Alberta Curriculum Presentation: Social Studies

Program Rationale and Vision

Helps students become active, informed, engaged
and responsible citizens
Teaches respect and recognition for individuals and
collective identity, by also teaching multiple
perspectives
Develops students sense of self and community
Teaches that citizenship and identity are shaped by
multiple factors
Definition and Role of Social Studies
It is the study of people in relation to each other and
to their world
Helps students become aware of their capacity to
effect change in their community, society and world
Provides learning opportunities for students to learn
values and attitudes,
Knowledge and understanding, and
These critical areas provide
skills and processes

general direction for the Social

Studies program and identify
major components of its
structure

6 Program Foundations

 Issues Focused Approach to Teaching Social

Studies: Social will focus on current issues and current events to

help critical thinking, construct points of view, and metacognition
Social Studies: Learners and Learning- students bring
perspectives and experiences to classrooms. This helps students
acknowledge interconnections between schools, community,
provincial nation and global institutions

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5

Social Studies and Francophone Perspectives and

Pluralism: Diversity and Cohesion: helps to understand

roles of linguistics, cultural and ethical groups in Canada. To also
learn about self in relation to others
Experiences: understand Francophone perspectives,
Francophone schools help self-esteem and identity, culture,
partnerships and participation in Canada

Social Studies and Aboriginal Perspectives and

Experiences: understand Aboriginal perspectives and

acknowledge the role of language and cultures. Aims to help
Aboriginal students with self-esteem and identity
Core Concepts of Citizenship and Identity: students
will understand principles of democratic society, have a critical
understanding of individual and collective rights, ensure vitality and
sustainability of community and accept differences

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Alberta Curriculum Presentation: Social Studies

Metacognition: being aware of your own, personal thinking

process. The importance of different learning strategies and having
the ability to modify or use new strategies
Decision
Making and Problem Solving : helps students
to make well-educated decisions by developing skills to allow
students to apply their previous knowledge to new problems that
arise
Geographical Thinking: allows students to solve issues from
a geographical perspective and enables students to examine
enivronmental and societal issues
Historical Thinking : involves sequencing and analyzing
patterns and events. Helps students become well-informed to
become active participating members of society and pluralistic
democracy
Creative Thinking: thinking in unique and insightful ways
about social studies topics. Allows students to come up with limitless
possibilties for different issues and abilties to ancipate outcomes
Critical Thinking: making reasonable decicsions by
understanding the difference between fact and opinion, determing if
infromation is reliable, being aware of biases and contemplating
moral resasoning of decisions

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6 Dimensions of Thinking

The following have been identified

as key components to developing
thinking strategies

Culture and Community: examine shared values and sense

of belonging, belief, traditions and languages. Promotes development
of citizenship and identity as well as understanding issues and
change
Global Connections : understand many perspectives and
connections among local, national and global issues. Broaden
students global consciousness and empathy with world conditions
Economics and Resources: Examine how things affect the
quality of life globally. Explore the basic economic and trading
systems
their effects
on environment,
individual and
nations
Power,and
Authority
and
Decision Making:
Discover
impacts on individuals, relationships, and communities. Examine
governmental and political structures, fairness and equality, confict
and cooperation, decision-making processes, leadership and
The
Land: Places and People: understanding the
government
relationship between the two, how physical geography impacts
social, political, environmental and economical organization of
society
Time, Continuity and Change: understanding dynamic
relationships between the three. To consider different perspectives on
issues both current and historical

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Studies

TheseStudies
strands refect the
Alberta Curriculum Presentation: Social
interdisciplinary nature of social
studies. They are interrelated and
are the basis for the learning
6 Strands of Social

Alberta Curriculum Presentation: Social Studies

Grade
Kinderg
arten

Grade Title & GLOs

Being Together
K.1 I Am Unique
K.2 I Belong

Grade 1

Citizenship: Belonging &

Connecting
1.1 My World: Home, School,
Community
1.2 Moving Forward with the Past:
My Family, My History, My
Community
Communities in Canada
2.1 Canadas Dynamic
Communities
2.2 A Community in the Past

Grade 2

Grade 3

Connecting with the World

3.1 Communities in the World
3.2 Global Citizenship

Grade 4

Alberta: The Land, Histories

and Stories
4.1 Alberta: A Sense of the Land
4.2 The Stories, Histories and
People of Alberta
4.3 Alberta: Celebrations and
Challenges
Canada: The Land, Histories
and Stories
5.1 Physical Geography of Canada
5.2 Histories and Stories of Ways of
Life in Canada
5.3 Canada: Shaping an Identity
Democracy: Action and
Participation
6.1 Citizens Participating in
Decision Making
6.2 Historical Models of
Democracy: Ancient Athens and
the Iroquois Confederacy
Canada: Origins, Histories and
Movement of People
7.1 Toward Confederation
7.2 Following Confederation:
Canadian Expansions

