Social Studies Unit
Social Studies Unit
Learning Outcomes
What relevant goals will this unit address?
(must come from curriculum; include the designations e.g. IN2.1)
IN 8.1 (c,d,e,h) - Investigate the meaning of culture and the origins of Canadian cultural diversity.
IN 8.2 (all) - Appraise the influence of immigration as a factor in Canadian cultural diversity.
DR 8.1 (b,e) - Develop an understanding of the significance of land on the evolution of Canadian identity.
DR 8.2 (all) - Describe the influence of the treaty relationship on Canadian identity.
DR 8.3 (all) - Assess how historical events in Canada have affected the present Canadian identity
PA 8.1 (a,c,d,e,f) - Contemplate the implications of Canadian citizenship on the life of Canadians.
PA 8.2 (a,b,c,d) - Examine the role of power and authority in the application of diverse decision-making processes in a
variety of contexts.
PA 8.3 (all) - Present the evolution of a piece of legislation, from its first conception to its implementation.
PA 8.4 (c,d,e,f,g,h,i,j) - Assess the impact of citizens’ willingness and ability to actively engage in the Canadian political
processes.
RW 8.3 (a,b) - Critique the approaches of Canada and Canadians to environmental stewardship and sustainability.
Students will learn that voicing their opinion is Students will develop critical thinking strategies and be able to self-reflect
very important and can make a difference. on their own beliefs and actions. In addition, students will learn to do their
They will understand how controversial issues own research about controversial issues when preparing for the debate
developed, how they are being received in activity. Furthermore, if a student is given a side of an argument they do
society by various groups of people, what not personally agree with, this will develop a skill that is sometimes
stance the government and media take on needed in postsecondary, where a student may be given an essay topic
certain issues, and how certain policies can that they do not agree with, but must nonetheless defend.
be changed when citizens are engaged and
passionate about improving the conditions of
present-day Canadian society. Students will
personally reflect on their own beliefs with
regards to judgment, equality, and justice.
Students will also make connections to how
certain issues are present around them.
Some topics will also compare and contrast
the issue in Canada and in other parts of the
world. By the end of the unit, students will be
able to understand some of the fundamental
differences between Canada and other
nations.
Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence
Performance Task
Through what authentic performance task will students demonstrate the desired understandings, knowledge, and skills? (describes
the learning activity in “story” form. Typically, the P.T. describes a scenario or situation that requires students to apply knowledge
and skills to demonstrate their understanding in a real life situation. Describe your performance task scenario below)
By what criteria will performances of understanding be judged?
GRASPS Elements of the Performance Task
G – Goal By the end of the unit, students should be familiar with the various controversial issues affecting Canada
What should students today. They will understand the historical context and development of the issues, the stances that exist
accomplish by about it, and the social, economical, and political implications of the topic. Through the debate activity,
completing this task? students will be assessed on their knowledge and understanding of topics, as well as communication and
application of the arguments for or against the issue. Students will self and peer reflect during the lesson
R – Role
and activity. During the lesson, students will be asked to do a Quick Write about their perspective on the
What role (perspective)
topic (formative assessment, not for marks, just to get them to reflect and write). After the debate activity,
will your students be
students will be able to express which side was more convincing. This is a form of peer reflection and
taking?
peer evaluation, albeit also formative. Therefore, the skills learned here are critical analysis and
A – Audience reflection. Students will be able to take either role in their own debate or research paper, provided that
Who is the relevant they are able to support and defend that side properly. During the debate (or research paper, if they
audience? choose that option), students will present their in-depth research and analysis of the specific issue
assigned to them. The research they will do about the topic will go beyond what will be presented to them
in the class. This is yet another skill the students will learn: self-guided learning. This is a form of inquiry
S – Situation
learning as students will have their own side of the argument as the driving force behind their research.
The context or
Students will get to either present their findings in the form of a classroom debate with the rest of the
challenge provided to
class observing and taking notes, or through a research paper for those students who do not feel
the student.
comfortable with a presentation or feel that they can convey their understanding more successfully in a
comfortable with a presentation or feel that they can convey their understanding more successfully in a
P – Product, written work.
Performance
What product/
performance will
the student
create?
