Ernest Morrow School- Grade 8 Humanities 2017 Course
Overview
Mr. Schultz
Room 29
Updates through Powerschool and https://emhumanities82.blogspot.com/
Course Description
Welcome
to Humanities 8! Humanities is a blended
course that focuses on learning through the common curricular objectives of
Social Studies and Language Arts. This
year we will learn about different Worldviews through the Language Arts skills
of reading, writing, listening, speaking, viewing, and representing. Some major questions that will frame the
course are; What does literature teach us about the world we live in? How does where we live influence how we
live? What factors can change a
society’s values, beliefs and knowledge?
How do worldviews vary between time (history) and place (geography)?
Learning Objectives
By
the End of the course, students should have explored the following:
Stem 1: Reads to explore, construct,
and extend understanding
Stem 2: Writes to develop, organize,
and express information and ideas
Stem 3: Manages and evaluates ideas
and information
Stem 4: Constructs meaning and makes
connections through speaking
Stem 5: Constructs meaning and makes
connections through listening
Stem 6: Represents ideas and creates
understanding through a variety of media
Stem 7: Demonstrates knowledge and
understanding of citizenship and identity
Stem 8: Explores events and issues from
different points of view
Stem 9: Demonstrates skills and
processes for inquiry and research
Stem 10: Communicates ideas in an
informed and persuasive manner.
Previous Learning and New Challenges
During
grade 7 students were asked to explore different text forms to express ideas
while considering Canada. They looked at Canadian citizenship and identity in a
diverse society while asking How it
had changed over time and Why.
In
grade 8 students will be asked to take the next step in developing listening,
speaking, reading writing, viewing, inquiry and research skills through
creating their own oral, print and visual texts. They will practice these
skills though three major case studies that will have them reflecting on how
contact and context have shaped, and will shape how people see the world.
These
case studies are:
•
Renaissance Europe – Origins of a Western Worldview
•
The Spanish & The Aztec – Worldviews in Conflict
•
Japan – From Isolation to Adaptation
Assessment
This
class will conduct two types of assessment, formative and summative.
Formative
assessment “informs” the learning
process, occurs daily throughout the year and is vital to the education
process. Though reflective or inquiry tasks like journaling, peer review and in
class discussions/projects or skill development tasks such as vocabulary work,
researching or source analysis, a student’s strengths and emerging skills are
able to be evaluated. This formative assessment is used to target specific
areas for individual student’s needs of skill development, context and
engagement.
Summative
assessment “sums up” learning that
has taken place though final marks of projects, quizzes or tests. Summative
assessment allows the long term progression of formative assessment to be
represented in a clear and condensed way. Summative assessment only verifies
the success of the formative process and should never be viewed independently
of that information.
You
will see the following indicators for assessment in reference to the learning
objectives above: Report Card Indicators – What do they mean?
|
Indicator Scale
|
|
|
1 – Not Meeting
|
A
student has not yet shown they have met grade level
expectations according to the Program of Studies. Learning has to be highly
structured.
|
|
2 – Basic
|
· applies
learning in familiar and common situations
· adequate
and basic knowledge
· depth
of understanding - basic
|
|
3 – Good
|
· applies
learning in familiar, new learning situations
· applied
in a variety of learning situations
· depth
of understanding -well-developed and in-depth knowledge.
|
|
4 - Excellent
|
· applies
learning in novel, diverse, and unique settings
· engages
in complex learning tasks
· depth
of knowledge – subtle and thorough
|
|
NER –
No Evaluation Recorded
|
· insufficient
evidence of learning is available
|
|
ELL –
English Language Learner
|
· language
development impacts collection of evidence
· anecdotal
evidence is used to determine level of language proficiency
|
|
IPP –
Individual Program Plan
|
· used
when the report card stem is evaluated in the IPP
· only
used if student is identified with special needs
|
Skill Development
Formative
feedback and summative assessment will include but is not limited to:
•
Reading strategies – Novel study, Current events, Text criticism, Source
Analysis, Research
•
Writing process and formatting – Journaling, text summary, grammar and language
mechanics
•
Formal and creative writing – Poetry, Short Story, Letter, Text analysis,
review
•
Writing for various purposes and audiences – scholarly, entertainment, various
media (blog, newspaper, magazine)
•
Critical and creative thinking – source analysis of various media,
interpretation, design thinking
•
Considering various perspectives – indigenous, francophone, historical,
current, influences and context
•
Language conventions and mechanics –formatting, style and structure in context,
formal vs colloquial
•
Vocabulary and spelling development – formative through projects
•
Evaluation and interpretation of sources – Historical context, bias and meaning
•
Organizing and researching skills – strategies, time management, design
thinking, context and for effectiveness
Glossary
of Terms and Concepts
The following terms and concepts are
contained within the general and specific outcomes in the grade. The definitions are provided to facilitate a
better understanding and more effective application of the social studies concepts
presented.
Adaptation - Changing attitudes and
behaviours to suit a new situation.
Contact - Connection or interaction, communication, association
or relationship.
Expansionist - Political attitude and actions of a country whose
goal is to expand its power and/or its territory, usually by force.
Humanist - Pertaining to humanism: a system of thought that centres on humans
and their values, capacities and worth; concern with the interests, needs and
welfare of humans.
Imperialism - Policy of a country or empire to extend its
authority or domination by political, economic or military means; policy of a
state/government whose goal is for another state/government to become dependent
on it politically or economically.
Intercultural - Of, relating to, involving or representing
different cultures.
Isolation - Relating to isolationism: foreign policy whereby a nation resists
participating in the affairs of the international community by abstaining from
any international, political or economic relationship.
Renaissance - The humanistic revival of classical art,
architecture, literature and learning that originated in Italy in the 14th
century.
Social
structures - Organization models within a
society that reflect the values and interests of that society’s members.
Society - Group of persons linked by common activities or
interests and sharing public space.
Worldview - A collection of beliefs about life and the universe
held by an individual or group; the lens through which the world is viewed by
an individual or group; the overall perspective from which the world is
interpreted.
Expectations
Please
be prepared for class with paper and a pen/pencil.
Please
be aware that all of our actions either contribute to or detract from our
classroom becoming an inclusive and positive learning environment.
Respect
yourself and others and give people the benefit of the doubt.
Ask
“why” until you are satisfied.
Be
(constructively) critical.
The Student Purpose
statement is expected to be followed at all times which states:
I come to Ernest
Morrow School to learn and participate in citizenship.
It is my right and
responsibility to learn and participate in citizenship.
I have a
responsibility to :
●
Be in charge of myself
●
Look after myself and others
●
Use my words and positive actions to express my feelings
and needs
●
Do my work
●
Work cooperatively with others
●
Listen with my eyes, my heart, and my mind
●
Help everyone belong, feel safe, valued and respected.
This is my purpose:
●
In the community of ours
●
In the classroom
●
In the hallway
●
To and from school
●
Online and in group interactions
●
On the bus
Together, we all
succeed!
If
you have any questions, concerns, problems or want to discuss specific learning
or teaching approaches that would be best for an individual student; please don’t
hesitate to contact me. Please let me know if you have a preferred method of
contact.
