Working with Multiple Courses

Frequently, students who are enrolled in Knowledge and Employability Social Studies 20-4 are in the same class as students who are enrolled in Social Studies 20-2. Although there are similar themes in the two courses, there are differences in the learning outcomes. This will impact decisions that you must make in order to differentiate for students in the two courses.

For example, in Social Studies 20-4, Related Issue 2, students are asked to address key examples regarding nationalism and ultranationalism during times of conflict, including the First and Second World Wars and internments in Canada (20-4.2f). In addition, they are asked to contemplate examples such as the Holocaust when examining ultranationalism as a cause of genocide (20-4.2g). In Social Studies 20-2, Related Issue 2, students are also asked to analyze nationalism and ultranationalism during times of conflict, including addressing causes of the First and Second World Wars and addressing conscription crises (2.8). Students in Social Studies 20-2 also address the 1932–1933 famine in Ukraine and contemporary examples of genocide resulting from ultranationalism (2.9), and they consider how the pursuit of national interest shapes foreign policy (First World War peace settlements and the interwar period) (2.6). The 20-2 examples may add richness to student conversation and understanding, but they should not be summatively assessed for students in Social Studies 20-4.

There are similarities in the Skills and Processes outcomes for both courses; however, differences exist in the complexity of the skills that students are required to demonstrate. When designing assessment tasks, it is essential to focus on the verb of the outcome to ensure that the assessment task is true to the level of cognition embedded within the outcome. When adapting 20-4 materials for a 20-2 class, it may be necessary to increase the complexity of the assessment task to align with a higher level skill.

Samples of how this adaptation plays out in an actual classroom context are provided in the Instructional Example.

Note: A full comparison of the outcomes from Social Studies 20-4, 20-2 and 20-1 can be found in Programs of Study Outcome Correlations for Social Studies 20-4, 20-2 and 20-1 .