Overall Curriculum Expectations
Strand 1: Research And Inquiry Skills
· Exploring: explore topics related to families in Canada, and formulate questions to guide their research.
· Investigating: create research plans and locate and select information relevant to their chosen topics, using appropriate social science research and inquiry methods.
· Processing Information: assess, record, analyze, and synthesize information gathered through research and inquiry.
· Communicating and Reflecting: communicate the results of their research and inquiry clearly and effectively, and reflect on and evaluate their research, inquiry, and communication skills.
Strand 2: Theoretical Perspectives On Development
· Individual Development: demonstrate an understanding of theoretical perspectives and research on various aspects of individual development.
· The Development of Intimate Relationships: demonstrate an understanding of theoretical perspectives and research on the development of intimate relationships.
· The Development of Family and Parent-Child Relationships: demonstrate an understanding of theoretical perspectives and research on the development of family and parent-child relationships.
Strand 3:The Impact of Norms, Roles, And Institutions
· The Effects on Individuals: demonstrate an understanding of the impact of norms, roles, and social institutions on individuals throughout the lifespan.
· The Effects on Intimate Relationships: demonstrate an understanding of the impact of norms, roles, and social institutions on intimate relationships.
· The Effects on Family and Parent-Child Relationships: demonstrate an understanding of factors that can affect decisions about whether to have and how to care for children, and of the impact of norms, roles, and social institutions on family and parent-child relationships.
Strand 4:TRENDS, ISSUES, AND CHALLENGES
· Trends and Challenges for Individuals: demonstrate an understanding of demographic trends related to the lives of individuals and of the impact of social issues and challenges on individual development.
· Trends and Challenges in Intimate Relationships: demonstrate an understanding of demographic and social trends and issues related to intimate relationships and of strategies for responding to challenges in those relationships.
· Trends and Challenges in the Family and in Parent-Child Relationships: demonstrate an understanding of demographic trends related to the family and to parent-child relationships and of the impact of social issues and challenges on family development.
Outline of Course Content
Unit | Length |
Unit # 1 What Is a Family (Theoretical Perspectives) | 25 |
Unit # 2 Individual Development | 30 |
Unit # 3 Intimate Relationships | 30 |
Unit # The Art and Science Of Raising Children | 25 |
Total | 110 hours |
Unit 1: What Is The Family (25 hours)
In this unit students will explore the functions of the family, using theory as a lens to evaluate and study the institution of families in Canada. Viewing families through anthropological, psychological, and sociological lenses. Students will also learn about their major research project, and how to properly conduct a research project in the social sciences using APA format.
Unit 2: Individual Development (30 Hours)
In this unit students will explore the development of the individual. Looking at various issues and challenges that the individual faces as they move toward adulthood. Norms, roles, and institutions will be studied to demonstrate their deep and recurring influence on the development of individuals in Canadian life. Through topics of gender, adolescents, adulthood, mental health, and the lifecycle, students will better understand the forces that shape us all.
Unit 3: Intimate Relationships (30 hours)
In this unit students will focus on the formation of intimate relationships. Students will study issues related to love, mate selection, marriage, healthy and unhealthy relationships, as well as divorce. Each topic will be used to dive deep into how norms, roles, and institutions impact how our relationships are formed, maintained, and in some cases broken. By looking at the trends, challenges, and issues that today’s youth face, students should begin to understand the complexity of modern intimate relationships.
Unit 4: The Art and Science of Raising Children (25 hours)
Raising children is a cornerstone of every society across cultures. Students will be evaluating how norms and institutions often dictate the ways in which people decide how to raise their children. The challenges and joys of raising children, and the roles that each of take as a parent or child help shape both individual families, but also the Canadian society at large.
Teaching & Learning Strategies
Effective learning in all subjects of the social sciences and humanities curriculum depends on the development of skills and understanding in four areas:
•Disciplined Inquiry and Critical Literacy: Social sciences and humanities courses focus on the use of disciplined, structured inquiry to understand human beings, human behaviour, and human nature. These courses promote the use of reason as part of the structured inquiry process, while also recognizing the limitations of reason as a way of learning, knowing, and understanding. They encourage students to identify and question assumptions and values that underlie individual behaviour and family and social/cultural life. Developing their critical literacy skills enables students to challenge texts, reading “underneath, behind, and beyond” texts and questioning how they influence us and others and whose interests they serve.
•Problem Solving: Social sciences and humanities courses require students to engage actively in solving problems confronted by individuals, families, diverse groups, institutions, and societies. The problems that students confront in these
courses vary from the abstract and theoretical to the everyday and concrete. These problems are often morally and politically complex, with solutions that are sometimes controversial because they affect diverse individuals
and groups differently.
•Understanding of Self and Others: Students in social sciences and humanities courses are provided with rich opportunities to enhance their self-understanding and understanding of others through an examination of their personal belief systems and also of the foundations and implications of different viewpoints and lived experiences of others. Through a juxtaposition of their own perceptions, attitudes, values, and beliefs with those of others, students develop an understanding and appreciation of the contexts through which their own and others’ world views are formed.
• Local and Global Mindedness: Social sciences and humanities courses develop students’ awareness that people do not live in isolation; each person affects and is affected by his or her social, cultural, economic, and environmental context.Students examine the norms underlying different familial, societal, institutional,and cultural practices. Students are encouraged to be mindful of their responsibilities with respect to the environment and of the importance of making morally and ethically responsible decisions.
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:
Assessmentsforandaslearning 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.
Assessmentsoflearning 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). Assessmentsoflearning consider product, observation, and conversation as sources of evidence.
Assessment tools will be primarily marking schemes as the primary assessments of learning 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 |
Seatwork | Worksheets | Student Presentations |
Class discussions | 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% Knowledge and Understanding: 25% Thinking and Inquiry: 25% Application: 25% Communication: 25% | Levels of Achievement: Level 1: 50-59% Level 2: 60-69% Level 3: 70-79% Level 4: 80-100% |
Final Summative Evaluation: 30% |
Final Summative Evaluation: 30%Knowledge and Understanding: 25% Thinking and Inquiry: 25% Application: 25%
Communication: 25%
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES ANDHUMANITIES 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. Developing a fluency with social science and humanities concepts, research and inquiry skills, and critical thinking and other appropriate habits of mind requires a sincere commitment to active engagement and sustained practice. Students can further contribute to their own learning by exploring the connections between the concepts addressed in their social sciences and humanities courses and their own lived experience and current events.
