Overall Curriculum Expectations |
Strand 1:GEOGRAPHIC INQUIRY AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT
Geographic Inquiry: use the geographic inquiry process and the concepts of geographic thinking when investigating world issues.
· Developing Transferable Skills: apply in everyday contexts skills, including spatial skills, developed through geographical investigation, and identify careers in which a background in geography might be an asset.
Strand 2:SPATIAL ORGANIZATION: RELATIONSHIPS AND DISPARITIES
· Natural Resource Disparities: analyze relationships between quality of life and access to natural resources in various countries and regions (FOCUS ON: Spatial Significance; Interrelationships).
· Population Disparities: analyze relationships between demographic and political factors and quality of life in various countries and regions (FOCUS ON: Interrelationships; Geographic Perspective).
· Classifying Regions of the World: explain how various characteristics are used to classify the world into regions or other groupings (FOCUS ON: Spatial Significance; Patterns and Trends)
Strand 3: SUSTAINABILITY AND STEWARDSHIP
· Strategies and Initiatives: analyze strategies and initiatives that support environmental stewardship at a national and global level and assess their effectiveness in promoting the sustainability of the natural environment (FOCUS ON: Interrelationships; Geographic Perspective).
· Population Growth: assess the impact of population growth on the sustainability of natural systems (FOCUS ON: Spatial Significance; Patterns and Trends).
· Caring for the Commons: analyze issues relating to the use and management of common-pool resources (FOCUS ON: Interrelationships; Geographic Perspective).
Strand 4: INTERACTIONS AND INTERDEPENDENCE: GLOBALIZATION
· Trade and Immigration: analyze the influence of trade agreements and immigration policies on global interdependence and the well-being of countries (FOCUS ON: Interrelationships; Geographic Perspective).
· Impacts and Management: analyze issues relating to national and global impacts of globalization from a geographic perspective and assess responsibilities and approaches for managing these issues (FOCUS ON: Spatial Significance; Geographic Perspective).
· Characteristics and Driving Forces: describe the major characteristics of globalization and analyze factors that are driving the globalizing process (FOCUS ON: Patterns and Trends; Interrelationships).
Strand 5: SOCIAL CHANGE AND QUALITY OF LIFE
· Leadership and Policy: analyze the influence of governments, groups, and individuals on the promotion and management of social change (FOCUS ON: Patterns and Trends; Geographic Perspective).
· Agents of Change: analyze impacts of selected agents of change on society and quality of life (FOCUS ON: Interrelationships; Geographic Perspective).
· Continuing Challenges: analyze issues relating to human rights, food security, health care, and other challenges to the quality of life of the world’s population (FOCUS ON: Spatial Significance; Patterns and Trends).
Outline of Course Content |
Unit | Length |
Unit # 1 Current World Issues | 30 |
Unit # 2 Global Environmental Issues | 30 |
Unit # 3 Global Health Issues | 30 |
Unit # Global Political Issues | 20 |
Total | 110 hours |
Unit 1: Current World Issues (30 hours)
In this unit students will explore the impact of globalization on social change and quality of life, through topics like wealth inequality, corporations, refuges, and slavery, students will begin their geographic inquiry into the world. Exploring how these issues impact social change, and challenge societies to build more equitable and fair countries.
Unit 2: Global Environmental Issues (30 Hours)
In this unit students will explore the major environmental issues that the world faces today. The degradation of the environment will be explored in relation to its direct impact on the quality of life on earth. Students will explore issues of sustainability and stewardship, seeing the challenges of change, and how various groups are working for social change and environmental justice.
Unit 3: Global Health Issues (30 hours)
In this unit students will focus on global health issues. Using maps and data sets to understand the impact of various health challenges on different societies. How do we account for disparities between regions? How did they form and how are they maintained? Through an exploration of healthy eating and the obesity crisis, pandemics, and substance abuse, students will begin to see the world through a broad lens, understanding how various health challenges are not equally shared, their impacts varying across the globe.
