GRADE 1 RESOURCES

The Intentional & Direct Teaching of Essential Citizenship Competencies

GRADE 1 CITIZENSHIP STUDIES ENGAGED CITIZENS

Part A: Curricular Connections and Background

BROAD AREA OF CITIZENSHIP

Engaged Citizens question, critically examine, advocate, and defend rights and responsibilities of a democracy on multiple levels. They work to understand the issues, overt and hidden within citizenship challenges and develop appropriate action plans to address those issues.
Rules, regulations, and laws are the primary means by which society organizes and brings structure to itself. Students will consider the relationship between rights and responsibilities that bring order to society. As students examine the effects of rules and begin to appreciate the responsibilities of the governing body that developed those rules/structures, students will be conscious of the responsibility that citizens have to support and contribute to varying levels of governance.
Students will work to understand the varying impacts that rules have on people. As students strive to understand that they will also work to understand the underlying purpose behind the rule.
As engaged citizens strive to understand issues from a variety of viewpoints, they will also begin to explore processes of dispute resolution and examine and practice actions that contribute to peace and order.
Critical thinking exploration in this area of citizenship encourages students to try to understand a point of view that is different from their own.

OVERVIEW AND DESIRED RESULTS OF CITIZENSHIP STUDY

Grade 1 students will examine actions and practices that contribute to peace and order.
Students begin this process by learning about the rules that bring order to society and the governance structures that create those rules. Specifically students will examine societal actions and practices that contribute to peace and order. Rules will be examined to determine their purposes. The decision-making process will be introduced and students will begin to explore issues of responsibility and accountability that must be considered by decision makers. Students will learn how rules are made and the processes for changing rules.
Students examine the various levels of government to understand the responsibilities of different governments and understand the decision making process. They will also examine the processes for raising questions and implementing change with a variety of governmental structures.
Students will continue to learn about respect for themselves, others, and their environment. They will begin to learn to advocate for themselves and others, practice their skills of empathy, and appreciate that people have different points of view on the same topic.
An overarching goal of this year of study is for students to begin to understand the use of terminology to describe positions in space and time and the ways that maps and globes represent a variety of places and features of the earth and governance structures such as continents, countries, and provinces.
Students strive to:

  • understand and value the historical and contemporary diversity in groups;
  • explore the relationships between beliefs, rights, and responsibilities on a school, community, and national level; and,
  • understand the different types of governance and their responsibilities at the local and national levels.

ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS OF CITIZENSHIP STUDY

Grade 1 students are learning about decision-making processes and exploring the rights and responsibilities associated with belonging to society.
Students learn about actions and practices that contribute to peace and order in society and the governance structures that create those rules. Rules will be examined to determine their purposes and the implications of the decision. Students will begin to understand that rule makers need to consider a variety of perspectives when making rules. Students will think about the fairness and reasonableness of rules. As students learn how rules are made, they will also learn the processes for changing rules. Students will appreciate that people can have different points of view on the same topic.
  • Enduring understandings are the big ideas that stimulate thinking, guide the inquiry and are linked to outcomes.
  • Essential questions point to the “big ideas’ in the inquiry and should be considered and reconsidered as the inquiry progresses.
  • Answers to these questions form the evidence of learning at the end of study.
Students will use information to understand that:

  • Actions, behaviours, and relationships are learned and affected by the past.
  • Events and ideas from the past influence the present and can influence and serve as models of how to live as a contributing citizen.
  • People develop rules so that we can live together peacefully.
  • Rules have differing levels of impact so people who make rules need to consider the individual good and common good.
  • Diversity can have a variety of impacts and can impact points of view.
  • Individuals have the power to affect others and make a difference.
  • Canada has a long relationship with First Nations Peoples through treaty relationships.
  • Decisions have far-reaching effects, so it is important to think about the choices we make.
  • Active participation leads to belonging and symbols can support belonging.
  • People are connected to each other and to their environment and have a responsibility to take care of the world.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT

Students will know:

  • How rules are made
  • Why rules are made
  • How and who enforces rules
  • What “common good” means
  • Simple process to solve disputes

Students will develop the ability to:

  • Categorize
  • Make comparisons
  • Identify consequences of rules or lack of rules
  • Look for alternate points of view.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

  • What makes a rule fair?
  • Why are rules different from place to place?
  • How do rules help people live peacefully together?
  • How do rules change?
  • How do I become an engaged citizen?
Essential Questions are open-ended questions that are continually revisited, encompass concepts that students will explore throughout the unit of study, form the evidence of understanding and frame the assessment at the end of the study.

CURRICULUM OUTCOMES AND INDICATORS

Outcomes: (Sask. Curriculum)
PA1.1
Analyze actions and practices in the family, classroom, and on the playground that support peace and harmony, including rules and decision-making processes.
Indicators:

  • Represent situations depicting peace and harmony in students’ daily lives.
  • Describe personal actions in the family and classroom that promote peace and harmony (e.g., sharing, taking turns, using sensitive word choices).
  • Describe ways in which people may influence the students’ lives at home and at school, and ways in which each student may influence the lives of others.
  • Explain purposes of rules in the family and school.
  • Share examples of rules in students’ families and the school.
  • Participate in a variety of ways of making decisions (e.g., majority vote, consensus, individual selection and choice, autocratic).
  • Describe rights and responsibilities in the classroom and playground.
  • Illustrate how individual rights and responsibilities are related to a social environment of peace and harmony.
  • Participate in the creation of rules for classroom tasks or activities.

PA1.2
Analyze the cause of disharmony and ways of returning to harmony.
Indicators:

  • Identify decision-making approaches which may result in positive outcomes and decision-making approaches which may result in less positive results.
  • Illustrate how peace and harmony are exemplified in the classroom, playground, and family.
  • Gather examples of causes of disharmony in the classroom, the playground, and the family.
  • Discuss examples of solutions to disharmony in the family, classroom, and the playground.
  • Describe reasons for recognizing those people and events designed to work for harmony (i.e., veterans and soldiers on Remembrance Day, conflict managers in the community and school).

Overarching Outcomes and Indicators:
DR1.4
Recognize globes and maps as representations of the surface of the Earth, and distinguish land and water masses on globes and maps.
Indicators:

  • Compile a list of various types of models used as representations of real things (e.g., toys, dolls, action figures, figurines, pictures, diagrams, maps).
  • Identify general characteristics of maps and gloves as models of all or parts of the earth, including reasons why certain colours are used to depict particular physical features.
  • Use a globe to identify the location of places of origin for items found in the classroom and school.

DR1.5
Identify and represent the orientation in space (where) and time (when) of significant places and events in the lives of students.
Indicators:

  • Identify Saskatchewan as our province and Canada as our country, and give examples of other provinces and other countries.
  • Locate Canada, and the relative location of Saskatchewan, on a globe.
  • Locate Saskatchewan and the relative location of the community of the school on a map of Canada.
  • State the address or describe the relative location of students’ homes in the community.
  • Use relative terms to describe location (e.g., above, below, near, far, left, right, front, back, in, out).
  • Describe the relative location of places in the classroom and school neighbourhood.
  • Construct and use maps to represent familiar places, such as the location of the student’s desk, part of the classroom or playground, incorporating the cardinal directions (i.e., north, south, east, and west).

Part B: Learning Plan

In this inquiry students will:

  • Understand that rules are established for a purpose.
  • Identify friendship rules.
  • Develop rules for a new situation so that students understand that rule makers need to consider a variety of perspectives in setting rules that are perceived as fair, reasonable, needed and working toward developing understanding of common good.
  • Think about behaviours that are respectful and encourage people working together.
Students will know behaviours and practices that encourage peace and harmony and promote understanding of other people.

CITIZENSHIP INQUIRY

Curricular Outcomes (Student friendly outcomes)
Analyze actions and practices in the family, classroom, and on the playground that support peace and harmony, including rules and decision-making processes. (PA1.1)
Students will think about their behaviours and work towards getting along with others.

