Curriculum Overall Expectations:

A. THE INQUIRY PROCESS AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT IN LEGAL STUDIES

A1. The Inquiry Process in Legal Studies: use the legal studies inquiry process and the concepts of legal thinking when investigating legal issues in Canada and around the world, and issues relating to international law;

A2. Developing Transferable Skills: apply in everyday contexts skills developed through the study of law, and identify careers in which a background in law might be an asset.

B. LEGAL FOUNDATIONS

B1. Principles of Law: identify foundational concepts and principles relating to law and explain their significance (FOCUS ON: Legal Significance)

B2. Legal Theory and Procedures: analyse how and to what extent various legal theories and procedures have influenced the Canadian and international legal systems (FOCUS ON: Interrelationships; Legal Perspective)

B3. Development of Law: explain various influences, including those of individuals and groups, on the development of Canadian and international law (FOCUS ON: Continuity and Change)

C. RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS

C1. Legal Principles of Human Rights Law: explain the principles underpinning human rights law and the legal significance of those laws, in Canada and internationally (FOCUS ON: Legal Significance)

C2. Development of Human Rights Law: analyse issues associated with the development of human rights law, in Canada and internationally (FOCUS ON: Continuity and Change)

C3. Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms: compare the roles of the legislative and judicial branches of government in protecting human rights and freedoms, with a particular emphasis on Canada (FOCUS ON: Legal Significance; Interrelationships; Legal Perspective)

C4. Contemporary Issues: analyse various contemporary issues in relation to their impact or potential impact on human rights law (FOCUS ON: Legal Perspective)

D. FOUNDATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL LAW AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION

D1. Fundamentals of International Law: explain the legal importance of various key principles and issues in international law (FOCUS ON: Legal Significance)

D2. Development of International Law: analyse how various factors have influenced the development of international law (FOCUS ON: Legal Significance; Continuity and Change)

D3. Conflict and Cooperation: analyse how various agreements, treaties, and conventions in international law influence international conflict and cooperation (FOCUS ON: Legal Significance; Interrelationships; Legal Perspective)

E. INTERNATIONAL LEGAL ISSUES

E1. Criminal Law: analyse various key concepts, legal systems, and issues in criminal law, in Canada and internationally (FOCUS ON: Legal Significance; Interrelationships; Legal Perspective)

E2. Environmental Protection: analyse factors that influence the effectiveness of domestic and international environmental legislation (FOCUS ON: Continuity and Change; Legal Perspective)

E3. Workplace Legal Issues: analyse legal principles, systems, and processes used to protect various parties’ interests in the workplace, in Canada and internationally (FOCUS ON: Legal Significance; Interrelationships)

E4. Emerging Legal Issues: analyse emerging global issues and their implications for international law (FOCUS ON: Legal Perspective)

COURSE CONTENT

Unit 1 - Heritage --- 30 hours

Unit 2 - Rights and Freedoms --- 28 hours

Unit 3 - Criminology --- 23 hours

Unit 4 - Environmental and International Law --- 27 hours

Final Assignment: Exam --- 2 hours

Total 110 hours

TEACHING & LEARNING STRATEGIES

• Direct Instruction (teacher-led)

• Small Group Discussion

• Silent individual reading

• Brainstorming

• Worksheets/Surveys

• Individual or Group Research

• Use of Computers / Internet

• Use of video or audio materials

• Presentations

ASSESSMENT & EVALUATION

Purpose

The primary purpose of assessment is to improve student learning. Assessment relates directly to the expectations for the course.

A variety of assessments for and as learning are conducted on a regular basis to allow

ample opportunities for students to improve and ultimately demonstrate their full range of learning and in order for the teacher to gather information to provide feedback. Assessment tasks relate to the success criteria set out in lesson plans. Success criteria allow students to see what quality looks like.

Evaluation is the process of judging the quality of student work in relation to the achievement chart categories and criteria, and assigning a percentage grade to represent that quality. Evaluation is based on gathering evidence of student achievement through:

• Products

• Observations

• Conversations

Assessment for Learning - we provide feedback and coaching

Assessment FOR Learning is the process of seeking and interpreting evidence for the use of learners and their teachers to decide where the learners are in their learning, where they need to go, and how best to go there.

Assessment as Learning - we help students monitor progress, set goals, reflect on their learning Assessment AS Learning is the process of the explicit fostering of students’ capacity over time to be their own best assessors, but teachers need to start by presenting and modeling external, structured opportunities for students to assess themselves.

Assessment of Learning – we use assessments as ways of providing evaluative statements about the level of achievement of students

Assessment OF Learning is the assessment that becomes public and results in statements of symbols (marks/grades/levels of achievement) about how well students are learning. It often contributes to pivotal decisions that will affect students’ future.

Grading

• The final grade is based on performance in 3 areas: products, observations, conversations.

• 70% of the grade is based on evaluations conducted throughout the course.

