Develop your students' social studies knowledge, skills, and attitudes with this expanded and revised edition of Hands-On Social Studies for Ontario, Grade 6. With a year's worth of hands-on, minds-on activities, this resource conveniently includes everything both teachers and students need.
Hands-On Social Studies for Ontario, Grade 6 is divided into two units:
Communities in Canada, Past and Present Canada's Interactions With the Global Community
Each unit:
promotes active inquiry, problem solving, and decision making aligns with the new Ontario Social Studies curriculum (2023) follows the Growing Success document for assessment, evaluating, and reporting builds understanding of First Nations, Inuit, and Metis knowledges and perspectives develops knowledge of the six foundational concepts of social studies thinking
Save time and money with these stand-out features:
all five components of the inquiry model opportunities for student self-reflection and for activating prior knowledge authentic assessment for, as, and of learning clearly defined learning goals supported by guided inquiry questions access to digital image banks and reproducibles (download instructions included in the appendix)
Perfect for teachers seeking a dynamic, curriculum-aligned resource, this revised edition ensures a well-rounded and engaging social studies experience for grade 6 students.
By:
Jennifer E. Lawson
With:
Jody Alexander,
Monique Pregent
Contributions by:
Belle Jarniewski,
Jennifer Manitowabi
Imprint: Portage & Main Press
Country of Publication: Canada
Edition: New Edition, Updated & Revised
Dimensions:
Height: 279mm,
Width: 215mm,
Spine: 38mm
Weight: 612g
ISBN: 9781774921562
ISBN 10: 1774921561
Pages: 240
Publication Date: 13 May 2026
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Spiral bound
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming
Introduction to Hands-On Social Studies, Grade 6 1 About Hands-On Social Studies 2 What Is Social Studies? 2 The Goals of Social Studies 2 The Inquiry Approach to Social Studies 2 Hands-On Social Studies Curriculum Expectations 3 Overall Expectations 3 Concepts of Social Studies Thinking 3 Big Ideas 3 Specific Expectations 4 Hands-On Social Studies Principles 4 Cultural Connections 4 Indigenous Knowledges, Experiences, and Perspectives 4 How to Use Hands-On Social Studies in Your Classroom 9 Unit Overview 9 About This Unit 9 Curriculum Correlations 9 Resources for Students 9 Lessons 9 Accommodating Diverse Learners 13 Classroom Environment 13 Planning Units (Timelines) 14 Classroom Management 14 Social Studies Skills: Guidelines for Teachers 14 Communication 14 Visuals 14 Spatial Skills 15 Vocabulary 18 Geographic Definition 18 Research 19 The Hands-On Social Studies Assessment Plan 20 Assessment for Learning 21 Assessment as Learning 21 Assessment of Learning 21 Performance Assessment 22 Portfolios 22 Summative Achievement Levels 22 Culturally Responsive and Relevant Pedagogy and Assessment 23 Important Note to Teachers 23 References 24 Social Studies Achievement Chart 25 Assessment Templates 27 Unit A: Heritage and Identity: Communities in Canada, Past and Present 31 About This Unit 32 Unit Overview 34 Curricular Expectations 35 Social Studies Thinking Concepts: Success Criteria 37 Cross-Curricular Connections 38 Resources for Students 39 1 Launching the Unit: Significant Canadians 44 2 Canada’s Demographic Growth 49 3 Early Indigenous Peoples 55 4 Contributions of Indigenous Peoples 62 5 Immigrating to Canada 66 6 The French and English Settlers 75 7 Relationships Between Indigenous Peoples and Europeans 82 8 Treaties 86 9 Human Rights in Canada 91 10 Experiences and Contributions of Jewish Communities in Canada 97 11 Our Community: Past and Present 105 12 Canadian Identities 111 13 Communities in Canada Heritage Fair 116 14 Comparing Communities in Canada 122 Unit B: People and Environments: Canada’s Interactions With the Global Community 127 About This Unit 128 Unit Overview 131 Curricular Expectations 132 Social Studies Thinking Concepts: Success Criteria 134 Cross-Curricular Connections 135 Resources for Students 136 1 Launching the Unit: Interacting With the World 142 2 Economic Interrelationships 147 3 Canada’s Economic Relationships: Imports 153 4 Canada’s Economic Relationships: Exports 159 5 Environmental Impact 164 6 Tourism 169 7 Longitude and Latitude 173 8 Canada and the United States 177 9 Comparing Countries 182 10 If the World Were a Village 186 11 Global Issues 190 12 Canadian Human Rights and the Holocaust 195 13 Canada’s International Role 200 14 Canadian Involvement in NGOs, IGOs, and GOs 206 15 Culminating Project: Global Issues Inquiry 211 Appendix: Image Banks 217 About the Contributors 236
Jennifer E. Lawson, PhD, is the creator of the Hands-On books published by Portage & Main Press. As senior writer and editor for the series, she has contributed to more than 50 publications for teachers and students. Jennifer provides professional development workshops for educators locally, nationally, and virtually, and is a Workplace Wellness Advisor. Her most recent book is a collective effort called Teacher, Take Care: A Guide to Well-Being and Workplace Wellness for Educators. She is also one of the founders of Mission to Mexico, an organization that supports schools in some of the most impoverished communities in Puerto Vallarta. Throughout her extensive career in education, Jennifer has worked as a classroom teacher, resource and special education teacher, consultant, principal, university instructor, and school trustee. She lives with her family in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Jennifer H. Manitowabi (she/her/hers) is an Ojibway educator and PhD student at Lakehead University. Throughout her career in education in both Canada and the US, she has worked as a bus driver, classroom teacher, principal, and education director. Jennifer encourages all teachers to incorporate Indigenous worldviews into their lessons and find opportunities to build relationships with the First Nations of Turtle Island. Jennifer is a member of Lac Seul First Nation, where she currently resides, and can often be found creating artwork that celebrates her culture. For over 20 years, Kellie Ierullo (she, her, hers) has been an educator with the Toronto District School Board including as a classroom teacher, special education teacher, and now as a teacher-librarian, technology chair and science/STEM lead educator. Kellie is passionate about helping teachers engage students through meaningful coding and STEM activities and encouraging students to move beyond navigating technology to creating it for themselves. Kellie lives in Woodbridge, Ontario with her family.