QUESTIONS TO GUIDE INQUIRY

Essential Questions – Guiding Questions:

  • What makes a rule fair?
    • Are rules fair for everyone?
  • Why are rules different from place to place?
    • Why might rules change?
  • How do rules help people live peacefully together?
  • How do rules change?
  • How do I become a contributing citizen? How can I make my thoughts heard?
    • What responsibility do citizens have to follow the rules?
Vocabulary
Common Good

  • good for all

Rule

  • principle governing conduct

Rights

  • entitlement or freedom
  • morally appropriate thing

Responsibility

  • answerable to somebody
  • reliability

Engaged Citizen

  • involved, active

Fair

  • reasonable, just, impartial, rational

CONNECT TO TOPIC AND SURFACE STUDENTS’ THINKING ABOUT …

This section introduces the concepts and helps teachers gain an understanding of the current thinking of the class.  Present essential questions and allow students to think about and talk about.  Student answers will give teachers a baseline or beginning understanding of the amount of specific and incidental teaching required to explore these outcomes. Vocabulary is introduced and noted here.  This section frames the “We do” portion of the lesson where teachers guide the initial structure of the inquiry.
Process

  • Pose the essential and guiding questions and allow students to discuss their thoughts on the matter.
  • Determine what the students know, understand, need to be able to do to master/answer the essential questions (connect to content). Additional guiding questions can be added as required. Students are encouraged to add their questions to the others.
  • Create Know, Want to know, Learned Chart – identify vocabulary that requires development.
  • Surface any additional questions students might have as a result of their discussions about the essential questions.
  • Put the responses into a “Before, During, After” chart and post student answers for reflection at end of study to note changes in thinking.
  • What is a rule?
  • Who gets to make up rules?
  • Why do we make up rules?
  • Why do we have to follow rules?
  • Do rules ever change? Why? How?
  • Create Know, Want to Know, Learned chart to track learning throughout citizenship study.
    • What do students know about how rules are made?
      • Who makes rules? Gather ideas and increase scope of influence.
    • What do rule makers consider when making up a rule?
    • Should rules ever change? Why or why not? Give an example.
    • Surface questions that students have.
    • Identify vocabulary understandings that must be developed.
DEVELOPING UNDERSTANDING
This section is the core of the lesson.  It describes the main activity(ies) involved.  In inquiry-based learning, the teacher facilitates the activities that lead to the understandings that student make of the essential questions.  It is critical then, that students be allowed to raise questions and talk about issues that develop as they explore the learning activities. This forms the “We do” “They do” section of the inquiry where students are finding answers to the overarching questions and then searching for themes and patterns as possible explanations.
Students will develop an understanding of how their behaviour can impact their ability to make friends. Throughout this citizenship study, teachers should look for opportunities to model their thinking and have students talk out loud about their thinking. It is important that students become aware of how their preconceptions can impact their behaviour.
Have students:

  • Describe actions or statements that:
    • promote friendship E.g. You’re funny… I like it when you…
    • hinder friendships. E.g. You don’t… You can’t… I don’t like…
      • Look for similarities in statements/actions (common thread) so that students learn about promoting friendships.
      • Describe actions or statements that hinder friendships.
      • Relay how student was feeling at the time.
      • Develop Charts for comparison.
      • Identify what kinds of feelings the behaviours bring about both positive and negative.
      • Identify and chart the behaviours, facial expressions and body postures that students might see in each situation. This will increase student’s empathy skills and provide clues for students that body language and tone of voice are ways in which people communicate.
  • Discuss and chart rules for lunch room; at recess; at a restaurant; in a grocery store; community feasts; drumming; friend’s house.
  • Have students:
    • Develop common thread – golden rule – do unto others.
    • Determine purpose of rules i.e. safety, respect.
    • Interview 3 people within the student’s life to determine rules they must follow.
    • Chart rules and identify who makes the rules that impact people.

APPLY AND EXTEND KNOWLEDGE

This section includes ideas to extend the inquiry or apply concepts explored. This section may also include additional reflective questions to promote student connection to the topic.  This forms the “You do” section of the inquiry – may be “you do it collaboratively” or “you do it alone”.   Invite students to extend their thinking beyond the classroom discussions and inquiry experiences.  Pose additional reflective questions that have been raised to encourage critical and creative thinking.
In pairs have students make up a game with 2 players and a ball. Identify rules that are needed to play this game safely, peacefully, and to have fun.

  • Play the game for a few minutes.
  • Analyze the game based on criteria:
    • Did everyone have fun? How do you know?
    • Why some didn’t have fun? How do you know?
    • What happens when another person is added to the game?
    • Have students discover that point of view, perspective can impact reasons why “rules” are put into place and that sometimes rules need to be changed depending on the situation.

EVIDENCE OF LEARNING

This section suggests ways in which students may demonstrate their understanding.  Ideal demonstrations will be in authentic performance tasks.  Each citizenship study may have its own smaller assessment piece or be compiled to support one larger performance task assessment.  Assessment pieces vary, but should allow students to demonstrate their understanding in a variety of ways.  Demonstrations of understanding may be done collaboratively or independently.
In groups have students share their thinking on the following questions:

  • Should rules ever change? Why or why not? Give an example of a rule that should change and a rule that should stay the same and explain your reasoning.
  • What do rule makers have to consider when making rules? Explain your thinking.
  • Later in groups have students develop summary statements as guidelines to share with the class.

Students will demonstrate through simulations:

  • How they might approach a new person to make them feel comfortable. Explain your thinking and what you are hoping to see in the other person that tells you that the person is comfortable.

Present essential questions to students and note changes in answers or understandings.

  • What makes a rule fair?
  • Why are rules different from place to place?
  • How do rules help people live peacefully together?
  • How do rules change?
  • How do I become an engaged citizen? – What responsibility do engaged citizens have to follow rules?

Informal Indicators of Understanding

  • Revisit K-W-L chart as a whole class to see if questions and ‘want to knows’ were addressed

STUDENT CITIZENSHIP JOURNAL OPPORTUNITIES

Students are keeping a Citizenship Journal to reflect upon their developing views of citizenship.  This section provides prompts for student journals.  Students are invited to choose one that interests them or propose their own. Students can also respond to any of the essential questions.

Students are encouraged to respond using a variety of genres.

  • What responsibility do citizens have to follow rules?
  • Why would people disagree about whether the same rule is fair or unfair?

LEARNING PLAN

In this inquiry students will:

  • Learn to consider another point of view
  • Practice different ways of solving problems

CITIZENSHIP INQUIRY

Curricular Outcomes

  • Analyze the cause of disharmony and ways of returning to harmony. (PA1.2)

QUESTIONS TO GUIDE THE INQUIRY

Essential Questions – Guiding Questions:

  • What makes a rule fair?
    • Why might one person think a rule is fair and another think the same rule is unfair?
    • Do rules have the same impact on every person?
  • Why are rules different from place to place?
    • Why would rules need to change based on their location?
  • How do rules help people live peacefully together?
    • Do rules help or hinder?
  • How do rules change?
    • Why would a rule need to change?
  • How do I become a contributing citizen?
    • What responsibility do citizens have to follow rules?

CONNECT TO TOPIC AND SURFACE STUDENTS’ THINKING ABOUT …

This section introduces the concepts and helps teachers gain an understanding of the current thinking of the class.  Present essential questions and allow students to think about and talk about.  Student answers will give teachers a baseline or beginning understanding of the amount of specific and incidental teaching required to explore these outcomes. Vocabulary is introduced and noted here.  This section frames the “We do” portion of the lesson where teachers guide the initial structure of the inquiry.
PROCESS

  • Pose the essential and guiding questions and allow students to discuss their thoughts on the matter.
  • Determine what the students know, understand, need to be able to do to master/answer the essential questions (connect to content). Additional guiding questions can be added as required. Students are encouraged to add their questions to the others.
  • Create Know, Want to know, Learned Chart – identify vocabulary that requires development.
  • Surface any additional questions students might have as a result of their discussions about the essential questions.
  • Post student answers for reflection at end of study.
Present essential questions to students at the start of the exploration of study. As students make meaning of the outcomes, the answers to these questions will frame their thinking at the end of the unit of study. Determine what the students know, understand, need to be able to do to master/answer the essential questions

  • Create Know, Want to Know, Learned chart to track learning throughout citizenship study.
    • Eyewitnesses at an accident often describe the same situation in very different ways. Why do people see the same event differently?
    • What does point of view and perspective mean to students? Have students give examples.
    • What do students consider when trying to reach an answer to a problem?
    • Present essential questions to students and chart their answers. Note them on the K-W-L chart for follow-up during the lessons.
    • Surface questions that students have about rules.
    • Identify vocabulary understandings that must be developed.
DEVELOPING UNDERSTANDING
This section is the core of the lesson.  It describes the main activity(ies) involved.  In inquiry-based learning, the teacher facilitates the activities that lead to the understandings that student make of the essential questions.  It is critical then, that students be allowed to raise questions and talk about issues that develop as they explore the learning activities. This forms the “We do” “They do” section of the inquiry where students are finding answers to the overarching questions and then searching for themes and patterns as possible explanations.
  • Students will understand that situations can be interpreted differently because of a person’s perspective or point of view.
    Have students identify and/or role play how they demonstrate and model respect for themselves and others in the classroom and school. (e.g., taking turns, using kind words and actions, sharing, listening to others, etc.).

