Assignment 1

For this assignment, I have chosen the Literacy Foundations Social Studies Curriculum from BC.

Here is a description of Foundations courses from the Ministry document:

The Literacy Foundations courses within each subject area are coded as Grade 10 elective courses but are not creditable toward graduation. They are bridging courses that build the foundational skills necessary for students to successfully enter a graduation program.

The aim of Literacy Foundations Social Studies is to help students develop the knowledge and skills needed to be successful in Grade 11 or 12 social studies courses. The Literacy Foundations Social Studies courses are appropriate for students who are intending to graduate with the Adult Graduation Diploma (Adult Dogwood) and who have not been enrolled in a social studies course for many years or who have not taken any social studies courses at the secondary level. These courses are also intended for graduated or nongraduated students who may need to complete a senior level social studies course in order to satisfy prerequisite admission requirements for the post-secondary academic/trades program of their choice. The Literacy Foundations Social Studies courses support students in acquiring the foundational knowledge and skills needed for success in senior level social studies courses.

The Curriculum Organizers are

Skills and Processes of Social Studies

It is expected that students will:

A1 apply critical thinking skills, including questioning, comparing, summarizing, drawing conclusions, and defending, to a range of issues, situations, and topics

A2 demonstrate effective research skills, including: – accessing information – assessing and identifying sources of information – collecting data – evaluating data – organizing information – presenting information

A3 demonstrate effective written, oral, and graphic communication skills

A4 describe the attributes of active citizenship (e.g., ethical behaviour, open-mindedness, respect for diversity, and collaboration)

Identity, Society, and Culture (these are the PLOs that will be the focus of my project.)

It is expected that students will:

B1 describe the relationships between Canada’s First Peoples and European explorers and settlers at time of contact

B2 evaluate the influence of immigration on Canadian society

B3 describe the significance of key events and factors in the development of BC and Canada

B4 demonstrate a knowledge of historical and contemporary factors that help define Canadian civic identity

B5 describe the legal rights and responsibilities of individual, groups, and organizations in Canadian society

B6 describe the importance of trade for BC and Canada

B7 compare Canada’s economy, technology, and quality of life with those in one or more selected countries

Governance

It is expected that students will:

C1 identify historical roots of the Canadian political and legal systems

C2 describe Canada’s electoral systems and processes

C3 describe key characteristics of the legal and justice systems in Canada

C4 describe the structure and function of Canada’s federal, provincial, territorial, First Nations, and municipal governments

Human and Physical Environment

It is expected that students will:

D1 explain how climate affects human activity

D2 analyse interactions between human activity and the atmosphere, with reference to – global climate change – ozone depletion – acid precipitation

D3 assess the various considerations involved in resource management, including – sustainability – availability – social/cultural consequences – economic consequences – political consequences

D4 assess the environmental impact of human activities, including – energy production and use – forestry – fishing – mining – agriculture – waste disposal – water use

To give you an overview of what this course might look like, I have also included the Recommended Content Topics for Literacy Foundations Social Studies

Topic 1: Culture • culture vs. society • causes of diversity • diversity of First Peoples cultures in Canada • aspects of multiculturalism – “melting pot”/“mosaic” – bilingualism • racism • role of women

Topic 2: First Peoples • traditional First Peoples relationships with the land and nature, nomadic lifestyle, circular relationship with land to society • early resources and materials such as clothing, housing, utensils, containers (e.g., cedar-based materials in coastal BC) • contemporary First Peoples resource/land use and management practices • cultural and linguistic diversity • social organizational structures and systems (e.g., bands, tribes, matriarchal, hereditary) • First Peoples in BC including First Nations, Inuit, and Métis

Topic 3: Pre-contact • existence of First Peoples civilization prior to contact with explorers and colonization • differing historic timelines – Aboriginal – European • theory vs evidence – differing points of view/theories (e.g., DNA, geographical - Bering land bridge/coastal migration) – oral history

Topic 4: Exploration • forming the country of Canada as a political entity • contributions made by First Peoples in the development of Canada – supporting early explorers with survival – allies in war • interactions between Aboriginal peoples and the early explorers (e.g., Cabot, Cartier, Champlain) • importance of fish and fur trade – European conditions and economic needs – Canada’s geography and resources • economic conditions in BC related to geography and resources

