Introduction
Completion requirements
Social Studies 7 Introduction
Welcome to Social Studies 7!
In Social Studies 7, you will learn about events preceding and following Canadian Confederation to help you understand how Canada has evolved into the multicultural, bilingual, and pluralistic society it is today.
Social Studies 7 has four units:
- Unit 1: Early Canada
- Unit 2: Towards Confederation
- Unit 3: After Confederation
- Unit 4: After Confederation – Part 2
© Pixabay
To complete this course, you will require access to a computer and the Internet.
We recommend that you use Firefox or Chrome to ensure complete functionality of course components.
You also will require the textbook, Voices and Visions: A Story of Canada.
Units
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Social Studies 7 is composed of four units.
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At the beginning of each unit, you will be provided with a list of unit resources and skill builders.
- You will also be provided with a Unit Checklist that allows you to track the summative assessments (assessments for marks) you are required to complete in each unit.
Chapters
Each unit will explore three or four chapters of the textbook.
- Within each chapter, you will complete lessons. The number of lessons varies from chapter to chapter.
Lessons
Each lesson will direct you to read certain pages of the textbook. Links to other material such as videos or images may also be present in the lessons.
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In each lesson you will be provided with links to the definitions of the vocabulary terms you will encounter in the lesson.
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Most lessons in the course will require you to complete an activity or worksheet to help reinforce your learning of the textbook material. You will need to create a folder on your computer or external device to save your completed
work.
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At times in the course, you will be directed to submit your completed activity or worksheet. These items are not for marks. They are formative assessments that allow your teacher the opportunity to view your work and monitor
your understanding of course concepts. Your teacher may contact you to provide feedback or to discuss any concerns.
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At the end of each lesson, you will complete a Self-Check. The Self Checks allow you to check your understanding of concepts learned in each lesson. The Self Checks are not for marks. You may complete a Self-Check more than
once if you wish. Your teacher may view your Self-Checks to check your understanding as you progress through the course.
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Some lessons contain a section called Digging Deeper. The Digging Deeper sections provide opportunities for you to explore topics or concepts in the course more thoroughly. Please note that the Digging Deeper sections
are optional and are not required for completion of the course assessments.
Your final mark in this course will be determined by the following formula.
In this course, you will encounter rubrics in your Chapter and Unit assessments.
Reading the rubrics before you complete assessments is a valuable exercise in ensuring you understand the expectations of the assessment before you start.
If you do not understand the expectations or requirements of an assessment, please contact your teacher for assistance.
The rubrics will be the tool used by your teacher to evaluate your performance on the assessments.
Example of rubric
Formative Assessments
Formative assessments in this course are the various activities/worksheets you are directed to submit and the Self-Checks at the end of each lesson. Formative assessments are not for marks. These are items your teacher may monitor to check on your understanding of concepts studied in the course.
Summative Assessments
Summative assessments are the items submitted for grading. In this course, summative assessments include the following:
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Chapter Assessments
At the end of each chapter, you will complete an assessment that demonstrates your understanding of the concepts learned in the chapter.
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Unit Assessments
At the end of each unit, you will complete an assessment that demonstrates your understanding of the broad concepts studies in the unit.
Be sure to label your assessments clearly when you submit them for grading. Include your name, course, and assessment number. For example: joesmithSS7A1.
When you receive your marked assessments back, be sure to read the feedback provided and to review any necessary material. This review process will help ensure your understanding of concepts and will allow you to improve your work on subsequent assessments.
- Unit Quizzes
At the end of each unit, you will complete an online quiz that contains multiple choice questions reviewing the concepts learned in the chapters of the unit.
You will be required to have a password to gain access to the Unit Quizzes. You will be provided with the password by your teacher or marker after you have submitted the required Chapter and Unit Assessments.
- Midterm Exam
The Midterm Exam is a supervised exam that will be written at the mid-point of the course. You will complete this exam after you have completed and submitted the required assessments for Units 1 and 2.
- Final Exam
The Final Exam is a supervised exam that will be written at the end of the course. You will complete this exam after you have completed and submitted the required assessments for all units of the course.
Quizzes
This course contains four quizzes. At the end of each unit, you will write a quiz that reviews the concepts covered in the unit. Quizzes will be written online and will require a password given to you by your teacher when the required work has been submitted for marking.
Your teacher or marker will provide the password for the quiz. Or, you may email your teacher for the password when you have submitted the required work and are
ready to write the quiz.
Unlike the Self-Checks in the course, Unit Quizzes may be written only once.
You are required to complete each quiz in designated time limits (for example, 60 minutes). The time limit for each quiz is identified in the introduction for the quiz.
You may use your activities, assessments, and textbook to assist you as you write the quizzes. However, you must complete the quizzes within the designated time limit.
Please note: Each unit contains a checklist so you can ensure that you have completed all required work in the unit before proceeding to the quiz and subsequent units.
The midterm exam and the final exam both require an approved supervisor. Please contact your teacher for additional information regarding approved supervisors.
No outside materials (such as textbooks, notes, assessments) are permitted during the writing of the midterm and final exams.
This course contains a midterm exam that you will write after you complete Units 1 and 2. You will be given 1.5 hours to complete the midterm exam. An additional 30 minutes are allowed if you need more time.
You will also write a final exam after you have completed all four units. The final exam will cover material from the entire course. You will be given 2 hours to complete the final exam. An additional 30 minutes are allowed if you need more time.
Exams will be written online.
Unlike the Self-Checks in the course, Unit Quizzes may be written only once.
