Mini-Unit Plan

Grade Three Social Studies: Quality of Life

By Kyla Sacrey, Crystal Malinowski, and Ben Beland

 Table of Contents

UNIT OVERVIEW 2
Essential Inquiry Question 2
Rationale For Unit 2
Key Questions 4
Connection to the Program of Studies 4

RATIONALE FOR ASSESSMENT 7

Lesson Plan #1: What is Quality of Life? 9

First Formative Assessment 11
Formative Assessment Checklist 13
Resources / Materials 14

Lesson Plan #2: How Access to Clean, Running Water Relates to Quality of Life 15
Formative Assessment: Exit Slip and Checklist 18
Exit Slip 18
Checklist 18
PowerPoint Slide for Students 19
P​oster Information Worksheet 20

Lesson Plan #3: Creating a Poster on Quality of Life in a Particular Country 22

F​ormative Assessment 24

FINAL SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT TASK 26

Quality of Life Poster Creation Peer Assessment Sheet 28
Quality of Life Poster Creation Self-Evaluation Sheet 29
S​ummative Assessment Rubric 30

Final Rationale/Reflection 31

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 UNIT OVERVIEW
Essential Inquiry Question:

What is quality of life, and how does access to clean drinking water influence quality of life in

multiple countries?

Rationale For Unit:

Embedded in the Grade Three Social Studies Curriculum is an analysis of different

countries’ levels of quality of life. Allowing students to have the opportunity to critically look at

the differences that pertain to quality of life in various countries allows for students to develop a

sense of empathy and respect for others. Learning about different levels of quality of life is

incredibly important as it gives students a perspective they may have not considered before.

Acknowledging disparity worldwide would ideally motivate students to try to help improve

quality of life for all individuals around the world. This relates to the purpose of this lesson in

relation to the course, as it addresses and supports many of the rationales for Social Studies in the

curriculum. For example, looking at quality of life helps foster student understanding of issues

facing their own communities, as well as the international community.

As mentioned above, this unit fits very well into the curriculum and is able to address the

many elements within the social studies program of studies. Although the mini-unit itself is able

to produce some of the key elements of Program of Studies, the way the teacher will deliver the

lessons will allow for more elements to be used within them. An example of this is using group

work in every lesson to promote meaningful collaboration amongst our students. Another

example of this is in our final summative assessment task, following the conclusion of lesson

three; the students view each other's completed poster in a gallery walk. By incorporating this

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activity, we are encouraging our students to have an open mind when learning new information

as well as learning how to interpret different sources, and being able to extract the vital

information.

Within the unit, we planned every activity to have as minimal direct instruction as

possible, as a way to ensure that our students remained engaged. Even when we are providing

students with crucial information, we offer it more as a discussion to facilitate student

participation. Within this mini-unit are instructional strategies and elements of classroom

management that promote a respectful classroom environment. Students must learn to

demonstrate patience in the classroom. This will be established in the second lesson, in which

students must take turns using their iPads to capture pictures of water sources throughout the

school. Demonstrating patience will also be enforced within the third lesson, in which students

will write their name on the whiteboard when they have completed their worksheet, and wait for

their turn to review their work with the teacher.

Through group discussion and cooperative work, students will learn to demonstrate

respect for others. Incorporating elements of respect will also be accomplished by having

students display their completed project around the classroom, do a “gallery walk” to observe

others’ work, and provide respectful feedback to their peers. All students must provide feedback

for two of their peers using a worksheet included in this mini-unit. On the worksheet, students

have the opportunity to provide one piece of constructive criticism (“What you could do to

improve your work”), but this must be accompanied by a positive compliment to their peer,

providing what they liked about their poster.

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Key Questions:
By keeping our focusing question broad, we allow for plenty of student interpretation and

opportunity for student inquiry. The following are some more specific key questions that

students should be able to confidently answer as a result of this unit.

● What is quality of life?

● What are some factors that affect quality of life in other world communities?
● How does access to clean drinking water affect quality of life? How does this differ
in other countries?

Connection to the Program of Studies:

Prior Knowledge
In grade 2, students expand on the concept of community that they learned in

kindergarten and grade 1, “through an examination of specific characteristics of communities in

Canada. Building on the introduction of historical thinking in Grade 1, Grade 2 students will

examine how a community changes over time” (2005). An understanding of communities is

critical for moving on to understanding the diverse communities that are presented in grade 3. As

our final summative assessment task in this unit involves peer assessment, we are assuming is

that students have had prior experience with peer assessment and are comfortable assessing their

classmates’ work.

