Grade 8 – Overarching Critical Inquiry –  Japan: From Isolation to Adaptation
This overarching critical inquiry addresses the following: What lessons can we learn from the inward-looking worldview of the Edo period and the outward-looking worldview of the Meiji period?

Learn about the shift from cultural isolation in the Edo period to rapid adaptation in the Meiji period by examining a collection of images and key events on a time line in order to rank the importance of the political, social and economic changes that dramatically affected Japanese society.

Explore feudal society of the Edo period by composing and presenting a petition on isolationism to the shogun from the point of view of an assigned role; e.g., farmer, merchant, samurai, English trader. Students also assess the three most important reasons for retaining and the three most important reasons for abandoning the isolationist policy.

Explore Japan’s foreign relations by assessing the implications of proposals by American President Fillmore to open Japanese society to the international community. Students write a response to President Fillmore from the perspective of Emperor Komei.

Evaluate the effects of rapid adaptation on Japanese society during the Meiji period by writing a modern-day newspaper article and, in response, an editorial addressing the political, social, economic and cultural changes affecting Japanese society.

Investigate the worldview of either the Edo period or the Meiji period by analyzing artifacts, e.g., images, maps, documents, quotations, poems or other art forms, and selecting the five artifacts that best reflect the assigned worldview.

Consider the implications of cultural isolation during the Edo period and rapid adaptation during the Meiji period by identifying the two most important lessons for Canadian policy makers.

Grade 8 – Overarching Critical Inquiry –Renaissance Europe: Origins of a Western Worldview
This overarching critical inquiry addresses the following: How did the exchange of ideas and knowledge during the Renaissance influence the worldview of the Western world?

Learn about Medieval and Renaissance worldviews by examining examples of creative works from each era and determining the most significant change in worldviews between these two historical periods.

Consider the influence of physical geography on trade among various regions of Renaissance Europe by determining the best location for a successful trading centre.

Learn about the rise of powerful Italian city-states during the Renaissance by ranking city-states in terms of their influence in shaping a Renaissance worldview. Assessment support provided by the Alberta Assessment Consortium (AAC).

Explore major Renaissance contributions in fields such as astronomy, mathematics, science, politics, religion, art, literature, philosophy and exploration. Students prepare a presentation or a display about the impact of the most significant developments in an assigned field on the exchange of ideas, the growth of knowledge and shifts in worldviews.

Investigate the Renaissance worldview as represented in the arts, science, religion, politics, exploration and philosophy to determine the extent to which these influences have shaped their personal worldviews.

Examine the imperialist and expansionist mindset of explorers in the Age of Discovery by rewriting selected primary documents; e.g., diaries, letters, logs. Based upon their understanding of a different point of view, students create a new "authentic" document.

Learn about the influence of significant individuals during the Renaissance, e.g., Leonardo da Vinci, Ignatius Loyola, Rabelais, Christopher Columbus, by portraying an interview between an assigned historical individual and a modern-day journalist. Students also decide which three historical persons contributed most to shaping the Western worldview.

Grade 8 – Overarching Critical Inquiry – The Spanish and the Aztecs: Worldviews in Conflict
This overarching critical inquiry addresses the following: How do the Aztec–Spanish encounters help us understand the impact of intercultural contact?

Explore the effect of the clash of different worldviews by drawing inferences about the beliefs and values of ancient Aztec and Spanish conquistador societies based on a study of images. Students also hypothesize about the most likely result when these two cultures meet.

Learn about Aztec cultural beliefs and values by identifying artifacts that represent a particular element of this society’s worldview. Students also select a collection of artifacts to represent all elements of the Aztec worldview.

Learn about the imperial worldview that fuelled Spain's desire to expand by deciding on five essential items to take on a conquistador voyage and by justifying their choices in a letter or a speech.

Explore the reasons for Spanish dominance of the Aztecs by determining the relative significance of five factors that led to a final outcome. Students also create pie charts as a visual representation of the relative significance of each factor.

Grade 8 – Overarching Critical Inquiry – The Foundations of Worldview
This overarching critical inquiry addresses the following: How does the worldview of an individual and society influence beliefs and actions?

Explore one’s own worldview by completing a questionnaire on key assumptions about the world. By assessing the accuracy of this profile, students match their stated answers with their actual behaviour.

Learn to recognize contemporary worldviews by looking for clues about the implied worldview presented in selected newspaper editorials and opinion pieces.

Learn to recognize implied historical worldviews by looking for clues in traditional folk tales related to a particular country, time period or author.