Social Studies 5
Economy and Technology

Prescribed Learning Outcomes

It is expected that students will:

• analyse the relationship between development of communities and their available natural resources
• explain how supply and demand are affected by population and the availability of resources
• analyse factors that influence use and development of transportation and communications systems in different regions of Canada
• analyse the influence of technology on lifestyle and work
• analyse how people are influenced by and influence mass media messages

To view the prescribed learning outcomes for Economy and Technology in other grades click on an icon below.

• Ask students to study historical maps and photographs of their community to identify past resource use. Conduct a field trip to identify local resource use today. As a class, discuss how the community has changed and predict future changes.
• Divide the class into small groups, representing communities, and assign each a scenario card describing various resources and demographics. Ask each community to use available resources to develop a product to sell to other communities. Introduce complications (e.g., large population increase, factory shut-down). Debrief and discuss: How successful or unsuccessful were your efforts? Why?
• Present a scenario such as: "The year is 1864. You must travel from Victoria, BC, to Charlottetown, PEI, for a Confederation conference. How would you get there? How long would it take? Challenge yourself to use several modes of transportation. Write a journal entry reflecting your adventures." Have students predict modes of transportation and communication for another conference in 2064.
• Invite students to choose occupations found in the home or community. Ask them to research how technology has affected these occupations and the people employed in them, then have them present their findings. Presentations should include personal perspectives on technological change and should identify possible future changes and their impact.
• Ask one group of students to create travel brochures on Canada, portraying the country as a place of natural beauty. Ask another group to create brochures that offer a technological view of Canada. Debrief by asking students how these different images could influence foreign views of this country.

Suggested Assessment Strategies

• When students analyse past and present uses of local natural resources and predict future use, note the extent to which they:
  • accurately describe changes in their community
  • make inferences based on details they observe
  • consider more than one interpretation of the changes they see
  • draw logical conclusions about past resource use
  • make plausible predictions
• After students participate in a simulation in which they create and sell products to other groups, have them write responses to prompts such as:
  • What factors helped your group sell your product?
  • How could you have improved your sales?
  • List three problems that you encountered. How did you deal with them? Were you successful in solving them? If not, what else could you have done?
• Before students begin writing journal entries to describe their trips from British Columbia to Prince Edward Island, work with them to develop criteria such as:
  • describes more than one mode of transportation
  • describes the types of transportation with historical accuracy
  • takes a plausible route
  • offers feelings and thoughts about the methods of transportation
  • includes accurate illustrations
• When students present their findings on how technology has affected various occupations in their community, look for evidence that they include:
  • accurate and complete information about current and past aspects of the job (e.g., techniques and procedures, working conditions, products or services, training and qualifications)
  • personal conclusions, supported by evidence they have presented, about technological change
  • logical predictions about future changes and their effects