Middle School Indigenous Studies

I am struggling.

Not with teaching social studies, but with the materials that are available commercially for teaching about the history of European colonization and contact and trade.  One resource stated that, "[o]verall, trade between First Nations and European Settlers was mutually beneficial." However, this is not exactly true.

Trade and markets were not introduced to First Nations people by the Europeans. There was a well established trade and market system in between First Nations groups long before Colonizers set foot onto North America. (Source: Le Dressay, André; Lavallee, Normand; and Reeves, Jason, "First Nations Trade, Specialization, and Market Institutions: A Historical Survey of First Nation Market Culture" (2010). Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi). 72.) This trade was very beneficial to the First Nations because it was based on mutual respect and need.

Early trading between First Nations and the first Europeans may have been mutually beneficial-- but as the relationship progressed, and competition for European made good grew, those relationships were exploited; and the trade deficit grew with First Nations providing furs and survival and navigation knowledge for tools and other items. Even though these items the Europeans traded were convenient, they could not equal in value to what the First Nations people provided.

In short, its complex, and the relationship changed over time, but I can't agree that overall trade benefited both groups equally.

So I wrote I made my own resource.


I wanted to have something that included information on beads (because they were important to early trade), and at least one example of why they were important.  I also wanted to use more precise language.  I'm posting it here because maybe you may want to use it.  If you do, click on the preview window above and you can download it.  I also created a worksheet activity to go with it:


It has some reading comprehension questions, and one critical thinking question for the long answer portion. Because I know that grade 6 is EQAO year, this counts as reading response questioning and my students would be expected to use the format we have been learning. It would make a good social studies assessment too. I'm going to be using this as a follow up to a Trade Game that I made for the class. I'll be sure to post how that turned out.

Let me know if you find this useful!  Have you ever struggled with the messaging in some of the resources you have found?