Planning A Year of Study: Choosing A Sequence of Units

Social Studies
There are sound reasons for the order in which units appear in this curriculum but that order does not have to be entirely prescriptive. Units 1 to 4 may be sequenced according to teacher preference and professional judgment. Unit 5 is intended to be a culminating unit in which students examine world governance, complementing the other issues studied from a global perspective. It is intended to provide students with opportunities to examine how the various issues affect each other as well as the issues of governance.

The order as outlined in the social studies curriculum:

Unit 1 - Human Rights.	The moral and ethical bases on which decision making should be based.
Unit 2 - Population.	Change in human population is controlled by social and cultural factors which can be affected by the moral and ethical assumptions of a society's social policies.
Unit 3 - Environment	The social environment with its moral and ethical assumptions has a complex and influential relationship with the interacting, interdependent parts of the natural environment for which society has to accept responsibility.
Unit 4 - Wealth and Poverty	The issues of economic well-being and economic development are forcing societies to reconsider the purposes of technological, economic, social, and cultural change.
Unit 5 - World Governance	The world's problems are so interrelated that all nations are finding that what has been sovereign, independent decision making has to consider a more collaborative and interdependent approach.

Alternatively, the units could be taught in this order:

Unit 2 - Population	Change in human population is controlled by social and cultural factors which can be affected by the moral and ethical assumptions of a society's social policies.
Unit 3 - Environment	The social environment with its moral and ethical assumptions has a complex and influential relationship with the interacting, interdependent parts of the natural environment for which society has to accept responsibility.
Unit 4 - Wealth and Poverty	The issues of economic well-being and economic development are forcing societies to reconsider the purposes of technological, economic, social, and cultural change.
Unit 5 - World Governance	The world's problems are so interrelated that all nations are finding that what has been sovereign, independent decision making has to consider a more collaborative and interdependent approach.
Unit 1 - Human Rights	The moral and ethical bases on which decision making should be based.

The combining units approach:

This approach would take advantage of common themes and would pair units. For example, it might be useful to pair the environment unit and the wealth unit so that students could see the interconnectedness of the environment and the economy.

The Human Rights unit could be combined with the World Governance unit.

In this arrangement teachers could begin the course with the human rights unit to establish basic human rights concepts and then teach the population, environment, wealth and poverty, units. At the end of the course, the world governance unit and the remainder of the human rights unit could be combined.

The Population unit and the Environment unit could be combined

This arrangement would allow teachers and students to explore the impact of population on the environment.

The Environment unit and the Wealth and Poverty unit could be combined.

This arrangement would allow for the exploration of the relations between wealth creation and issues related to protecting the environment.

History

The order in which the units appear in the curriculum has a chronological framework. Each unit stresses several key themes and concepts which focus study on a series of events and time periods. The magnitude of the course will require teachers to be knowledgeable about the foundational objectives, skills and values of this course. The choice of curriculum content and instructional strategies by the teacher should reflect those objectives, skills and values.

The content and chronological context of the content of units 1 to 4 makes it difficult to alter the presentation/instructional order. However, it does not preclude the teacher from focusing on particular themes which transcend the arbitrary boundaries set by the units.

Unit 5 examines global issues. Teachers may wish to utilize these global issues to organize/guide the students' examination of this century. The historic roots and events which gave rise to those issues may then serve as a guide/overriding theme for the analysis of the events and ideas which surround the particular issue.

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Assessment Strategies

The following strategies may be used at the teacher's discretion.

For more information about these strategies see:

Saskatchewan Education (1991). Student Evaluation: A Teacher Handbook. Regina, SK.

Methods of Data Recording

Anecdotal records
Observation checklists
Rating scales
Peer and self-assessment

Student Classroom Performance

Role play/simulation/debate
Concept mapping
Analyzing data using grids
Essay writing
Major projects and written reports
Portfolios of student work
Oral presentations

Student Test Performance

Concept mapping
Analytical grids
Essay tests
Matching-item tests
Multiple-choice tests
Oral presentations
Performance tests
Short-answer tests
True/false tests

Matching Assessment Techniques With Learning Outcome Categories

Assessment
Technique

Learning Outcome Category

Information

Concepts

Learning
Generalizations

Psychomotor
Skills

Cognitive
Skills

Thinking
Skills

Critical
Thinking
Skills

Creative
Thinking
Processes

Social
Skills

Values

Written Assignments

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Presentations
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Performance Assessments
- concept mapping
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Portfolios of Student Work

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Oral Assessment Items

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Performance Test Items
- concept mapping
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Extended Open-Response Items

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Short-Answer Items

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Matching Items

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Multiple-Choice Items

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True/False Items

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The Human Rights unit could be combined with the World Governance unit.	In this arrangement teachers could begin the course with the human rights unit to establish basic human rights concepts and then teach the population, environment, wealth and poverty, units. At the end of the course, the world governance unit and the remainder of the human rights unit could be combined.
The Population unit and the Environment unit could be combined	This arrangement would allow teachers and students to explore the impact of population on the environment.
The Environment unit and the Wealth and Poverty unit could be combined.	This arrangement would allow for the exploration of the relations between wealth creation and issues related to protecting the environment.

Assessment Technique	Learning Outcome Category
Assessment Technique	Information	Concepts	Learning Generalizations	Psychomotor Skills	Cognitive Skills	Thinking Skills	Critical Thinking Skills	Creative Thinking Processes	Social Skills	Values
Written Assignments	•	•	•		•	•	•	•	•	•
Presentations - debate - simulations	•	•	•		•	•	•	•	•	•
Performance Assessments - concept mapping - analytical grids	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•
Portfolios of Student Work	•	•	•		•	•	•	•		•
Oral Assessment Items	•	•	•		•	•	•	•	•	•
Performance Test Items - concept mapping - analytical grids	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•		•
Extended Open-Response Items	•	•	•		•	•	•	•		•
Short-Answer Items	•	•	•		•	•	•	•		•
Matching Items	•	•	•			•				•
Multiple-Choice Items	•	•	•			•				•
True/False Items	•	•	•			•				•