    • Have students identify decision-making approaches which may result in positive outcomes and decision-making approaches which may result in less positive results. Explain their thinking.
    • List examples of how peace and harmony are exemplified in the classroom, playground, and family.
    • Gather examples of causes of disharmony in the classroom, the playground, and the family.
    • Divide student answers and examples into positive and negative results and chart answers.
    • Examine the examples provided and identify how person was feeling. Give evidence relating to body language, tone of voice, etc.
    • Is there another interpretation of the situation?
    • Have students develop a rule or guideline that they might follow in future situations.
    • What questions should students learn to ask about situations?
      • Do I have all the information?
      • Is there another perspective?
      • What are the consequences of my behaviour?

APPLY AND EXTEND KNOWLEDGE

This section includes ideas to extend the inquiry or apply concepts explored. This section may also include additional reflective questions to promote student connection to the topic.  This forms the “You do” section of the inquiry – may be “you do it collaboratively” or “you do it alone”.   Invite students to extend their thinking beyond the classroom discussions and inquiry experiences.  Pose additional reflective questions that have been raised to encourage critical and creative thinking. 
  • Identify examples of situations in the family, classroom, and the playground that were interpreted differently. What were some possible points of view?
  • Identify solutions to situations cited.
  • Describe reasons for recognizing those people and events designed to work for harmony (i.e., veterans and soldiers on Remembrance Day, conflict managers in the community and school.)
  • Have student demonstrate examples of behaviour that shows respect

EVIDENCE OF LEARNING

This section suggests ways in which students may demonstrate their understanding.  Ideal demonstrations will be in authentic performance tasks.  Each citizenship study may have its own smaller assessment piece or be compiled to support one larger performance task assessment.  Assessment pieces vary, but should allow students to demonstrate their understanding in a variety of ways.
Have students reflect on their original answers to the questions.

  • Has their thinking changed? Why?
  • Why is it important to know this information?
  • What will they do with their learning?
  • Present students with situation that requires some resolution.
    • Have students identify possible varying perspectives of people involved and demonstrate alternate solutions.
    • Students should be able to indicate behaviours they might look for that would give them feedback regarding the success of their solution.

INFORMAL INDICATORS OF UNDERSTANDING

  • Revisit K-W-L chart as classroom to see if questions and want to knows were addressed
  • Note when students try to take an alternate point of view in problem-solving either in the classroom or on the playground.

STUDENT CITIZENSHIP JOURNAL OPPORTUNITIES

Students are keeping a Citizenship Journal to reflect upon their developing views of citizenship.  This section provides prompts for student journals.  Students are invited to choose one that interests them or propose their own. Students can also respond to any of the essential questions.

Students are encouraged to respond using a variety of genres.

  • Why might one person think a rule is fair and another think the same rule is unfair?
  • What is one rule that you would like to see changed? Tell why and how you would change it.
  • Describe a time when you saw something very differently from someone else? Why do you think this happened?

Part C: Engaged Citizens Resources

RESOURCES

CROSS CURRICULAR CONNECTIONS

Language Arts

  • CR1.1: Comprehend and respond to a variety of visual, oral, print and multimedia text that address identity (exploring interests, community e.g., belonging), and social responsibility (e.g., contributing).
  • Use illustrations, photographs, video programs, objects, and auditory cues to understand ideas and information.
  • Relate a personal experience as a result of a picture, photograph, or model.
  • Satisfy natural curiosity by engaging in inquiry:
    • wonder about new ideas and observations
    • discuss personal knowledge of a topic
    • ask questions to satisfy personal curiosity and information needs
    • identify self and others as sources of information
    • seek information from others including people at school, at home, and in the community including Elders and Knowledge Keepers
    • compare gathered ideas and information to personal knowledge
    • share learning and information-gathering experiences compose with a scribe
    • indicate whether or not information is useful for answering questions.
  • CC1.1: Compose and create various, visual, multimedia, oral, and written texts that explore and present thoughts, ideas, and experiences.
  • CC1.2: Use and construct symbols, pictures, and dramatizations to communicate feelings and ideas in a variety of ways.

Language Arts connections are primarily developed through student responses to the essential questions as they demonstrate understanding of their citizenship responsibilities.

Science

  • LT1.1: Differentiate between living things according to observable characteristics, including appearance and behaviour.
  • OM1.1: Investigate observable characteristics and uses of natural and constructed objects and materials in their environment.
  • OM1.2 – Examine methods of altering and combining materials to create objects that meet students needs.
  • SE1.2: Explore how humans and animals use their senses to interact with their environment.
  • DS1.1: Compare and represent daily and seasonal changes of natural phenomena through observing, measuring, sequencing, and recording.
  • DS1.2: Inquire into the ways in which plants, animals, and humans adapt to daily and seasonal changes by changing their appearance, behaviour, and/or location.

Mathematics

  • SS1.1: Demonstrate an understanding of measurement as a process of comparing by:
    • identifying attributes that can be compared
    • ordering objects
    • making statements of comparison
    • filing, covering, or matching.
  • SS1.2: Replicate composite 2-D shapes and 3-D objects.
  • SS1.3: Compare 2-D shapes to parts of 3-D objects in the environment.

Health

  • USC 1.5: Explore the association between a health sense of “self” and one’s positive connection with others and the environment.
  • DM 1.1: Examine initial steps for making basic choices regarding healthy behaviours; healthy relationships; and a healthy sense of self.
  • AP 1.1: Apply the steps of Stop, Do, Think, Act to develop a healthy sense of self.

FURTHER INVESTIGATION SUGGESTIONS

  • Have students develop a personal rule book, recess rules or classroom rule posters.
  • Role play using a variety of body language.

GRADE 1 CITIZENSHIP STUDIES LIFELONG LEARNING CITIZENS

Part A: Curricular Connections and Background

BROAD AREA OF CITIZENSHIP

Lifelong Learning Citizens explore the dynamics of change and seek information and skills for action. In this area of citizenship study, students develop skills, attitudes, and knowledge to assist them in understanding change and learn the processes for creating change.
Lifelong learning citizens learn to appreciate the need for on-going learning regardless of one’s age. Students begin to realize that the world is constantly shifting and that everyone must continue to learn to adjust to new situations.

DESIRED RESULTS OF CITIZENSHIP STUDY

Students examine the influence of past events on the present. They learn that promises are commitments to act and that actions now have an impact on the student’s future and the future of the world. Students will begin to understand that actions and behaviours are learned and can be influenced by individual choice. Students will be invited to reflect on their activities and personal choices to determine the effects of their impact in the world. They will also explore the process of change examining why people might be resistant to change and understand that making changes requires work, time, and support.
The concept of Canadian diversity is examined. Students learn that all individuals are unique and begin to understand that people have differing points of view which are shaped by experiences. As students learn about the similarities among cultures they begin to appreciate the opportunities that diversity brings.
An overarching goal of this year of study is for students to begin to understand the use of terminology to describe positions in space and time and the ways that maps and globes represent a variety of places and features of the earth and governance structures such as continents, countries, and provinces.

ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS OF CITIZENSHIP STUDY

Grade 1 students will understand that people have different points of view that cause them to think differently about the same subject. Those points of view are developed by previous experiences and cultural and family traditions and beliefs. They will examine past events and think about how present and future are connected to the past.
They will further examine their present behaviours to see how they may impact the future, thinking about cause and effect. Students begin to understand that their actions affect others and that they have the ability to control their actions to make changes for the future. They will be encouraged to think about their thinking in order to develop an awareness of their thought processes and understand how to initiate personal change.
  • Enduring understandings are the big ideas that stimulate thinking, guide the inquiry and are linked to outcomes.
  • Essential questions point to the “big ideas’ in the inquiry and should be considered and reconsidered as the inquiry progresses.
  • Answers to these questions form the evidence of learning at the end of study.
An overarching goal of this year of study is for students to begin to understand the use of terminology to describe positions in space and time and the ways that maps and globes represent a variety of places and features of the earth and governance structures such as continents, countries, and provinces.
Students will use information to understand that:

  • Actions, behaviours, and relationships are learned and affected by the past.
  • Events and ideas from the past influence the present and can influence and serve as models of how to live as a contributing citizen.
  • People develop rules so that we can live together peacefully.
  • Rules have differing levels of impact so people who make rules need to consider the individual good and common good.
  • Diversity can have a variety of impacts and can impact points of view
  • Individuals have the power to affect others and make a difference.
  • Canada has a long relationship with First Nations Peoples through treaty relationships.
  • Decisions have far-reaching effects, so it is important to think about the choices we make.
  • Active participation leads to belonging and symbols can support belonging;
  • People are connected to each other and to their environment and have a responsibility to take care of the world.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT

Students will:

  • Practice different steps and processes to solve problems
  • Consider how present actions will affect future choices
  • Consider the impact of culture on behaviours and worldview
  • Become aware of their thinking
  • Consider the perspectives of others when trying to understand behaviours.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

  • How are present events related to past events?
  • How does the past influence your present? Your future?
  • What is my behaviour saying about what I think?
  • What story is my behaviour telling?
  • Is my behaviour planned or am I reacting?
Essential Questions are open-ended questions that are continually revisited, encompass concepts that students will explore throughout the unit of study, form the evidence of understanding and frame the assessment at the end of the study.

CURRICULUM OUTCOMES AND INDICATORS

Outcomes: Sask. Curriculum/Student Friendly
DR1.1
Relate family events and stories of the recent or distant past to the student’s place.
Indicators:

  • Provide oral examples of traditions and celebrations that connect people to the past, and consider why these traditions and celebrations are important today.
  • Construct representations of the passage of time, as related to the family (e.g., I was born, my siblings were born, family member moves away from, or into, the family home).
  • Relate events and stories in chronological order, using comparisons (e.g., old and new, younger and older, before and after) relative to student ages.

DR1.2
Describe kinship patterns of the past and present and describe according to traditional teachings (e.g., Medicine Wheel teachings)
Indicators:

  • Retell family stories that identify how family structures have changed over time.
  • Recognize the stages of life, and that some cultures associate the stages with the teachings of the Medicine Wheel (e.g., the four directions of the Medicine Wheel correspond with the stages of life: south – infancy and childhood, west – adolescence, north – adulthood, and east – old age/death).
  • Describe the functions served by various family relationships by comparing family and kinship structures within the classroom (e.g., What makes all families special? What are the benefits of living in a family? What are the roles of family members? What contributions are made by each member of the family?).
  • Identify people who are connected to the basic family group through hereditary or cultural family relationships (e.g., caregivers, grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, other significant adults).

IN1.1
Describe the diversity of traditions, celebrations, or stories of individuals in the classroom and school.
Indicators:

  • Generate questions about family traditions and celebrations (e.g., Are special clothes worn? Is there special food? Are there special dances, songs, music? Are there other special cultural traditions?).
  • Describe behaviours, actions, or activities that are part of students’ family traditions or celebrations.
  • Gather information regarding traditions, celebrations, or stories of others by identifying and accessing various resources (e.g., family members, Elders, teachers, neighbours, library books, video clips).
  • Re-tell stories about traditions and celebrations of members of the classroom (e.g., How do families spend free time? How are weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, or family reunions celebrated?).
  • Compare how families recognize important family events (e.g., What is the same about how a student and a friend/classmate recognize family birthdays, weddings, deaths? What is different?).

IN1.2
Discuss cultural diversity in the family and classroom, including explorations of similarities and differences.
Indicators:

  • Describe positive attributes of the individual students’ families.
  • Recognize that families are varied and diverse.
  • Explore the diversity of ways of life for families (e.g., language, clothing, food, ar, celebrations).
  • Identify ways in which families are similar and ways in which families are different.
  • Explore attributes common to cultural groups represented within the classroom and school (e.g., foods, arts, festivals, Treaties, leisure time activities, community celebrations).

Overarching Outcomes and Indicators:
DR1.4
Recognize globes and maps as representations of the surface of the Earth, and distinguish land and water masses on globes and maps.
Indicators:

  • Compile a list of various types of models used as representations of real things (e.g., toys, dolls, action figures, figurines, pictures, diagrams, maps).
  • Identify general characteristics of maps and gloves as models of all or parts of the earth, including reasons why certain colours are used to depict particular physical features.
  • Use a globe to identify the location of places of origin for items found in the classroom and school.

DR1.5
Identify and represent the orientation in space (where) and time (when) of significant places and events in the lives of students.
Indicators:

  • Identify Saskatchewan as our province and Canada as our country, and give examples of other provinces and other countries.
  • Locate Canada, and the relative location of Saskatchewan, on a globe.
  • Locate Saskatchewan and the relative location of the community of the school on a map of Canada.
  • State the address or describe the relative location of students’ homes in the community.
  • Use relative terms to describe location (e.g., above, below, near, far, left, right, front, back, in, out).
  • Describe the relative location of places in the classroom and school neighbourhood.
  • Construct and use maps to represent familiar places, such as the location of the student’s desk, part of the classroom or playground, incorporating the cardinal directions (i.e., north, south, east, and west).

Part B: Learning Plan

In this inquiry students will:

  • Honour the differences of stories, traditions, and celebrations among individuals in their classroom and school.
  • Understand how past family experiences and stories connect them to their place and community.
  • Explore kinship/family relationships according to traditional teachings.

CITIZENSHIP INQUIRY

Curricular Outcomes

  • Relate family events and stories of the recent or distant past to the students’ place. (DR1.1)

Students will understand how past family experiences and stories connect them to their place.

  • Describe kinship patterns of the past and present and describe according to traditional teachings (e.g., Medicine Wheel teachings). (DR1.2)

Students will explore kinship/family relationships according to traditional teachings.

  • Describe the diversity of traditions, celebrations, or stories of individuals in the classroom and school. (IN1.1)

Students will honour the stories, traditions, and celebrations of individuals in their classroom and school.

QUESTIONS TO GUIDE INQUIRY

Essential questions are posted and discussed with students at the start of the exploration of study. These open-ended questions are continually revisited; encompass concepts that students will explore throughout the unit of study; form the evidence of understanding; and, frame the assessment at the end of the unit of study. Guiding questions are posed to support student thinking as they explore the answers to the larger overarching questions.
Teachers may want to consider putting the questions into a “Before, During, After” chart to note the changes in students’ thinking as a result of the inquiries.

Essential Questions – Guiding Questions:

  • How are present events related to past events?
  • How does the past influence:
    • Your present behaviour, ideas?
    • Your future behaviour, ideas?
  • How does my background/point of view influence my behaviour?
    • What do I think about the past?
  • What story is my behaviour telling?
    • Is my behaviour thought about and planned or am I reacting?
    • How do I change my behaviour? Change my story?

Vocabulary
Culture

  • knowledge
  • shared beliefs and values of group
  • people with shared beliefs and practices
  • shared attitudes

Point of View

  • opinion
  • viewpoint
  • position

Tradition

  • custom or belief
  • handing down of customs
  • accepted unwritten guidelines/ideas

Diversity

  • social inclusiveness
  • variety
  • consisting of different things
  • differing from one another

History

  • family history, background

CONNECT TO TOPIC AND SURFACE STUDENTS’ THINKING ABOUT …

This section introduces the concepts and helps teachers gain an understanding of the current thinking of the class.  Present essential questions and allow students to think about and talk about.  Student answers will give teachers a baseline or beginning understanding of the amount of specific and incidental teaching required to explore these outcomes. Vocabulary is introduced and noted here.  This section frames the “We do” portion of the lesson where teachers guide the initial structure of the inquiry.
As teachers work with students to develop meaning it is important to reinforce the following connections to long term independent accomplishments:

  • Steps/processes required to learn a task/behaviour/solve a problem
  • Actions today will affect how students choose/are able to do things in the future
  • Consider the impact of culture on behaviours and worldview
  • Think about their thinking – (Develop awareness of their thinking)
Inquiry Question:
Are cultures more alike or different?

