reserves

Definition: Reserves are special areas of land that the government set aside for First Nations people to live on and use. No one person can own this land; it belongs to the whole First Nation community.

The land where a specific First Nation community lives, builds homes, and holds gatherings is their reserve.

How to teach this in 30 seconds

Try this analogy: A reserve is like a special part of the schoolyard that is set aside just for your class to play in.

Ask your child: Imagine a place just for our community. What would be there?

Common mix-up: Kids may think a reserve is just like any other town. The key idea is that this land was specifically set aside by the government for a particular First Nation community to use.

Examples

Many First Nations today call their reserve a 'First Nation community'.
The reserve is the territory where a First Nation has its schools and community centres.

reserves is a term used in Ontario’s Kindergarten to Grade 8 curriculum.

+3 more mentions across the curriculum

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The descriptions on this page are SmartStudy’s own original, plain-language writing — not the Ministry’s wording. They are aligned to the Ontario Curriculum, © King’s Printer for Ontario. For the Ministry’s official wording, see the source link below. SmartStudy is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the Government of Ontario or the Ministry of Education. Ontario Curriculum and Resources ↗

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