Chapter
10
Early Settlement
What made early settlers want to come to what
is now Alberta?
Last summer, at Grand-mère and Grand-père’s farm, we made a
great fort. Grand-père helped us choose wood from the woodpile.
We worked together to nail the boards to our corner posts. We
made a roof using old sheets of plywood.
My little sister and
I really wanted to
sleep outside in our
new fort. The night
was warm, so we
were given
permission.
We spent a long
time planning what
we would need for
our night in the fort.
We got sleeping bags, blankets, and pillows. Grand-mère let us
choose some food supplies from the pantry. We decided to take
chocolate granola bars and juice boxes and a shopping bag of other
food. We made six or seven trips from the house to the fort with all
our supplies.
My sister kept on wanting
me to tell scary stories, so it was
a long time before we got to
sleep. Suddenly, in the middle
of the night, we heard a loud
cry that woke us up. “What’s
that?” my sister said, and then
we heard the horrible cry again.
We sensed a shape swooping
above our heads and landing
on the branches behind.
We ran like crazy into the
house. We’re still not sure what
made the racket, but we slept in
the house the rest of that night!
216
NEL
What I Want to Know…
Some of my classmates tried to guess what the noisy creature
might have been. Others were much more interested in our fort.
In class, we’d been learning about some of Alberta’s fur trading
forts. “Just think,” someone said, “what it must have been like to
start a fur trading fort.”
They would have needed much more than an old woodpile.
Traders and people moving to settle in a place didn’t have Grandmère’s pantry supplies, either! Not only that, but we knew we could
run into the house if we were scared. What must the new settlers
have needed to feel safe? What would make them want to come to
Alberta in the first place?
Our teacher, Monsieur Fournier (muh syeuh foor nyay), said we
would be learning about many people and events that helped set the
stage for early settlement. For example, we would find out about
forts built by the first police force in the west. We’d also discover
how some communities got started and how increasing settlement
affected the lives of the First Nations and Métis people in Alberta.
Imagine! A whole class discussion started because of one little
tree fort adventure!
How did missionaries
start communities?
Why did Canada
expand to the west?
How did the North
West Mounted Police
provide safety for
people in the west?
How did the Assembly
of the North-West
Territories affect
people’s quality of life?
In what ways did early
settlers contribute to
what is now Alberta?
This map shows the forts and missions that are
mentioned in this chapter.
NEL
217
The British Monarchy
Last year I went with
my parents to some garage
sales. In a bin, I found an
old book called Our
Gracious Queen. The book
cover has an illustration of
a young woman wearing a
crown and a long cape.
Who was it?
Mom said this was
Queen Victoria, the Queen
of Canada from 1837 to
1901. She was the greatgreat-grandmother of
Queen Elizabeth II, our
current queen.
Colonies
In the area now called Canada, there were once a number of
French and British colonies. Colonies are groups of people who settle
in a new area and keep connections with the country they came
from. They are loyal to their first country and are protected by it. The
British colonies were ruled by the British monarch, the king or queen.
The Hudson’s Bay Company had been granted trading rights
in Rupert’s Land in 1670. Many employees were sent from Great
Britain. They spoke English and brought many British customs.
The organization and law systems of the colonies were similar to
those in Britain and France.
Queen Elizabeth II
visited Alberta in 2005
to celebrate the
province’s centennial,
its 100th birthday.
218
NEL
People and Places
Missionaries
How did missionaries start communities?
Missionaries are people who are part of a religious group. They
are sometimes sent to a specific area to teach people their beliefs.
Various churches sent missionaries to the colonies.
Many of the early missionaries lived among the Aboriginal
people, learned their languages, and got to know them. The
missionaries held church services and provided help to people
who were sick or in need.
British Missionaries
A number of missionaries came from Great Britain. Robert
Rundle was sent from England to Fort Edmonton in 1840. He
travelled around Alberta, sharing his faith and religious teachings.
He became friends with many Métis, Cree, and Nakoda people.
