in politics, law, art, literature and media.
- The Scientific Method – The scientific method is the careful way scientists find out how the world works. Observe something, ask a testable question, make a hypothesis (a clear, testable guess), test it with a fair experiment (change one variable, measure one, keep the rest the same), repeat and record data, analyse it, draw a conclusion and share it so others can check. Results that fail the test are useful too: they send you back to a new hypothesis.