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COURSE OUTLINE

Course Title: Civics
Course Code: CHV2O
Grade: 10
Course Type: Open
Credit Value: 0.5
Prerequisite: None
Curriculum Policy Document: Canadian and World Studies, The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 and 10, 2005, revised
Department: Canadian and World Studies
Course Developer: Dr. John Frogley
Development Date: July 2003
Course Revised by: Various
Revision Date: August 2005

Course Description:

This course explores what it means to be an informed, participating citizen in a democratic society. Students will learn about the elements of democracy in local, national, and global contexts, about political reactions to social change, and about political decision-making processes in Canada. They will explore their own and others’ ideas about civics questions and learn how to think critically about public issues and react responsibly to them.

Unit	Titles and Descriptions	Time and Sequence
Unit 1	Getting Started This is a friendly warm-up that welcomes students to the course, and at the same time, through four assessment tasks provides some insight into the course participant as a person, citizen, and student.	10 hours
Unit 2	Ten Projects The course takes a project-based, problem-solving approach to learning. As students learn a concept, they will apply it immediately in a project. The projects focus on: democratic versus authoritarian decision-making, levels of government, Canada’s relationship with the United Nations, concept of citizenship rights and responsibilities, how Canada’s laws are made, elections, forms of government.	40 hours
	Final Evaluation There are two summative evaluation tasks in this course. Both provide students with an opportunity to show case their learning. Part A, entitled “Great Canadian Citizen of the World Project”, is worth 15% of the student’s final mark and provides students with the opportunity to research and report on an inspiring figure. Part B, entitled “Big Issue Project”, is worth 15% of the final mark and lets students pursue an issue and present their findings in a creative debate format.	5 hours
	Total	55 hours

Teaching / Learning Strategies:

Since the over-riding aim of this course is to help students use language skillfully, confidently and flexibly, a wide variety of instructional strategies are used to provide learning opportunities to accommodate a variety of learning styles, interests and ability levels. These include:

SESIR Process	Independent Research	Directed Reading Activities
Visuals	Direct Instruction	Writing to Learn
Discussions	Guided Internet Research	Multimedia Productions
Newspaper Articles Analysis	Game Construction	Interviews
Analyzing Articles	Video Analysis	Guided Research
Quiz Construction	Video Analysis	Simulations
Map Analysis	Essays

Assessment and Evaluation Strategies of Student Performance:

Assessment is a systematic process of collecting information or evidence about student learning. Evaluation is the judgment we make about the assessments of student learning based on established criteria. The purpose of assessment is to improve student learning. This means that judgments of student performance must be criterion-referenced so that feedback can be given that includes clearly expressed next steps for improvement. Tools of varying complexity are used by the teacher to facilitate this. For the more complex evaluations, the criteria are incorporated into a rubric where levels of performance for each criterion are stated in language that can be understood by students.

Strategy	Purpose	Who	Assessment Tool
Discussion Postings	Diagnostic	Peer/teacher	Anecdotal records
Research Report	Assessment	Teacher	Anecdotal records
Newspaper Surveys	Assessment	Self/peer/teacher	Anecdotal records
SESIR Quality Process	Assessment	Teacher	Rating scale
Research Project	Evaluation	Teacher	Checklist
Creative Writing	Evaluation	Teacher	Checklist
Issue Based Analysis	Evaluation	Teacher	Checklist
Simulation	Evaluation	Teacher	Anecdotal records
Interpreting Primary Documents	Evaluation	Teacher	Marking scheme
Quiz Construction	Evaluation	Teacher	Rating scale
MultiMedia Presentation	Evaluation	Teacher	Rubric
Essay	Evaluation	Teacher	Rubric
Expressing Points of View	Evaluation	Teacher	Anecdotal Records
Unit Tests	Evaluation	Teacher	Checklist
Final Exam	Evaluation	Teacher	Rubric

Assessment is embedded within the instructional process throughout each unit rather than being an isolated event at the end. Often, the learning and assessment tasks are the same, with formative assessment provided throughout the unit. In every case, the desired demonstration of learning is articulated clearly and the learning activity is planned to make that demonstration possible. This process of beginning with the end in mind helps to keep focus on the expectations of the course as stated in the course guideline. The evaluations are expressed as a percentage based upon the levels of achievement.

Overall Expectations - CHV2O

Informed Citizenship
Overall Expectations
CIC.01	demonstrate an understanding of the need for democratic decision making;
CIC.02	explain the legal rights and responsibilities associated with Canadian citizenship;
CIC.03	describe the main structures and functions of municipal, provincial, and federal governments in Canada;
CIC.04	explain what it means to be a “global citizen” and why it is important to be one..
Purposeful Citizenship
Overall Expectations
CPC.01	demonstrate an understanding of the beliefs and values underlying democratic citizenship and explain how they guide citizens’ actions;
CPC.02	describe the diversity of beliefs and values of various individuals and groups in Canadian society;
CPC.03	analyse responses, at the local, national, and international levels, to civic issues that involve multiple perspectives and differing civic purposes.
Active Citizenship
Overall Expectations
CAC.01	apply appropriate inquiry skills to the research of questions and issues of civic importance;
CAC.02	demonstrate an understanding of the various ways in which decisions are made and conflicts resolved in matters of civic importance, and the various ways in which individual citizens participate in these processes.

