Course Outline The organizing concept for Social Studies 5 is “Investigating Past Societies”. Students will examine the roles of historians/archaeologists in investigating the past and will use historical inquiry to consider how primary sources are discovered, evaluated, and used to construct historical knowledge. In studying this, students will gain an understanding of how we learn about the past. Students will study various societies from different historical eras, namely, ancient, pre-contact Canada, and British and French societies in Canada. They will examine how the environment influenced ancient societies. First Nations and Inuit societies take students to another dimension as they look at the decision-making practices. Once the British and French arrived in Canada, and in particular Atlantic Canada, First Nations and Inuit had many interactions with them. Interactions between the British and French and between the British and French and First Nations and Inuit, brought many changes. Students examine these interactions and come to understand the resulting consequences. For materials in French click here