Enhancing Social Studies Planning Using Online Resources A tutorial developed by Merri-Ann Ford and Barbara Cavers for SAPDC

Tech Tips

What are Essential Questions?

Essential questions…  Center around major issues  Open-ended  Invite exploration of ideas  Encourage collaboration  Integrate technology

 Use the question to guide their inquiry  Uncover new ideas, views, and lines of argument  Search for supporting information  Repeatedly return to the question throughout the inquiry  Discover that there may not be one single answer to the question  Develop a plausible answer to the question

Excellent examples have been provided for you on the LearnAlberta website... and the materials match the outcomes we want students to achieve.

On the Learn Alberta website  Student learning activities are based on essential questions or OVERARCHING CRITICAL INQUIRIES (OCI)  Each Overarching Critical Inquiry incorporates a number of CRITICAL CHALLENGES (CC) – or critical thinking activities.

Overarching Critical Inquiry (OCI) The Big Idea or Question There are 3-4 OCI’s Per Grade and 1-5 CC’s Per OCI Critical Challenge # 2Critical Challenge # 1 Critical Challenge # 3Critical Challenge # 4 Support Material  Outcomes Addresses in the Critical Challenges  Web Sites Referred to in the Critical Challenges  Literature Referred to in the Critical Challenges  Image Collections Referred to in the Critical Challenges  Summaries of the Critical Challenges Summaries of Modelling the Tools These open a new page in the on-line guide On-Line Guide Resources – Understanding the Structure of the Guide Support Material Summaries of Support Material (K-12) Contain the graphic organizers and assessment materials that may be downloaded, modified and used in your classroom. Note: Links to the appropriate documents are found in the critical challenge you are working with. These open a new page in the guide Background information for teachers related to an OCI is found on the overarching critical challenge page.

A grade nine example

Specific Key Word Searches are useful for finding grade level OCI’s. OCI + Grade (Overarching Critical Inquiry)

OCI Synopsis and Descriptors OCI Synopsis and Descriptors

OCI + Grade 9 Essential Question Learning Activities Synopsis

OCI + Grade 9 Scrolling down on the OCI page will bring up more material for you to access. Support Material

No less important but similar in set-up  Summaries of Support Materials- we examine this later in the workshop  Literature referred to in the Critical Challenges.  Image collections referred to in the Critical Challenges

Take a few minutes to examine the OCI’s at a Grade Level  Use the search for resources tab to do your searching this time. Key Word- OCI  Save any resources you are interested in looking at further to My Workspace  Try and save at least 3 resources to My Workspace. Suggestion: Save all OCI’s  Examine the summary charts for your grade.

A grade nine example

OCI + Grade 9 then choose a CC

Take a Few Minutes to Examine one Critical Challenge in Detail  Use the search for resources tab to do your searching. Key word- OCI + Grade  Select an OCI  Select a Critical Challenge to review  Save any resources you are interested in looking at further to My Workspace  Try and save at least 3 resources to My Workspace.

Key Word Search There are resources you may or may not find easily, a few samples have been included for you to try. See SAPDC PowerPoint for more ideas and Your Agenda

Reminder: you will find the reference charts on the OCI pages. Or, if you prefer, you may access them directly via their titles using a key word search.

Keyword: Summaries of Support Materials You may wish to examine other documents available for your grade or other grades.

Keyword: Summaries of Modelling the Tools Have a look at the resources available using key word search or on the bottom of one of the OCI pages for your grade.

ELA Program of Studies: Keyword: researching and making presentations

ELA Program of Studies: Keyword: researching and making presentations

ELA Program of Studies: Keyword: Building and Celebrating Community This deals with conflict resolution

ELA Program of Studies: Keyword: Building and Celebrating Community This deals with conflict resolution

Keyword: Knowledge and Employability Studio Curriculum Foundations

Keyword: Knowledge and Employability Studio Social Studies

Keyword: Knowledge and Employability Studio Look for grade level modified resources.

Take a few minutes to do keyword searches or view the Online Reference center or view the Online Reference center  Key words that you might try: summaries of support materials,summaries of support materials, summaries of modelling the tools,summaries of modelling the tools, researching and making presentations,researching and making presentations, knowledge and employability studio.knowledge and employability studio.  Reference Center- Surf resources  Or… use your agenda for more ideas  Save any resources you are interested in looking at further to My Workspace. Try to save at least 3 resources.

Program of Studies 1 st Window allows you to choose the program and language.

Program of Studies Latest Program of Studies Knowledge and Employability

Program of Studies

 Use the program of studies tab to do your searching this time.  Try to save at least 3 resources to My Workspace.

 Questions?  Sharing: What great resources did you find?  More Online Explorations