The Final Grade:

The evaluation for this course is based on the student's achievement of curriculum expectations and the demonstrated skills required for effective learning.

The percentage grade represents the quality of the student's overall achievement of the expectations for the course and reflects the corresponding level of achievement as described in the achievement chart for the discipline.

A credit is granted and recorded for this course if the student's grade is 50% or higher. The final grade for this course will be determined as follows:

• 70% of the grade will be based upon evaluations conducted throughout the course. This portion of the grade will reflect the student's most consistent level of achievement throughout the course, although special consideration will be given to more recent evidence of achievement.



• 30% of the grade will be based on a final evaluation of two products administered at the end of the course. The first, Great Citizen of the World Project is worth 15% of the course marks and offers you the opportunity to research and report on an inspiring figure. The second, Big Issue Project is worth 15% of the course marks and will let you pursue an issue and present it in a creative debate format. Both products will be evaluated using a rubric based on the achievement chart for the course.

The report card will focus on two distinct but related aspects of student achievement; the achievement of curriculum expectations and the development of learning skills. The report card will contain separate sections for the reporting of these two aspects.

A Summary Description of Achievement in Each Percentage Grade Range and Corresponding Level of Achievement
Percentage Grade Range	Achievement Level	Summary Description
80-100%	Level 4	A very high to outstanding level of achievement. Achievement is above the provincial standard.
70-79%	Level 3	A high level of achievement. Achievement is at the provincial standard.
60-69%	Level 2	A moderate level of achievement. Achievement is below, but approaching, the provincial standard.
50-59%	Level 1	A passable level of achievement. Achievement is below the provincial standard.
below 50%	Level R	Insufficient achievement of curriculum expectations. A credit will not be granted.

Achievement Chart: Canadian and World Studies, Grades 9-12

Categories	50-59% (Level 1)	60-69% (Level 2)	70-79% (Level 3)	80-100% (Level 4)
Knowledge and Understanding - Subject-specific content acquired in each course (knowledge), and the comprehension of its meaning and significance (understanding)
	The student:
Knowledge of content (e.g., facts, terms, definitions)	demonstrates limited knowledge of content	demonstrates some knowledge of content	demonstrates considerable knowledge of content	demonstrates thorough knowledge of content
Understanding of content (e.g., concepts, ideas, theories, procedures, processes, methodologies, and/or technologies)	demonstrates limited understanding of content	demonstrates some understanding of content	demonstrates considerable understanding of content	demonstrates thorough and insightful understanding of content
Thinking - The use of critical and creative thinking skills and/or processes
	The student:
Use of planning skills (e.g., focusing research, gathering information, organizing an inquiry, asking questions, setting goals)	uses planning skills with limited effectiveness	uses planning skills with moderate effectiveness	uses planning skills with considerable effectiveness	uses planning skills with a high degree of effectiveness
Use of processing skills (e.g., inquiry process, problem-solving process, decision-making process, research process)	uses processing skills with limited effectiveness	uses processing skills with some effectiveness	uses processing skills with considerable effectiveness	uses processing skills with a high degree of effectiveness
Use of critical/creative thinking processess (e.g., oral discourse, research, critical analysis, critical literacy, metacognition, creative process)	uses critical / creative thinking processes with limited effectiveness	uses critical / creative thinking processes with some effectiveness	uses critical / creative thinking processes with considerable effectiveness	uses critical / creative thinking processes with a high degree of effectiveness
Communication - The conveying of meaning through various forms
	The student:
Expression and organization of ideas and information (e.g., clear expression, logical organization) in oral, graphic, and written forms, including media forms	expresses and organizes ideas and information with limited effectiveness	expresses and organizes ideas and information with some effectiveness	expresses and organizes ideas and information with considerable effectiveness	expresses and organizes ideas and information with a high degree of effectiveness
Communication for different audiences (e.g., peers, adults) and purposes (e.g., to inform,to persuade) in oral, written, and visual forms	communicates for different audiences and purposes with limited effectiveness	communicates for different audiences and purposes with some effectiveness	communicates for different audiences and purposes with considerable effectiveness	communicates for different audiences and purposes with a high degree of effectiveness
Use of conventions (e.g., conventions of form, map conventions), vocabulary, and terminology of the discipline in oral, written, and visual forms	uses conventions, vocabulary, and terminology of the discipline with limited effectiveness	uses conventions, vocabulary, and terminology of the discipline with some effectiveness	uses conventions, vocabulary, and terminology of the discipline with considerable effectiveness	uses conventions, vocabulary, and terminology of the discipline with a high degree of effectiveness
Application - The use of knowledge and skills to make connections within and between various contexts
	The student:
Application of knowledge and skills (e.g., concepts, procedures, processes, and/or technologies) in familiar contexts	applies knowledge and skills in familiar contexts with limited effectiveness	applies knowledge and skills in familiar contexts with some effectiveness	applies knowledge and skills in familiar contexts with considerable effectiveness	applies knowledge and skills in familiar contexts with a high degree of effectiveness
Transfer of knowledge and skills (e.g., concepts, procedures, methodologies, technologies) to new contexts	transfers knowledge and skills to new contexts with limited effectiveness	transfers knowledge and skills to new contexts with some effectiveness	transfers knowledge and skills to new contexts with considerable effectiveness	transfers knowledge and skills to new contexts with a high degree of effectiveness
Making connections within and between various contexts (e.g., past, present, and future; environmental; social; cultural; spatial; personal; multidisciplinary)	makes connections within and between various contexts with limited effectiveness	makes connections within and between various contexts with some effectiveness	makes connections within and between various contexts with considerable effectiveness	makes connections within and between various contexts with a high degree of effectiveness