Prior to beginning grade 3, students should have a strong understanding of the following from
second grade:
● How a community’s physical geography shapes identity (SLO 2.1.1)
● Demonstrate care and concern for the environment (SLO 2.1.1)
● What kinds of natural resources exist in Canadian communities (SLO 2.1.4)
● How communities can change over time (SLO 2.2.7)

Students should also have at least some development of the following skills:
● geographic thinking (2.S.3)
● cooperation, conflict resolution and consensus building (2.S.5)
● oral, written and visual literacy (2.S.8)
● media literacy (2.S.9)

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POS Outcomes Achieved
The main objective of this unit is for students to understand what quality of life is, and

what factors contribute to and impact quality of life. The unit plan will align with the following

Social Studies General Learning Outcomes.

● GLO 3.1​ - Communities in the World: 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 3.1.2​ - Students will examine the social, cultural and linguistic
characteristics that affect quality of life in communities in other parts of the world
by exploring and reflecting upon the following questions for inquiry:
■ What determines quality of life? (CC)

Students Will Develop the Following Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes:

Knowledge Skills Attitudes

-Multiple perspectives and -Develop critical thinking -A respect for diversity

realities regarding different world -Empathy
-Individual and collective situations -Global consciousness
well-being -Explore how to present
-An understanding of the information effectively
broader natural environment -Explore how to plan and
work cooperatively
-Develop and understanding
of new perspectives and
realities

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 Resources

Davies, A. (2011). ​Making Classroom Assessment Work​ (Third ed.). Courtenay, BC:
Connect2Learning.

Drinking Water in Peru: Safe or Unsound? (2017, March 15). Retrieved from:
https://howtoperu.com/drinking-water-in-peru-safe-or-unsound/

India’s Water and Sanitation Crisis (2017). Retrieved from: ​https://water.org/our-impact/india/

Shields, P. and Ramsay, D. (2005) ​Our World 3: World Communities. ​Toronto: Nelson Canada.

Unicef Ukraine: Water and Sanitation. Retrieved from:

https://www.unicef.org/ukraine/children_25107.html

Water: Tunisia’s Other Development Challenge (2014, September 4). Retreived from:
http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2014/09/04/water-tunisia-s-other-development-
challenge

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 RATIONALE FOR ASSESSMENT

“Evidence of learning needs to be diverse because it requires performance or reflection to

demonstrate application and the ability to articulate understanding. This means that written work

or test results will never be enough” (Davies, 2011, p. 34). This mini-unit will utilize a range of

formative assessments to prepare students for the final summatively-assessed task. The range of

assessments we use will ensure that the final task is assessed in a fair and reliable manner. “The

more reliable and valid the evidence collected and the longer the period of time over which it is

collected, the more confidence everyone can have in the evaluation” (Davies, 2011, p. 94).

Assessment FOR Learning​: ​Within the lesson is many examples of assessment ​for

learning, specifically as formative assessment. In the lessons, the students are constantly

discussing their learning and their thoughts, which in turn allows for the teacher to see and hear

the students understanding the materials. Following this, the students will be completing KWL

sheets, and provide the teacher with exit slips at the end of the second lesson. Providing plenty of

formative assessment results in stronger student learning, and as Davies explains “When teachers

know what needs to be learned, and when students already know, they can plan a variety of

learning pathways for students” (Davies, 2011, p. 25).

Assessment OF learning​:​ The students will be summatively assessed within the final

performance task, the creation of a poster. As part of the instructions for the project, the teacher

will ensure that students have a checklist of what needs to be included on their poster. The

students will also have a copy of the assignment rubric because, “[w]hen students understand

what is important, they have an opportunity to assess their own efforts in regard to the criteria,

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and give themselves specific, descriptive feedback about their own as they progress” (Davies,

2011, p. 35)

Assessment AS learning:​ As the “publishing” phase of the summative assessment task,

students will display their posters around the class and do a gallery walk. This allows students to

take control of their own learning and “present their evidence so that others will also know they

are learning. That’s what it means to be accountable” (Davies, 2011, p. 73). Each student will be

asked to assess two of their peers’ posters. Peer assessments will be given to students to consider

when self-evaluating their own work. Each student will be asked to write a line or two about how

they could improve their own poster, which will be considered when grading their final

summative assessment. “Students who self-monitor are developing and practicing the skills

needed to be life-long, independent learners” (Davies, 2011, p. 57).

