Learn about treaties grade 4 Saskatchewan Curriculum

Welcome! I'm so excited to help you explore Saskatchewan's curriculum for Grade 4. Before we dive into the material, I'd love to learn a little bit more about your background so we can make this as helpful as possible.

To help me tailor our lessons, could you tell me a little bit about what your child (or students) already knows about Treaties, or if there is a specific part of the Saskatchewan curriculum you are most focused on right now?

I am a teacher looking for Grade 4 resources

It is wonderful to connect with a fellow educator! Having a roadmap is always helpful when planning, so let's take a quick look at the learning path we will explore to help your students understand these foundational agreements.

Your path

Locating Treaty Areas in Saskatchewan

Why Treaties Were Made and What They Meant

Understanding Challenges and Treaty Promises

What is a Treaty?

For Grade 4 students, we want to anchor the idea of a Treaty in concepts they already understand, like making a promise or a deep, mutual agreement. A is not just a contract or a historical piece of paper; it is a sacred, living agreement between two parties meant to last "as long as the sun shines, the grass grows, and the river flows."

To make this concrete for nine- and ten-year-olds, you can ask them to think about a time they made a promise with a friend to share their toys. A Treaty is a lot like that, but on a massive scale—it is a promise between First Nations and the to share the land, live together in peace, and look out for one another's well-being.

Continue to introducing 'We are all Treaty people'

We Are All Treaty People

Moving to our next concept, we explore a phrase your students will hear often in Saskatchewan: "We are all Treaty people." This is a powerful shift in perspective. Historically, many people thought Treaties only applied to communities, but a Treaty is a two-way street. If you think of a Treaty as a partnership agreement to share a vast playground, both the person who was already there and the new person joining them are part of that deal. Because we all live on this shared land, we all enjoy the benefits of these agreements every single day.

To bring this home for Grade 4s, you can explain that if they live in Saskatchewan, they are using land, water, roads, and schools that exist because of the peace and sharing promised in the Treaties. Non-Indigenous people received the right to settle and build communities, while First Nations were promised ongoing support, education, and protection of their way of life. Everyone has a role to play in keeping those alive.

Give me an analogy to explain this to a 9-year-old

An analogy is a brilliant way to make this concrete, and the "playground share" is one of the most effective tools you can use for nine-year-olds.

Imagine telling your students: "Think about a really cool, giant that has always belonged to one kid. They know all the best hiding spots, how to care for the grass, and how to keep it safe. Then, a new kid moves in next door. Instead of fighting over who gets the playground, they sit down and make a serious, pinky-swear promise: 'We will share this space. You can build new swings here, and in return, you promise to help me keep our playground clean, make sure I always have enough lunch, and treat me as an equal partner.'"

This simple story helps Grade 4s realize that both kids are now playground partners. The new kid doesn't own the whole playground now, and the first kid hasn't been kicked out. They both have to follow the rules they agreed on to keep things fair. If we live in Saskatchewan, we are those kids on that shared playground today.

Now that we have explored the partnership of "We are all Treaty people," we can look at why wrapping up this introduction is so foundational before we move on to mapping the actual Treaty territories in our next subtopic.

Make me a worksheet using this playground analogy

I would love to help you build a resources package for your classroom! This lesson is highly valued in the Saskatchewan Social Studies for Grade 4, which focus on analyzing the implications of the Treaty relationship.

SHEET

Worksheet

This worksheet is now being created to give your students a hands-on way to reflect on the sharing analogy. Now that we have wrapped up our introduction, we can transition to our next curriculum milestone: identifying and on the Saskatchewan map.