George McDougall was born in Ontario in 1821. As an adult,
in 1862, he started a mission called Victoria, after the queen.
It was located about 10 kilometres south of Smoky Lake.
The mission attracted about 150 English-speaking settlers from
the Manitoba area. The people were Métis, Cree, and Scottish.
The community was based on farming, buffalo hunting, and
trading. When he was at the settlement, George McDougall served
as a minister, teacher, and doctor. He died during a buffalo hunt,
but his son John continued his work.
Reverend Robert
Rundle and his
wife Mary
married after
he returned to
England.
Pause
George McDougall,
like Reverend Rundle,
was a Methodist
missionary.
1. What challenges do
you think
missionaries faced?
2. How did the British
contribute to early
settlement?
continued
NEL
219
People and Places
French Missionaries
The Oblates (oh blaytes) are a Roman Catholic religious order
started in France in 1816. Many men who were Oblate missionaries
came from France to what is now Canada.
The site of the first Oblate mission in Alberta, Fort Chipewyan,
was built in 1851. The Oblate missionaries wanted to help
Francophone settlers build communities. They wanted to teach
the Catholic faith to others, such as Aboriginal people.
At the new missions, the Oblates built churches, planted gardens,
and started schools. The missionaries taught in French at their schools.
A group of Oblate priests established the mission at Lac La Biche.
Father Émile
Grouard used
a printing press
to print books
in several
First Nations
languages, such
as Dunne-za,
shown here.
This statue
honours the
founder of the
Grey Nuns,
Marguerite
d’Youville (dyou
veel). It is at the
Grey Nuns
Hospital in
Edmonton.
220
Grey Nuns
The Grey Nuns were founded in 1737 in Montréal. The Oblates
asked them to come to care for the sick and teach First Nations and
Métis children. They arrived in Lac Ste. Anne from Québec in 1859.
In missions, such as Lac Ste. Anne and St. Albert, the nuns
taught reading, writing, and religion. The nuns at Lac Ste. Anne
learned the Cree language and wrote a Cree grammar book.
The Grey Nuns arrived at the Lac La Biche mission in 1862.
They built a school, a hospital, and an orphanage. As the number
of missions in Alberta grew, the Grey Nuns started and ran many
other schools and hospitals.
The Sisters of Providence started a school at Blackfoot Crossing
in 1899.
NEL
St. Albert
Our class did a study about Father Albert Lacombe. Father
Lacombe started a new mission in St. Albert in 1861. He brought
many Métis families with him from Lac Ste. Anne, the mission
started by Father Jean-Baptiste Thibault (tee boh). St. Albert was the
largest Métis settlement in what is now Alberta for years. Many of
the Métis people in Edmonton and surrounding areas today have
their roots in St. Albert.
We looked at a map of St. Albert in the 1800s. It was located
along the Sturgeon River near Edmonton. The river must have been
a source of water and a transportation route.
Inquiry
Questions About
St. Albert
• Who were the first people
to live in St. Albert?
Monsieur Fournier asked us what we knew about the city. Janelle
said she and her family often buy local fresh vegetables and honey
from the St. Albert Farmers Market.
Cam told about his visit to the Father Lacombe Chapel, the
oldest building in Alberta. Tours at the chapel are given in French
and English.
Monsieur Fournier said we had already discovered clues from
present-day St. Albert that reveal parts of its past. He then asked us
several questions: What does the farmers market tell us about the
land around St. Albert? What does the chapel tell us about how
important the mission was?
His questions really made us think. We wanted to know more
about St. Albert’s history. We started recording our questions.
continued
NEL
• Why did people move
there?
• How was Father
Lacombe important to
St. Albert?
Pause
1. Find clues on this
page to answer this
question: Why
might Father
Lacombe and others
have moved to the
St. Albert area?
2. Why are historical
maps important
when studying
history?
221
A Timeline Activity
We searched for answers to our questions about St. Albert.
