Hello there! Today I’ll be discussing our latest project: The More Things Change.

This project title was inspired by the theory that “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” Although we didn’t discuss this philosophy as much as we discussed continuity and change during the time of European settlement, the concept itself is somewhat similar.

Driving Question: “What did European settlement mean for all the people involved?”

In order to answer this question, our goal was to create an infographic, as you can see above.  However, in order to create an infographic, we needed the necessary knowledge and research to go forward.

The first few milestones of this project focused mostly on research, and how we can apply continuity and change. I won’t bore you with all of my notes however, here is a page that I’m particularly proud of:

Afterwards, my partner, Alicia, and I compiled the necessary data into charts so that we have our “supporting facts” for our thesis. This also connects to a competency called “Using Evidence From Various Sources”.

Before we could use the facts, we needed to have them approved first. It took Alicia and I multiple tries, but we managed it in the end. Here are our facts:

Next, we needed to draw visuals to support our facts. Alicia and I decided I would be in charge of the French, British, and First Nation visuals. However, Alicia helped me come up with ideas as to what I should draw.

Below is the final version of our infographic.

Curricular Competencies:

  • Identifying Continuity and Change:

This competency means to understand the similarities and differences between lives and conditions over time. In this case, we compared Canada during the time of European settlement and today. In a sense, this also connects to our previous projects: “How It Started… How It’s Going”, and “Argh, Matey!”

  • Using Evidence from Various Sources:

Our “historical conclusion” for this project, or in other words, our thesis was:

“European settlement resulted in the exchange of various goods between all the groups involved. Although the power difference between groups and systems has changed over time, we still use trading as a method to obtain and develop new resources.”

Essentially, for this competency, we had to learn how to evaluate, gain, and share evidence in order to support our thesis.

In conclusion, the French, British, and First Nations were three of the groups involved during the time of European settlement. Because of the fur trade, First Nations had access to resources such as guns, kettles, and various other tools. Due to this, they were able to aid the French during the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. Although the French established New France (also known as modern day Québec) in 1608, the British managed to gain control of a greater portion of land. Consequently, the British also had greater control over the fur trade. If it wasn’t for all this factors, Canada could be quite different from the way that it is today.

Also, here’s a shoutout to my project partner, Alicia! She was a huge help during this project, and she has my many thanks! Be sure to check out her blog!