Surface what students know about their family history and cultural traditions.

  • What do their names mean? First name, Last name.
  • Why were they given their name?
  • If community buildings or streets have names of people important to the community ask students if they know, and find out the origin of the name of the building or street.
  • How is their community impacted by different cultures?
  • Look for similarities and themes in naming practices of people, buildings.

Students are learning that differences among people or diversity creates a rich culture that is valued and respected by citizens and Canada. Students will explore the similarities and differences that exist among different cultures, beginning with similarities.

  • Everybody Bakes Bread – Norah Dooley. This book talks about the many different kinds of bread there are in a child’s community, including chapatis, challah, and papusaa. This book gets students thinking about the similarities between cultures regarding food.
    • Create lists for many different kinds of breads
    • Create lists for many different kinds of similar foods
  • Every culture has a way of saying hello. Brainstorm and have students research the many different ways of saying hello. Hello, Tansi, Bonjour, Hola, Aloha, etc.

Teachers should continue to connect learning outcomes to previous learning/ future learning.

Process

  • Pose the essential and guiding questions and allow students to discuss their thoughts on the matter.
  • Determine what the students know, understand, need to be able to do to master/answer the essential questions (connect to content). Additional guiding questions can be added as required.  Students are encouraged to add their questions to the others.
  • Create Know, Want to know, Learned Chart – identify vocabulary that requires development
  • Surface any additional questions students might have as a result of their discussions about the essential questions.
  • Post student answers for reflection at end of study.
Students will use information to understand that:

  • Events and ideas from the past influence the present.
  • Lives of people in the past can serve as models of how to live as a contributing citizen.
  • Actions and behaviours are learned.
  • Past actions affect people and relationships in different ways.
  • Diversity can have a variety of impacts.
  • Background can impact points of view.
  • Cultural practices that have their roots in history or another country are constantly changing and often have many similarities.
DEVELOPING UNDERSTANDING
This section is the core of the lesson.  It describes the main activity(ies) involved.  In inquiry-based learning, the teacher facilitates the activities that lead to the understandings that student make of the essential questions.  It is critical then, that students be allowed to raise questions and talk about issues that develop as they explore the learning activities.
Resident Experts
Identify local people whom students might want to interview to support their research.

  • Elders
  • Knowledge Keepers
  • Family members
  • New Immigrants – Youth and Adults
  • Community support members
  • Consider technology links with youth in provincial, national, and global communities
Students will:

  • Explore the similarities and differences that exist among different cultures; and,
  • Look for connections between current practices and celebrations and past cultures and traditions.

Every culture has similar customs or celebrations. Brainstorm family traditions or special events like marriages, births, birthdays, graduation, anniversaries, deaths, family reunions

  • Generate wide variety of cultures for students to research or survey classroom for the variety of cultures represented there.
  • Research and present information in pairs or groups of three.

Presentations should include information on:

  • Special Events
    • What are they?
      • Names, times
    • How do they celebrate?
      • Ceremonies?
      • Foods?
      • Music?
    • How are families involved?
    • What is the history of celebrations – link to place/country of origin
    • Why is the celebration important? What do families or celebrants believe about the celebration?
  • Highlight differences, similarities
    • foods eaten,
    • songs sung,
    • prayers, verses,
    • leaders at celebrations,
    • special clothes worn
  • Has celebration or recognition of event changed over time? How?
  • The manner in which similar holidays are celebrated or recognized indicate different points of view and beliefs about traditions. Cultural practices that have their roots in history or another country are constantly changing and often have many similarities. In a variety of ways, provide examples of traditions and celebrations that connect people to the past, and consider why these traditions and celebrations are important today. Chart similarities and differences.
    • Students will understand how past is connected to the present
      • Students have been talking about how they celebrate traditions and family events. Have student create a personal family timeline documenting significant episodes in student and/or family life.
        • Family connections to community before student birth (before)
        • Birth of student, birth of siblings, extended family members (after)
        • Significant events linking family/student to community
        • Consider linking to Medicine wheel teachings where direction indicates times of life.
    • Students will explore the kinship/family relationships according to traditional teachings. (Check treaty education resources for info on traditional teachings)
  • What are the benefits of living as a family?
  • What are the different roles in a family and what are the responsibilities of those roles?
  • What makes families special?
  • What would our community be like without families?
  • Discuss why learning about the past is important to be a good citizen, and how it affects the future.
  • Give examples of decision making in their families and community.
  • Give examples of community/ family/ cultural heroes.

APPLY AND EXTEND KNOWLEDGE

This section includes ideas to extend the inquiry or apply concepts explored. This section may also include additional reflective questions to promote student connection to the topic.  This forms the “You do” section of the inquiry – may be “you do it collaboratively” or “you do it alone”.   Invite students to extend their thinking beyond the classroom discussions and inquiry experiences.  Pose additional reflective questions that have been raised to encourage critical and creative thinking. 
  • Consider how lives of people in the past can serve as models of how to live as contributing citizens and how people in the past are connected to place today.
    • Research community names, building names, street names to find out history of name and why it is important to the community
    • Connect info to study about responsibility toward community stewardship
      • What story was the individual’s behaviour telling?
      • Have student indicate how individual demonstrated community stewardship
  • Invite an Elder or Knowledge Keeper to explain the teachings of the Medicine Wheel: 4 directions – South – infant/childhood, West – adolescence, North – adulthood, East – old age, death.

EVIDENCE OF LEARNING

This section suggests ways in which students may demonstrate their understanding.  Ideal demonstrations will be in authentic performance tasks.  Each citizenship study may have its own smaller assessment piece or be compiled to support one larger performance task assessment.  Assessment pieces vary, but should allow students to demonstrate their understanding in a variety of ways.  Demonstrations of understanding may be done collaboratively or independently.
  • Review students’ original thinking on the essential questions. Has their thinking changed?
  • What new learning supports their change?

Inquiry Question:
Are cultures more similar or different?
What are some of the big ideas that students are seeing?
Why is this important to know?
Students will demonstrate their understanding that we act based on our worldviews, our cultural experiences and therefore may have different points of view.
What is my story?

  • Have student choose one custom, tradition, celebration practiced in their life.
  • Have students describe the event and tell:
    • how the event is rooted in the past;
    • how the event is important to the student (influences present behaviour); and,
    • what the event says about what the student values.

Informal Indicators of Understanding
What story is my behaviour telling?

  • Give examples of situations and ask students to predict what might happen next.
  • Identify thinking or reasons for predictions i.e. similar past experiences, read about similar situation in stories
  • Recognize behaviours and attributes of appropriate role models (i.e. Identify and/or model behaviours of a supportive reading buddy.
  • Revisit K-W-L chart as a whole class to see if questions and ‘want to knows’ were addressed

STUDENT CITIZENSHIP JOURNAL OPPORTUNITIES

Students are keeping a Citizenship Journal to reflect upon their developing views of citizenship.  This section provides prompts for student journals.  Students are invited to choose one that interests them or propose their own. Students can also respond to any of the essential questions.

Students are encouraged to respond using a variety of genres.

  • An interesting cultural practice or tradition that I learned about is…
  • A cultural practice that has its roots in history and/or another country but has changed over time is …
  • A cultural tradition that is celebrated in similar ways across cultures is… The reason I think this is so is because…

Part C: Lifelong Learning Resources

RESOURCES

CROSS CURRICULAR CONNECTIONS

Language Arts

  • CR1.1: Comprehend and respond to a variety of visual, oral, print and multimedia text that address identity (exploring interests, community e.g., belonging), and social responsibility (e.g., contributing).
  • Use illustrations, photographs, video programs, objects, and auditory cues to understand ideas and information.
  • Relate a personal experience as a result of a picture, photograph, or model.
  • Satisfy natural curiosity by engaging in inquiry:
    • wonder about new ideas and observations
    • discuss personal knowledge of a topic
    • ask questions to satisfy personal curiosity and information needs
    • identify self and others as sources of information
    • seek information from others including people at school, at home, and in the community including Elders and Knowledge Keepers
    • compare gathered ideas and information to personal knowledge
    • share learning and information-gathering experiences compose with a scribe
    • indicate whether or not information is useful for answering questions.
  • CC1.1: Compose and create various, visual, multimedia, oral, and written texts that explore and present thoughts, ideas, and experiences.
  • CC1.2: Use and construct symbols, pictures, and dramatizations to communicate feelings and ideas in a variety of ways.