We used various sources: books, videos, the Internet, and more.
We shared the information with each other. Next, we spread
everything out on tables to organize it. We decided to put the
materials in the order the events happened to create a timeline.
Organizing Ideas
Inquiry
Here are some images
and notes Éric and his
classmates prepared. Use
the captions, what you
know, and your predictions
to put them in order. Hint:
Figure out and use the
earliest year or time period
in each entry.
B
C
222
A
Father Albert
Lacombe, a
Francophone,
was born in
1827 and grew
up on a farm
near St. Sulpice,
Québec. When
he became a
priest, he
headed west.
Pack horses were used to
carry goods across the
Sturgeon River to and
from Fort Edmonton and
the St. Albert mission.
In 1862, Father Lacombe
decided the community
needed a bridge. It was
the first bridge in Canada
west of the Great Lakes.
The route that became the
Carlton Trail was first used by
First Nations following game.
It became the only land route
between Fort Garry (now
Winnipeg) and Fort
Edmonton in the early 1800s.
Many Francophone settlers
travelled to St. Albert along
the Carlton Trail in squeaky,
wooden Red River carts.
NEL
D
Sturgeon River
In 1861, 20 Métis families came with Father Lacombe from
Lac Ste. Anne to start the new mission. He developed a river lot
system based on the one used in Québec. Land along the Sturgeon
River was divided into long, narrow strips. The settlers built farm
houses and planted gardens.
E
The arrival of the railway in 1890 and the offer of farmland
brought a huge wave of new settlers to St. Albert. People came
from Europe, Québec, and the United States to start farms.
F
G
Pause
Grey Nuns from Lac Ste.
Anne moved to St. Albert in
1863. They started a hospital
and a school. This photo
shows a school and residence
that was built in later years.
NEL
In 1866, the Hudson’s Bay
Company built a fur trading
post near the mission. Many
Métis people traded furs,
meat, and pemmican for
supplies at the trading post.
1. In a small group,
compare your
timelines. Discuss
the clues you used
to organize the
information. Make
any necessary
changes.
223
Métis Life
In addition to Métis men’s work as hunters, trappers, voyageurs, and
farmers, the Métis women in Alberta often made a living making and
selling pemmican to the fur trading companies. Pemmican was ideal
because it was easy to transport, very nutritious, and lasted a long time.
As the buffalo herds began to disappear, some trading posts began
to sell supplies and equipment to the settlers arriving in the west.
Many Métis people turned to farming. They learned skills,
such as planting gardens and raising livestock, from the Oblate
missionaries and nuns.
Our Buffalo Hunts
Pause
1. Do you think it
would have been
difficult for people
who were hunters
to change to
farming? Explain
your ideas.
I was 13 years old when I first joined in a buffalo hunt. We left
Lac Ste. Anne after the leaves were out on the poplar trees and our
small fields and gardens were seeded or planted. …All the families
who wanted to join the hunt would prepare for the trip…
I always used to accompany my mother on these trips. She
was the medicine woman who set broken bones and knew how
to use medicinal herbs.
We, from Lac Ste. Anne, would be first to start, as we were
the furthest north. The Métis of the St. Albert settlement would
join us on the way. Usually, there would be about 100 families
going on the hunt.
The buffalo was a very useful animal, for we ate the meat, we
used its hide for robes, ropes, shelter for our lodges, foot wear,
clothes and bags…
We, of those days, never could believe that the buffalo would
ever be killed off, for there were thousands and thousands.
—Victoria Callihoo, Métis historian
2. Victoria Callihoo
was a Métis
historian who lived
from 1861 to 1966.
What changes do
you think she
would have seen in
her community
during her lifetime?
224
NEL
The Impact of Diseases
Hospitals were badly needed when epidemics hit. Epidemics are
outbreaks of diseases that spread to many people very quickly.