By using a variety of assessments FOR, OF, and AS learning, we ensure that assessment

is not only helpful to us as teachers, but also useful to our student. “Mistakes provide assessment

evidence - they give learners feedback about what is not working and bring them closer to

knowing what will work” (Davies, 2011, p. 16). That is why it is so important to include our

students in the assessment process. “Making classroom assessment work means reframing the

conversation from one about ranking and sorting students to one about assessing learning in the

context of our students’ futures” (Davies, 2011, p. 111).

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Lesson Plan #1: What is Quality of Life?
Total Time: 50 Minutes

General Learning Outcome(s)

GLO 3.1 - Communities in the World​: 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.

Specific Learning Outcome(s)

SLO 3.1.2:​ Students will examine the social, cultural and linguistic characteristics that affect
quality of life in communities in other parts of the world by exploring and reflecting upon
the following questions for inquiry:
● What determines quality of life? (CC)

Objective(s)
1. Students will be able to define quality of life in Tunisia, India, Ukraine, Peru, and
Canada.

Assessment:
Students will be assessed formatively via whole class observation on whether they can relate
personal feelings back to the five factors that influence quality of life. The teacher will document
observations for each student.

Material(s) Needed
1. Chart Paper with a list of 6 pre-written prompts:
○ “I am hungry”
○ “I am full”
○ “I am lonely”
○ “I am loved”
○ “I am sick”
○ “I am healthy”
2. Chart paper (blank) that can be used to create a quality of life mind map.
3. Happy and sad stickers, which students will use to respond to the prompts on the anchor
chart. Using brightly coloured visuals in place of words allows for the fair assessment of
ESL/ELL students, or students who struggle with communication through writing.

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Introduction (Time: 10 Minutes)
1. We will begin the lesson once students are quietly seated and demonstrating appropriate
behaviour that indicates they are ready to learn (seated, eyes on teacher, not talking with
other students). If students are not paying attention, use the “1, 2, 3 eyes on me” method
to get their attention.

2. The teacher will give the students a schedule for the day’s lesson verbally and will also
write it on the board for students who need visual cues. This way students will all know
what to expect, as well as the objective:
a. “By the end of this lesson, you will know what ‘quality of life’ means. In order to
understand this, we will be responding to some prompts and talking about how it
relates to quality of life.”

3. We will introduce the lesson and engage the students by asking “What makes life good?
What makes us happy?” Students will have a moment to ponder this and can then raise
their hand to offer answers. If no one voluntarily raises their hand, the teacher may call
on them. The teacher will record their answers on the whiteboard.

4. The teacher will briefly define quality of life for the students:
a. Quality of life ​is measured by how people feel. People who have mostly happy
feelings have a good quality life and people with mostly unhappy feelings have a
poor quality of life.
b. The teacher will introduce the idea of quality of life as direct instruction ​before
the activity so that students have a basic understanding of the concept.

5. The teacher will explain how different countries have different levels of quality of life:
a. The teacher will explain how Canada has a high quality of life due to having
things like clean water, education, and transportation.
b. Places like Peru, Tunisia, India, and Ukraine have varied levels of quality of life
due to reasons such as:
i. Higher populations;
ii. Less access to clean water and food;
iii. Lower funding for education;
iv. Limited transportation.

Activity (Time: 20 Minutes)

1. Responding to prompts individually and as a class (Indirect Instruction)
a. Prior to class, we will have created a list of the following prompts on chart paper

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 i. “I am hungry”
ii. “I am full”
iii. “I am lonely”
iv. “I am loved”
v. “I am sick”
vi. “I am healthy”
b. These prompts will open for the student to interpret, and they will put either a
happy face or a sad face sticker on each prompt. Each student will place a sticker
on the chart after the teacher has read the prompt aloud.

2. The teacher will read each prompt aloud, allowing students time to reflect on each
statement and form an individual response.

3. Students will be called in rows to walk to the prompts and individually place a happy face
or a sad face sticker beside each prompt (an example of what this will look like is
attached at the end of this lesson under “Materials / Resources.”)
a. We can use our own observation of students who are demonstrating on-task
behaviour (quietly seated, listening, etc) to select rows. This allows for formative
assessment to ensure students are on-task (see below).

4. Once all students have had the chance to place their stickers on each of the prompts, we
will tie this into how those prompts actually relate to quality of life. The formative
assessment described below will also be taking place during this step.
a. Each prompt will be re-read to the class. We will then ask the class why each
prompt made them feel the way it did and if that feeling would ​increase​ or
decrease​ quality of life.
b. We will ask the class as whole, and allow for students to voluntarily answer (by
raising their hand) or, if no one volunteers an answer, students could be called
upon randomly.
c. Students must relate their answer back to one of the five branches of the mind
map.