Topic 5: Colonization • interactions between Aboriginal peoples and the early explorers • economic conditions in BC as result of colonization • the development of New France – Louisburg – the role of the Roman Catholic Church • thirteen colonies – acquisition of land/development of communities • British/French conflict – contributions made by First Peoples • Upper/Lower Canada settlement • fur trade – Hudson’s Bay Company/French trade/North West Company • evolving responses of First Peoples resulting from contact and colonialism – residential schools, self-identification

Topic 6: Development of BC • contributions of First Peoples (e.g., support for development of farms and ranches) • Cook/Vancouver explorations by sea • Fraser/Thompson explorations by land • Spanish pushing north/Americans pushing west • Gold Rush • origins and impact of immigration (e.g., inclusion of Sikh community in logging industry) • Cariboo Trail • development of the railway (e.g., Chinese workers)

Topic 7: Confederation • provinces and territories/capital cities – the first four provinces: July 1867, BNA Act – recognition of Indian nations – all other provinces/territories (in chronological order) – British Columbia – two colonies into one – reasons for joining Canada • Métis demographics

Topic 8: Governance • purpose of government • political ideologies (e.g., Aboriginal governance, socialism, communism, capitalism, pluralism) • the fundamental forms of government (e.g., democracy, dictatorship, Aboriginal self-governance, monarchy) • levels of government – federal, provincial, territorial, municipal government – executive, legislative and judicial branches – main political parties in Canada and BC – self-determination of Aboriginal peoples, traditional and contemporary models of governance for Aboriginal peoples • electoral process, including MPs, MLAs, ridings – how is one elected?

Topic 9: Canada’s Constituti on • the role of the BNA Act and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in Canadian history

Topic 10: Law and Legal Systems • The Rule of Law – equality, habeas corpus, double jeopardy and self-incrimination • Kinds of Law – criminal law – civil law – constitutional law (e.g., Inuit/Nunavut, Nisga’a) • Canada’s Court System – federal, provincial, municipal – Supreme Court, Provincial Court, Appeal Courts – Aboriginal community justice systems

Topic 11: Citizenship • individual rights and responsibilities • Human Rights legislation – Charter of Human Rights – UN Declaration of Human Rights – UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples – BC Code of Ethics • First Peoples (e.g., status, non-status, Métis, Inuit) • immigration

Topic 12: Human and Physical Environment • relationship of First Peoples and natural world • global climate change • resource management • environmental impact of human activities

Here is a link to the curriculum document: http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/pdfs/literacy_foundations/2010literacyfoundations_socialstudies.pdf

Rationale:

My library is located within an Adult Education Centre. Our students are enrolled in both Foundations and Academic courses. I chose the Literacy Foundations Social Studies curriculum because this course is offered at my school and it is a popular choice. The focus of my assignments will be on the Identity, Society, and Culture Prescribed Learning Outcomes. Foundations courses only run for six weeks, so it is kind of a crash course in Canadian History. Having resources that can support this course or that would allow students to broaden their knowledge independently after having taken the course, would be of use. Additionally, many students are recent immigrants and they want to learn about Canada. Resources that support Literacy Foundations Social Studies would assist students in their endeavour to become familiar with their new country.

Because Literacy Foundations courses are designed to support learners who need to improve their literacy skills, finding resources appropriate for this course can be challenging. I want to use this assignment as an opportunity to investigate high-interest, low vocabulary non-fiction resources appropriate to adult learners. I have taught Social Studies and am familiar with and interested in the content; however, I have not had the opportunity to work with many new Social Studies resources. Some teachers at my school also require students to read non-fiction books and they often encourage them to learn about Canada.

I know that the 970-971 section of the library needs some updating. New resources that have current, accurate information that is accessible are lacking. Getting rid of dated material is also a priority. As a result, this section will be the focus of my project; for assignment 5, I may acquire materials that could be entered under a different Dewey classification or some fiction titles as well.

I have only been in the library since May of 2012. I have inherited a collection that I am still becoming familiar with, but I am quickly learning that there are several dated titles that need to weeded. The outgoing librarian acknowledged this in the turnover. Recently, a teacher required her students to sign out a book about Canada. When assisting students in finding titles, I struggled to find ones that had the appropriate reading level and that seemed interesting. Additionally, I was reluctant to sign out titles about specific provinces or cities that were written twenty years ago as they would not be very accurate. I am looking forward to developing this part of the collection so I am familiar and confident with the content the students can access.

Works Cited

BC Ministry of Education. Literacy Foundations Social Studies Curriculum 2010. Ministry of Education, Province of British Columbia, 2010. pdf. 17 January 2013.