• 30% is based on a final evaluation.

Weighting of categories

Knowledge & Understanding --- 25%

Thinking -- 25%

Communication -- 25%

Application -- 25%

Assessment Tools

Anecdotal comments / Rubrics

Assessment Strategies

Assessment for Learning

Presentations / Independent Study Assignment / Researching / Work Sheets

Assessment as Learning

Exit and Entrance Cards / KWL Chart / Logs

Assessment of Learning

Journals / Essays / Researching / Work Sheets

CONSIDERATIONS FOR PROGRAM PLANNING

Instructional Approaches

Teachers in the school are expected to:

• clarify the purpose for learning

• help students activate prior knowledge

• differentiate instruction for individual students and small groups according to need

• explicitly teach and model learning strategies

• encourage students to talk through their thinking and learning processes

• provide many opportunities for students to practise and apply their developing knowledge and skills

• apply effective teaching approaches involve students in the use of higher-level thinking skill

• encourage students to look beyond the literal meaning of texts

Teachers use a variety of instructional and learning strategies best suited to the particular type of learning. Students have opportunities to learn in a variety of ways:

• individually

• cooperatively

• independently with teacher direction

• through investigation involving hands-on experience

• through examples followed by practice

• by encouraging students to gain experience with varied and interesting applications of the new knowledge. Rich contexts for learning open the door for students to see the “big ideas” of mathematics that will enable and encourage them to reason mathematically throughout their lives.

Program Considerations for English Language Learners

Teachers must incorporate appropriate strategies for instruction and assessment to facilitate the success of the English language learners in their classrooms. These strategies include:

• modification of some or all of the subject expectations depending on the level of English proficiency

• use of a variety of instructional strategies (e.g., extensive use of visual cues, graphic organizers, scaffolding; previewing of textbooks; pre-teaching of key vocabulary; peer tutoring; strategic use of students’ first languages)

• use of a variety of learning resources (e.g., visual material, simplified text, bilingual dictionaries, and materials that reflect cultural diversity)

• use of assessment accommodations (e.g., granting of extra time; use of oral interviews, demonstrations or visual representations, or tasks requiring completion of graphic organizers and cloze sentences instead of essay questions and other assessment tasks that depend heavily on proficiency in English).

Antidiscrimination Education

Learning resources reflect students’ interests, backgrounds, cultures, and experiences. Learning materials:

• involve protagonists of both sexes from a wide variety of backgrounds

• reflect the diversity of Canadian and world cultures, including those of contemporary First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples

• include, in English, use of short stories, novels, magazine and newspaper articles, television programs, and films

• provide opportunities for students to explore issues relating to their self-identity

• make students aware of the historical, cultural, and political contexts for both the traditional and non-traditional gender and social roles represented in the materials they are studying.

Literacy and Inquiry/Research Skills

The school emphasizes the importance of the following:

• using clear, concise communication in the classroom involving the use of diagrams, charts, tables, and graphs

• emphasizing students’ ability to interpret and use graphic texts.

• acquiring the skills to locate relevant information from a variety of sources, such as books, newspapers, dictionaries, encyclopaedias, interviews, videos, and the Internet.

• learning that all sources of information have a particular point of view

• learning that the recipient of the information has a responsibility to evaluate it, determine its validity and relevance, and use it in appropriate ways.

Role of Technology

Information and communications technologies (ICT) tools used in many ways:

• Students use multimedia resources, databases, Internet websites, digital cameras, and word-processing programs.

• They use technology to collect, organize, and sort the data they gather and to write, edit, and present reports on their findings.

• Students are encouraged to use ICT to support and communicate their learning. For example, students working individually or in groups can use computer technology and/or Internet websites to gain access to museums and archives in Canada and around the world.

• Students use digital cameras and projectors to design and present the results of their research to their classmates.

• The school plans to use ICT to connect students to other schools and to bring the global community into the classroom.

• Students are made aware of issues of Internet privacy, safety, and responsible use, as well as of the potential for abuse of this technology, particularly when it is used to promote hatred.

Career Education

Students are given opportunities to develop career-related skills by:

• applying their skills to work-related situations

• exploring educational and career options

• developing research skills

• practising expository writing

• learning strategies for understanding informational reading material

• making oral presentations

• Working in small groups with classmates to help students express themselves confidently and work cooperatively with others.

Academic Honesty

Students who present the work of others as their own are guilty of plagiarism and will receive a mark of zero for the work and will have the details of the plagiarism noted in their school records. Students who are guilty of cheating on tests or examinations will receive a mark of zero on the test or examination and have the details of the cheating noted in their school records.

Late Assignments

Students are responsible for providing evidence of their achievement of the overall expectations within the time frame specified by the teacher, and in a form approved by the teacher. There are consequences for not completing assignments for evaluation or for submitting those assignments late.

Resources:

1. Various internet resources

2. Dictionaries, Thesaurus etc