Unit 4: Global Political Issues (20 hours)
Students will evaluate how the United Nations impacts the global political world. Studying the impact of the United Nations on the political landscape and how different regions have responded differently to its role and influence
Teaching & Learning Strategies |
Tools and Strategies to Help Achieve the Vision of the Program
The following tools and strategies have been incorporated into the curriculum to help students achieve the vision for learning in the Canadian and world studies curriculum.
• The citizenship education framework: This framework brings together the main elements of citizenship education. All subjects in the Canadian and world studies curriculum provide multiple opportunities to incorporate aspects of citizenship education.
• The concepts of disciplinary thinking: These concepts provide a way for students to develop the ability to think critically about significant events, developments, and issues, both within the curriculum and in their lives outside the classroom.
• The inquiry process: Students use the components of the inquiry process for each subject to investigate, and to communicate their findings about, significant events, developments, and issues. By applying the inquiry process,
students develop skills that they need in order to think critically, solve problems, make informed judgements and communicate ideas.
• Big ideas: The big ideas provide context for the overall expectations and the concepts of disciplinary thinking that are related to them. The big ideas reflect the enduring understandings that students retain from their learning, transfer to other subjects, and draw upon throughout their lives.
• Framing questions: The framing questions are overarching questions related to the overall expectations and big ideas. They are intended to stimulate students’ critical thinking and to encourage them to consider the broader relevance of what they are studying.
• Spatial skills: Students use spatial skills and tools to analyze and construct various types of maps and graphs.
Reading Various Works | Independent Research | Directed Reading Activities |
Reflective Discussions | Direct Instruction | Research Process |
Independent Study | Writing Processes | Creative Media Projects |
Reading Responses | Oral Presentations | Guided Writing |
Media Analysis | Creative Writing | Independent Reading |
Strategies for Assessment & Evaluation of Student Performance |
Purpose of Assessment and Evaluation:
From the “Growing Success- assessment, evaluation, and reporting: improving student learning”(pg.1-i)
document:
“The primary purpose of assessment and evaluation is to improve student learning. Information gathered through assessment helps teachers to determine students’ strengths and weaknesses in their achievement of the curriculum expectations in each subject/ course in each grade. This information also serves to guide teachers in adapting curriculum and instructional approaches to students’ needs and in assessing the overall effectiveness of programs and classroom practices.
Assessments is the process of gathering information from a variety of sources (including assignments, day-to-day observations, conversations or conferences, demonstrations, projects, performances, and tests) that accurately reflects how well a student is achieving the curriculum expectations in a subject/course. As part of assessment, teachers provide students with descriptive feedback that guides their efforts towards improvement. Evaluation refers to the process of judging the quality of student work on the basis of established criteria, and assigning a value to represent that quality.”
The evaluation for this course is based on the student’s achievement of curriculum expectations and the demonstrated skills required for effective learning. The percentage grade represents the quality of the student’s overall achievement of the expectations for the course and reflects the corresponding level of
achievement as described in the achievement chart for the discipline. A credit is granted and recorded for this course if the student’s grade is 50% or higher. The final grade or this course will be determined as follows:
· 70% of the grade will be based upon evaluations conducted throughout the course. This portion of the grade will reflect the student’s most consistent level of achievement throughout the course, although special consideration will be given to more recent evidence of achievement.
· 30% of the grade will be based on a final evaluation administered at the end of the course. This final evaluation will be based on an evaluation of achievement from all four categories of the Achievement Chart for the course and of expectations from all units of the course.
Type of Assessment:
Assessments forand aslearning will have a diagnostic and formative purpose; their role is to check for students’ understanding. Assessments that serve this purpose will usually manifest themselves in the form of short, daily quizzes, teacher checking of homework, and conversations about progress. The purpose these quizzes serve is to encourage students to review daily and to alert student when there is a specific expectation they have not yet achieved. Quizzes are effective simply because they provide immediate feedback for the student.
Assessments oflearning have a summative purpose and are given at strategic instances - for example, after a critical body of information/set of overall or specific expectations has been covered. “This type of assessment collects evidence for evaluating the student’s achievement of the curriculum expectations and for reporting to students and parents/guardians” (Growing Success- assessment, evaluation, and reporting: improving student learning, pg. 1-ii). Assessments oflearning consider product, observation, and conversation as sources of evidence
Assessment tools will be primarily marking schemes as the primary assessments oflearning will be tests and assignments. Rubrics will be another assessment tool used to evaluate certain types of student work (for example, a small group project).