You are required to complete each quiz in designated time limits (for example, 60 minutes). The time limit for each quiz is identified in the introduction for the quiz.
You may use your activities, assessments, and textbook to assist you as you write the quizzes. However, you must complete the quizzes within the designated time limit.
Please note: Each unit contains a checklist so you can ensure that you have completed all required work in the unit before proceeding to the quiz and subsequent units.
Exams
The midterm exam and the final exam both require an approved supervisor. Please contact your teacher for additional information regarding approved supervisors.
No outside materials (such as textbooks, notes, assessments) are permitted during the writing of the midterm and final exams.
This course contains a midterm exam that you will write after you complete Units 1 and 2. You will be given 1.5 hours to complete the midterm exam. An additional 30 minutes are allowed if you need more time.
You will also write a final exam after you have completed all four units. The final exam will cover material from the entire course. You will be given 2 hours to complete the final exam. An additional 30 minutes are allowed if you need more time.
Exams will be written online.
Developing communication skills is an important part of the social studies curriculum. Practicing these skills will assist you as a student in this course, and will be valuable to you as an active citizen of Canada.
Social Studies offers you the opportunity to learn about and discuss many issues.
At times in the course, you will be directed to post your comments and ideas on the Discussion Board (Forum). This will allow you to practice your communication skills, share your ideas and points of view with your classmates, and learn about your classmates' ideas and points of view.
As an active participant in this course, it is your responsibility to contribute to Discussion Board conversations.
Please note the following etiquette expected of every student in this course.
At times in the course, you will be directed to post your comments and ideas on the Discussion Board (Forum). This will allow you to practice your communication skills, share your ideas and points of view with your classmates, and learn about your classmates' ideas and points of view.
As an active participant in this course, it is your responsibility to contribute to Discussion Board conversations.
Please note the following etiquette expected of every student in this course.
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Post your reply to the discussion topic in the correct area.
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Keep your comments brief.
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Be clear in your response.
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This is your classroom in a virtual environment, and your behaviour should be appropriate to a physical classroom. Inappropriate
comments are not acceptable. Vulgarity, threatening comments, or derogatory comments are not allowed.
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Constructive criticism should be supported by appropriate reference citation (such as archive, website, journal, book, magazine). Include the title, author, year of publication, etc.
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Use standard capitalization and punctuation for reading ease. Do not type your response in capital letters as this suggests you are shouting.
adapted from © Archives Society of Alberta
Below are the icons you will encounter in this course.
Watch
This icon indicates that you will be watching a video or part of a video.Read
This icon indicates that you will be reading pages from the textbook, Voices and Visions: A Story of Canada.Activity
This icon indicates that you will be completing an activity or worksheet. In most instances, you will need to download a document to complete.Self-Check
This icon indicates that you will complete a self-assessment that reviews the concepts in the lesson. Self-checks are not for marks; however, your teacher may review your self-checks to check your understanding of concepts.Skill Check
This icon indicates that the lesson includes a skill check in which you will learn about and/or practice an important social studies skill.Assessment
This icon indicates that you will be completing an assessment to demonstrate your understanding of concepts in a chapter or unit. These assessments will be submitted to your teacher for grading.Discussion Board
This icon indicates that you will be responding to a question and posting your response to the Discussion Board (Forum) to share your ideas with your classmates.Digging Deeper
This icon indicates an opportunity for you to learn more about a topic or concept you have studied. The Digging Deeper sections are optional.Suggested Timeline
This course is designed for regular submission of assessments or quizzes.
Most students begin about the second week of September and complete by the last week of June. Below is a suggested schedule for students working from September to June.
Note: This timeline is a general guideline; some assessments may take you longer to complete than the schedule and some may take you less time to complete. If you are submitting work regularly and following the timeline as closely as possible, you will complete the course by the end of June.
If you do not wish to use the suggested timeline, you will need to create a timeline of your own.
Please advise your teacher of this alternate timeline or contact your teacher if you require assistance in creating an alternate timeline.
Suggested Completion Date
Unit 1
Chapter 1
By September 15
Chapter 2
By September 22
Chapter 3
By October 6
Chapter 4
By October 13
Unit 1
By October 27
Quiz 1
By November 3
Unit 2
Chapter 5
By November 13
Chapter 6
By November 24
Chapter 7
By December 1
Unit 2
By December 15
Quiz 2
By January 12
Midterm
Exam
By January 26
Unit 3
Chapter 8
By February 9
Chapter 9
By February 23
Chapter 10
By March 9
Unit 3
By March 19
Quiz 3
By April 6
Unit 4
Chapter 11
By April 13
Chapter 12
By April 23
Chapter 13
By May 4
Chapter 14
By May 17
Unit 4
By May 31
Quiz 4
By June 11
Regular contact with your teacher is encouraged.
If you need help or
have a question, contact your teacher. If the phone offers voice mail,
please leave a detailed message and your teacher will respond as quickly
as possible.
Aim to submit all assessments in a timely manner. Through regular submissions and attention to the feedback provided, you can benefit when you complete future assessments.
If you fail to submit work within a certain period of registering, your teacher will contact you to discuss the reasons your assessments are not being submitted. Then, some suggested solutions or plans of action can be arranged.
Aim to submit all assessments in a timely manner. Through regular submissions and attention to the feedback provided, you can benefit when you complete future assessments.
If you fail to submit work within a certain period of registering, your teacher will contact you to discuss the reasons your assessments are not being submitted. Then, some suggested solutions or plans of action can be arranged.