Social Studies 7
Applications of Social Studies

Prescribed Learning Outcomes

It is expected that students will:

• identify and clarify a problem, issue, or inquiry
• gather and record a body of information from primary archaeological and historical evidence and secondary print, non-print, and electronic sources
• generate and justify interpretations drawn from primary and secondary sources
• defend a position on a global issue by considering competing reasons from various perspectives
• organize information into a formal presentation using several forms of representation
• design, implement, and assess detailed courses of action to address global problems or issues

To view the prescribed learning outcomes for Applications of Social Studies in other grades click on an icon below.

• Bring to class an artifact and have students in small groups hypothesize about aspects of the culture from which it may be derived. Then give students secondary sources and ask them to adjust their hypotheses accordingly.
• Ask groups of students to each create a series of artifacts that reflect attributes of an imaginary ancient culture. Groups exchange the artifacts and try to interpret one another's cultures.
• Have students select an ancient culture, then form groups to trace the history of an innovation (e.g., inclined plane, wheel, lever) or a concept (e.g., the alphabet, numbers, astronomy, astrology) important to that culture. Ask groups to then analyse the spread of the innovation or concept to other cultures. Students can design and produce a video documentary about the innovation or concept, including charts, graphs, maps, commentary, and critiques.
• Debate the statement: "There was no need for pollution control in ancient cultures." Debaters should consider the impact of the past on the present.
• Invite students to identify an issue common to many countries (e.g., global warming, poverty, child labour). Have students then design and implement courses of action to deal with this issue and present their recommendations to the appropriate branch of the United Nations.

Suggested Assessment Strategies

• After students examine an artifact and adjust their hypotheses by using secondary source information, provide journal prompts to help them summarize and assess what they have learned. For example:
  • I tried to figure out information about the culture by ‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚ .
  • The most useful clues about the culture that created this artifact were ‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚ .
  • Something I should have paid more attention to was ‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚ .
  • I was surprised to learn that ‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚ .
  • If I were giving tips to someone else about examining an artifact, my three suggestions would be‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚ .
• When students trace the history of an innovation or concept developed by an ancient culture, note the extent to which they:
  • use and cite a variety of appropriate sources
  • provide relevant, accurate, and detailed information about the history of the innovation, its impact on the culture, and its impact and development as it spread to other cultures
  • organize their information around a series of key questions or subtopics
  • choose appropriate visual representations to enhance their oral or written reports
  • follow the conventions of the forms they select (e.g., appropriate labelling, captions, format)
  • present information clearly
• As students work on developing and presenting recommendations to the United Nations about a common issue, discuss criteria such as:
  • the issue is clearly described
  • relevant background information is drawn from credible sources
  • the course of action directly addresses the issue and is feasible
  • the predicted outcomes of the proposed action are plausible