Grade 4 Specifics

Use historical and community resources to understand and organize the sequence of local historical events

Sponsors Summer 2009

The following is a list of sponsors for this blog:

1. Canada Summer Jobs
2. FACTS
3. Centralta Tourism Society
4. Collaborative Information Networks

Index

1. Grade 12 Specifics
2. Relating Local History Stories to the Alberta Curriculum
3. CIN (Collaborative Information Networks) Usefulness Rating Scale

Related Blogs:

1. St Albert Jubilee

Grade 12 Specifics

In accordance to the Alberta Education Grade 12 Social Studies curriculum, FACTSnet is working to make its blogs useful and accessible to Social 30 students, as part of their learning experience.

The use of blogs is intended to as a tool for critical thinking in light of the new Internet technologies and methods to display information (page 17 of the curriculum). It is also intended to develop critical thinking skills in terms of how information is made available on the Internet, and allows students to “discern historical facts from historical interpretations through an examination of multiple sources”(page 14 of the curriculum).

FACTSnet provides a historical perspective of changing worldviews, specifically in the 1900s Alberta; as well, posts on FACTSnet blogs follow the value-based medium to regulate the information made available to the public (see 4.4 of page 24 of the curriculum). The blogs can also be used to research the history of issues that have arisen locally, nationally, and even globally (4.9 of page 24 of the curriculum). For this, we have set up an Issues Blog in the historical perspective (the link leads to the St Albert Issues Blog) for students to investigate specific historical topics.
Students can also participate in FACTSnet and develop blogs that research historical issues affecting today’s society, to encourage students to "demonstrate active and responsible citizenship through individual and collective action" (4.10 of page 24 of the curriculum). A Blogger CTS module is available for students to take, and they will receive one (1) credit for it.

For reference, the specific points from the Alberta Education curriculum has been made available here:

Page 17:
S.9 develop skills of media literacy:
• assess the authority, reliability and validity of electronically accessed information
• evaluate the validity of various points of view presented in the media �� appraise information from multiple sources, evaluating each source in terms of the author’s perspective or bias and use of evidence
• analyze the impact of various forms of media, identifying complexities and discrepancies in the information and making distinctions between sound generalizations and misleading oversimplification
• demonstrate discriminatory selection of electronically accessed information that is relevant to a particular topic

Page 14:
S.2 develop skills of historical thinking:
• analyze multiple historical and contemporary perspectives within and across cultures
• analyze connections among patterns of historical change by identifying cause and effect relationships
• compare similarities and differences among historical narratives
• evaluate the impact of significant historical periods and patterns of change on the contemporary world
• discern historical facts from historical interpretations through an examination of multiple sources
• identify reasons underlying similarities and differences among historical narratives
• develop a reasoned position that is informed by historical and contemporary evidence
• demonstrate an understanding of how changes in technology can benefit or harm society— in the context of the present, the future and various historical time periods
• use current, reliable information sources from around the world

Page 24:
4.4 explore the relationship between personal and collective worldviews and ideology (C, I, GC)
4.9 develop strategies to address local, national and global issues that demonstrate individual and collective leadership (C, GC)
4.10 explore opportunities to demonstrate active and responsible citizenship through individual and collective action (C, GC)

Relating Local History Stories to the Alberta Curriculum

Language Arts Ratings:
Ask the following questions

1. Is the story age appropriate?
2. Is the reading level suitable?

Social Studies Ratings:
As an aid to determine the Social Studies Rating for each grade, the questions and statements below, based on the Alberta education curriculum (go to page 11 of the document quotes from the document are included below for your convenience) for Social Studies, may be used as reference:

• Grade 1: What was life like back then (the exact date in the story or use founding and jubilee years like 1861 for St. Albert)?
  
  • "Grade 1 is an introduction to active and responsible citizenship and introduces the concept of community. The concept of historical thinking is applied to the study of community."
    

• Grade 2: What has changed since then (mainly use pictures)?
  
  • "Grade 2 expands on the concept of community through an examination of specific characteristics of communities in Canada. Building on the introduction of historical thinking in Grade 1, Grade 2 students will examine how a community changes over time."
    

• Grade 3: What was it like to be a global citizen back then? What was their quality of life?
  
  • "Grade 3 continues to build on the knowledge of community and citizenship by examining diverse communities in the world. Grade 3 students will be introduced to the concepts of global citizenship and quality of life."
    

• Grade 4: What does this story say about Alberta?
  
  • "Grade 4 introduces specific geographic skills through an examination of Alberta and its cultural and geographic diversity. Linkages to literature and the continued development of historical thinking are reinforced through stories and legends. Archaeology and paleontology are also introduced in Grade 4 to further develop historical thinking skills."
    

• Grade 5: What does this say about our Canadian Heritage?
  
  • "Grade 5 examines the foundations of Canada through its physical geography, the ways of life and heritage of its diverse peoples. Grade 5 presents events and issues that have impacted citizenship and identity in the Canadian context over time."
    

• Grade 6: What does this say about Government? St. Albert examples, What was government like in the Big Lake Settlement like in 1811? What kind of government did Father Lacombe introduce?
  
  • "Grade 6 emphasizes the importance of active and responsible participation as the foundation of a democratic society. Students will examine how the underlying principles of democracy in Canada compare to those of Ancient Athens and the Iroquois Confederacy."
    

• Grade 7: How does this story relate to the history of Canada, especially western Canada?
  
  • "Grade 7 provides a comprehensive examination of Canadian history preceding and following Confederation. The concept of intercultural contact is introduced through an examination of migration and immigration. Grade 7 forms the foundation for the continued dialogue on citizenship and identity in Canada."
    
    

• Grade 8: How does this story relate to intercultural contact? What was their worldview? How did our world view change? How has it changed compared to today?
  
  • "Grade 8 expands on the concept of intercultural contact and continues to develop historical thinking skills through an examination of past societies in different parts of the world."
    

• Grade 9: How did the issues and economic situations people in the story faced affect their quality of life?
  
  • "Grade 9 focuses on citizenship, identity and quality of life and how they are impacted by political and legislative processes in Canada. The role of economic systems in Canada and the United States will also be examined."
    

• Grade 10: How are people in the story affected by globalization?
  
  • "Grade 10 explores multiple perspectives on the origins of globalization and the local, national and international impacts of globalization on identity, lands, cultures, economies, human rights and quality of life."

• Grade 11: How does this story relate to nationalism. For example, Father Lacombe's arrival at St Albert and the establishment of Alberta as a province?
  
  • "Grade 11 explores the complexities of nationalism in Canadian and international contexts and includes study of the origins of nationalism and the influence of nationalism on regional, international and global relations."
    

• Grade 12: How does this story relate to contemporary issues (see Herbert's issues blog)?
  
  • "Grade 12 explores the origins and complexities of ideologies. Students will investigate, analyze and evaluate government policies and actions and develop individual and collective responses to contemporary local, national and global issues."
    
    
• More information on how FACTSnet is a useful tool for Social 30-1 and 30-2 can be viewed here.

CIN (Collaborative Information Networks) Usefulness Rating Scale

The following is a blank outline of the CIN Rating template. See the Alberta Christmas Network and Collaborative Information Networks for more information and how to use the CIN Usefulness Rating, as well as a breakdown of the Rating Scale.

Gr. 1 - [] LA [] Social
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