ISN Social Sciences

This week’s History homework.

isntimes — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 17:40:20 +0000

We are currently investigating the history of democracy and government types in the world. Each class group has a specific area to concentrate on.

MS 1 LP’s are researching the origin of democracy in their chosen countries. You have to answer the following questions for homework:

What was life like before democracy?
Where and why did democracy developed?
When did democracy start and who was the people involve in the process?
How did it develop and work?

MS 2 LP’s are researching the development of nation states. You have to answer the following questions about your chosen country for homework:

How was the country governed before unification or becoming a nation state?

Which events lead to people wanted to be unified or having a nation state?

Where, why, when and how did the unification process developed?

How was the country governed after becoming a nation state?

MS 3 LP’s are researching the development of monarchies. You have to answer the following questions about your chosen country for homework:

Which events lead to your country becoming a monarchy?

How was the country goverened?

Was the country goverened fairly/democratically by the king/kaiser/emperor/monarch?

Do the country still have a monarchy? Explain your answer.

Beijing Olympics 2008, China, Tibet and Democracy!

isntimes — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 18:15:27 +0000

China is getting ready for the Olympic Games and have been in the news the last couple of weeks about its human rights violations. The Olympic Torch was lit at a ceremony in Olympia, Athens and it is on its way, accross the world to the Beijing 2008 Olympics, in China. Torch bearers had problems in London over the weekend and in France today and the torch got extinguished. LP’s how do you feel about the protestors trying to extinguish the torch? Express yourself by leaving a comment.

This is a statement from a protestor in Greece about the torch, Tibet and China:

Democracy, Governments and Dictatorship…

isntimes — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 12:08:49 +0000

In Social Studies this term we will study the history of democratic thought and look at the development of different government systems in the world.

Unit Guiding Question: What different kinds of governments are there and why have they developed?

MS 1 will concentrate on the development of democracy through the ages in China, France, Greece, Ancient Rome and the USA.

MS 2 will study the development of Germany, Italy and Portugal as Nation States.

MS 3 will study the development of different Monarchies (England, France, Germany, Russia and Spain) and compare them with one another in a research essay titled: “Monarchies- Now and then!”

Assessment of this project will take place in three stages.

Stage 1 assessment: LP’s will research their chosen country or topic. They will collect data (primary and secondary sources of information), which they will analyse and interpret. They will prepare a presentation for their peers and be assessed by them. (Important Note: Please keep all your data and give me an electronic copy, so that I can upload it to this BLOG.)

Stage 2 assessment:LP’s will prepare a presentation answering the unit guiding question. Please note that you will choose the format of the presentation.

Stage 3 assessment: End of Unit Progress Test

During lessons this week LP’s will look at a video called: “Big Ideas that changed the World.” This video is used as a visual stimulant to introduce the “Democracy, Governments and Dictatorship” project. We will discuss some ideas from the video and LP’s are expected to complete the online activity “Using Democracy” for homework.

Expectations for “Using Democracy” Homework:

Link: (http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/education/as/citizenship/democracy/)

Read through the online activity. (We will do it in class)
Complete the BBC – Democracy – Worksheet 1
Decide which club you as Community Center Manager would give the money to.
Prepare to debate your reasons for handing the money to the club of your choice.

Beijing 2008 Olympics Project

isntimes — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 19:39:27 +0000

Middle School learning partners are currently compiling an information brochure for prospective olympic tourists visitting Beijing 2008.

As a class they have brainstormed ideas about which type of information to include into the brochure. They have chosen their team groups and each group have chosen a task(s) to contribute to the whole class project. They are researching information and writing their chosen section of the brochures.

Maps and Scale

isntimes — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 19:30:13 +0000

Learning partners have concentrated on maps and scale the last 2 weeks during lessons. They have:

revised the metric system to measure distance,
learnt about the different types of scale used on a map,
calculated distance between 2 points on a map converting it to actual distance on earth in meters and kilometers,

Identify that Capital City!

isntimes — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 12:57:34 +0000

This week in Social Studies lesson we are playing a game called “Identify that Capital City!” The goals of the game are to:

use different resources to find the name of a country and its capital city.
give the latitude and longitude coordinates of a country’s capital city.
give the compass direction of a place from a given point on a map
work collaboratively as a team to solve problems.

The class is divided into groups and chooses a token to identify the team on the game board. The aim is to move into the center of the game board by answering all questions about a country correctly. If an answer is incorrect the token is moved one step backwards.