Over time, it is possible for people to develop a better ability to
fight against some illnesses. It is a natural way for a body to protect
itself. Europeans had some resistance, or the ability to fight against
certain diseases. First Nations people did not because they had
never been around such illnesses. Their bodies had not had a
chance to build up any resistance.
When First Nations people came into contact with Europeans,
they caught some illnesses from them very easily. They were
particularly affected by smallpox. This is a disease that causes a
high fever and blisters.
Smallpox, measles, and whooping cough could be deadly.
Medicines were not yet developed to fight these illnesses. Whole
families and whole communities could die. In 1870, for example,
there was a terrible smallpox epidemic in St. Albert. Smallpox
epidemics killed thousands of First Nations people in Alberta.
Historical records identify this Piikani Winter
Count as “cough disease.” It is believed this
may refer to the smallpox epidemic in
1870–1871.
“I was only eight years old at the time of the smallpox.
…My first [memory] was that of my oldest brother and a
younger sister being sick; these two died in one night with
my father following shortly afterwards. …Just before I fell
off to sleep, I heard my mother express the fear that she
would not see another day. “What will happen to my little
children?” she said.
”
That was the last time I ever heard her speak.
—told by Antoine Jibeau to Joseph F. Dion in
My Tribe the Crees
NEL
Fast FACTS
Historians estimate that
by the mid-1800s,
diseases had reduced
the First Nations
population in North
America by about
90 per cent.
Pause
1. How are diseases
prevented or
treated today?
225
Forming Canada
Why did Canada expand to the west?
In the 1860s, representatives from the British North American
colonies met to decide whether to join to form a country. Some of
the colonies’ representatives felt there would be advantages to
joining together.
• The British colonies could trade and sell goods to each other
more easily than selling to other countries.
• Many people feared the United States would try to take over the
British colonies. The British colonies could work together to
defend themselves.
• Together, the colonies would be able to afford to build a railroad.
This would allow settlers to move west and expand Canada.
On July 1, 1867, the colonies of the Province of Canada (now
called Québec and Ontario), Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick
joined in Confederation to form the country of Canada. Canada’s
government and laws would be based on those of Britain. The work
of the Canadian government would be done in French and English.
Victoria was the Queen of Canada.
Pause
1. Compare the map
on this page with a
present-day map of
Canada. What is
similar and
different?
2. Why do you think
only four of the
British colonies
joined in
Confederation?
Where is Alberta?
Why is it not shown
on the map?
226
NEL
Becoming the North-West Territories
$10!
March 18, 1873
It is widely known that there are increasing problems in our
North-West Territories. Since 1869, United States whiskey traders
have been occupying parts of our territory. They trade rotgut
whiskey and guns for buffalo hides. These traders have even dared to
build forts on Canadian soil. The names of these forts, such as Fort
Whoop-Up, Robber’s Roost, and Slide-out, speak of lawlessness.
There are worse problems in the Cypress Hills area. Men who call
themselves “wolfers” have been poisoning the wolves for their furs
and disrupting the regular fur trade. Many First Nations and Métis
people have been threatened and murdered.
NEL
1. What problems had
to be solved before
settlers would want
to come? What
might some
solutions to the
problems be?
2. Do you think
the government
should have asked
First Nations and
Métis people how
they felt about
settlement? Explain
your point of view.
LL
S CE N
6
E
Reverend George Mitchell
Hamilton, Ontario
Pause
TR
What is our leader, the Honourable John A. Macdonald, going to
do about this situation? The people and the western lands must be
made safe again. Something must be done!
The government
encouraged settlement
with offers of cheap
land.
I
160 acres
for only
SK
John A. Macdonald was the first prime minister of Canada. He
wanted to enlarge Canada. He had a vision of a country that went
from sea to sea.
In 1870, the new government of Canada obtained the NorthWestern Territory from Great Britain. This included Rupert’s Land,
controlled by the Hudson’s Bay Company. Canada had to pay the
Hudson’s Bay Company 11.5 million dollars for these lands. These
new parts of Canada were called North-West Territories. The area
that is now Alberta was once part of it.
