Alberta Social Studies Time and Place Unit | Paper and Digital

Use this unit about how events like exploration, colonization, the American Revolution, War of 1812, Great Migration, The Rebellions, the Underground Railroad in New France and British North America contributed to the diversity and identity of early Canada planned in minutes. This unit plan includes all of our social studies resources related to time and place through activities, investigations, and complete lessons. Stop searching for resources for the new Alberta social studies curriculum. We've done everything for you.

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This unit designed for Alberta teachers includes:

• lesson plans with step-by-step instructions and options for modifications.
• instructions for how to use our activities with and without technology so you can be flexible for your students and classroom environment.
• instructions for printing student workbooks while still offering differentiated options.
• detailed outlines of each activity with a list of materials along with a centralized list and reminders in each section of the lesson plan.
• optional Teacher Slides to support instruction and content delivery. You can choose to teach with or without them.
• vocabulary list with phonetic pronunciations and definitions to help support your students.
• “I can” statements written in student-friendly language so students can self-assess their learning.
• student pages and templates.
• answer keys and suggested answers.
• photos of student examples.
• activities to support learning content specific vocabulary.
• background information for teachers so you don't need to be an expert.
• simple assessments like quizzes. Rubrics are included for teachers to use for marking projects.
• ideas for how to use this resource in the classroom, online, or a mix.
• digital versions of all the student reading and writing pages that use Google Slides. You must download the PDF files and use the access links in the files to get your digital copies.
• an alignment guide for Alberta Outcomes in each resource broken down by lesson and activity.
  

The unit includes additional bonus materials:

• a unit plan to assist with sequencing.
• a list of Alberta Social Studies outcomes to help with planning.
• a list of materials outlined for each activity.
• vocabulary support materials: word wall words, glossary pages, definition worksheets, digital flashcards, word with with phonetic pronunciations and definitions.
• extra assessments to assess student learning of the whole unit.

These resources are included in this unit:

• European Explorers: reasons for exploration including trade, resources, expansionism and prestige; challenges of the explorers; European explorers and their origin countries; mapping exploration routes.
• while there is a focus on Jacques Cartier, Giovanni Caboto (John Cabot), Pierre Dugua de Mons (Pierre du Gua de Monts), Samuel de Champlain, other explorers who explored the land now known as Canada are included.
• New France: difficulties between the colonies and home countries; reasons people moved to the colonies including the promise of land, business opportunities, religious freedom, adventure and improving quality of life; origins of New France; Samuel de Champlain and the founding of Quebec City; relationships between the French colonists and Indigenous People; French settlements throughout New France; challenges of daily life in the settlements (with a fun game); mapping New France and some of its settlements such as Montreal, Port-Royal, Quebec City and Trois-Rivières.
• Rivalries and Treaties: Gaswéñdah and Wampum agreements; different treaties that changed colonies and countries including the Treaty of Utrecht and Treaty of Paris (at the end of the Seven Years’ War); different acts, agreements and laws that changed colonies and countries such as the Constitutional Act 1791, Royal Proclamation 1763, and Quebec Act 1774; how borders changed after different acts, treaties and wars; a timeline of how land switched hands between France and Britain; how the changed affected people including the Acadians, French colonists, British colonists and Indigenous People; how the rivalry between France and Britain created English and French roots in Canada.
• Pre-Confederation Immigration: changes and impacts caused by the arrival of new people in British North America from about 1760-1860 through examining different global and North American events; reasons and impacts of the United Empire Loyalists moving from the United States to British North America; how changes in the the Thirteen Colonies and the American Revolution caused map changes after 1791; causes and impacts of the War of 1812 and the threat of American expansionism; causes and impacts of The Great Migration to British North America and the changes caused by the influx of English-speaking colonists; causes of The Rebellions of 1837-38 in British North America; impacts and changes from Lord Durham’s report: unifying the Province of Canada through the Act of Union, using English in government, equal number of representatives in Upper Canada and Lower Canada, assimilation of French colonists (fear of losing language and culture); causes, stories and impacts of the Underground Railroad; challenges, contributions and legacies of different groups of people who immigrated to British North America from approximately 1760-1860; how historical events have contributed to the Canadian identity
• Loyalists Drama Circle: the causes, impacts and legacies of the United Empire Loyalists moving from the United States to British North America.
• War of 1812 Drama Circle: a rundown of some of the highlight of main people and events during the War of 1812; impacts and changes as a result of the war.
• Canada Before Confederation: timeline of people that arrived prior to the land that became Canada before Confederation including Indigenous People, Vikings, French colonists, Acadians, British (English) Colonists, missionaries, Loyalists, and Métis; opportunities to learn about the contributions of each group to the identity of Canada

Ninja Note: If you teach in Alberta, this resource has been written for the new social studies curriculum. Learn more about how we're writing and adjusting resources for the new curriculum. https://brainninjas.ca/social-studies-in-alberta/

This activity aligns with:

• the Alberta Social Studies Curriculum Grade 4 ©2025
  

This activity supports:

• the exploration of North America
• the rise and fall of New France
• the domination of British North America
• the arrival of the United Empire Loyalists
• causes and impacts of the American Revolution
• causes and impacts of the War of 1812 including the threat of Almerica expansionism
• how the Great Migration led to the Rebellions 1837-1838 and Lord Durham's report
• the Underground Railroad
• how the different people living in British North America contributed to the diversity and future of Canada
  

Looking for more social studies for Alberta teachers? Our unit plans include extra vocabulary supports and assessments.

• Time and Place Unit for Alberta Social Studies Grade 4 
• Systems Unit for Alberta Social Studies Grade 4 COMING SOON!
• Citizenship Unit for Alberta Social Studies Grade 4 COMING SOON!

COMING SOON! Our Grade 4 Social Studies Full Year is here!

Ninja Note: This file is a ZIP file. It requires downloading and extracting before opening the individual PDF files. Each resource contains the digital links and instructions for using the file. 

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