THE CANADIAN ATLAS ONLINE
www.canadiangeographic.ca/atlas
SASKATCHEWAN – GRADE 4
Sustenance of Pre-Contact First Nations
in Saskatchewan
Lesson Overview
In this lesson, students will compare and contrast their daily survival needs to those
of the pre-contact First Nations people of Saskatchewan.
Grade Level
Grade 4
Time Required
Two 30 -45 minute classes
Curriculum Connection (Province/Territory and course)
Grade 4 Saskatchewan Social Studies Curriculum – Heritage Unit
Link to the Canadian Atlas Online (CAOL)
www.canadiangeographic.ca/atlas/
Additional Resources, Materials and Equipment Required

Chart paper and markers
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Copies of Venn diagrams – one for every two students (optional)

Book - Keepers of the Earth –Native Stories and Environmental Activities for
Children (optional)
Main Objective
Students will compare and contrast their current daily life sustenance with those of
the pre-contact First Nations people and recognize how geography affects what and
how we eat in the past and today.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
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Access The Canadian Atlas Online website.
Understand the meaning of the word sustenance.
Identify how early First Nations peoples developed traditions and technologies
appropriate for their lifestyles.
Identity the main forms of sustenance for pre-contact First Nations people in
Saskatchewan.
Identity the main forms of sustenance for people today.
Understand the role that geography played/plays in the provision of human
sustenance.
Compare, contrast, and evaluate the forms of sustenance between precontact First Nations people and people today in Saskatchewan.
Draw conclusions about the change in relationship between land/animals as
forms of sustenance in the past and today.
Value and appreciate the past experiences of Saskatchewan's First Nations
peoples.
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THE CANADIAN ATLAS ONLINE
www.canadiangeographic.ca/atlas
SASKATCHEWAN – GRADE 4
The Lesson
The Lesson
Teacher Activity
Introduction
How will the lesson
open?
Teacher begins by saying -” In
today’s society, we all require the
basics to survive. What basic
survival needs do we require in
today’s world?
Define the word sustenance – food
and drink regarded as sustaining
life; the process of keeping alive.
Student Activity
Brainstorm the basic
survival needs of current
Saskatchewan people on
chart paper (ex: food,
clothing, shelter, love,
belonging, friendship,
etc.)
Explain that Europeans came to
live in what we call Saskatchewan
after the 1850’s [note: exploration
began in the 1690’s].
Teacher continues – The precontact First Nations people also
had basic survival needs, including
food, clothing and shelter to
sustain their existence.
Ask – Since the First Nations
people of Saskatchewan were not
farmers, they maintained their way
of life by relying on other animal
and geographical resources to
survive. [note: farming was
restricted to areas near the St.
Lawrence Valley and the Great
Lakes Region)
Direct students to The
Canadian Atlas Online
and have the students
give the answer after
studying and discussing
the section on Farming.
This land was full of
_____________?
(see Farming in The Canadian
Atlas Online))
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THE CANADIAN ATLAS ONLINE
www.canadiangeographic.ca/atlas
Lesson Development
Detail point by point how
the lesson will develop
by student and teacher
activity
Teacher continues – ‘If we focus
on current times, what people eat
today? How do we get it? Where
does this food come from? What
plant and animal sources do we
rely on for sustenance?”
SASKATCHEWAN – GRADE 4
Brainstorm and record
student responses on
chart paper.
From student responses, identify
our current main Saskatchewan
food sources.
Ask the students to compare /
identify what they think would be
the main food source of the precontact First Nations peoples of
Saskatchewan (see Farming in the
CAOL) and discuss why?
As a whole class, or in
pairs using a student
handout, do a Venn
diagram of :
-Today’s food sources
-Early Saskatchewan
Peoples’ food sources
(see Farming in the
CAOL)
-the overlap between the
two food sources
Conclusion
How will the lesson
conclude? What final
product or culminating
activity is expected?
Wrap up by comparing the
sustenance of pre-contact First
Nations people in Saskatchewan
and people today. Make note of
the many uses of the buffalo (for
food, shelter, clothing, etc.) for
First Nations peoples.
Students participate in
discussion while reviewing
the Venn diagram(s).
Optional closing activity: Read the
story “The White Buffalo Calf
Woman and the Sacred Pipe” from
the Keepers of the Earth series
[Michael J. Caduto and Joseph
Bruchac Fulcrum Publishing, Inc.,
1989.) and discuss the
sacredness/utility of the bison to
the First Nations people.
Students listen to story.
Lesson Extension

Discuss the possible positives and negatives of bison hunting as a way of life
for Early Saskatchewan Aboriginal People in The Canadian Atlas Online. **An
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www.canadiangeographic.ca/atlas
SASKATCHEWAN – GRADE 4
option would be to compare that to our current way of sustaining our
population. What are the similarities /or differences?

Discuss the ways the Early Saskatchewan People ensured the safety and
prosperity of the bison (The Canadian Atlas Online), as it was their major
source of sustenance.

Read the story “The White Buffalo Calf Woman and the Sacred Pipe” from the
Keepers of the Earth series [Michael J. Caduto and Joseph Bruchac Fulcrum
Publishing, Inc., 1989.) and discuss the sacredness of the bison to the First
Nations people. Discuss what is sacred to our culture.

In partners, create a top 10 list of Early Survival Items for the Early
Saskatchewan Aboriginal Peoples. Present it to class. How does this differ
from what today’s list would be?
Assessment of Student Learning
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Assess the student rubrics.
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Assess and evaluate participation in class discussions.
Further Reading

“The White Buffalo Calf Woman and the Sacred Pipe” from the Keepers of the
Earth series [Michael J. Caduto and Joseph Bruchac Fulcrum Publishing, Inc.,
1989.)
Link to Canadian National Standards for Geography
Essential Element #2 – Places and Regions
 Changes in places and regions over time.
Essential Element #4 – Human Systems
 Human settlement patterns and land use.
 Types of economic activity.
Essential Element #5 - Environment and Society
 Human adaptation to the physical environment.
Essential Element #6 – The Uses of Geography
 Influences of physical and human features on historical events.
Geographic Skill #2 – Acquiring geographic information
 Make and record observations about physical and human characteristics of
places.
Geographic Skill #3 - Organizing geographic information
 Construct graphs, tables, and diagrams to display geographic information.
Geographic Skill #5 – Answering Geographic Questions

Use methods of geographic inquire to acquire geographic information, draw
conclusions, and make generalizations.
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Apply generalizations to solve geographic problems and make reasoned
decisions.
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