It was a large area of
land. The government felt
Cheap Land in the
it needed settlers to
Northwest of Canada!
populate the large
territory. The good
farmland could draw
many settlers to the west.
However, the North-West
Territories had some
problems that had to
be solved before many
people would feel safe to
Each farmer must have 30 acres
settle there.
planted and have a permanent
dwelling within three years.
Share
w it h o t h e rs
227
The North West Mounted
Police
How did the North West Mounted Police provide safety
for people in the west?
The North West Mounted Police force was formed in 1873.
It had three main purposes:
• to show the western prairies were controlled by Canada
• to bring law and order
• to stop the whiskey trade
The police force was organized similarly to the British army.
Hundreds of men were recruited.
Wanted:
Men for the Mounted Police Force
for the North-West Territories.
Must be between the ages of 18 and 40.
Must be strong, able to ride, active, and of good character.
Must be able to read and write either English or French.
Pay is 75 cents a day for sub-constables,
1 dollar a day for constables.
NAMES IN ALBERTA
The men wore
bright red jackets
that could be
seen for
kilometres—a
symbol of law
and order.
228
The North West Mounted Police represented Canada at various royal
occasions for the monarchy. They participated in the ceremony, for
example, when King Edward VII was crowned King in 1902. In 1904,
the King added “Royal” to the force’s name and they became the
Royal North West Mounted Police.
Beginning in 1920, the force became responsible for law enforcement across
Canada, so their name was changed to Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
NEL
The March West
Nearly 400 men were trained for the new force. On July 8, 1874,
most of the force started the trip westward from Dufferin. Their job
was to locate Fort Whoop-Up and destroy the whiskey trade. Some
of the officers went to Fort Edmonton and Fort Macleod.
The 275 officers and constables took various supplies:
• 142 oxen for
pulling carts
• 114 Red River carts
(large-wheeled,
wooden carts)
• 93 head of cattle
• 310 horses
• 73 wagons
• 4 heavy guns
• mowing machines
• forges (for metal
repairs)
Pause
1. What importance
do you think the
events on these
two pages have
to Alberta?
• moveable kitchens
NEL
229
On the Trek
Commissioner George Arthur French, the leader of the force at
the time, wrote about the experiences of the North West Mounted
Police (NWMP) on their trek west. Some parts of his journal entries
are shown here.
.
July 8, 1873 – Left Dufferin
of water
July 11 – Got a few buckets
good; no
by digging in the mud; land
wood or water.
rm,
July 12 – Heavy thundersto
ts.
hailstones as large as walnu
ing dried
July 21 – Grass very poor, be
.
up, or eaten by grasshoppers
at Wood
July 30 – Remained all day
of wood
End Depot to secure a supply
escaped a
for 3 days more. I narrowly
in one of
bad injury, my horse falling
d after
the countless badger holes. Be
12 and up again at 4 a.m.
August 3 – Those Troops th
at did
not carry enough wood are no
w
beginning to feel the effects.
August 4 – Tremendous thun
derstorm.
Nearly all tents blown down.
Two lots
of horses broke away.
August 10 – The saline wat
er and
bad feed is telling severely on
the
horses. Met Macleod with 47
00
pounds of pemmican and drie
d meat
from Wood Mountain.
August 13 – Our Aboriginal
friends
arrived. I told them that the
Queen
had heard that the American
outlaws had killed some of th
em
and that she had sent me to
capture
the men who did it.
September 7 – Ten buffalo were killed. No grass or
water, had liquid mud for tea.
September 10 – I had a blanket taken from every
man last night, so that each horse was covered from
the cold rain and wind.
Pause
1. How did the
geography and
natural environment
affect the journey?
230
September 12 – Whiskey traders are not here now,
but are about Benton, in the United States, and
propose remaining there till the Force returns east.
September 14 – Nine horses killed in 36 hours from
cold and hunger.