Language Arts connections are primarily developed through student responses to the essential questions as they demonstrate understanding of their citizenship responsibilities.

Science

  • LT1.1: Differentiate between living things according to observable characteristics, including appearance and behaviour.
  • OM1.1: Investigate observable characteristics and uses of natural and constructed objects and materials in their environment.
  • OM1.2 – Examine methods of altering and combining materials to create objects that meet students needs.
  • SE1.2: Explore how humans and animals use their senses to interact with their environment.
  • DS1.1: Compare and represent daily and seasonal changes of natural phenomena through observing, measuring, sequencing, and recording.
  • DS1.2: Inquire into the ways in which plants, animals, and humans adapt to daily and seasonal changes by changing their appearance, behaviour, and/or location.

Mathematics

  • SS1.1: Demonstrate an understanding of measurement as a process of comparing by:
    • identifying attributes that can be compared
    • ordering objects
    • making statements of comparison
    • filing, covering, or matching.
  • SS1.2: Replicate composite 2-D shapes and 3-D objects.
  • SS1.3: Compare 2-D shapes to parts of 3-D objects in the environment.

Health

  • USC 1.5: Explore the association between a health sense of “self” and one’s positive connection with others and the environment.
  • DM 1.1: Examine initial steps for making basic choices regarding healthy behaviours; healthy relationships; and a healthy sense of self.
  • AP 1.1: Apply the steps of Stop, Do, Think, Act to develop a healthy sense of self.

FURTHER INVESTIGATION SUGGESTIONS

  • “Circle Book” – Treaty Education Kit
  • Create a symbols collage
  • Have students assist with any school programs for recycling.

GRADE 1 CITIZENSHIP STUDIES SELF, COMMUNITY, AND PLACE

Part A: Curricular Connections and Background

BROAD AREA OF CITIZENSHIP

Citizens with a Strong Sense of Self, Community, and Place explore the relationship that citizens have with themselves and others, their communities – local, regional, provincial, national, and global, and their developed sense of place. Being a member of any community brings with it certain rights; however, it also brings with it certain responsibilities to protect those rights and privileges. A person’s “sense of place” develops through experience and knowledge of the history, geography and geology of an area, the legends of a place, and a sense of the land and its history after living there for a time. Developing a sense of place helps students identify with their region and with each other. A strong sense of place can lead to more sensitive stewardship of our cultural history and natural environment.
In this area of study, students will examine the responsibilities that are inherent in all of these relationships. This area of citizenship invites students to act on issues that are explored so that they can move toward becoming justice-oriented citizens. Because this area of citizenship begins with self and exploring issues of citizenship it is the primary area of focus for primary and elementary students.

OVERVIEW AND DESIRED RESULTS OF CITIZENSHIP STUDY

Grade 1 students will explore how needs differ from wants and continue to examine the concept of community stewardship. They will realize the reliance of humans on the community and the environment and the responsibility to care for their surroundings and society. Ongoing examination of their relationships with their communities will lead to further exploration of ways in which they can care for their environment.
Students will continue to learn about respect for themselves, others, and their environment. Students will learn to advocate for themselves and others, practice their skills of empathy, and appreciate that people have different points of view on the same topic. They will understand that opinions are developed through personal experiences and continue to practice skills of respect and find ways of dealing with differences of opinion.
Appreciation for national symbols of citizenship will be expanded.
An overarching goal of this year of study is for students to begin to understand the use of terminology to describe positions in space and time and the ways that maps and globes represent a variety of places and features of the earth and governance structures such as continents, countries, and provinces.

ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS OF CITIZENSHIP STUDY

Citizens with a strong sense of Self, Community, and Placetreat self and others with respect, have a sense of belonging to their home, family, and school community, and interact with, learn from, and care for the local environment.
  • Enduring understandings are the big ideas that stimulate thinking, guide the inquiry and are linked to outcomes.
  • Essential questions point to the “big ideas’ in the inquiry and should be considered and reconsidered as the inquiry progresses.
  • Answers to these questions form the evidence of learning at the end of study.
  • Actions, behaviours, and relationships are learned and affected by the past.
  • Events and ideas from the past influence the present and can influence and serve as models of how to live as a contributing citizen.
  • People develop rules so that we can live together peacefully.
  • Rules have differing levels of impact so people who make rules need to consider the individual good and common good.
  • Diversity can have a variety of impacts and can impact points of view.
  • Individuals have the power to affect others and make a difference.
  • Canada has a long relationship with First Nations Peoples through treaty relationships.
  • Decisions have far-reaching effects, so it is important to think about the choices we make.
  • Active participation leads to belonging and symbols can support belonging;
  • People are connected to each other and to their environment and have a responsibility to take care of the world.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT

Students will:

  • Discriminate between needs and wants
  • Recognize Canadian symbols – provincial and national
  • Become aware of their thinking and develop and practice skills of empathy, advocacy
  • Develop and practice skills of treating self and others with respect
  • Develop conflict resolution skills
  • Begin to develop positive environmental habits.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

  • How do needs differ from wants?
  • How can symbols provide a sense of belonging and unity?
  • What responsibilities do I have to my community?
  • What responsibilities do I have to my environment?
Essential Questions are open-ended questions that are continually revisited, encompass concepts that students will explore throughout the unit of study, form the evidence of understanding and frame the assessment at the end of the study.

CURRICULUM OUTCOMES AND INDICATORS

Outcomes: (Sask. Curriculum/Student Friendly)
RW1.1
Describe the influence of physical, spiritual, emotional, and intellectual needs and wants on personal well-being.
Indicators:

  • Review the difference between needs and wants.
  • Illustrate ways in which other people’s needs may be different from one’s own.
  • Share oral stories or traditional narratives on the theme of meeting various types of needs and wants (i.e., physical, spiritual, social/emotional, intellectual).
  • Represent various ways in which families meet their physical, spiritual, emotional, and intellectual needs and wants.
  • Explain how First Nations people engage traditional teachings in meeting needs and wants (e.g., Medicine Wheel representation for the domains of spiritual, emotional, physical, and intellectual being).
  • Identify ways in which respecting others’ needs and wants helps classrooms and homes function effectively.

RW1.2
Discuss ways in which work may be managed and distributed in families, schools, and groups.
Indicators:

  • List a variety of types of paid and unpaid work, and identify those people who undertake this work (e.g., caregiver/parent gets paid to work outside the home but not for coaching the soccer team; caregiver who volunteers to make hotdogs for the hotdog sale is not paid, person who runs the hotdog stand at the park is paid).
  • Identify various domestic tasks that might contribute to operating and maintaining a home, and identify individuals who take primary responsibility for those tasks in students’ families.
  • Suggest ways in which tasks may be shared in families.
  • Identify those tasks necessary for the operation and maintenance of the classroom and school, and identify the individuals who take primary responsibility for those tasks in the school.
  • Describe ways in which students can contribute to the operation of the home and classroom.

IN1.3
Assess ways in which relationships help to meet human needs.
Indicators:

  • Identify human needs.
  • Identify the groups to which individuals belong, and the needs met by membership within a group (e.g., family, class, team, activity, or faith group).
  • Compare how various groups, including family, classmates, friends, and significant adults within students’ lives, contribute to meeting needs.
  • Illustrate relationships that could meet needs in a fashion similar to a family relationship (e.g., Treaty, business partnership, team membership).

DR1.3
Demonstrate awareness of human’s reliance on the natural environment to meet needs, and how location affects families in meeting needs and wants.
Indicators:

  • Identify sources of food common in students’ meals (e.g., plants, mammals, fish, birds, animal products like milk, cheese, and eggs).
  • Investigate the process of getting food from source to students’ tables.
  • Trace the geographic origins of food products consumed by students.
  • Explain the contribution of the natural environment to the satisfaction of basic human needs.
  • Retell stories that explore the relationship between humans and nature.
  • Identify ways in which use of resources to meet needs and wants of individuals affects the natural environment, and recognize individual and group responsibility towards responsible stewardship of the natural environment.

