Part+1

Return Home

__Part 1__

October 6, 2011 Instructor: David Gray ESST 310 Daelynn, Kyla, Miali, & Vanessa

1. Explain the origin, rationale, or source of the legitimacy for the curriculum guide you selected. For Example, is it part of Core Curriculum, or perhaps a Required Area of Study?

For Social Studies Grade 3, the curriculum guide is part of the Required Area of Study and is in the Saskatchewan’s Core Curriculum. It is required by the province for social studies in grade 3, to be taught 150 minutes per week

2. What definition of social studies education does your curriculum guide use?

The definitional of social studies according to the grade three curriculum is “The study of people and their relationships with their social, physical, and technological environments”.

3. Whats the over overall aim of the intended curriculum for the grade you’re studying?

Aims & Goals Aims and Goals


 * Help students to appreciate and make connections between events of the past, present and their influence on the future.


 * “The ultimate aim is for students who have a sense of themselves as active participants and citizens in an inclusive, culturally diverse, interdependent world.”


 * To examine and investigate:
 * Interactions and interdependence
 * Dynamic Relationships
 * Power and Authority
 * World views on resources and wealth
 * K-12
 * 1) Know and appreciate the past
 * 2) Understand the present
 * 3) Influence the future
 * 4) Make connections with issues throughout time
 * 5) Students are able to shape the future
 * 6) Students to be active participants and citizens in their world


 * Grade 3
 * 1) The theme is “community comparisons”
 * 2) Explore relationships between their community and the broader world community
 * 3) Examine their responsibilities as citizens of their community and global communities
 * 4) Treaty relationships

4. Compare your answers to #2 and #3. How well do they match up? (For example, do they contradict one another? Do they leave things out?)

We, as a group, think that the definition of social studies matches very well with its aims. Both the definition of social studies and the aims examine connections and relationships from past, present and future events. These relationships can be social and/or physical. There is a special emphasis on subject matter and its relationship to the students Both categories also talk about the interdependence of different groups of people and different countries as well as the appreciation of cultural diversity. Third grade social studies has a specific focuses on the comparison of global communities which would encompass both interdependence and cultural diversity. It seems as though the definition of social studies is scaffolding for the aims. It is only when a student learns about a group’s culture and how they relate to other groups, that a student can truly understand and appreciate what that culture offers to him or herself and to the rest of the world. The only thing that we feel is missing from the definition and aims of social studies is the integration of technology.

5. Using Chapters 1 & 2 in your textbook, make links to your curriculum guide. (For example, does your curriculum guide reflect one of the trends in social studies nowadays?)

Chapter 1:

Active decision making seems to be linked to students being active participants in their world and linked to the broad area of learning: Sense of Self, Community, and Place. As it states “students gain a richer understanding of themselves.

// “Teaching students to examine their own values and to become active decision makers by working through issues of both social and personal concern.” // (Bruner, 1970)

According to Chapter 1, there is renewed interest in the place of history in the curriculum although the word “history” does not seem to be in the social curriculum guide. It seems as though it may be referenced in the aims where it states, “help students know and appreciate the past.” Citizenship education is still the purpose of social studies as mention in the text and in the curriculum guide. This involves development in critical thinking, social responsibility and to the broad area of learning with the goal to produce engage citizens.

Chapter 2:

Chapter 2 discusses expanding environments and the new curriculum guide follows this format as well. Chapter 2 also discusses how the view of social studies shifts to multiple understandings and perspectives around citizenship and identity which can be linked to the broad areas of learning in the renewed curriculum guide. There is discussion of critical thinking and multiple perspectives which can be linked to cross-curricular competencies. The concept of inclusion is discussed in both chapter 2 and in the curriculum guide listed as multicultural content, perspectives, and resources; portrayal of persons with disabilities; worldview in social studies and social sciences curricula. Inquiry is another topic found within chapter and the new curriculum guide. In the guide there is a section explaining inquiry in social studies and questions to ask for inquiry.

It is very interesting to note that the book is a bit outdated due to the renewal of the curriculum guide as the section in chapter 2 on Saskatchewan discusses six common essential learnings where we now have 3 broad areas of learning and 4 cross-curricular competencies and they also mention the social studies curriculum guide date as 1995 where the new one was updated in 2010. This section in chapter 2 mentions an emphasis on integration of Metis and First Nations content and the curriculum guide for grade 3 states there is to be atleast one First Nations or Metis community discussed. As well, it discusses resource based teaching and learning where the guide for grade 3 has sections on: principles of child development and learning; teaching and learning principles; addressing controversial issues; multicultural content, perspectives, and resources; portrayal of persons with disabilities; worldview in social studies and social sciences curricula; inquiry in social studies; creating questions for inquiry