S – Standards &
Criteria for The only summative assessment for this unit would be the debate or research paper. We will analyze
Success whether their arguments were presented in a clear, concise manner (mark for grammar, spelling,
Create the rubric for sentence structure), if the opposite view was taken into account, and how convincing the ultimate
the Performance argument was to the classroom/the reader.
Task
Other Evidence Student Self-Assessment
Through what other evidence (work samples, observations, quizzes, tests, How will students reflect upon or self-assess
journals or other means) will students demonstrate achievement of the desired their learning?
results? Formative and summative assessments used throughout the unit to arrive
at the outcomes.
Students would be observed during library work periods as they do their research. Students will be able to reflect upon their
The handouts they will be given will be worked on in class and as a homework learning at the end of each debate activity as
assignment and collected for the teacher to look over and grade. This will teach there will be an anonymous vote taken to see
research skills, time management, and organization. The summative assessment which side was more convincing. This will be
will include their final project, as well as a test at the end of the unit to grade their done after the students have listened to the
overall understanding. lesson, done their own research, and
observed the presentations by their peers,
thereby forming their own opinion on each
topic.
Stage 3 – Learning Plan
What teaching and learning experiences will you use to:
● achieve the desired results identified in Stage 1?
● equip students to complete the assessment tasks identified in Stage 2?
Where are your students headed? Where have they been? How will you make sure the students know where they are
going?
What experiences do the learners bring to the unit? How have the interests of the learners been ascertained? Have the
learners been part of the pre-planning in any way? What individual needs do you anticipate will need to be addressed?
Learning environment: Where can this learning best occur? How can the physical environment be arranged to enhance
learning?
How will you engage students at the beginning of the unit? (motivational set)
What events will help students experience and explore the enduring understandings and essential questions in the unit?
How will you equip them with needed skills and knowledge?
13 This will be a 2-3 day lesson (Third day allotted in case project takes longer DT, DI, Tv or
Case Study than anticipated and in case documentary is not completed in class) DSR computer for
Issue: Gun Day 1 documentary
Control- Gun Control- Canada vs USA ,
Freedom or - Open class with review of the basic differences we learned last day documentary
Problem? - Outline of firearm laws in our neighboring countries movie file,
- Students will have access to computers/ipads/cell phones to do in-class computers
research assignment; or ipads,
- Project: find at least 1 case involving either gun violence or legislation research
surrounding it from both Canada and the USA assignment
Day 2 handout
Documentary: Bowling for Columbine (or some age-appropriate and school
approved documentary about gun violence)
14 This is a 3 day lesson will focus on introducing the students to the Treaties DSR, DI, Powerpoint,
Intro to present in Canada and in SK specifically DL cue cards
Recognizing Day 1 with
Treaties and - Open with a class discussion prompted by asking what the students segments of
FNIM Rights already know about Treaties Treaty 6
- Explain what a treaty is in general terms and give an example of Treaty written out,
6 tenets to review as a class Heritage
- Use the jigsaw method and give groups of students a portion of the Minutes
treaty to review and decipher (offering help with jargon)- then have the videos,
groups present their small section to create a comprehensive funding
understanding of what Treaty 6 outlines assignment
- Ask the students if they think Treaty 6 is being effectively followed in SK; printouts
why or why not? (If they do not know, prompt them by asking whether
they think First Nations people are treated equally in Saskatoon- are
there stereotypes we can think of?)
- Offer a brief history (15-20 minutes) of how the Treaties came to exist in
Canada (Use Heritage Minutes videos to help offer differentiation in the
presentation of material)
- Finish class by discussing the short videos and insuring students
understood
Day 2
- Begin with a brief recap of the content we covered yesterday
- Case Study Issue: Tell students about lack of FNIM funding in Canada
and Saskatoon more specifically; have them take some notes about the
stats of underfunding and cuts to FNIM programming and reservations
- Have students do a 5 minute quick-write on whether they think these
funding issues align with the treaty agreements (yes or no) then explain
why they think that and why it matters for people today
- Give students an assignment which has them designate a simplified
government budget; how do they distribute the funds?