Overarching Outcomes and Indicators
DR1.4
Recognize globes and maps as representations of the surface of the Earth, and distinguish land and water masses on globes and maps.
Indicators:

  • Compile a list of various types of models used as representations of real things (e.g., toys, dolls, action figures, figurines, pictures, diagrams, maps).
  • Identify general characteristics of maps and globes as models of all or parts of the earth, including reasons why certain colours are used to depict particular physical features.
  • Use a globe to identify the location of places of origin for items found in the classroom and school.

DR1.5
Identify and represent the orientation in space (where) and time (when) of significant places and events in the lives of students.
Indicators:

  • Identify Saskatchewan as our province and Canada as our country, and give examples of other provinces and other countries.
  • Locate Canada, and the relative location of Saskatchewan, on a globe.
  • Locate Saskatchewan and the relative location of the community of the school on a map of Canada.
  • State the address or describe the relative location of students’ homes in the community.
  • Use relative terms to describe location (e.g., above, below, near, far, left, right, front, back, in, out).
  • Describe the relative location of places in the classroom and school neighbourhood.
  • Construct and use maps to represent familiar places, such as the location of the student’s desk, part of the classroom or playground, incorporating the cardinal directions (i.e., north, south, east, and west).

Part B: Learning Plan

In this inquiry students will:

  • Symbols convey information
  • Some symbols require action
  • Symbols create a sense of belonging

CITIZENSHIP INQUIRY

Students will use information to:

  • Respond appropriately to symbols of nationalism
  • Develop awareness of their thinking
  • Advocate for oneself

QUESTIONS TO GUIDE INQUIRY

Essential questions are posted and discussed with students at the start of the exploration of study. These open-ended questions are continually revisited; encompass concepts that students will explore throughout the unit of study; form the evidence of understanding; and, frame the assessment at the end of the unit of study. Guiding questions are posed to support student thinking as they explore the answers to the larger overarching questions.
Teachers may want to consider putting the questions into a “Before, During, After” chart to note the changes in students’ thinking as a result of the inquiries.

Essential Questions – Guiding Questions:

  • How can symbols provide a sense of belonging and unity?
    • Why are symbols so important to people? Causes? Groups? Countries?
    • What are the community symbols that are important to me and why?
  • What makes a symbol a symbol?

Chart student answers for reflection at the end of the inquiry.

Vocabulary

Symbol

  • something that represents something else, something that stands for or represents something else, especially an object representing an abstraction
  • Sign with specific meaning – a written or printed sign or character that represents something in a specific context, e.g. an operation or quantity in mathematics or music.
  • Object representing something repressed in unconscious

Nation

  • People in land under a single government
  • People of same ethnicity
  • First Nations people

Nationality

  • citizenship of particular nation
  • people forming nation-state
  • ethnic group within larger entity
  • nationhood

CONNECT TO TOPIC AND SURFACE STUDENTS’ THINKING ABOUT …

This section introduces the concepts and helps teachers gain an understanding of the current thinking of the class.  Present essential questions and allow students to think about and talk about.  Student answers will give teachers a baseline or beginning understanding of the amount of specific and incidental teaching required to explore these outcomes. Vocabulary is introduced and noted here.  This section frames the “We do” portion of the lesson where teachers guide the initial structure of the inquiry.
Process

  • Pose the essential and guiding questions and allow students to discuss their thoughts on the matter.
  • Determine what the students know, understand, need to be able to do to master/answer the essential questions (connect to content). Additional guiding questions can be added as required.  Students are encouraged to add their questions to the others.
  • Create Know, Want to know, Learned Chart – identify vocabulary that requires development
  • Surface any additional questions students might have as a result of their discussions about the essential questions.
  • Post student answers for reflection at end of study.
  • Introduce a number of symbols to students and see if they know the word “symbol” or can identify it as a category to which all of these things belong.
    • Canada flag, Medicine Wheel, Provincial flag
    • Marketing Symbols – Fast food chains, Rider flag, (Sparks, Beavers).
    • Safety and/or Informational signs – Stop sign, traffic lights, (Red, yellow, green), H for hospital
    • Animal tracks, changing colours of leaves, animal coats.
  • Alternately present the word symbol and discuss its meaning with students and then have them generate a number of things they consider symbols.
    • Using the students’ examples of symbols begin to develop categories and group symbols.
    • Possible categories:
      • natural symbols – rabbits changing colour, geese migrating.
      • man-made symbols – safety, information, nationalism/citizenship
DEVELOPING UNDERSTANDING
This section is the core of the lesson.  It describes the main activity(ies) involved.  In inquiry-based learning, the teacher facilitates the activities that lead to the understandings that student make of the essential questions.  It is critical then, that students be allowed to raise questions and talk about issues that develop as they explore the learning activities. This forms the “We do” “They do” section of the inquiry where students are finding answers to the overarching questions and then searching for themes and patterns as possible explanations.
  • Present a variety of visual symbols and have students group symbols into categories.
  • Categorize:
    • Where symbols fall within the circle and outside the circle.
    • Determine similarities between symbols, differences between symbols.
    • Possible categories:
      • Natural symbols – rabbits changing colour, geese migrating.
      • Man-made symbols – safety, information, nationalism/citizenship.
    • Surface reasoning as to why symbols were put into specific circle – connection to metacognitive awareness.
    • Develop language around thinking i.e. “I put this inside the circle because…”
  • Work with students to identify the category to which the symbols belong.
    • symbols of nature, man-made symbols.
  • Surface feelings, thoughts, actions that symbols create in students.
    • Coordinate with senses – feel like, sound like, look like.
    • Develop understanding that some symbols engender certain levels of respect that leads to behaving differently around those symbols.
    • i.e. – Standing at attention when singing national anthem
    • Taking metal and glasses off when an elder prays

APPLY AND EXTEND KNOWLEDGE

This section includes ideas to extend the inquiry or apply concepts explored. This section may also include additional reflective questions to promote student connection to the topic.  This forms the “You do” section of the inquiry – may be “you do it collaboratively” or “you do it alone”.   Invite students to extend their thinking beyond the classroom discussions and inquiry experiences.  Pose additional reflective questions that have been raised to encourage critical and creative thinking. 
  • Begin with visual symbols and then move to auditory symbols such as jingles, songs, anthems.
  • Do a walk around the school, community buildings, etc. and collect examples of symbols to add to students examples.
  • Interview people in family to find out what symbols are important to them and why.

EVIDENCE OF LEARNING

This section suggests ways in which students may demonstrate their understanding.  Ideal demonstrations will be in authentic performance tasks.  Each citizenship study may have its own smaller assessment piece or be compiled to support one larger performance task assessment.  Assessment pieces vary, but should allow students to demonstrate their understanding in a variety of ways.  Demonstrations of understanding may be done collaboratively or independently.
  • Begin to recognize and respond appropriately to national citizenship symbols/symbols of nationalism such as flags, Canadian, provincial flag, Métis flag, Treaty flag, FSIN flag, Medicine Wheel.
 

  • Refer to chart of thinking at the beginning of the inquiry – Why are symbols important: to people, to groups?
    • Has thinking changed? Why?
    • Why is it important to know this information?
    • What will they do with this new learning?
  • Why are symbols important to you? Demonstrate the role symbols play in your life.

Learning Plan

In this inquiry students will:

  • Understand that they can take care of the world by taking care of their belongings/
  • surroundings.
  • Know why it is important to care for the environment and show what they can do to take care of the environment. (Develop and demonstrate stewardship of the environment in daily actions, in an effort to promote balance and harmony. – RWK.2)

CITIZENSHIP INQUIRY

QUESTIONS TO GUIDE THE INQUIRY

Essential Questions – Guiding Questions

  • How do needs differ from wants?
    • Do we need everything we want?
    • Are there some things that I could do without?
  • How can my community reduce waste?
    • How much waste do I create?
    • How can I reduce waste?
  • How can I care for my belongings/surroundings?
    • How can I help others to care for the environment?
  • What questions do students have about needs and wants?
    • Post those questions.

