Part B Learning Plan 30 – Native Studies, History, 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
Inquiries are identified and connections to Big Ideas are noted. Teachers may begin with any inquiry or combine inquiries to use the approach that resonates best with their students.
Inquiry
Why do inequities still exist in Canada?
- How do political structures and societal attitudes maintain the inequities of contemporary Canadian society?
Big Ideas Explored:
- Social and historical issues impact the understanding of differing worldviews.
- Discrepancies of power and authority exist and influence the outcomes of many issues including:
- Globalization and Colonial Issues,
- Minority rights (including gender issues, gay rights, racism),
- economic disparities,
- power inequalities.
- Existing political and societal structures continue to support current inequities;
- Inequities are set up and maintained because of our systems and the deeply ingrained practices of structural racism which include internalized and institutionalized racism; and,
- The concepts of racism include:
- Structural racism,
- Institutional racism,
- Internalized racism,
- Inner dimension
- Interpersonal dimension
- Institutional dimension
- Cultural dimension
Inquiry
Is Canada truly a multicultural society?
- What are the opportunities and challenges of a multicultural society?
Big Ideas Explored:
- There are opportunities and inequities that arise when trying to incorporate diverse multicultural perspectives.
- Canada continues to explore the concept of difference as it relates to various aspects of society including: regional, cultural, political, and economic differences; and,
- Conflict resolution strategies that are effective and create an atmosphere of respect for difference require examination of structures at multiple levels.
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’ explorations of the inquiry. Teachers are encouraged to adjust the wording, omit, or add questions as they choose.
Essential Questions: Guiding Questions
- Why is there conflict between worldviews?
- What is the state of “multiculturalism in Canada? / How healthy / well received is the concept of multiculturalism in Canada?
- What is required in order for conflicting worldviews peacefully coexist?
- What processes does Canada have to facilitate peaceful co-existence of conflicting worldviews?
- How effective are these processes? How would you improve them?
- What range of responses have citizens used throughout history to respond to conflicting worldviews?
- What are the change systems/structure internationally?
- What is the level of accessibility to those systems?
- What events have led to the changes in these systems?
- How do engaged and respectful citizens respond to conflict in a modern democracy?
- What are the “levers of change” that address conflict in Canada? How do you access those levers?
- How does an ethical and democratic society pursue justice?
- How do we evaluate the ethics and justice of a society?
- What role do ethics play in conflict?
- How do engaged and respectful citizens and nations respond to conflict in a fair and just way?
- What issues and opportunities does Canada’s multicultural policy and affirmation of diversity create?
- What is the relationship between diversity and:
- socio-economic levels
- opportunity
- inequity
- other
- How is that relationship manifested across Canada?
- Are their regional similarities? disparities?
- Why do they exist?
- What are the issues in trying to incorporate and respect multicultural perspectives?
- What are the opportunities?
- What is the relationship between diversity and:
Surface student thinking in response to the prompts or guiding questions pose. Chart or record student thinking for later reflection.
Essential questions are posted and discussed with students at the start of the exploration of study. These open-ended questions are continually revisited; encompass concepts that students will explore throughout the unit of study; form the evidence of understanding; and, frame the assessment at the end of the unit of study. Guiding questions are posed to support student thinking as they explore the answers to the larger overarching questions.
Teachers may want to consider putting the questions into a “Before, During, After” chart to note the changes in students’ thinking as a result of the inquiries.
CONNECT TO TOPIC AND SURFACE STUDENTS’ THINKING ABOUT …
This section indicates ways to introduce the lesson by engaging students.
Suggestions are posed here to frame the context for student thinking and cause students to begin thinking about the topic.
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.
Teacher Note
Citizenship challenges are ongoing. Teachers are challenged to bring current issues into the classroom so that students can make citizenship connections.
Inquiry
How do political structures and societal attitudes maintain the inequities of contemporary Canadian society?
What responsibility does the individual have to examine and question the political and societal structures of contemporary Canada?
“Washing one’s hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral. ”Paulo Freire (Brazilian educator and philosopher)
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”Edmund Burke
“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power. “ Abraham Lincoln
- What are the quotes saying about power, the use of power, and citizen responsibility?
- What do the quotes have in common with one another?
- What examples can students give to demonstrate the truthfulness of the quotes?
- What themes are emerging in the student answers?
- What kinds of power relationships are evident?
- What do the themes say to the students?
Examine issues pertaining to discrepancies of power and authority, such as:
- Globalization and Colonial Issues,
- Minority rights (including gender issues, gay rights, racism),
- economic disparities,
- power inequities.
