History Report Card Comments, Grades 7-8 (Ontario)
History, reported separately in Grades 7-8, covers Canada from New France to 1914, including First Nations, Métis and Inuit, Black, French, British and newcomer communities, through historical inquiry and concepts such as significance, cause and consequence, and perspective.
Below are 13 sample sentences for Grades 7-8: two strengths and one next step for each of the 4 comment levels (Level 4 (A, 80-100%) / Level 3 (B, 70-79%) / Level 2 (C, 60-69%) / Level 1 (D, 50-59%)), plus a tip for families. They are a small selection from the 233 history sentences in the full pack. Copy one, then add a detail only you know about the student.
Jump to: Level 4 (A, 80-100%) · Level 3 (B, 70-79%) · Level 2 (C, 60-69%) · Level 1 (D, 50-59%) · Writing tips
Fills in the name and pronouns on this page. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Level 4 (A, 80-100%) A
Strengths
- When discussing current events, [Name] uses history to explain how the experiences of communities in early Canada help us understand the country today.
- When working with historical evidence, [Name] compares accounts from several sources to judge which are most reliable and explains [his/her/their] reasoning clearly.
Next steps:
- [He/She/They] could examine how the experiences of women in the period we studied differed from one community to another, using diaries and letters as evidence.
Level 3 (B, 70-79%) B
Strengths
- During history discussions, [Name] communicates ideas with considerable clarity and responds to classmates' points with evidence.
- In history, [Name] shows a considerable understanding of how one event led to another and links them with phrases such as "as a result" in [his/her/their] explanations.
Next steps:
- Sharing [his/her/their] findings with a short visual, such as an annotated map or labelled timeline, will help [Name] make key ideas clear to the class.
Level 2 (C, 60-69%) C
Strengths
- With prompting, [Name] links issues from the period we studied in history, such as land use or language, to life in Canada today.
- When examining historical sources, [Name] is developing the habit of asking who made each source and why it was created.
Next steps:
- A picture sequence from three points in the period will help [Name] identify when the greatest change occurred and support the choice with one visible detail.
Level 1 (D, 50-59%) D
Strengths
- When explaining history learning, [Name] shares ideas in writing with limited clarity and adds more detail when using a drawing or labelled diagram.
- [Name] can point out one difference between daily life in early Canada and daily life today when looking at historical images.
Next steps:
- Telling a partner what happened first, next and last in an event from our unit, [Name] can build the order before writing it down.
Support at home
- Talking about where nearby street, town or river names come from, and asking a librarian to help find out, connects your community to its past.
How to write history comments for Grades 7-8
- Name the historical thinking concept and the evidence together, such as explaining the consequences of one decision for two different communities, so the comment shows reasoning rather than recall of events and dates.
- Describe source work: does the student ask who created a letter, map or photograph, check it against a second source and cite it? A next step such as corroborating each claim with two sources is concrete.
- For perspectives, name the groups the student considers, such as Black communities in early Canada, and how they use evidence about them. The revised Grades 7-8 History, in force from 2026-27, makes Black Canadian history mandatory learning.
Watch out: Avoid Level 1 or 2 wording that suggests a student did not care about difficult topics, such as residential schools. Describe the historical skill still developing instead, such as drawing evidence from a source.
Level 4 (A, 80-100%) language is thorough, independent and applied in new situations; Level 3 (B, 70-79%) is considerable, clear and usually accurate; Level 2 (C, 60-69%) shows some effectiveness, often with a model or support; Level 1 (D, 50-59%) names what the student does with direct support and what is emerging. The grade is already printed, so describe the learning rather than restating the mark.
What History covers
Report card strands and skills for history:
- Understanding of people, events and developments in Canada from New France to 1914, including the experiences of First Nations, Métis and Inuit, Black, French, British and newcomer communities
- The historical inquiry process: asking questions, gathering and analysing primary and secondary sources, drawing conclusions and communicating
- Historical thinking: historical significance, cause and consequence, continuity and change, and historical perspective
- Making connections between the past and present-day Canada
More Ontario subjects comments
- Language, Grades 7-8
- Mathematics, Grades 7-8
- Science and Technology, Grades 7-8
- Geography, Grades 7-8
- Opening and closing sentences
- All Ontario subjects skills and grade bands
- Build a comment with the comment picker
How these sentences were made, and what has been checked: About these comments.