OVERALL EXPECTATIONS 

Research and Inquiry Skills 

A1. Exploring: explore topics related to the analysis of social change, and formulate questions to guide their research; 

A2. Investigating: create research plans, and locate and select information relevant to their chosen topics, using appropriate social science research and inquiry methods; 

A3. Processing Information: assess, record, analyse, and synthesize information gathered through research and inquiry; 

A4. 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. 

Social Change 

B1. Foundations for the Study of Social Change: demonstrate an understanding of the major theories, perspectives, and methodologies related to social change; 

B2. Causes and Effects of Social Change: demonstrate an understanding of the causes and effects of social change; 

B3. Technological Change: demonstrate an understanding of patterns and effects of technological change from a social science perspective. 

Social Patterns and Trends 

C1. Demographics: demonstrate an understanding of the importance of demographics as a tool for studying social patterns and trends, both nationally and globally; 

C2. Forces That Shape Social Trends: demonstrate an understanding of how forces influence and shape social patterns and trends; 

C3. Social Deviance: demonstrate an understanding of social science theories about social deviance, and of how various responses to deviance affect individuals and society. 

Global Social Challenges 

D1. Global Inequalities: demonstrate an understanding of how various social structures and conditions support or limit global inequalities; 

D2. Globalization: assess the impact of globalization on individuals and groups; 

D3. Exploitation: analyse the impact of unfair or unjust exploitation of people or resources, locally and globally.

COURSE CONTENT 

1. What are Anthropology, Sociology and Psychology? 

   
   

   This unit reintroduces the student to the three disciplines of anthropology, sociology, and psychology. It examines theories of change with respect to individuals, societies, and cultures, and determines agents and impediments to those changes.  --- 20 hours

2. Societal, Cultural and Individual’s Effects on Well-Being .

   
   

   This unit examines the relationship between individual change, societal change, and cultural change with respect to the concept of “well-being” and how this definition has changed over time. The concept of universal healthcare and its societal importance to Canada will be discussed in depth. --- 25 hours

3. Trends, Challenges, Changes in Canadian Society 

   
   

   All societies face challenges, display trends and change over time. This unit will focus on those that are important to Canada, such as the relationship with the UK and USA, First Nations relations, as well as the changes in Canadian art and music. --- 25 hours

4. Trends, Challenges, Changes in our Global Society 

   
   

   Similar trends, challenges and changes as discussed in the previous unit will be now related to world societies and how they have changed compared to their own history, and also compared to their neighbors and others. --- 30 hours

5. Culminating Activity 

   
   

   The culminating activity for this course is a self-designed research project. The student will determine a topic they would like to conduct research on, produce a hypothesis, research method, and carry out the research. The report will consist of the above, as well as require the student to make conclusions on their data to answer their original query. ---10 hours

Total 110 hours

TEACHING & LEARNING STRATEGIES

• Direct Instruction (teacher-led)

• Class Discussion (teacher facilitated)

• 1:1 Conferencing Teacher & Student

• Silent individual reading

• Independent Work (teacher facilitation)

• 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

  
  

Weighting of Categories

Knowledge & Understanding ---25%

Thinking ---25%

Communication ---25%

Application ---25%

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.

Assessment Tools

Marking schemes / Rubrics / Checklists

Assessment Strategies

Assessment for Learning

Quizzes / Journals / Demonstrations / Conferencing / Researching / Problem Solving (process focused) / Debates / Discussions

Assessment as Learning

Reflective Journal / Exit and Entrance Cards / Graphic Organizers / Self/Peer Assessment

Assessment of Learning

Tests / Presentations / Essays / Projects / Independent Study Assignment

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 using concrete learning tools - manipulatives - in mathematics such as connecting cubes, measurement tools, algebra tiles, and number cubes

• 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.

Financial Literacy

The school is emphasizing the importance of ensuring that Ontario students have the opportunity to improve their financial literacy. Financial literacy is defined as “having the knowledge and skills needed to make responsible economic and financial decisions with competence and confidence”. The goal is to help students acquire the knowledge and skills that will enable them to understand and respond to complex issues regarding their own personal finances and the finances of their families, as well as to develop an understanding of local and global effects of world economic forces and the social, environmental, and ethical implications of their own choices as consumers. Thus, an attempt will be made to integrate Financial Literacy in all the school’s courses.

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.

This course is being offered entirely online and there is no textbook for the class. The resources listed are supplemental resources students and teachers may choose to draw on for clarification

Resources:

1. Transitions in Society: The Challenge of Change, Oxford University Press, 2002

2. Purdue Online Writing Lab: APA Formatting and Style Guide, Purdue University, 2013 (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01)

3. Science Buddies: Steps of the Scientific Method, 2013

   (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-

   projects/project_scientific_method.shtml)

4. Black Like Me. John Howard Griffin. Signet, 1961.

5. Various Internet Resources (YouTube, Wikipedia, etc.)

6. Microsoft Office