Social Studies 9

Unit 1: Revolutions

Big Idea: emerging ideas and ideologies profoundly influence societies and events. Examining the revolutions that reshaped the modern world, 1750–1919 — first the political and social overthrows of governments and social orders, then the economic and technological transformation of the machine age.

• Political and social revolutions

• Economic and technological revolutions

Unit 2: Imperialism and Colonialism

Big Idea: disparities in power alter the balance of relationships between individuals and between societies. Studying imperialism and colonialism and their ongoing effects — first colonialism in Canada and its continuing effects on Indigenous peoples, then imperialism around the world.

• Colonialism in Canada and its continuing effects on indigenous peoples

• Imperialism around the world

Unit 3: Demographic Shifts

Big Idea: the physical environment influences the nature of political, social, and economic change. Tracking how migration and population growth reshaped where and how people lived, and how waves of arrival reshaped Canadian identity.

• Global demographic shifts, migration, and population growth

Unit 4: Nationalism and Nation-States

Big Idea: collective identity is constructed and can change over time. Investigating the rise of nationalism and the formation of modern nation-states, including Canada — and how the same force both united and divided peoples.

• Nationalism and the development of modern nation-states

Unit 5: Conflict

Big Idea: emerging ideas and ideologies profoundly influence societies and events. Examining conflicts across scales — first local and regional conflicts, then the global conflicts including the world wars that redrew the map of the entire world.

• Local and regional conflicts

• Global conflicts, including the world wars

Unit 6: Discriminatory Policies and Injustices

Big Idea: disparities in power alter the balance of relationships between individuals and between societies. Studying deliberate discriminatory government policies — first immigration and wartime policies against racialized communities, then policies aimed specifically at First Peoples — and their lasting consequences.

• Discriminatory immigration and wartime policies against racialized communities

• Discriminatory policies against First Peoples

Unit 7: Canada's Physical Geography

Big Idea: the physical environment influences the nature of political, social, and economic change. Mapping the physiographic features and natural resources of Canada, and connecting geography to regional identity, settlement, and development.

• Physiographic features in Canada

• Natural resources in Canada