Identify:
- Stakeholders and the issues from different perspectives (worldviews and beliefs).
- What existing structures (social and historical) are helping to maintain the inequities?
- What would have to change for solutions to work?
- What role do students play in maintaining the inequities?
- Scrutinize the evolution of Citizenship as it pertains to Canadian and World Issues.
- How are Canadians viewed in the world?
- How is Canadian citizenship viewed in the world?
- How did Canada get to this position on the world stage?
- How has Canada responded to global political and societal inequities?
Vocabulary
- Globalization
- Structural racism
- Interpersonal racism
- Internalized racism
- Levers of change
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.
Processes
- Brainstorm with students to identify issues within the inquiry areas that they wish to research.
Impacts of Differing Worldviews
- Universal Health Care
- Environmental Management /Use
- First Nations Self Governance
- Treaty Land Entitlement
- Honour Killings
Power and Authority
- Minority Rights
- Federal – Provincial Jurisdiction
- Immigration issues
- Unemployed and/or low socio-economic
- other
Canada as a Global Citizen
- Peace Keeping History
- Kyoto Accord
- G7/8 Summits
- Work with students to identify a core set of questions that each group will answer so that themes can be found in the responses. Suggestions include:
- Identify
- Issues
- history of current state
- worldview perspectives that impact current state
- impact on identified issue
- Canada’s role in the issue
- How are inequities being maintained?
- What role does marginalization, racism, and privilege play in maintaining inequity?
- Do the inequities and differences fall along cultural lines?
Throughout this study, it is critical that teachers help students to step back to see the big picture.
- What themes are emerging?
- What are the similarities and differences?
- Why do students think this is so?
- What are the connections to the enduring understandings?
The independence level of the class, will determine how much teacher direction is required to do this.
Continue to have students reflect on their initial thinking.
- What changes are they finding after their research?
- How has their thinking changed regarding the inquiry question?
- What connections are they making to the Enduring Understandings?
Inquiry
What are the opportunities and challenges created by a multicultural society?
Think about… Talk about…
- What is the student/classroom worldview? Is there a common worldview amongst the class?
- Do Canadians have a singular worldview?
- Is worldview impacted by multiculturalism?
- How does multiculturalism affect students?
- Are students challenged to adopt another worldview, cultural perspective? What supports do they need?
Think back to the issues previously researched.
- Do any of the power or disparity inequities divide themselves according to:
- regional,
- cultural,
- political, and
- economic differences in Canadian society?
- What themes are students finding?
- What are the opportunities?
- What are the challenges?
- How well does Canada’s multicultural policy address these issues?
APPLY AND EXTEND KNOWLEDGE
This section includes ideas to extend 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.
- What responsibility do we have to pursue greater equality in Canada?
- Should respect for differing worldviews affect our pursuit of justice?
- Do universal human rights exist?
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 address 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
Why do inequities still exist in Canada?
- How do political structures and societal attitudes maintain the inequities of contemporary Canadian society?
- What responsibility does the individual have to examine and question the political and societal structures of contemporary Canada?
- What role can you, the student play in creating change?
Inquiry
Is Canada really a multicultural society?
- What are the opportunities and challenges of a multicultural society?
Essential Questions: Guiding Questions
- Why is there conflict between worldviews?
- What is the state of “multiculturalism in Canada? / How healthy / well received is the concept of multiculturalism in Canada?
- What is required in order for conflicting worldviews peacefully coexist?
- What processes does Canada have to facilitate peaceful co-existence of conflicting worldviews?
- How effective are those processes? How would you improve them?
- What range of responses have citizens used throughout history to respond to conflicting worldviews?
- What are the change systems/structure internationally?
- What is the level of accessibility to those systems?
- What events have led to the changes in these systems?
- How do engaged and respectful citizens respond to conflict in a modern democracy?
- What are the “levers of change” that address conflict in Canada? How do you access those levers?
- How does an ethical and democratic society pursue justice?
- How do we evaluate the ethics and justice of a society?
- What role do ethics play in conflict?
- How do engaged and respectful citizens and nations respond to conflict in a fair and just way?
- What issues and opportunities does Canada’s multicultural policy and affirmation of diversity create?
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.
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. Look for opportunities to video 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 chronicle the student’s changing views of citizenship.
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 was your greatest surprise in learning that occurred in the inquiries? Why?
- What side of the inequity continuum do you live your life? How does this make you feel? As a citizen, what do you want to do about it?
- What have been the personal impacts of multiculturalism on your life? How does this affect you as a citizen?
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