Grade 5

Grade 6

Grade 7

SLO
K.1.2 Appreciate the unique
characteristics, interests, gifts and
talents of others
K.2.1 value how personal stories
express what it means to belong
1.1.2 Value the groups and
communities to which they belong
1.2.1 Appreciate how stories and
events of the past connect their
families and communities to the
present
2.1.1 Appreciate the physical and
human geography of the
communities studied
2.24 Appreciate how connections
to a community contribute to ones
identity
3.1.1 Appreciate similarities and
differences among people and
communities
3.2.1 Appreciate elements of global
citizenship
4.1.1 Value Albertas physical
geography and natural
environment
4.3.1 Appreciate the factors
contributing to quality of life in
Alberta
5.1.1 Value Canadas physical
geography and natural
environment
5.2.1 Appreciate the complexity of
identity in the Canadian context
6.1.1 Analyze the structure and
functions of Albertas provincial
government
6.2.2 Value the role of participation
by citizens in diverse democratic
societies
7.1.2 Appreciate the challenges of
co-existence among peoples
7.2.2 Recognize the positive and
negative consequences of political
decisions

Alberta Curriculum Presentation: Social Studies

Grade 8

Grade 9

Grade
10
Grade
11
Grade
12

Historical Worldviews
Examined
8.1 From Isolation to Adaption:
Japan
8.2 Origins of a Western Worldview:
Renaissance Europe
8.3 Worldviews in Confict: the
Spanish and the Aztecs
Canada: Opportunities and
Challenges
9.1 Issues for Canadians:
Governance and Rights
9.2 Issues for Canadians: Economic
Systems in Canada and the United
States
10-1 Perspectives on
Globalization
10-2 Living in a Globalizing
World
20-1 Perspectives on
Nationalism
20-2 Understandings of
Nationalism
30-1 Perspectives on Ideology
30-2 Understandings of
Ideologies

8.1.4 Appreciate how societys

worldview shapes individual
citizenship and identity
8.2.2 Demonstrate a willingness to
consider differing beliefs, values
and worldviews
9.1.3 Appreciate how emerging
issues impact quality of life,
citizenship and identity in Canada
9.2.2 Appreciate the relationship
between consumerism and quality
of life
1.3 Appreciate how identities and
cultures shape, and are shaped by
globalization
1.4 Appreciate why peoples seek to
promote their identity through
nationalism
1.10 Evaluate the extent to which
personal identity should be shaped
by ideologies

Scope, Sequence, GLOs, and SLO

Current Affairs

They play a central role in learning and are integrated throughout the
program
They add relevance, interest, and immediacy to social studies issue
Helps students apply problem-solving and decision-making skills to
real-life and controversial issues
Opportunities to include any on-going issues and current event

Controversial Issues
Opportunities to deal with these issues
Prepares students to participate responsibly in a democratic
and pluralistic
Promotes critical inquiry and teach thinking skills

Examples and Activities

Alberta Curriculum Presentation: Social Studies

Elementary - Grade 3:
GLO 3.1: Students will demonstrate an understanding
and appreciation of how geographic, social, cultural and
linguistic factors affect quality of life in communities in
India, Tunisia, Ukraine and Peru
SLO 3.1.1: appreciate similarities and differences among
people and communities
Learning Objective: Students will recognize the
similarities and differences between the beliefs, traditions
and customs between Canada and the communities of
India, Tunisia, Ukraine and Peru
Learning Activity: Host a culture day students are
put into groups; each group is assigned a community the
class has studied. Have stations that showcase quality of
life in those communities and highlight their unique

Alberta Curriculum Presentation: Social Studies

Jr. High - Grade 7:

GLO 7.2: Students will demonstrate an understanding
and appreciation of how the political, demographic,
economic and social changes that have occurred since
Confederation have presented challenges and
opportunities for individuals and communities.
SLO 7.2.1: Recognize the positive and negative
aspects of immigration and migration
Learning Objective: Students will explain the positive
and negative aspects of immigration and migration.
Learning Activity: In order to introduce the concept
of intercultural contact, introduce students to migration
and immigration. Have students conduct a report upon

High School -Grade 11 - 20-1:

Key Issue: To what extent should we embrace
nationalism?
Related Issue 3: To what extent should
internationalism be pursued?
GLO: Students will assess impacts of the pursuit of
internationalism in contemporary global affairs.
Learning Outcome: students will describe the
impacts of the pursuit of internationalism in
contemporary global affairs.
Learning Activity: Have students conduct a
research essay upon Canadas rising role as a
peacekeeping nation on the international stage
during the twentieth century. This essay should have
students give their opinion regarding the positives

Alberta Curriculum Presentation: Social Studies