Resources:

• CHV2O online course of study
• various primary and source documents
• visuals
• videos
• dictionary
• thesaurus
• various internet websites
• various software programs

Reference Texts:

• Canadian by Conviction: Asserting Our Citizenship; Nick Brune, Mark Bulgutch; Gage Learning Corporation, 2000
• Canadian Civics; John Ruypers, John Ryall; Emond Montgomery Publications Ltd., 2005
• Citizenship: Issues and Action; Mark Evans, Rosemary Evans, Michael Slodovnick, Terezia Zoric; Pearson Education Canada, 2000
• Civics Today; Jennifer Watt, Ivor Sinfield, Charles Hawkes; Irwin Publishing, 2000
• Civics: Participating in a Democratic Society; Alan Skeoch; McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 2000

Program Planning Considerations for Canadian and World Studies:

Teachers who are planning a program in Canadian and World Studies must take into account considerations in a number of important areas. Essential information that pertains to all disciplines is provided in the companion piece to this document, The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 to 12: Program Planning and Assessment, 2000. The areas of concern to all teachers that are outlined there include the following:

• types of secondary school courses
• education for exceptional students
• the role of technology in the curriculum
• English as a second language (ESL) and English literacy development (ELD)
• career education
• cooperative education and other workplace experiences
• health and safety

Considerations relating to the areas listed above that have particular relevance for program planning in Canadian and World Studies are noted here.

Education for Exceptional Students. In planning courses in Canadian and World Studies, teachers should take into account the needs of exceptional students as set out in their Individual Education Plan. Canadian and World Studies courses reflect the real world, which offers a vast array of opportunities for exceptional students. Students who use alternative techniques for communication may find a venue for their talents as historians, politicians, political analysts, etc. Canadian and World Studies responds to the needs and demands of the real Canadian world.

The Role of Technology in the Curriculum. Information technology is considered a learning tool that must be accessed by Canadian and World Studies students when the situation is appropriate. As a result, students will develop transferable skills through their experience with word processing, internet research, presentation software, and telecommunication tools, as would be expected in any business environment.

English As a Second Language and English Literacy Development (ESL/ELD). This Canadian and World Studies course can provide a wide range of options to address the needs of ESL/ELD students. Assessment and evaluation exercises will help ESL students in mastering the English language and all of its idiosyncrasies. In addition, since all occupations require employees with a wide range of English skills and abilities, many students will learn how their own historical backgrounds can contribute to their success in the larger world.

Career Education. Canadian and World Studies definitely helps prepare students for employment in a huge number of diverse areas. The skills, knowledge and creativity that students acquire through this course are essential for a wide range of careers. Being able to express oneself in a clear concise manner without ambiguity would be an overall intention of this Canadian and World Studies course, as it helps students prepare for success in their working lives.

Cooperative Education and Other Workplace Experiences. By applying the skills they have developed, students will readily connect their classroom learning to real-life activities in the world in which they live. Cooperative education and other workplace experiences will broaden their knowledge of employment opportunities in a wide range of fields. In addition, students will increase their understanding of workplace practices and the nature of the employer-employee relationship. Teachers of Canadian and World Studies should maintain links with community-based businesses to ensure that students have access to hands-on experiences that will reinforce the knowledge they have gained in school.

Health and Safety. The Canadian and World Studies program provides the reading and analytical skills for the student to be able to explore the variety of concepts relating to health and safety in the workplace. Teachers who provide support for students in workplace learning placements need to assess placements for safety and ensure that students can read and understand the importance of issues relating to health and safety in the workplace.