Where we live - Who we are (Grades 7-10)

To the Students

In this activity, you will:

• understand different types of human-environment interaction
• explain how the interrelationships between humans and their environment shape the characteristics of both the people and the environment
• analyze how the characteristics of regions of the country can explain similarities and differences of people
• communicate your learning in a computer slide show presentation
   

PART A

1. Humans have occupied what is now called Port au Choix National Historic Site of Canada (located in Newfoundland) for at least 5500 years. The resources of the area influenced the culture and ways of life of the people who lived there, and they in turn left their mark on the land. Find out more by visiting the Parks Canada Web site: www.pc.gc.ca > National Historic Sites > administered by Parks Canada > Port au Choix.

2. Work in groups, with each member choosing one topic from among the following to research:

• the characteristics of the area, e.g., natural features, landforms, vegetation, climate
• who used the site before the Europeans arrived, when they used it (time period), how they used it, and why it was important to them
• how the people who used the site depended on their environment, adapted to their environment, and/or modified their environment
• why the place was designated as nationally significant
   

3. Share what you found out with your group.

4. Be prepared to discuss the following with the class:

• How did the characteristics (natural features, landforms, vegetation, climate) of Port au Choix affect the people who lived there long ago?
• How did the people who lived in the Port au Choix area affect the environment in which they lived?
   

PART B

Aboriginal peoples are the descendants of the original inhabitants of North America. The Canadian Constitution recognizes three groups of Aboriginal people - Indians, Métis, and Inuit. These are three separate peoples with unique heritages, languages, cultural practices, and spiritual beliefs.

First Nation: A term that came into common usage in the 1970s to replace the word "Indian," which many people found offensive. . . Among its uses, the term "First Nations peoples" refers to the Indian people in Canada . . . Many Indian people have also adopted the term "First Nation" to replace the word "band" in the name of their community.

Indian: A term that describes all the Aboriginal people in Canada who are not Inuit or Métis. . . There are three legal definitions that apply to Indians in Canada: Status Indians, Non-Status Indians, and Treaty Indians.

Inuit: An Aboriginal people in northern Canada who live above the tree line in Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, northern Quebec, and Labrador. The word means "people" in the Inuit language, Inuktitut. The singular of "Inuit" is "Inuk."

Métis: People of mixed First Nation and European ancestry who identify themselves as Métis people, as distinct from First Nations people, Inuit, or non-Aboriginal people. The Métis have a unique culture that draws on their diverse ancestral origins, such as Scottish, French, Ojibway, and Cree.

From: Information: Definitions, Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, March 2000

1. Your teacher will assign another area to your group (the Pacific Coast, the Cordillera, the Prairies, the Canadian Shield, the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Lowlands, the Atlantic Provinces-Appalachian Region, or the Arctic). Research its characteristics. For example, find out about the natural features, landforms, vegetation, and climate.

2. Imagine that you are the first people to arrive in your assigned area and you need to establish a home. List your basic needs and tell how they might be met in that region. What resources are available for you to use to survive, for example, water, plant life, wildlife, minerals?

3. Find out about the experiences of the first groups of Aboriginal peoples to live in the region. How did they use their logic, knowledge, and wits to make their home in their new environment?

4. What types of technology did the Aboriginal peoples develop from the land and water resources to help them survive in their new environment/home? Examples of technology might include arrowheads, harpoon heads, baskets, or clothing.

5. Create a computer slide show presentation that describes the life of these Aboriginal peoples in their new environment and the tools and practices they used to establish a home. Include an explanation of how the group:

• depended on its environment
• adapted to its environment
• modified its environment
• used its environment to develop technology
   

6. As a class, discuss similarities and differences in the relationships between people and the environment.

Adapted from the Saskatchewan Elementary Social Studies Curriculum