First Formative Assessment

By having multiple students answer questions relating to quality of life the teacher can then
assess whether there is a general understanding of the concept. If most students who are called
upon can give an appropriate answer, it will be clear that we can move on to the next lesson. This
is assessment ​for ​learning.

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Closing (Time: 10 Minutes)
1. The teacher will create a mind map that has quality of life in the centre and the five
elements that contribute to it branching off (food, shelter, water, education,
transportation). The teacher explain each one to students as they are written:
a. Food: it is important that everyone has food so that they can live a healthy and
happy life
b. Shelter: it is important that we have shelter to protect us from harsh weather
c. Water: just like food, it is important that everyone has access to water so that they
can be healthy, clean, and can cook their food.
d. Education: having access to education allows people to learn how to read and
write, which is essential in our world. When you have a good education, you can
get a good job, which allows you to have a high quality of life.
e. Transportation: when you have public or personal transportation, you are able to
access better resources like grocery stores or schools.

2. Confirm and guide student understanding of quality of life using the following prompts
(relate each to the five elements of quality of life on the mind map). Ask students which
part of the mind map this fits into and why. The formative assessment described after the
closure will be taking place during this step and will be reviewed by the teacher after the
lesson.
a. “I am hungry VS. I am full.”
i. Explain that they might get hungry before lunch, but you know you get to
eat soon! Some people stay hungry for long periods of time because they
do not have access to food and that ​decreases​ quality of life; it makes us
unhappy and uncomfortable.
b. “I am lonely VS. I am loved”
i. Explain being in a community and around people that love you and that
you love makes you feel safe and happy. If you were separated from those
people for long periods of time, you could become very unhappy and your
quality of life would ​decrease. ​Having access to all of the things on the
mind map leaves people with time to enjoy life! When you can spend time
with your friend and family, and do fun activities, your quality of life
increases​.
ii. Ask students what some things are that they like to do for fun and what
they need on the mind map in order to do it. (Example, if a student likes to
play hockey, the need food and water to fuel their bodies).
c. “I am sick VS. I am healthy”
i. Explain that not having access to a lot of the things on the mind map can
lead to being sick. Unfortunately some people aren’t healthy, and that can

12
 impact their whole life, meaning it ​decreases​ quality of life. Being sick
can prevent people from going to school, having jobs, or even leaving
their house.

3. Once students understand how the prompts relate to quality of life, we will leave them
with question to consider, as they will relate to the next lesson. These questions will be:
a. How would you feel if you were thirsty, and the only water you could drink
would make you sick?
b. Can you imagine having to walk far away to get water to drink?
c. What if you had to use the same water for cooking, cleaning, and washing?

4. The teacher will write these on the whiteboard and leave them up to start the next lesson.

Formative Assessment Checklist:

To check if students understand the definition of quality of life, the teacher will assess,
via whole class observation, whether their responses are appropriate to the prompt, AND
whether they are able to successfully relate their responses to the Quality of Life mind map. This
is pertinent to the final summatively assessed task because in order to articulate how access to
water affects quality of life, students first need to understand the concept of quality of life.

Does the student demonstrate an understanding of the definition of Quality of Life?

Student Name Verification (Y/N)

Jack Y

Diane N

13
Resources / Materials

Prompt Response: ​The student will respond to the prompt with their feeling stickers
Prompt: Student Feeling:

I am full

I am hungry

I am loved

I am lonely

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Lesson Plan #2: How Access to Clean, Running Water Relates to Quality of
Life
Time: 55 Minutes

General Learning Outcome(s)

GLO 3.1 - Communities in the World​: 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.

Specific Learning Outcomes

SLO 3.1.2:​ Students will examine the social, cultural and linguistic characteristics that affect
quality of life in communities in other parts of the world by exploring and reflecting upon
the following questions for inquiry:
● What determines quality of life? (CC)
● How does daily life reflect quality of life in the communities?

Objective
1. Students will demonstrate an understanding of how access to clean, running water
directly impacts quality of life in Canada, Ukraine, India, Peru, and Tunisia.

Materials Needed
● A water bottle for each student
● Prepared Exit Slips
● iPad cart
● Prepared PowerPoint Slide (with list of approved websites for the guided research)
● Poster Information Worksheet (one per group)

Introduction (Time: 10 Minutes)

1. When students arrive to class, there will be a water bottle on each desk. This will be done
for two reasons:
a. To pique students’ interest in the topic at hand, and to have students question why
there is water on their desks;
b. This will serve to show that it is generally very easy to access clean and drinkable
water in Canada. Throughout the lesson, students will develop an understanding
that this is not the case in all places in the world.

