Long Range Plan Grade 8 Social Studies - Rationale

Taylor MacLeod

As stated in the Program of Studies, social studies provides opportunities for students to develop the attitudes, skill, and knowledge that

will enable to them to become engaged, active, informed, and responsible citizens. It is my personal belief that the Grade 8 curriculum in

particular provides students several opportunities to investigate worldviews that may be unfamiliar to them. It is imperative that we as social

studies teachers educate students about a variety of social, political, economic, and cultural perspectives, and the Grade 8 curriculum does

exactly that. The plan for this curriculum is to anchor the overall theme of historical worldviews to current society and how intercultural contact

between societies leads to social evolution.

This fall, Grade 8 students will be using Japan as a case study to demonstrate an awareness and appreciation of isolationism, adaptation,

and other elements of Japanese history, culture, and worldviews. Students will engage in a variety of activities the encourage inquiry,

understanding, and critical thinking. The two worldviews presented in this unit, isolation and adaptation, will be analyzed by students as they

navigate how Japan’s historical backdrop gave way to modernization. Formative assessments will be utilized to track student understanding of

new concepts that will later be applied in summative assessments. The overall purpose of this grade’s curriculum is to introduce students to

other worldviews and perspectives without othering the nations examined. I will be doing my best to ensure that the themes and information

presented is done so in a culturally responsive and meaningful way without appearing tokenistic and stereotypical. The Alberta Social Studies

POS emphasizes the over-arching themes of citizenship and identity before breaking up each unit into the six strands of social study disciplines. It

is with this in mind that I will plan this course for students. Lastly, students will be provided a Weebly website that outlines the course,

scheduling, and assessment pieces: https://teachingsocial8.weebly.com/

 Long Range Plan – Grade 8 Social Studies Outline

Timeline Curricular Outcomes Focus Resources and Materials Assessment

OVERALL UNIT CONCEPTS: Worldview & Identity,

GLO 8.1 Geography of Japan, History of Japan, Isolation, - Our Worldviews:
September - 8.1.1, 8.1.2, Imperial Society, National Seclusion Policy, Structure Explore, Understand, Ongoing Formative
(Unit 1 - 8.1.3, 8.1.4, of Edo Japan, Three Metropolises, Popular Culture of Connect. Thomson Assessments
Japan: 8.1.5 Edo Japan, Modernization, Meiji Restoration, Charter Canada. (2007).
Isolation to Local & Current Oath, Iwakara Missions - Google Classroom
Restoration) Affairs - Google Slides
- Our Worldviews: An Introduction - Google Maps
- What Were the Effects of Japan’s Policies of - Google Earth
Isolation During the Edo Period? - Film Board of
- Weekly Current Events Focus Canada
- PBS
- YouTube
- Weebly
GLO 8.1 - What Were the Effects of Japan’s Policies of - NativeLand.ca
October - 8.1.1, 8.1.2, Isolation During the Edo Period? Ongoing Formative
(Unit 1 - 8.1.3, 8.1.4, - What Factors Influenced Change in Meiji Assessments
Japan: 8.1.5, 8.1.6 Japan? Summative Unit Test
Isolation to Local & Current - Weekly Current Events Focus + Related Project
Restoration) Affairs

GLO 8.1
- 8.1.1, 8.1.2, - What Factors Influenced Change in Meiji
November 8.1.3, 8.1.4, Japan? Ongoing Formative
(Unit 1 - 8.1.6 - How Did Rapid Change During the Meiji Assessments
Japan: Local & Current Period Affect Japan’s Worldview? Summative Unit Test
Isolation to Affairs - Weekly Current Events Focus + Related Project
Restoration)
GLO 8.1
December - 8.1.1, 8.1.2, - How Did Rapid Change During the Meiji Ongoing Formative
(Unit 1 - 8.1.3, 8.1.4, Period Affect Japan’s Worldview? Assessments
Japan: 8.1.5, 8.1.6 - How Did Changes in the Edo Period Compare Summative Unit Test
Isolation to Local & Current to Changes in the Meiji Period? + Related Project
Restoration) Affairs - Weekly Current Events Focus

GLO 8.2 OVERALL UNIT CONCEPTS: Western Worldview, The

- 8.2.1, 8.2.2, Middle Ages, Feudalism, The Crusades, The Black Ongoing Formative
January 8.2.3, 8.2.4 Death, The Silk Road, Growth of Cities, Humanism, Assessments
(Unit 2 – Local & Current Renaissance Personalities, Religious Reform, Spread
Renaissance: Affairs of Renaissance Ideas, Imperialism, Age of Discovery,
Emerging Exploration
Western
Identities) - What Were the Factors That Shaped the
Renaissance Worldview?
- Weekly Current Events Focus

GLO 8.2
February - 8.2.1, 8.2.2, Ongoing Formative
(Unit 2 – 8.2.3, 8.2.4 - How Did the Ideas of the Italian Renaissance Assessments
Renaissance: Local & Current Spread Throughout Europe? Summative Unit Test
Emerging Affairs - Weekly Current Events Focus + Related Project
Western
Identities)

GLO 8.2
March - 8.2.1, 8.2.2, Ongoing Formative
(Unit 2 – 8.2.3, 8.2.4 - How Did the Western Worldview Grow Out of Assessments
Renaissance: Local & Current the Renaissance? Summative Unit Test
Emerging Affairs - Weekly Current Events Focus + Related Project
 Western
Identities)
GLO 8.3 OVERALL UNIT CONCEPTS: Geography of Aztec
April - 8.3.1, 8.3.2, Mexico, Geography of Spain, History of Aztec Mexico, Ongoing Formative
(Unit 3 – 8.3.3, 8.3.4 History of Spain, Social Structure of Aztec Mexico, Assessments
Spanish Local & Current Mesoamerican Societies, Social Structure of Spain,
Conquest of Affairs Political & Economic Structures of Aztec Mexico and
the Aztecs) Spain, Culture of Aztec Mexico, Culture of Spain, Aztec
vs. Spain Worldview, Spanish Conquest of Aztecs

- How Does Intercultural Contact Impact the

Worldview of Societies?
- How Did Aztec and the Spanish Ways of Life
Reflect Their Worldview?
- Weekly Current Events Focus

GLO 8.3
May - 8.3.1, 8.3.2, - How Did Aztec and the Spanish Ways of Life Ongoing Formative
(Unit 3 – 8.3.3, 8.3.4 Reflect Their Worldview? Assessments
Spanish Local & Current - How Did Conflicting Worldviews Lead to the Summative Unit Test
Conquest of Affairs Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Civilization? + Related Project
the Aztecs) - Weekly Current Events Focus

GLO 8.3
June - 8.3.1, 8.3.2, Ongoing Formative
(Unit 3 – 8.3.3, 8.3.4 - How Did Conflicting Worldviews Lead to the Assessments
Spanish Local & Current Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Civilization? Summative Unit Test
Conquest of Affairs - How Can Understanding Worldviews Improve + Related Project
the Aztecs) Our Lives?
(Worldview - Weekly Current Events Focus
Conclusion)