Vocabulary

  • environment
  • recycle
  • reduce
  • reuse
  • community stewardship

CONNECT TO TOPIC AND SURFACE STUDENTS’ THINKING ABOUT …

This section introduces the concepts and helps teachers gain an understanding of the current thinking of the class.  Present essential questions and allow students to think about and talk about.  Student answers will give teachers a baseline or beginning understanding of the amount of specific and incidental teaching required to explore these outcomes. Vocabulary is introduced and noted here.  This section frames the “We do” portion of the lesson where teachers guide the initial structure of the inquiry.
Brainstorm with students place to look for information about recycling or composting. i.e. scientists, elders, local community brochures, picture books, community/city records. These resources become the resident experts and will be resources for student exploration/ research.
  • Present essential questions to students at the start of the exploration of study. This is what students will explore throughout the unit of study and it will also be the questions students will be required to answer in some fashion at the end of the unit of study.
    • Do we need everything we have? Do we need everything we want?
    • How can I reduce waste? (connect to student first, move to home, then community)
  • Check – Know – What garbage and waste is? Recycle, Reduce, Reuse mean?
  • Ask students to guess – how much garbage or waste they produce in a day? A week?
    • Surface students’ thinking or reasons as to why they made their guess.
    • Come back to reasoning later to talk about the accuracy of their guesses and unpack their reasoning.
  • If school currently has recycling and/or composting program, discuss with students what their understanding is of how the program works.
  • Introduce concept of environmental stewardship – looking after the environment and the responsibility students have to try to protect and preserve the environment.
  • Determine what the students know, understand, need to be able to do to master/answer the essential questions.
    • Create K-W-L chart for classroom.
DEVELOPING UNDERSTANDING
This section is the core of the lesson.  It describes the main activity(ies) involved.  In inquiry-based learning, the teacher facilitates the activities that lead to the understandings that student make of the essential questions.  It is critical then, that students be allowed to raise questions and talk about issues that develop as they explore the learning activities. This forms the “We do” “They do” section of the inquiry where students are finding answers to the overarching questions and then searching for themes and patterns as possible explanations.
  • Exploring idea of Needs and Wants.
    • Look around the classroom, in desk, on shelves, anywhere there is a collection of items .
    • What do we use in this room to… learn with? keep warm with? etc.
    • What is critical to: keeping us warm? learning? (begin to discriminate needs vs. wants).
    • How many of these things do we really need? How many could we do without? Could we use something else instead?
    • Begin to classify items needed as to those that are new, reused, recycled.
    • Chart/graph numbers of items in each category – Math connection counting – What do we use the most of? Do we recycle or throw out more things?
  • Exploring understanding of reducing waste.
    • Check waste/garbage can – Have students look at the waste/garbage in the can at the end of the day. How many of these things are used only once? Could we use something else instead? Could we use parts of this waste garbage more than once?
    • Begin to classify items as to those that are new, reused, recycled.
    • How many of those waste items are necessary – needs? How many are not necessary – wants or could we do without?
  • Examining the things that are used in a day – needs.
    • School needs – paper, electricity.
    • Personal needs – water, electricity.
  • Exploring understanding of existing recycling program
    • Discuss with students as to why they think the program is in place.
    • How does the program help the school? What would happen if the school didn’t have a recycling program?

APPLY AND EXTEND KNOWLEDGE

This section includes ideas to extend the inquiry or apply concepts explored. This section may also include additional reflective questions to promote student connection to the topic.  This forms the “You do” section of the inquiry – may be “you do it collaboratively” or “you do it alone”.   Invite students to extend their thinking beyond the classroom discussions and inquiry experiences.  Pose additional reflective questions that have been raised to encourage critical and creative thinking. 
  • Needs vs. Wants.
    • Have students examine the things they use in a day only once and think of something else they could use instead that would be reused.
  • Reducing the amount of waste.
    • Can the students reduce the amount of waste that they use in the classroom? Generate ideas for various items i.e., paper, waste from lunches, water, electricity.
    • Set goals to reduce the amount of waste created by the classroom in a day – track progress.
  • School Recycling Program.
    • Have students find out how many classrooms take part in the school recycling program.
    • How many homes recycle? Why do they choose to recycle?

Have students present their findings.

  • What are some of the big ideas that students are noticing?
  • What are students learning that they think is important to remember?
  • What do they want to do about this?

EVIDENCE OF LEARNING

This section suggests ways in which students may demonstrate their understanding.  Ideal demonstrations will be in authentic performance tasks.  Each citizenship study may have its own smaller assessment piece or be compiled to support one larger performance task assessment.  Assessment pieces vary, but should allow students to demonstrate their understanding in a variety of ways.  Demonstrations of understanding may be done collaboratively or independently.
Teachers can choose one question for the entire class to explore or can talk with students to have them choose the question for which they would like to provide an answer.

  • How do needs differ from wants? / Do we need everything we want?
  • How can my community reduce waste?
  • How can I care for my belongings/surroundings?
  • Throughout these lessons, students have been exploring these questions. In groups or individually have them answer one of the questions above using the following methods:
    • role play
    • make posters
    • write a story/jingles/songs/poems

Ongoing Indicators of Learning

  • Watch students and notice if they demonstrate environmentally responsible behaviours in the classroom and school (e.g., take only what is needed in order to provide for future needs, reduce consumption, practice water conservation, turn off lights when leaving a room, recycle, compost).
  • Revisit K-W-L chart as a whole class to see if questions and ‘want to knows’ were addressed.

STUDENT CITIZENSHIP JOURNAL OPPORTUNITIES

Students are keeping a Citizenship Journal to reflect upon their developing views of citizenship.  This section provides prompts for student journals.  Students are invited to choose one that interests them or propose their own. Students can also respond to any of the essential questions.

Students are encouraged to respond using a variety of genres.

  • What do you do to take care of the environment?
  • How do you know it is working?

Part C: Self, Community, and Place Resources

RESOURCES

CURRICULUM OUTCOMES AND INDICATORS

Language Arts

  • CR1.1: Comprehend and respond to a variety of visual, oral, print and multimedia text that address identity (exploring interests, community e.g., belonging), and social responsibility (e.g., contributing).
  • Use illustrations, photographs, video programs, objects, and auditory cues to understand ideas and information.
  • Relate a personal experience as a result of a picture, photograph, or model.
  • Satisfy natural curiosity by engaging in inquiry:
    • wonder about new ideas and observations
    • discuss personal knowledge of a topic
    • ask questions to satisfy personal curiosity and information needs
    • identify self and others as sources of information
    • seek information from others including people at school, at home, and in the community including Elders and Knowledge Keepers
    • compare gathered ideas and information to personal knowledge
    • share learning and information-gathering experiences compose with a scribe
    • indicate whether or not information is useful for answering questions.
  • CC1.1: Compose and create various, visual, multimedia, oral, and written texts that explore and present thoughts, ideas, and experiences.
  • CC1.2: Use and construct symbols, pictures, and dramatizations to communicate feelings and ideas in a variety of ways.

Language Arts connections are primarily developed through student responses to the essential questions as they demonstrate understanding of their citizenship responsibilities.

Science

  • LT1.1: Differentiate between living things according to observable characteristics, including appearance and behaviour.
  • OM1.1: Investigate observable characteristics and uses of natural and constructed objects and materials in their environment.
  • OM1.2 – Examine methods of altering and combining materials to create objects that meet students needs.
  • SE1.2: Explore how humans and animals use their senses to interact with their environment.
  • DS1.1: Compare and represent daily and seasonal changes of natural phenomena through observing, measuring, sequencing, and recording.
  • DS1.2: Inquire into the ways in which plants, animals, and humans adapt to daily and seasonal changes by changing their appearance, behaviour, and/or location.

Mathematics

  • SS1.1: Demonstrate an understanding of measurement as a process of comparing by:
    • identifying attributes that can be compared
    • ordering objects
    • making statements of comparison
    • filing, covering, or matching.
  • SS1.2: Replicate composite 2-D shapes and 3-D objects.
  • SS1.3: Compare 2-D shapes to parts of 3-D objects in the environment.

Health

  • USC 1.5: Explore the association between a health sense of “self” and one’s positive connection with others and the environment.
  • DM 1.1: Examine initial steps for making basic choices regarding healthy behaviours; healthy relationships; and a healthy sense of self.
  • AP 1.1: Apply the steps of Stop, Do, Think, Act to develop a healthy sense of self.
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