15
 2. After piquing the students’ interest, the teacher will ask students about all of the times
that they used from the previous night up to this class. This will engage students in
critical thinking about their water consumption and how it affects their quality of life.
The teacher will write student answers on the board, and give their own examples as well.

3. Students will revisit the definition of quality of life that was established in lesson one.
The teacher will ask the students to put up their hand to provide a definition, or the
teacher will draw a name randomly if there are no volunteer.

4. Once the students’ memories have been refreshed the teacher will explain, “Today, you
will be researching access to water, which we briefly spoke about at the end of last class,
in Peru, India, Ukraine, and Tunisia.”

Activity (Time: 35 Minutes)

Activity One (20 minutes):
1. Students will be assigned into groups of 2-3 by the teacher to ensure that every group has
a balanced competencies. These will be the same groupings that students work in for the
remainder of the unit.
a. To create groups, the teacher will write each grouping on the board prior to the
lesson, and have students sit with their group members once they arrive in class or
begin the social studies lesson.
i. By splitting the students into groups, students will be able to work
together to enhance their learning. This will also provide a support group
to help if they become confused.
ii. The teacher creates the groups to ensure they are able to pair students who
may struggle with those who understand the material. This ensures a more
fair assessment process. This will also be helpful for ELL/ESL students,
who could use peer support and direct interaction to succeed.
b. Written with the groups, will be the country to which each group is assigned. This
ensures that each of the four countries is represented in the final task.

2. The teacher will have rented out the iPad cart to provide students with technology to do
research. The teacher will select groups to take an iPad (one per group) based on students
who are displaying appropriate behaviour (sitting quietly and eyes on the teacher). When
the group goes to take the iPad from the cart, the teacher will also give them a Poster
Information Worksheet.

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 3. The teacher will have a prepared PowerPoint slide that is available on all student iPads
and has links for students with all the information they need to find about their assigned
country. This will speed up the research process and allow time for activity two (see
below for the powerpoint slide).

4. Students will be given the opportunity to record the information they find using the
worksheet at the end of this lesson. This will be formatively assessed in the following
lesson, and used directly in the final summative assessment task.

Activity Two (5 minute transition + 10 minute activity):

1. The teacher will use the “Hands on top, that means stop” (hands on your head) transition
to get students’ attention. Once students are paying attention, the teacher will ask students
to flip their iPads facedown. The teacher will ask the students to keep their worksheets
accessible on top of their desks as they will be reviewing the information they have
found.

2. After the class has spent time learning about water in each country, the teacher will lead a
discussion period to realize the importance of how water pertains to quality of life. The
teacher will ask, “What did you find out about access to water in your country?”
a. Each group will have an opportunity to share what they discovered about water
access in their assigned country in “round-robin” fashion.

3. After each group has had the chance to share, the teacher will tell students “When I say
go, you may take your iPad and go around the school to take 2-3 photos of places where
you can access clean water. Think about how easy it is to access water here at school!
Right now, it is 10:30 (point to analog clock), come back in 10 minutes when the big
hand is on the eight. Who can tell me what time that is?” Students will ideally respond
with “10:40,” and then the teacher will say, “Go!”
a. The students, working in their same group, will spend 10 minutes going around
the school to take photos of all the places that they have access to water in the
school (these will be used in the creation of their posters in the next lesson).

4. Students will return to class and the teacher will have them return their iPads to the cart
as they come in. After class (or on recess), the teacher will transfer the photos from the
iPads onto the computer to be printed for next class.

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Closing (Time: 10 Minutes)
1. When students come back to class, the teacher will tell them to sit quietly in their desks
and either review their worksheet or read, until the rest of their classmates return.
2. To close the lesson, the teacher will collect the worksheets and then tell students “We’re
going to do a ‘show me what you know’ activity” and hand out an exit slip (one of the
methods of formative assessment).
a. The teacher will read the questions aloud to the students once everyone has an
exit slip, so that they may read along. The exit slip is shown below.

Formative Assessment: Exit Slip and Checklist

We will be assessing whether students understand how access to clean, running water impacts
quality of life in India, Tunisia, Peru, and Ukraine by using an exit slip. This is assessment ​for
learning. By referencing the exit slip, and subsequently using the checklist the teacher is able to
assess which students may need some extra time to learn the information. It is imperative that
students understand the information in the exit slip ​before​ moving on to the next lesson because
the creation of the poster requires the base knowledge presented here.

