Part B Learning Plan 20 – History, Native Studies, Social Studies
This section gives a brief overview of the students’ learning path, inquires students will be doing in class, and the various connections to larger concepts.
The citizenship inquiries incorporate the three perspectives of Social Sciences through exploration of historical and contemporary issues, which in Canada’s case must include Indigenous perspectives. Teachers may choose, however, to explore citizenship considerations specifically through the lens of their respective social science area.
Teacher Note
Throughout these inquiries students are encouraged to practice the principles of dialectical thinking and work to consider multiple perspectives in their decision-making processes.
Inquiry
How should nations address injustice?
- What are the considerations at the International level to redress injustice?
- What is required for global intervention?
- What happens when good people do nothing?
Big Ideas Explored:
- A variety of injustices: historical, social, religious, and cultural exist;
- Individuals contribute to current problems; and,
- Issues of social justice require a resolution that can exist at regional, national, and global levels and encompass a variety areas that include:
- Indigenous issues
- Gender based issues
- Environmental issues
- Socio-economic issues
- Cultural issues.
Students will be asked to explore a variety of international social justice inequities to understand the moral entitlement to human rights and the differences in levels of human rights protection within countries.
- Do all countries have equal levels of human rights protection?
- What are the differences, similarities, and themes that students are noticing?
Exploration of these differences will raise questions about the considerations that arise when trying to address issues at a global level.
- What are the processes when trying to address issues of injustice in a foreign country?
- What responsibilities and rights do countries have to impose their belief system on one another?
- What are the written and unwritten rules of global resolution?
Finally students will understand the importance and purpose of community stewardship and be encouraged to take action on an issue.
Questions to Guide Inquiry
Essential questions are posed here to frame the context for student thinking and have students begin thinking about the topic. Answers to essential questions establish a baseline regarding student understanding as they identify the basic knowledge that students have and give teachers an idea of what students will need to learn to explore these outcomes. The essential questions and inquiries incorporate the three perspectives of Social Sciences through exploration of historical and contemporary issues, which in Canada’s case must include Indigenous perspectives. Teachers may choose, however, to explore these citizenship considerations specifically through the lens of their respective social science areas.
Teacher Note:
Essential questions and guiding questions are posed to support teachers as they facilitate students’ exploration of the inquiry. Teachers are encouraged to adjust the wording, omit, or add questions as they choose.
Essential Questions: Guiding Questions
- What is social justice?
- How does social justice vary from country to county, culture to culture?
- Are social justice standards/expectations the same?
- From whose perspective is social justice considered?
- Why do injustices exist?
- What is injustice? How do we know it is injustice?
- What are the links between the causes and the country?
- What are the patterns at the international level?
- What can be done about injustice?
- How do we decide which injustice to address?
- Are there similarities in the ways with which injustices are dealt?
- What responsibility do individuals have to address injustices in society?
- Why do injustices exist in free and democratic societies?
- How can engaged citizens affect positive change?
CONNECT TO TOPIC AND SURFACE STUDENTS’ THINKING ABOUT …
This section introduces the concepts and helps teachers gain an understanding of the current thinking of the class. Present essential questions and allow students to think about and talk about. Student answers will give teachers a baseline or beginning understanding of the amount of specific and incidental teaching required to explore these outcomes. Vocabulary is introduced and noted here. This section frames the “We do” portion of the lesson where teachers guide the initial structure of the inquiry.
Inquiry
How should nations address injustice?
- What are the considerations at the International level when trying to redress injustice?
- What is required for global intervention?
- What happens when good people do nothing?
Hook Questions Think about… Talk about…
- What rights should people be entitled to regardless of their contribution to society?
- What obligations should everyone in society assume for others?
- What has been the history of dealing with injustice?
- What is the success rate?
Reflect upon/ have students research a specific injustice, historical or contemporary. (Students have been studying a number in other areas of citizenship.)
Present the results according to prompts below or have the students assume the historical persona of someone in the position to be able to combat a historical injustice.
- Who are/were the stakeholders and what are/were the issues? Why are/were they significant?
- What actions were taken to make a positive difference and what was the impact of those actions?
- What challenges were faced in trying to right this wrong?
- How would today’s world be different if success had been achieved in addressing this injustice?
- How has social media and technology influenced this issue?
- What are the similarities and differences between the issues?
- What themes are students noticing?
- Develop a list of important criteria to attend to in addressing social justice issues.
- Have students discuss / assess / rate the effectiveness of the criteria.
- Post thinking
Vocabulary
- Ideology
- Injustice
- Social Justice
DEVELOPING UNDERSTANDING
This section is the core of the lesson. It describes the main activity(ies) involved. In inquiry-based learning, the teacher facilitates the activities that lead to the understandings that student make of the essential questions. It is critical then, that students be allowed to raise questions and talk about issues that develop as they explore the learning activities. This forms the “They do” section of the inquiry where students are finding answers to the overarching questions and then searching for themes and patterns as possible explanations. Teachers work with students to clarify understandings.
Strategies to develop and explore inquiries include:
- Surfacing student thinking, posting, and then reflecting on thinking to note how thinking has changed and what has caused the changes.
- Jigsaw strategy approach: Students, individually or in groups, explore similar questions, present their findings to the group. The teacher helps to note similarities, differences, themes. Students are encouraged to develop summary statements to clarify their thinking and describe new learning.
What happens when good people do nothing?
Action for Change Symposium / Inquiry:
Clarify with students, reasons for choosing the issue they will be focusing on.
- Criteria to narrow their focus include:
- relevance,
- importance,
- proximity,
- interest,
- possible impact [racial, social, economic, political],
- urgency,
- timeline,
- likelihood of success,
- available resources
Social Justice Issue Considerations
- Expose students to information from a wide variety of social justice issues.