The game starts at a specific city chosen by the mentor, in this case Munich in Germany. A globe which only shows country borders are spinned by a LP. The mentor holds a marker pen and makes a dot on the globe when it stops. If the dot is in a country, that specific country becomes the object under investigation. If the dot is in the ocean the nearest country to the dot is chosen. Teams have 5 minutes to collect answers.

LP’s have to identify the name of the country and its capital city and give the latitude and longitude coordinates of the capital city as well as the compass direction from the starting point (city.) A LP is selected to become an observer that gives the different groups feedback about their teamwork and effort.

Map Skills

isntimes — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 14:26:57 +0000

This week in lessons we have concentrated on map skills. We discussed different types of maps that we could find in a World Atlas and concentrated on how we can find a place on our Earth by using its latitude and longitude coordinates. This coming week we will continue with location describing it in terms of coordinates, direction and bearing.

What`s happening this week?

isntimes — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 11:31:38 +0000

In Social Studies this week we are comparing a MEDC and LEDC with each other. The aim is to find similarities and differences between the two countries of our choice. You could compare the 2 countries by:

looking at its culture and traditions,
population statistics,
natural resources,
and economic development.

Please make sure that you include as much relevant information as possible. You will present your findings in 2 weeks time to the class.

Human Population Research Essays

isntimes — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 20:32:14 +0000

The last 2 Social Studies lessons we have done the following:

You have chosen your title and wrote a statement of intent.
Last week you brainstormed ideas about what to include in your essay. It is important to do a mind map of your ideas and to find out what you already know about the topic. Some of these ideas will be good and some may not be relevant to your guiding question.

You have started your research last week as well. How can you use your time well when doing research? Well, remember that different people work in different ways. In tomorrow’s lesson we will look at the research you have done so far. Try some of the following suggestions:

Use your mind map as a starting point and find more information about your key ideas
Write down the information in short bullet pointed notes in your own language on your research cards (this helps to avoid plagiarism (using someone else’s work as if it is your own). Remember copying and pasting information from sources will lead to a zero awarded.
Look at the information you have just written down. Ask questions about it? Hint: What? Why? How? Where? Is this really true? You may get some new ideas which you can research or use. Write it down on the “my notes” part of your research card. You are now busy analysing and interpreting the information you researched
If you find a statement/quote from someone else’s work that you want to use to support your idea(s), write it down using speech marks on your research card with the name of the person’s statement or quote you use. There is nothing wrong with using someone else’s quote or statements if it supports your ideas as long as you give the person credit for using his ideas or quote.
You may find graphs, pictures or photos that will be useful to prove your point. Copy these pictures and store them on your computer. Make a note on your research card with the name and source of the picture/photo/graph. You will use this information when you write your draft of your essay. I will give you ideas in class how you can use it to prove your statement(s) or ideas.
After you have finished your research, organise your research cards, by putting the same or connected ideas together.

Next week we will look at how to write an outline for your essay using your research cards. We will also concentrate on analysing and interpreting your information.

Human Population Growth – Questions

isntimes — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 11:26:18 +0000

We had a very good input session, after watching the Population Growth video, and learning partners came up with a lot of interesting inquiry questions. (class-human-population-growth-questions.doc)

Homework for next Social Studies lesson (Due 15/16 November)

Write a statement of intent (A 4) page for an individual research essay on population growth. Include the following into your statement of intent:

Title of Essay
Guiding question
Area of Focus – Global Impact. You may add an additional area of focus, but the main focus of your essay should be Global Impact
Goals you would like to achieve with your research.

Please note:

Your final essay should be a minimum of 500 words and are due on the 6/7 th of December. Please follow the following structure, when writing your final essay:

Introduction – Say why you are interested in this topic and what you would like to achieve with your essay. Form a hypothesis you are testing or an argumental statement which you would like to prove.
Research Data – Present all the research information you are going to use to prove your hypothesis or argument (summary of main facts, graphs, photos and maps)
Analysis and Interpretation – What does the research information tell you? Discuss your findings, patterns etc.
Conclusion
Bibliography

Assessment Criteria:

In this essay you will be assessed on your interpretation and analysis of your research information and use of research data to prove your arguments or hypothesis.

Time Management:

To complete this project on time, please make sure that you MEET the following time management deadlines:

Statement of Intent – 15/16 Nov
Research Data completed - 29/30 Nov
Analysis and interpretation in lesson on the 29/30 Nov
Project due on 6/7 December