Exit Slip
Show Me What You Know!

1. With no access to water, quality of life will (circle one) INCREASE or ​DECREASE​.
2. Overall, Canada is a country with lots of access to clean drinkable water (circle one)
TRUE​ or FALSE
3. Everyone in the world has easy access to clean and drinkable water (circle one) TRUE
or ​FALSE
4. Write the name of the country that you researched here: _______________
5. Does the country you researched have access to CLEAN drinking water? (circle one)

YES or NO

Checklist
Student Name Verification (Y/N)

Jack Y

Diane Y

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Materials / Resources

PowerPoint Slide for Students:

 
   

19
 POSTER INFORMATION WORKSHEET 
 
Circle the country that you are going to focus on: 
 
Ukraine Tunisia Peru India 
 
 
H​ow do people in Ukraine, Tunisia, Peru, OR India access water everyday? 

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

How does access to water impact quality of life in Ukraine, Tunisia, Peru, OR India? 

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

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What is one ​similarity​ ​or ​difference​ between that way we access water in Canada 
and the way water is accessed in Ukraine, Tunisia, Peru, OR India? 

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

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Lesson Plan #3: Creating a Poster on Quality of Life in a Particular Country
Time: 50 Minutes

General Learning Outcome(s)

GLO 3.1 - Communities in the World​: 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.

Specific Learning Outcomes

SLO 3.1.2:​ Students will examine the social, cultural and linguistic characteristics that affect
quality of life in communities in other parts of the world by exploring and reflecting upon
the following questions for inquiry:
● What determines quality of life? (CC)
● How does daily life reflect quality of life in the communities?

Objective
1. Through the creation of a physical poster, students will demonstrate an understanding of
how access to water affects quality of life in Canada and either Ukraine, India, Peru, or
Tunisia.

Materials Needed
● 1 Poster board for each group
● Markers / Glue / Scissors
● Previously taken photos / access to printer
● Previously researched information / powerpoint slide summary of research
● “Poster Information” worksheet (from the previous lesson)
● iPads

Introduction (Time: 7 Minutes)

1. The teacher will display the quality of life mind map at the front of the class and ask
“What are some things you remember from our last two lessons?”
a. Students will have the opportunity to raise their hand and volunteer answers, or
the teacher may call on students randomly (drawing student names from a
container) if no one volunteers information.
b. Following student responses, the teacher will review any elements of quality of
life that may have been left out of the discussion.

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 2. The teacher will tell the students that, in their groups, they will be creating a poster that
explains how access to clean drinking water affects quality of life in their assigned
country (Ukraine, India, Peru, or Tunisia).

3. Students will need to include the following information on their poster, and the teacher
will hand out an instruction sheet and rubric before the commencement of the activity:
a. At least one sentence about how people in Ukraine, Tunisia, Peru, OR India
access water everyday.
b. At least one sentence about how access to water impacts quality of life of those in
Ukraine, Tunisia, Peru, OR India.
c. At least one comparison between Canada and Ukraine, Tunisia, Peru, OR India.

4. The teacher will say “When I say go, please sit in your group from last day. If you cannot
remember who was in your group, put up your hand and I will come and tell you where
to go. Once you are sitting quietly with your group, I will hand out some papers for you
to work with.”

Activity (Time: 40 Minutes)

Poster creation:
1. Once all students are sitting with their group, the teacher will explain the following:
a. Students will need to review each question that they answered on the “Poster
Information” worksheet in the previous class.
i. The teacher will say “On your sheet from last class, please make sure you
have answered with ​at least one complete sentence​. Once you are
finished reviewing, write your group member names on the whiteboard to
show me that you are ready for me to review.”
ii. The teacher may also use this opportunity to review the required parts of a
complete sentence, as taught in Language Arts.
b. The teacher will visit each group as they are listed on the whiteboard and review
their sheet. This acts as formative assessment, and sets students up for success in
the final summative assessment task (see the end of the activity portion for a more
detailed description of the formative assessment of this lesson).
i. The teacher will check that:
1. Students include complete sentences and have few errors
2. That their information is accurate
c. While students wait for the teacher to come to their group, they may quietly read a
book or do some colouring (sponge activities).

