Alberta · Grade 4
Grade 4 Social Studies
Alberta’s Grade 4 social studies course, from Time and Place to Citizenship.
- Units
- 3
- Lessons
- 6
- Skills
- 11
- Provincial exam
- None
- Official curriculum
- curriculum.learnalberta.ca
Unit by unit
Every skill in the course, numbered by unit.
Unit 1 · 6 skills
Time and Place
Explorers, Empires & Early Agreements
Explorers and first relationships
I can explain why explorers came and how First Nations and Europeans began building relationships.
Skill 1.1
Colonies change hands: Royal Proclamation & Quebec Act
I can explain how colonies changed from French to British control and why the Royal Proclamation and Quebec Act still matter.
Skill 1.2
Loyalists, War of 1812 & the Road to Change
Loyalists and the War of 1812
I can explain who the Loyalists were and how the War of 1812 united different groups.
Skill 1.3
Great Migration, Underground Railroad & rebellions
I can describe who came to Canada in this era and why people rebelled in 1837–38.
Skill 1.4
New France & Colonial Life
France's permanent settlements
I can name New France's first settlements and explain Champlain's role.
Skill 1.5
Colonization and life in the colonies
I can explain what colonization was, why colonists came, and how colonies served their home countries.
Skill 1.6
The official wording · 6 outcomes
- 1.1
- To gain territories, resources, and prestige (expansionism), European countries sent explorers overseas
- 1.2
- The Royal Proclamation (1763) has ongoing significance for First Nations today
- 1.3
- Loyalists from the Thirteen Colonies (United Empire Loyalists) migrated to colonies in the land now known as Canada.
- 1.4
- enslaved Black people from the United States of America migrated to the land now known as Canada with the support of the Underground Railroad
- 1.5
- Samuel de Champlain, who established Quebec City, became the governor of New France and made alliances with the First Nations of the area.
- 1.6
- Colonists brought belief systems and ways of organizing society to the colonies
Key ideas
Expansionism: European countries sent explorers — Jacques Cartier, Giovanni Caboto, Samuel de Champlain — overseas to gain territories, resources, and prestige.
The Thirteen Colonies became the United States (1776); Loyalists who stayed true to Britain migrated north, and the Crown divided Quebec into Upper and Lower Canada (Constitution Act, 1791) to make room.
France's permanent settlements: Port-Royal (1605), Quebec City (1608), Trois-Rivières (1634), Montreal (1642) — river towns, because rivers were the highways.
First Nations and Europeans made treaties with each other, like the Two Row Wampum (Gaswéñdah), to start a relationship of living side by side — two vessels travelling the same river, neither steering the other.
In the War of 1812, British colonists, French colonists, First Nations, and Métis shared a common purpose: resisting American expansion — an alliance across very different communities.
Watch out for
- Thinking explorers 'discovered' an empty land — First Nations were here, and the first treaties prove both sides knew it.
- Thinking the War of 1812 was Britain vs. the USA only — First Nations and Métis were essential allies with their own reasons.
- Thinking settlements succeeded on their own — First Nations alliances and knowledge were essential to survival.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 2 · 4 skills
Systems
Confederation & the BNA Act
The road to Confederation
I can explain why and how the colonies negotiated their way to Confederation.
Skill 2.1
The BNA Act and the parliamentary system
I can describe what the BNA Act created and connect it to Canada's government today.
Skill 2.2
The Fur Trade
The fur trade system
I can model the fur trade exchange and explain how competition spread trading posts across the land.
Skill 2.3
The people of the fur trade
I can name the roles that made the fur trade work and explain why women's work was essential.
Skill 2.4
The official wording · 4 outcomes
- 2.1
- Negotiations between the British colonies and the British government about a possible union of the colonies took place over several years
- 2.2
- The BNA Act established the parliamentary system with Members of Parliament (MPs) as representatives, the prime minister as the leader, and a Governor General to represent the Crown
- 2.3
- Through the fur trade, furs were shipped from North America to Europe, where supply was low, and manufactured goods were shipped from Europe to North America, where demand was high.
- 2.4
- Social and economic success of the fur trade relied on First Nations and Métis women, who were intermediaries between European traders and First Nations and Métis communities.
Key ideas
Union took years of negotiation across three conferences — Charlottetown, Quebec, London — with debates about American expansionism and building a railroad.
The exchange ran on supply and demand: furs went to Europe (low supply there), manufactured goods came to North America (high demand here).
The Fathers of Confederation included Anglophone AND Francophone politicians — Confederation was negotiated in two languages.
Competition for control drove Europeans to establish the Hudson's Bay Company and the North West Company and to expand north and west, building trading posts and forts — centres for meeting, bartering, storing goods and medicines, and lodging.
The BNA Act (1867) — also called the Constitution Act, 1867 — united the Province of Canada (renamed Ontario and Quebec) with New Brunswick and Nova Scotia to form the Dominion of Canada.
Watch out for
- Thinking Canada was born in a day — the negotiations took years and three conferences.
- Thinking the trade was one-sided trickery — both sides traded for things they valued and lacked.
- Thinking Confederation was an English-only project — Francophone politicians helped negotiate it.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 3 · 1 skill
Citizenship
Rights & Responsibilities
Rights and responsibilities in Canada
I can pair rights with their responsibilities and explain why they come together.
Skill 3.1
The official wording · 1 outcomes
- 3.1
- Citizenship in Canada carries responsibilities, such as contributing to the community, respecting the rights of others, and voting.
Key ideas
Citizenship in Canada provides rights — like the right to be treated equally regardless of difference.
It also carries responsibilities: contributing to the community, respecting the rights of others, and voting — rights come WITH responsibilities, never alone.
Watch out for
- Thinking rights are just 'things I get' — every right leans on others meeting their responsibilities.
- Thinking responsibilities are only for adults — contributing and respecting others start now.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Plan the term
Pick your term and the days you study. Each unit gets its share of the weeks and comes back a week later for a review. The last two weeks go over the whole course.
The official curriculum
This page follows Alberta’s own curriculum for Grade 4 Social Studies.
Study it in MapleMind
MapleMind teaches Grade 4 Social Studies one skill at a time. Each skill gets a short lesson, practice as you go and a check worth up to three stars. It remembers where you stopped.
Course Companion
Your year in one workbook
A fun way to keep Grade 4 Social Studies organized, get to know your child better and see early when they need a hand. Fill it in on a screen, or print it.
- Pages
- 24
- Fillable fields
- 1,073
- Price
- $4.99
Questions about Grade 4 Social Studies
What is Grade 4 Social Studies?
Alberta’s Grade 4 social studies course: 3 units and 11 skills, from Time and Place to Citizenship.
What units are in Grade 4 Social Studies?
1. Time and Place, 2. Systems and 3. Citizenship.
Is there a provincial exam for Grade 4 Social Studies?
No. Alberta gives no provincial exam for Grade 4 Social Studies.
What comes after Grade 4 Social Studies?
Grade 5 Social Studies.
Can MapleMind help with Grade 4 Social Studies?
Yes. MapleMind teaches every skill of Grade 4 Social Studies, step by step, with practice and checks, and its tutor answers questions about any of them. It’s free with daily limits, on iPhone, Android and the web.
Get ready for Grade 4 Social Studies
Practise every skill of Grade 4 Social Studies in MapleMind, free with daily limits.
