Lesson 6 — Activity 1: The Earliest Settlements


Warm Up


You learned previously that in the 1500s, Europeans  arrived and began to take resources from Canada.

As well, beginning in the 1500s, the first groups of Europeans to settle and make new lives in what became Canada and the United States were from France and England (also known as Britain).


early acadian settlement
In this activity, you will learn about these earliest settlements.

During the 1500s:

  • French settlers built communities in Acadia, a part of what is now Nova Scotia.

map of NB

  • The French also settled and farmed along the St. Lawrence River in what is now Quebec.



During the 1600s:

  • English fishermen, as well as those from other European nations, often landed on the shores of Newfoundland.
  • Early attempts at settlement in Newfoundland were very challenging because climate and landscape were difficult.
  • The English built permanent communities in the northeastern United States, where the settlers were able to farm very successfully.


 By the 1700s, both the French and the British had strong claims to Canada.