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 2. Once the teacher has formatively assessed (checked for accuracy, punctuation, etc.) the
students’ information sheet and approved it for publishing, the teacher will instruct
students when they may gather their printed photos from the previous lesson
a. Before allowing students to go get their photos, the teacher will clearly state
“When I say go, you may cut out the dotted boxes on this sheet to glue to your
poster AND you can cut out your photos. You may go get your photos from the
printer, and come back and start gluing to your poster board.”

3. Once the students have their photos, they can cut their answered questions off of the
worksheet and begin assembling their poster, making sure to include the following items
(that are listed on their instructional handout):
a. Name of all group members.
b. A title that indicates the country.
c. Both previously taken photos (or charts / drawings if they were not able to take
photos).
d. All pre-approved information from their Poster Information Worksheet

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT:
Formatively assessing the “Poster Information” worksheet prior to students to gluing
their information to the poster allows them to correct any small mistakes and sets them up for
success. It acts as assessment ​as​ learning because students get the chance to see and make any
changes to their work before being summatively assessed. It also allows the teacher to go back
and clarify any information that students may be lacking as a class.
Further, the “Poster Instruction” handout on the following page will be given to students
and will act as a single point rubric for students to follow. As long as they follow the handout,
their expectations on the summative assessment rubric will be achieved.

Closing (Time: 3 Minutes)

1. The teacher will use the “Hands on top, that means stop” (hands on your head) transition
to get students’ attention and to make sure there are no students continuing to glue or
write while they are giving instruction.

2. With everyone’s hands on their head, the teacher will say, “You will be given a little bit
of extra time at the beginning of next day to finish up. Next class, we will be doing a
gallery walk so that you can see all of your classmates work. Right now, we have to
move on, so please quickly and quietly put away your glue and scissors, bring your
posters to me, and then sit at your desks quietly and ready to learn.”

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 Poster Instruction Handout 
 
Quality of life​ ​is measured by how people feel. People who have mostly happy 
feelings have a good quality life and people with mostly sad feelings have a poor 
quality of life. 
  
Your poster should include all of these things: 
❏ Name of all group members. 
❏ A title that indicates the country. 
❏ At least 2 visuals (pictures, charts, or drawings). 
❏ Accurate information. 
 
Your poster should have ​accurate information​. You need to include: 
❏ At least one sentence about how people in Ukraine, Tunisia, Peru, 
OR​ India access water everyday. 
❏ At least one sentence about how access to water impacts quality of 
life of those in Ukraine, Tunisia, Peru, ​OR​ India. 
❏ At least one comparison between Canada and Ukraine, Tunisia, 
Peru, ​OR​ India. 
 
 
Use this checklist while you work! 
 
 
 

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 FINAL SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT TASK

The final summative assessment task will fulfill the following General and Specific Learning
Outcomes and wrap up the mini-unit:

GLO 3.1​ - Communities in the World: 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 3.1.2 -​ Students will examine the social, cultural and linguistic characteristics that
affect quality of life in communities in other parts of the world by exploring and
reflecting upon the following questions for inquiry:
● What determines quality of life? (CC)
● How does daily life reflect quality of life in the communities?

Once students have completed their group poster, their posters will be displayed around
the class and students will do a gallery walk. This allows students to take control of their own
learning and publish their completed work.
Each student will be asked to self-evaluate their work and assess two of their peers’
posters. Students will provide peer assessment using the Poster Creation Peer Assessment
worksheet shown below. The worksheet ensures that all students will receive positive and
constructive feedback. Completed peer assessments will be given to students to consider when
they conduct their self-evaluations at the end of the gallery walk.
Student will answer two questions on the ​Quality of Life Poster Creation Self-Evaluation
sheet (below); one thing they are proud of, and one area for improvement. Their self-evaluation
will be considered in the teacher’s final summative assessment, as shown by the attached rubric.
This will ensure that the assessment is meaningful to the students and the teacher alike.
We chose to have students create a poster as their final summative assessment to allow
for the accommodation of many different learning styles. Visual learners benefit by displaying
their knowledge on their poster and seeing other students’ work displayed in the same way.
Students will learn about the different countries from their peers which eliminates the need for
direct instruction. The gallery walk also encourages movement, which helps combat student
restlessness. Finally, to accommodate ELL/ESL students, we will allow them to record their
thoughts in an iPad program rather than writing them down. This will create a more fair and
valid assessment by testing content knowledge rather than writing ability.

The following procedure will be followed for the gallery walk.

1. When students are all in class and showing that they are ready to learn, the teacher will
explain the following steps:
a. “Your posters are already displayed around the room. I am going to hand out a
sheet that tells you which poster you need to review for your classmates.