- Human Rights Watch – hrw.org for current international issues or
- Democracy Watch – democracywatch.ca for Canadian issues.
- Group the class for further investigation.
How does the International community try to redress injustice? What are the considerations at the International level?
For your particular area of research identify:
- Issue issues from stakeholders’ perspective
- What has already been done?
- Who has a vested interest in maintaining the status quo?
- What are the short term and long term targets for change?
- What skills/resources do we need to affect this change?
- What allies can I access?
- What barriers will I face?
- How will this help my personal citizenship growth?
Jigsaw Research and Study Process
Divide class into groups and give each group a specific area of research to learn about and present to class. Each group must find out the information in the question posed below. Encourage students to present information learned in a variety of modes including speaking, writing, drama, multimedia, or other modes so that all students have an entrance point for demonstrating their learning and understanding.
With students, develop criteria to assess these strategies and determine which ones can be used to best affect change in their chosen issue.
In reporting and reflecting upon their process in addressing a specific social justice issue have students:
- Identify strategy
- Examine and evaluate their strategy for change
- Identify the impact of their actions.
- What criteria did you use in choosing your specific social justice issue?
- What are the root causes of the issue?
- Where did you find your information?
- What criteria did you use in selecting the action you took?
- What were your successes?
- What challenges did you experience?
- What are the barriers to the change you are trying to create?
- Who has a vested interest in maintaining the status quo, and why?
- What are the implications of change for all stakeholders (those with power, those seeking change, those indirectly affected, etc)?
- What would you do differently next time?
- How did your thinking about the issue evolve during the process?
- What are the next steps you will take?
APPLY AND EXTEND KNOWLEDGE
This section includes ideas to “wrap up” the inquiry or apply concepts explored. This section may also include additional reflective questions to promote student connection to the topic. This forms the “You do” section – extend thinking beyond the classroom discussions and inquiry experiences. Pose additional reflective questions that have been raised to encourage critical and creative thinking.
Implement the Action Plan
(This will require time. Should be started at beginning of year)
- Have the students assess the impact of their actions. Did they achieve the desire results? What more can be done?
- Conduct the Action for Change Symposium as a class.
- Do all countries have equal levels of human rights protection?
- What are the differences, similarities, and themes that students are noticing?
- What are the processes when trying to address issues of injustice in a foreign country?
- What responsibilities do countries have to impose their belief system on one another?
- What are the written and unwritten rules of global resolution?
- What happens when good people choose to do nothing?
EVIDENCE OF LEARNING
This section suggests ways in which students may demonstrate their understanding. Ideal demonstrations will be in authentic performance tasks. Each citizenship study may have its own smaller assessment piece or be compiled to support one larger performance task assessment. Assessment pieces vary, but should allow students to demonstrate their understanding in a variety of ways.
Have students use the following prompts to make connections to or respond to any of the essential questions, the enduring understandings, or the inquiry questions to demonstrate their evidence of learning.
- What do you think now about…?
- What has caused your thinking to change?
- What evidence supports your thinking?
- Why is this information important to know?
- How will you use this information?
Inquiry Questions
How should nations redress injustice?
What are the considerations at the International level?
Social Justice Issue Reflection
For each prompt give your reasons and explain your thinking.
- How would you rate your resolution of your social justice issue?
- What were you most pleased about?
- What continues to cause you concern?
- What needs to change in order for you to achieve a stronger resolution?
Additional Inquiry Questions for Assessment:
- Can all social justice issues be resolved satisfactorily?
- Do citizens have an obligation to get involved in all social justice issues?
- What would be your criteria for satisfactory resolution of social justice issues?
- What is critical to attend to in resolving social justice issues at the international level?
- What is required from the global community for successful resolution of social justice issues to occur?
- What are some of the barriers that keep citizens from becoming involved in social justice issues?
Enduring Understandings
- Injustices of today have roots in the past.
- Canadian society is challenged to manage the co-existence of diverse worldviews.
- Canadian citizens work to achieve a balance between rights and responsibilities through learning and action.
- Canadian society has inequities and elimination of these is beneficial for all Canadians.
- For each individual, becoming aware of racism in Canadian society is an evolutionary process and a precursor to change.
- As citizens of local, national, and global communities, Canadians are conscious, self-reflective, and critical of their own beliefs and actions and seek to make positive change.
- Citizens show flexibility of mind.
Essential Questions: Guiding Questions
- What is social justice?
- How does social justice vary from country to county, culture to culture?
- Are social justice standards/expectations the same?
- From whose perspective is social justice considered?
- Why do injustices exist?
- What is injustice? How do we know it is injustice?
- What are the links between the causes and the country?
- What are the patterns at the international level?
- What can be done about injustice?
- How do we decide which injustice to address?
- Are there similarities in the ways with which injustices are dealt?
- What responsibility do individuals have to address injustices in society?
- Why do injustices exist in free and democratic societies?
- How can engaged citizens affect positive change?
STUDENT CITIZENSHIP JOURNAL OPPORTUNITIES
Students will continue to explore their understanding of their role as a Canadian citizen and reflect on their perspective in an Ongoing Journal. Art should be included throughout the journal; some to accompany the journal entry and some that are random drawings and sketching. The journal entries are a record of the student’s thinking and should be completed with a sense of pride.
Students are keeping a Citizenship Journal to reflect upon their developing views of citizenship. This section provides prompts for student journals. Students are invited to choose one that interests them or propose their own. Students can also respond to any of the essential questions.
Students are encouraged to respond using a variety of genres.
- What did you learn about social justice at the international level that surprised you?
- Why did you learn about yourself that surprised you?
- What makes you care about injustice at the international level? Explain your thinking.
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