September 29 – Sighted the Milk River.
NEL
In the West
Part of the North West Mounted Police (NWMP) force was sent
to Fort Edmonton. The rest headed for the Cypress Hills to deal
with the whiskey traders and wolfers.
The group arrived at the empty Fort Whoop-Up and took it over.
The whiskey traders had run away and never reappeared. Many
First Nations people began to trust the police force because they got
rid of the wolfers.
The United States had been expanding. New states were formed
along the American and Canadian border. In 1867, the United
States bought Alaska. The presence of the NWMP helped show the
North-West Territories was Canadian.
Many forts were constructed for the NWMP. These included Fort
Calgary, Fort Normandeau at Red Deer, and Fort Macleod. Several
forts were named after the man in charge of that fort.
A group of NWMP were stationed at
the busy crossing at the Red Deer
River. The fort was named after
Lieutenant J.E. Bédard Normandeau
(bay dar nor mawn doh).
Fort Macleod was
named after Colonel
James F. Macleod.
This photo shows the
community of Fort
Macleod today.
NAMES IN ALBERTA
Inspector Brisebois was sent to build a new fort where the Elbow and
Bow Rivers meet. He wanted to name the fort after himself, Fort Brisebois.
Brisebois changed his mind about the fort’s site. This caused delays, so the
fort was not built by winter. This caused hardships for his men, and
Brisebois was unpopular as a result.
Colonel Macleod came to sort things out. He changed the name of the fort
to Fort Calgary, after a place in Scotland.
NEL
Pause
1. If the NWMP had
not formed and
gone west, what
could have
happened?
231
Assembly of the NorthWest Territories
How did the Assembly of the North-West Territories
affect people’s quality of life?
When the North-West Territories became a part of Canada, the
government of Canada put a lieutenant governor and council in
charge. He represented the Queen.
David Laird served as
lieutenant governor of
the North-West
Territories from 1876
to 1881.
Fast FACTS
At this time in Canada,
women and First
Nations people did not
have the right to vote.
As of 1918, women
could vote for
representatives of the
Canadian government.
The year when
individual provinces
and territories granted
women the right to
vote varied. First
Nations received the
right to vote in
Canadian elections in
1960, and in Alberta
elections in 1961.
232
The first government members were appointed. As of 1875,
elections would be allowed. Voters could choose additional council
members as the population grew.
In 1875, there were only three elected members. Certain rules
were made because there were so few members. No issues could be
voted on if a member was in the washroom!
As more people moved west from eastern Canada, more men
were elected to the council. When there were 25 members, the
group became known as the Legislative Assembly.
The government of the North-West Territories used both French
and English at their meetings and in their written records. In 1892,
the Assembly decided their work would be done in English only.
The Legislative Assembly made decisions for the North-West
Territories. For instance, they could choose how to spend the
tax money collected from the citizens. In 1877, they decided
Francophone students in the North-West Territories had the right
to learn in French at school. In 1889, they decided Catholic people
could have their own schools, paid for with tax money.
NEL
2. David Goggin had been appointed as Superintendent of
Education. He believed that schools should be less religious,
English-speaking, and loyal to the British Empire. In 1897,
Goggin directed all teachers to celebrate with their students the
60th anniversary of Queen Victoria’s coronation, when she
became monarch.
This led to some
changes in Alberta.
In 1984, the first two
Francophone schools
were opened. In 1988
and 1993, the
government changed
school laws to respect
Francophone rights.
Pause
1. How might
Francophone
Catholic parents
have felt about
their children being
taught only in
English at school?
LL
S CE N
6
E
NEL
The Canadian Charter of
Rights and Freedoms
was passed in 1982.
One part of the Charter,
Section 23, officially
gave the right to
Francophone parents
outside of Québec and
English-speaking parents
in Québec to have their
children attend school in
their first language.
These schools would be
paid for with tax money.
TR
3. Egerton Ryerson was a
Methodist, or Protestant,
missionary in Ontario.
