Social Studies Grade Three

Unit 2: Heritage

Unit Overview for Grades 1 to 5

Learning at each grade level is organized around four units of study.

Unit 1 Identity Unit 3 Interdependence



Unit 2 Heritage Unit 4 Decision Making

This curriculum uses a spiral model for organizing learning objectives. With this developmental model, concepts are introduced and developed within the context of a theme and at a level appropriate for the students in the classroom. The unit "Heritage" is developed in the following way:

Unit Summary for Grade Three

Students will compare some of the historical experiences of communities under study. They will learn about their Aboriginal peoples, their heroes, and major events that have shaped their current status. In making comparisons, students may include the community's language, celebrations, and games.
As an introduction to a more global focus, students will study folktales as a reflection of a community's culture.

Major Concepts and Learning Objectives

Concepts
Heritage

history, diversity, culture, folktales, legends.
Knowledge Objectives
Students will know that:

the community has evolved over time. (N, PSVS)
experiences of the past help shape a community. (N, PSVS)
a community's culture is expressed in part through its stories.(C, PSVS)
Skills/Abilities Objectives
Students will:

identify and describe experiences of the past that helped shape a community. (C, PSVS, CCT)
compare past and present lifestyles of a community. (C, CCT, N)
identify cultural perspectives in folktales and legends. (C, CCT, PSVS)
Attitudes/Values Objectives
Students will:

value the past experiences of various communities. (PSVS, N)
appreciate the folktales and legends that originated from various communities. (PSVS, C)
Citizen Action Objectives
Students may:

participate cooperatively in a variety of projects. (PSVS, C)
select a folktale or legend that is personally relevant and present it to a group. (C, IL)

Suggestions for Integration

Language Arts:
Develop a theme "People and Their Heritage" in the historical or inquiry context, develop themes like "Folktales and Legends" in the literacy context or "Friends Around the World" in the personal or social contexts, which may be continued during the rest of the program.
Use the Sample Unit 1: Folktales in English Language Arts: A Curriculum Guide for the Elementary Level.
Arts Education:
As students learn about people around the world, they may learn about the art forms, (including architecture, clothes, dances, music, and tools) associated with various communities. A unit on work dances has been developed to accomplany the dance strand of the arts education curriculum.
Student skills/abilities may be supported in all subjects.

Teaching History to Elementary Students
The primary focus of Unit Two, Module One is the historical experiences of people in various communities.
The concept of history is dealt with in one way or another in each social studies program from K to 12. The way it is taught at the different grade levels will, however, vary greatly. For young students, the traditional approach (lecture, take notes, learn facts/date, write test) to teaching history is inappropriate and ineffective. Research indicates, however, that young children are able to learn a great deal about history and are very interested in events of the past when the material is presented within a resource-based approach.
The following are some examples:

Avoid using history textbooks. Instead, use stories (e.g., oral histories, historical fiction, case studies, well illustrated books, videos, and guests).
Avoid having students write notes, memorize facts, and answer factual questions. Instead, plan small/large group activities involving simulation and role playing activities, learning centres, field trips, guest speakers, and discussions.
Instead of an emphasis on broad political events and decisions, emphasize the experiences and feelings or ordinary people, including women and children.
Avoid studying historical events in isolation. Be sure to draw connections with the students' present lives, the environment, and technology. Use a "then and now" approach.
Avoid evaluating students primarily on their ability to recall information. Rather, use a variety of criteria.
Avoid an overload of information from written material. Rather, use a lot of pictures and other visual material, having the students draw inferences from what they see.
When planning to organize and present information, aviod excessive paragraph writing. Rather, use organizers for job notes (e.g., web charts) and visual presentations (e.g., dioramas, models).
As much as possible, integrate the unit with other subjects.