Resources and Options for the bridging to the new BC Social Studies 10
As BC Education continues to evolve the Pacific Slope Consortium is working to provide resources that support teachers and students as they transition to the new curriculum and improve their educational practice. The resources on this page are intended to be a bridge for teachers during this transitional year for Social Studies 10. Many teachers are opting to run a version of this course that highlights topics from the traditional Social Studies 10 and 11 curriculum. Their reasoning is that Grade 10 students in 2016/17 will not take Social Studies 11 in the following year, so this is their last chance to learn about many 20th century topics with their Social Studies teachers. These resources will assist teachers in running a hybrid or bridge course that combines the familiar with an student-centred, exploratory approach that fits a competency-based approach to Social Studies and the BC Education Plan. For teachers moving straight on to the new version of Social Studies 10, rather than the "Bridge" version below, refer directly to the Ministry of Education site for the draft curriculum.
Sample Course OutlinesExample of a hybrid "SS10/SS11" -- "bridge" curriculum for the 2016/17 year. This includes the units listed below. SS10 Bridge Outline (word file).
Here is another example from Surrey teachers Robert Dewinetz and Rajni Gowgill. Hybrid SS10 (pdf). Sample UnitsThis could be a complete list of topics for a "Bridge SS10" or some pick-and-choose to supplement a thematic or project based approach. Many of the suggested short projects are listed on the right. If taken as an actual unit guide and each topic as lesson, this would involve about 33 lessons. In a typical 100-hour course, each unit of 3-4 lessons, including some project and assessment time, would take 10-14 hours. Perhaps 2 hours for each lesson, and the rest of the time for projects and assessment. every teacher does it differently, but this simply indicates that it is possible to structure a course with a list of topics similar to the one below.
What is Canada
The World Stage
Birth of a Nation
The West Coast
Canada in its Youth
Feast, Famine, and Fire
Canada in the Postwar Era 1945-1967
Home and Away
Canada in the Modern Era
Suggestions for AssessmentUsing the Unit Examples above, teachers could use eight short assessments to gauge student learning. Rather than the traditional test (tons of multiple choice questions, sometimes with a written section), these assessments could feature just a few of the primary sources or other evidence used to teach during the unit. Students should respond with some basic questions about each source, especially around significance. This could be in the form of notes, writing or diagrams, and could be take-home (assignment style) or test format. Evaluation could be informal (self, group, teacher) and used as formative assessment, or marked by the teacher for summative assessment. We use a 5-point rubric to score each collection of questions around a source. While this may seem like a lot of work, it goes quickly and the teacher will soon recognize that they are gathering very accurate information about what their students know, do, and understand. Other tests, exams, and so on will not be needed, although these performance-based assessments can be blended with projects marks.
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Projects, Activities, and Simulations
Suggestions for Lesson ElementsOne of the reservations about teaching a hybrid of the old SS10 and SS11 might be that sheer volume of information that could accompany the course. The trick is to keep a good pace, slow down when needed, and keep the focus on students developing critical thinking skills (through working with content) rather than simply gathering bits of history from the last 200 years. Keeping in mind there is no provincial exam, we recommend that teachers structure their lessons (e.g. over 2-3 classes) to include the following:
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