Grade Four Pioneer Unit Overview

This unit is designed to provide a basic introduction to the topic of pioneers. The lessons will give students a general understanding of pioneering and will provide a solid base for further exploration of this topic in the later grades. Our intent was to provide a broad overview of some of the major themes of pioneering to prepare them for future units on such topics as the Acadians and the settlement of the West for example. This Unit’s central focus is on pioneering as a broad and general concept and lessons will be based around this theme with a major independent project due at the end of the unit.  

Ongoing Activities

Interesting facts about Pioneers  

Whenever students find something that they find interesting they are encouraged to write it on a sheet of construction paper. For example one student may find it interesting that salt was not sold in Canada until 1820 and wish to record that on the file card. At the end of the Unit the facts will be compiled and bound together for class use.  

The Pioneer Dictionary  

Students will record terms that are new to them along with their definition on a file card and they will be posted on the wall in the classroom for quick reference. Examples of terms include mordant (which is a mixture used to fix dyes so that the color stays in the cloth), and brine (which is a mixture of salt and water that is used in making pickles).  

Ongoing Assessment: Records  

The teacher will keep a record throughout the unit to measure participation levels, reading recovery, effort put into assignments and the quality of reflections based on the quality of writing styles, grammar and thoughtfulness of answers.

The teacher will respond to each reflection written by students.

Students will self evaluate their Early Settlement projects based on the rubric provided at the end of this unit.