Introduction
Completion requirements
Social Studies 8 Introduction
Welcome to Social Studies 8!
In Social Studies 8, you will learn how worldviews are formed and influenced by time, place, and beliefs through your investigation of the Renaissance, Spanish and Aztec societies, and Japan.
Social Studies 8 has one introductory unit and three main units:
- Introductory Unit
- Unit 1: Renaissance : The Origins of a Western Worldview
- Unit 2: Worldviews in Conflict
- Unit 3: From Isolation to Adaptation
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 use the textbook, Worldviews: Contact and Change.
Units
The Introductory Unit of Social Studies 8 will explore the concept of worldview.
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The Introductory Unit contains four lessons. Within these lessons, you will have activities and/or Self-Checks to complete. (Information about activities and Self-Checks is provided below.)
- At the end of the Introductory Unit, you will complete a summative assessment that is submitted for grading.
In Units 1, 2, and 3, you will be provided with a list of unit resources and/or 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.
Unit 1 explores six chapters of the textbook. You will explore five chapters of the textbook in Units 2 and 3.
- 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 most lessons, 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.
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 lessons. Formative assessments are not for marks. These are items your teacher may monitor to check 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: joesmithSS8A1.
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 approximate mid-point of the course. You will complete this exam after you have completed and submitted the required assessments up to and including the Chapter 8 Assessment in Unit 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 three quizzes. At the end of Units 1, 2, and 3, 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 in his or her comments when your assessment has been marked. 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, 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.
Marks may be deducted if you exceed the allotted time when writing the quizzes.
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 the following items:
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 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. Passwords will be sent to the approved supervisor when you have completed (and submitted) all required course work.
Unlike the Self-Checks, 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.
Marks may be deducted if you exceed the allotted time when writing the quizzes.
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 the following items:
- Introductory Unit
- Chapter Assessments 1 to 8
- Unit Assessment 1
- Quiz 1
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 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. Passwords will be sent to the approved supervisor when you have completed (and submitted) all required course work.
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.You may be asked for a password to access videos from Learn Alberta. If so, use the following username and password.
LA 48
1958
Read
This icon indicates that you will be reading pages from the textbook, Worldviews: Contact and Change.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
Introductory Unit
Intro Unit Final Assessment
By September 15
Unit 1
Chapter 1
By September 22
Chapter 2
By October 6
Chapter 3
By October 13
Chapter 4
By October 27
Chapter 5
By November 3
Chapter 6
By November 17
Unit 1
By November 24
Quiz 1
By December 1
Unit 2
Chapter 7
By December 15
Chapter 8
By January 12
Midterm
Exam
By January 26
Chapter 9
By February 9
Chapter 10
By February 23
Chapter 11
By March 2
Unit 2
By March 16
Quiz 2
By March 23
Unit 3
Chapter 12
By April 6
Chapter 13
By April 13
Chapter 14
By April 27
Chapter 15
By May 11
Chapter 16
By May 25
Unit 3
By June 8
Quiz 3
By June 15
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.
