Grade 8 History Creating Canada 1850-1890 Strand A

All prices are in Canadian dollars.

Total Pages: 604 Pages + Google Slides + Google Form
Answer Key: Included with rubric
Teaching Duration: N/A

Use this comprehensive Grade 8 History: Creating Canada 1850-1890 Strand A Unit about Canadian history Confederation, to teach students about the creation of Canada from 1850 to 1890. This resource is designed to help students understand how Canada's Confederation occurred, as well as what occurred during the settlement of Western Canada. These 29 in-depth lessons will engage and captivate your students, allowing them to explore and understand this critical period of Canadian history. Language Arts, History, and Art are integrated into this unit, making it a well-rounded learning experience for your students.

• Curriculum Alignment: Ontario Social Studies Curriculum 2026 Grade 8 Strand A.
• Save time and money – Buy the Grade 8 History Strand A and B Bundle.

Click Here To View The Preview

Unit Includes:

• 29 Engaging Lessons: Keep your students actively participating and interested in Canadian history with thoughtfully designed lessons.
• MP3 Audio Files: Enhance student learning and accessibility with audio recordings of the student readings.
• Editable Teacher Slideshow (Google Slides™): A ready-to-use and customizable visual presentation to guide instruction.
• Detailed Lesson Plans: Utilize these well-structured lesson plans, which outline activities and resources for each day's lesson.
• Answer Keys: Save time on grading with readily available answer keys for assessments and activities.
• Differentiated Tasks: Tailored tasks and activities designed to meet students' individual learning needs.
• Student Choice: Empower your students by offering options and opportunities for them to make decisions about their learning.
• Graphic Organizers: Visual tools and aids that will help your students organize information, making complex concepts easier to understand and remember.
• Assessment Rubrics: Easily assess your students' progress and understanding using ready-made rubrics.
• Unit Tests: Gauge your students' overall comprehension and retention with comprehensive unit tests - one for Confederation and one for the development of Western Canada.
• Inquiry Activities: Encourage critical thinking and independent exploration of historical topics with inquiry-based learning.
• Quiz Show Review Game: Help students review for their unit test with this quiz show-style review game.
• Sub Plans: Ready-to-use lessons to ensure continuity when you're away.
• Print and Digital Formats: Enjoy the flexibility of accessing materials in both traditional and digital formats, making it easy to adapt to various teaching environments.

Do you have students working below grade level? Check out this modified bundle: Grade 8 History Modified Strand A Unit, which complements this resource.

Strand A Lesson Outline:

Part 1: Confederation

1. Introduction: Unit Vocabulary
2. Why Do We Study History?
3. How Did We Get Here?
4. How Has The Map Of Canada Changed?
5. Life in British North America Prior to 1867 Inquiry
6. Fathers of Confederation Presentations
7. Politics in Canada
8. Advertising Confederation Assignment 
9. The Pros and Cons of Confederation 
10. The Charlottetown, Québec and London Conferences 
11. Missing Voices
12. British North America Act
13. Unit Test Review (Scavenger Hunt & Quiz Show Game)
14. Unit Test
15. Sub Plans

Part 2: The Settlement of Western Canada

1. Introduction: Historica Minutes & Primary Source Analysis
2. Legal Documents
3. Voting Rights
4. Western Canada Inquiry Stations 
5. The Manitoba Act of 1870
6. The Indian Act of 1876
7. Louis Riel Biography Assignment 
8. Canadian Pacific Railroad Lyrics & CPR Assignment
9. The Gold Rush
10. The Chinese Immigration Act of 1885
11. The Arctic & Indigenous Case Law
12. Numbered Treaties
13. Residential Schools
14. Unit Test

Why Teachers Love It:

• Comprehensive & Classroom-Ready: Includes everything you need to confidently teach Strand A, even if you're new to Grade 8 History.
• Time-Saving: Pre-made lesson plans, assessments, rubrics, sub plans and a review game take the guesswork out of planning.
• Differentiated & Accessible: Supports diverse learners with student choice, scaffolded tasks, and audio files.
• Engaging & Interactive: From inquiry stations to quiz games, this unit gets students thinking, talking, and making connections.
• Flexible Formats: Perfect for both in-person and digital learning environments.

Teacher Feedback:

1. "I am ecstatic that you created a wonderful inquiry-based resource for the new curriculum. There is such a need for resources to support this curriculum and I love the clarity and creativity of this package."
2. "Excellent product and well worth the price for a new teacher. Hits all the major Ontario curriculum expectations, learning goals and success criteria. Saves me so much time re-teaching myself."
3. "Great resource for strand A of the curriculum. Takes the main points of the unit and organizes them into thoughtful and well-organized activities. Thanks!"
4. "This was an absolutely fantastic resource for my grade 8 history class. The lessons/content were thorough, built on one another and could be easily adapted to suit different students' needs and learning environments. Highly recommend!"

Aligned with the Ontario Social Studies Curriculum 2026 Grade 8 Strand A, this resource ensures you have everything you need to deliver engaging and enriching history lessons to your middle school students. Don't miss out on this valuable asset to make history come alive in your classroom!

Notes:

• The internet is required to access videos in this unit. 
• Research is not included for inquiry stations. 
• Students must gather the research themselves from a textbook, non-fiction books or online sources.