Day 3
- Give students a work period to complete their government budget
assignment in groups
15 Case Study This lesson may overlap into 2 class periods DI, DL, Video or
Issue: Death - Lesson will open with a lecture style presentation of information DSR, DT case notes
Penalty regarding the laws surrounding the death penalty on real-life
- Refer back to lesson on differences between Canada and the US; have cases;
students compare and contrast in a think-pair-share format powerpoint
- Ensure all students are understanding the basic tenets of each side: for slides for
and against capital punishment lecture
- 2 age appropriate examples of controversial court trials/case summaries
will be presented to the class for them to judge whether or not they think
the perpetrators should receive the death penalty
- A debate-style activity will again be used to have the class learn to
defend their own position on the issues- they will be required to explain
their positions and relate it to the specific case studies
- Following this debate style discussion, students will write a quick in-class
summary of their reasoning to why they think what they think (5-10
points justifying and explaining their opinion on the matter)
- Following this written assignment I will ask students to do the same 5-10
point summary but this time from the other point of view
- I will emphasize that while they do not need to change their opinion, they
do need to challenge themselves to see and hear the opinions of the
opposing side in a mature and respectful manner
16 Introduce Day 1 DL, DSR Printouts of
essay project - Introduce the Unit Project assignment
- Students will choose a controversial topic to research individually requirement
- They will be required to research why their chosen issue is controversial s; laptop or
and argue either for or against computer
- Information will be made into a 5-paragraph essay time booked
- Students will have the remainder of the class (after a thorough
explanation of the expectations and requirements) to work on the
beginning portion of their research/topic focus
Day 2 & 3 (if necessary)
- Students will be given class time to research and compose their 5-
paragraph essays
17 Encouraging DI, DSR
Critical and Day 1
Respectful Lesson will focus on why the issues we have discussed throughout the unit
Citizens matter in real life; bring relevance to these issues
- Class will open with youtube videos/news clips about controversial
issues here in Saskatoon (3-5 quick clips highlighting different issues)
- We will have ongoing class discussion following the videos to hear
possible viewpoints from both “sides”
- Students will write an in-class reflection assignment: 1 paragraph
reflecting on what controversial issue they think they could encounter in
their own school or in their own city (use anecdotes if able); 1 paragraph
about how they would practically respond to this issue
18 Conclusion of - This day will begin by finishing up any presentations that were not done DL Self-
unit last day evaluation
- Students will be required to hand in their projects as well as their self- printed off
evaluation forms forms; Link
- Class Jeopardy will serve as a conclusive review of the unit- the to Jeopardy
questions will focus on specific issues and topics as well as more broad game online
themes
- Conclusion to the unit will take place in a class discussion about main
ideas and lessons learned
- Class discussion will focus less on the facts and individual issues and
moreso on the relevance of dealing with and understanding these
issues; want to make sure that each student feels that they better
understand why this lesson pertains to their everyday life
Assess and Reflect (Stage 4)
Considerations Comments
Required Areas of Study: I think that the lessons planned above will sufficiently cover several
Is there alignment between outcomes, pertinent controversial issues that are relevant to today’s society. The aim
performance assessment and learning to engage students and raise up engaged citizens will be directly
experiences? addressed as we explore Canadian society, immigration, FNIM issues,
citizenship, environmental health, etc. Assessment of students knowledge
and understanding will be largely formative through class discussions, in-
class writing assignments, and reflection paragraphs, whereas summative
assessment will take form in a final essay. Ultimately, the students should
feel informed and confident in respectfully listening to and understanding
multiple points of view regarding pertinent controversial issues in today’s
society.
Adaptive Dimension: For struggling students:
Have I made purposeful adjustments to the I have included numerous activities and instructional methods that
curriculum content (not outcomes), instructional differentiate not only for different learning styles, but that also change up
practices, and/or the learning environment to meet the way in which information is being presented. Group work and
the learning needs and diversities of all my technology has been incorporated when possible to provide additional
students? support to all students (but especially those who may struggle) instead of
relying solely on independent work.
I have also tried to give the gift of time to my students in providing work
periods and in-class time to complete both small assignments and the unit
essay.
Additional flexibility and adaptation will be made should any struggling
students continue to need it.
From: Wiggins, Grant and J. McTighe. (1998). Understanding by Design, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, ISBN # 0-87120-313-8 (pbk)
Resources:
https://canada.isidewith.com/polls