Part A: Curricular Connections and Background

Citizens with a Strong Sense of Self, Community, and Place explore the relationship that citizens have with themselves and others, their communities – local, regional, provincial, national, and global, and their developed sense of place.  Being a member of any community brings with it certain rights; however, it also brings with it certain responsibilities to protect those rights and privileges.  A person’s “sense of place” develops through experience and knowledge of the history, geography and geology of an area, the legends of a place, and a sense of the land and its history after living there for a time. Developing a sense of place helps students identify with their region and with each other. A strong sense of place can lead to more sensitive stewardship of our cultural history and natural environment.

In this area of study, students will examine the responsibilities that are inherent in all of these relationships.  This area of citizenship invites students to act on issues that are explored so that they can move toward becoming justice-oriented citizens.

Students are invited to study of citizenship issues and challenges within an ever increasing sphere of influence.  Because this area of citizenship begins with self and exploring issues of citizenship it is the primary area of focus for primary and elementary students.

Prekindergarten and Kindergarten students will begin to learn about respect for themselves, others, and their environment.  They will begin to think about their relationships with people around them, the land, and their community.  As students think about these relationship they will be invited to consider their responsibilities in each of these areas and start to examine ways in which they can care for their environment and others.  Students will learn to advocate for themselves, develop skills of empathy and understand that people can have different points of view on the same topic.   Students will also learn to respond appropriately to national symbols.

Citizens connected to Self, Community, and Place will understand that:

• Actions, behaviours, and relationships are learned and affected by the past.
• Events and ideas from the past influence the present and can influence and serve as models of how to live as a contributing citizen.
• People develop rules so that we can live together peacefully.
• Rules have differing levels of impact so people who make rules need to consider the individual good and common good.
• Diversity can have a variety of impacts and can impact points of view.
• Individuals have the power to affect others and make a difference.
• Canada has a long relationship with First Nations Peoples through treaty relationships.
• Decisions have far-reaching effects, so it is important to think about the choices we make.
• Active participation leads to belonging and symbols can support belonging.
• People are connected to each other and to their environment and have a responsibility to take care of the world.

Students will …

• Respond appropriately to symbols of nationalism.
• Develop awareness of their thinking.
• Advocate for oneself.
• Consider another point of view.

Students will:

• Discriminate between needs and wants.
• Recognize Canadian symbols – provincial and national.
• Become aware of their thinking and develop and practice skills of empathy, advocacy.
• Develop and practice skills of treating self and others with respect.
• Develop conflict resolution skills.
• Begin to develop positive environmental habits.

• How do needs differ from wants?
• What responsibilities do I have to my community?
• What responsibilities do I have to my environment?
• What are symbols and why do people respond to them?

Outcomes: (Sask. Curriculum/Student Friendly)

DRK.1:  Overarching Outcome – use in all areas of Citizenship

Describe the spatial relationships among people, places, and environments.

Indicators:

• Demonstrate understanding of personal directions (e.g., left/right, up/down, front/back) and relative location (e.g., near/far, above/below).
• Recognize that some cultural groups describe earth and sky according to traditional spiritual beliefs (e.g., Mother Earth, Creator, Heaven, God, Odin, The Dagda, Tangaroa).
• Identify cardinal directions (north, south, east, and west) on a simple map, when in the classroom, and on the playground.
• Locate and name places in the school and playground, and illustrate their functions (e.g., water fountain, washroom, library, playground equipment).
• Describe characteristics of the local physical environment, including natural (e.g., plains, forests, lakes, rivers) and constructed elements (e.g., buildings, roads, farms).
• Explore the world beyond the immediate environment, through stories of personal travels, recollection of books and other narratives, and various map representations (including a map of the local community, the province, the nation, and a globe).
• Understand that countries, specifically Canada, use a variety of symbols to represent their country.

RWK.1  

Examine ways of managing tasks and resources in families and schools.

Indicators:

• Give examples of different types of work in the family and school, including paid and unpaid work.
• Share stories of personal responsibilities within the home and school.
• Brainstorm ways in which decisions can be made about various classroom tasks requiring completion (e.g., teacher decision, volunteers emerge, majority vote, rotation through class roster).
• Relate occasions when the sharing of tasks and resources is necessary and desirable in the classroom and within the family.
• Display examples of sharing within the classroom and school.
• Identify occasions in which sharing is not advisable and explain why (e.g., toothbrushes, toques, hats, nut-based food stuffs).

RWK.2 

Develop and demonstrate stewardship of the environment in daily actions, in an effort to promote balance and harmony

Indicators:

• Recognize reasons to care for the environment
• Identify ways to care for the environment (e.g., reduce, reuse, and recycle) in daily classroom and family life.
• Demonstrate environmentally responsible behaviours in the classroom and school (e.g., take only what is needed in order to provide for future needs, reduce consumption, practice water conservation, turn off lights when leaving a room, recycle, compost).

INK.2

Describe the diversity of groups represented in the classroom

Indicators

• Investigate the diversity of languages and cultural traditions represented in the classroom and school, and recognize the role language and culture play in an individual’s unique identity.
• Describe various cultural traditions, festivals, and celebrations recognized by children’s families and communities, and discuss the importance of these cultural traditions, festivals, and celebrations.
• Identify individuals and groups that are important in children’s lives, and explain why these individuals and groups are important to them as individuals (e.g., family, Elders, senior citizens, friends, storytellers, classmates, members of activity groups to which children belong).