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 b. When I say go, we will spend 25 minutes going around the room and looking at
each poster. Please start at the poster that is closest to your desk. Make sure to fill
in the sheet for the poster that you need to review when you get to it.
c. At the end of the 25 minutes, you will receive your peer review sheets and I will
give you a sheet to evaluate your own work.
d. Once we are all done, I will collect all of the sheets and we’ll move on to our next
lesson of the day.”

The teacher will display a powerpoint slide (below) throughout the class in case students need a
reminder about the procedure. Throughout the gallery walk, the teacher will circulate to ensure
on-task behaviour. 
 

 
 

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 Name:_________________ 
Date:_________________ 
 
Quality of Life Poster Creation Peer Assessment Sheet 
 
Classmate Name: _________________ 
Country on Poster:_________________ 
 
What I like about your poster is: 

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

One thing you could do to improve is: 

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________
 
 
 
 
 

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 Date:_________________ 
Group Members:_________________ 
_________________ 
_________________ 
 
Quality of Life Poster Creation Self-Evaluation Sheet 
 
I am most proud of (I worked hard on): 

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

One thing I could do to improve is: 

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

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 Student Name:__________________________

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT RUBRIC

Excellent Good Adequate Limited

Criteria Insufficient
4 3 2 1
Poster
Poster Poster includes
includes
includes 3 of 2 of the 4
Poster less than 2
the 4 required required items
includes all of the 4
Content items on the on the
elements on required
(SS. SLO 3.1.2) checklist. checklist.
the checklist. items
Content is Content is
/4 Content is Content is
mostly generally
accurate and not
accurate and accurate and No evidence /
well-chosen. accurate,
mostly somewhat Incomplete
nor well
well-chosen. well-chosen.
chosen.

Spelling and
Spelling/ Spelling
grammar is Spelling and
Grammar Spelling and and
mostly grammar has
grammar has grammar
correct with frequent
few mistakes. has many
/4 some mistakes.
mistakes.
mistakes.

Criteria PASS INSUFFICIENT

Peer
Assessment Students provide an insightful
Students do not provide any comment.
comment relevant to a poster.
/1
Self
Assessment Students critically think about Students do not provide any thoughts about
their own work. their own work.
/1

Total : __ / 10
Comments:

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 Final Rationale/Reflection

A point of strength through all of our lessons is the maintenance of a respectful and

collaborative learning environment. Our transitions often involve waiting for students to

demonstrate appropriate behaviour, which reinforces previously instituted classroom

expectations. Likewise, the incorporation of peer assessment (which would have been practiced

previously) allows students to develop strong communication skills. Not only do our lessons

build empathy towards other global communities, but they also encourage empathy and respect

between students.

In our lesson plans, we made several decisions to ensure that the execution of our

overarching and sub-questions were addressed. we utilized multiple teaching techniques to

address the question “What is quality of life, and how do different factors affect it?” as clearly as

possible.

In the first lesson, quality of life is introduced. We include a combination of direct

instruction and student participation to ensure students understand and can define “quality of

life.” Having students respond to prompts is one form of formative assessment that allows the

teacher to gauge the learning and understanding of the class. It also allows for student

interpretation of a rather abstract concept. Encouraging discussion about a topic such as “quality

of life” gets students critically thinking about their own positions and the realities of others,

which is key to the social studies curriculum. Incorporating student involvement and group work

also creates a more engaging lesson, as students will be able to see how their work directly

affects the outcome of the lesson.

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 Moving into the second lesson, the question shifts from “what is quality of life?” to “how

does access to clean water affect quality of life?” This builds directly from the previous lesson,

as we expand on the concept of quality of life, and how different factors can influence it. The

teacher then assigns the students into groups for the final assessment. Group work creates a

welcoming and collaborative classroom, as struggling students will not be at a disadvantage, and

no student will be left out. Group work also facilitates the building of relationships between

classmates and creates a more open classroom atmosphere.

In the final lesson, the students utilize what they have learned from the previous lessons

and apply it to the summative assessment task. With our lesson plans having plenty of student

involvement, the use of consistent formative assessment, and differentiation, all students have

the opportunity to succeed on the summative assessment task.

Student engagement is facilitated throughout all lessons and in the summative assignment

because all allow for creative freedom and expression; although the teacher dictates what

information must be included in the final task, students can design their poster to their liking.

Those who enjoy movement will show strength when searching around the school for sources of

water, and doing the gallery walk. Students who like reading and research will show strength

during the research and writing portion. Finally, all students will benefit from collaborative

learning and whole class discussion.

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