His ideas and thinking
influenced others. He
believed in loyalty to the
British Empire. However,
he believed that French
and English should be
considered equal.
Fast FACTS
I
After 1896, there were more English-speaking Protestant settlers
coming to Alberta than Francophone Catholic settlers. Laws about
Catholic and non-Catholic schools did not change. However, some
changes to laws about the language used in education were made.
In 1892, the Assembly decided English would be the language of
instruction in the North-West Territories. They also decided there
could be one hour of instruction in French each day.
Various people had different points of view about this decision.
1. Francophones were unhappy with
the changes about language of
education and in the Assembly. They
felt the Assembly of the North-West
Territories was acting against them.
Bishop Grandin of St. Albert believed
in having Francophone Catholic
schools. He wrote a letter to the Prime
Minister asking that he support
the Francophones.
SK
Many Points of View
Share
w it h o t h e rs
2. What are the
differences between
being able to make
decisions for
yourself and having
somebody else
make decisions
for you?
233
What Have We Learned?
We looked at what set the stage for early settlement. Missions
were the start of some communities. Missionaries offered religious
instruction, and set up schools and hospitals.
The inquiry on pages 221 to 223 focused on understanding
changes and events in St. Albert by organizing a timeline.
Decreasing buffalo herds and diseases affected the way of life of
First Nations and Métis people.
In 1867, Canada became a country, and then the North-West
Territories was formed. The North West Mounted Police were sent to
provide security. Their forts also became the start of communities.
With more people coming, government and schools were started.
Inquiring
I
6
E
SK
S CE N
TR
LL
Share
w it h o t h e rs
1. Think about important events in Alberta’s history that you
learned about in this chapter. As a class, identify and list the
people and major events on the board. You may choose to do
research to find out more about this period of history.
Find a creative way to help others appreciate this part of
Alberta’s story. You could present a series of short scenes or
write and perform a song about the events. You could present
a “talking timeline” by showing pictures and briefly telling
about key events in the order in which they happened.
Another idea is to create a timeline activity like the one on
pages 222 and 223. Prepare and share your presentation.
Developing Your Thinking
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M ake
d e cisio n s
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2. In this chapter, you and your classmates worked together to
complete the timeline activity. Think about other times you
worked with others on class projects.
Work in a small group to answer the following questions
about working with others:
a) What can group members do to help them communicate
well?
b) When there is a problem in a group, how can the problem
be solved?
c) How can you make decisions in a group?
d) Make a list of strategies for group decision making and
cooperation.
NEL
Appreciating Our Alberta
3. Write or draw your answers to these questions:
What made early settlers want to come to what is
now Alberta?
In what ways did early settlers contribute to what is
now Alberta?
Reflecting
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4. On pages 216 and 217, Éric told a story about his own fort
experience. He compared an event today with events at the
time of the fur trade to better understand the past. What are
some other ways to make comparisons? For example, what
graphic organizers help us make comparisons? How does
making comparisons between past and present help us learn?
O rg a niz e
id eas
The Alberta Project
Are their Francophone roots in your community? There are many
kinds of evidence, such as names of streets, buildings, and other places.
Other examples are clubs and organizations, schools, community
members, and events.
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Discuss your ideas with your classmates, and then begin your
search. Use various sources, including at least one media source. Make
notes of your findings and, if possible, gather printed materials and
pictures of your discoveries.
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What other possible clues about Francophone roots can you think
of? Where could you search to find examples?
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Fin d
infor m
a ti o n
Meet as a class to share and discuss your findings. Is there evidence
of Francophone roots in your community? If so, what does the evidence
tell you about the Francophone story in your community?
If there is no evidence of Francophone roots in your community,
discuss why this might be the case. Search an Alberta map together
and select a Francophone community. Do research to find out how its
Francophone roots are shown.
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Work in a small group to create a multimedia presentation showing
Francophone roots in an Alberta community.
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Share
w it h o t h e rs
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