Three Styles of Assessment | ||
Assessment FOR Learning | Assessment AS Learning | Assessment OF Learning |
Assessment that is intended to provide students the opportunity to apply their learning. This assessment is formative in nature: providing both the student and the teacher with insight into the learning that is taking place. This assessment does not count toward the student's grade. Goal(s): To allow students to practice skills and apply knowledge, and to guide the next steps for instruction and learning. Examples:, exercises, reflective discussions and homework | Assessment that is intended to provide students the opportunity to reflect upon their learning. This assessment is formative in nature: providing both the student and the teacher with insight into the student's own reflection upon his/her learning. This assessment does not count toward the student's grade. Goal(s): To develop student metacognition. In other words, to give students insight into their own thinking and learning and to help students develop and refine strategies to use in future learning. Examples: formative quizzes, and exit cards | Assessment that is intended to depict a student's level of achievement at a given point in time. This assessment is summative in nature, and thus will count toward the student's grade. Goal(s): To provide the student with a mark that will inform the student and other interested parties of the student's relative achievement with respect to the course curriculum. Sources of Evidence maybe gathered through product, observation, and conversation. Examples: tests, essays, reports, and presentations. |
Evidence of 'Assessment FOR' | Evidence of 'Assessment AS' | Evidence of 'Assessment OF |
Diagnostic Quizzes | Questions from text | Marked Assignments |
Teacher-Led Review | Homework / Extra | Essays |
Class discussions | Worksheets | Student Presentations |
| seatwork | Class discussions | Unit Tests |
Practice Tests | Exam |
Assessment and Evaluation Tools Used:
Rubrics Checklists
Marking Schemes Anecdotal Comments
Verbal Feedback
It is important to note:
· Students will be provided with reasonable opportunities to master skills relating to the achievement of the curriculum expectations before assessment and evaluation occurs.
· Major evaluations will be announced at least one week in advance.
· Accommodations will be made for school activities, statutory holidays, religious days, cultural days and other occurrences that may impact on any scheduled evaluation. It is the student’s responsibility to notify teachers of such absences in advance and to make up missed work.
Final Mark Calculation:
Calculation of the Term Mark will be based upon the Categories of the Achievement Chart. This chart is meant to assist teachers in planning instruction and learning activities for the achievement of the curriculum expectations. It is also used in designing assessment and evaluation tasks and tools and
in providing feedback to students. Each mathematical topic will contain each category in the chart due to the integrated nature of the discipline in mathematics. Final marks will be calculated as follows:
Classwork: 70%Levels of Achievement:Knowledge and Understanding: 25% Level 1: 50-59% Thinking and Inquiry: 25% Level 2: 60-69% Application: 25% Level 3: 70-79% Communication: 25% Level 4: 80-100%
Final Summative Evaluation: 30%Knowledge and Understanding: 25% Thinking and Inquiry: 25% Application: 25%
Communication: 25%
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE CANADIAN AND WORLD STUDIES PROGRAM
Students’ responsibilities with respect to their own learning develop gradually and increase over time as they progress through elementary and secondary school. With appropriate instruction and with experience, students come to see how applied effort can enhance learning and improve achievement. As they mature and develop their ability to persist, to manage their behaviour and impulses, to take responsible risks, and to listen with understanding, students become better able to take more responsibility for their learning and progress. There are some students, however, who are less able to take full responsibility for their learning because of special challenges they face. The attention, patience, and encouragement of teachers can be extremely important to the success of these students.
Learning to take responsibility for their improvement and achievement is an important part of every student’s education.
Mastering the skills and concepts connected with learning in the Canadian and world studies curriculum requires ongoing practice, personal reflection, an effort to respond to feedback, and commitment from students. It also requires a willingness to try new activities, explore new ideas, keep an open mind, collaborate with peers, and follow safety practices both during field studies and in the classroom. Through ongoing practice and reflection
about their development, students deepen their appreciation and understanding of themselves and others, the communities to which they belong, and the natural environment.
