WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF I MOVED TO A DIFFERENT COUNTRY?

A Grade Three Social Studies and ELA Mini Unit

Kate Kovacs, Catherine Loewen, Kathleen Steele
C & I Rationale for the Unit
Our essential question is What would happen if I moved to a different country? and we
think that this is relevant to our students because it could be a very real possibility for them, and
would help to increase their awareness about the world they live in. It also helps them make
informed decisions regarding their future (if they potentially have to move, they will have
previously participated in an engaging activity that helps them to ask relevant questions about
new cultures). Also, this will allow students to be more understanding of recently immigrated
students: the culture shock, geological and environmental differences, customs, different
understanding of citizenship, potential trauma, etc. that their peers may be facing. This will
enable students to become more accepting and more open minded about the culture they know
and other global communities.
The purpose of this unit within the course is to not only cover the Social Studies
generalized and specific learning outcomes, but to also to incorporate elements of the English
Language Arts program of studies. Students will, through this unit, explore Social Studies
concepts of citizenship, culture, and globalization and then display this research and their
accumulated ideas through English Language Arts curricular means. For example, students are
learning about Canadian culture and other countrys cultures, leading to an awareness of global
culture and citizenship (a social studies outcome), in ways that incorporates the ELA curriculum
(for example in a journal entry, students explore ideas and feelings about moving to a different
country by asking questions, talking to others, and referring to oral, print, and other media texts).
By asking students the overarching question What would happen if I moved to a different
country?, students apply their previous knowledge and understanding to a new question and
bring their own innate curiosity to a new idea. This makes the unit much more engaging than

simply presenting curricular outcomes to students and stand-and-teaching the answers. By

posing a realistic and possible scenario to students, they must envision how their lives could
change. Within the unit, we first began with what students already know: their Canadian
location, culture, language, religions, and ideas of citizenship. Our usage of a Syrian refugeewritten book introduces students to how different Canada can seem to a newcomer. Our later
lessons look at research on different cultures, and then even later students are asked to act out
or sell different countries to a potential immigrant. This makes the idea of choosing a country
to live in a realistic discussion the student must have. Our unit in itself is a deep question
because students ideas of everything they know about themselves and their culture are
challenged in these scenarios.
We envision that our mini unit will address key elements of our subject discipline
because we are examining the characteristics of different global communities (Social Studies
curriculum) while connecting personal experiences with new ideas, information, and feelings
(English Language Arts). The GLOs and SLOs that we have chosen from both the Social
Studies and English Language Arts Programs of Study were ones that we felt could be built
upon within all the lessons in our mini unit. While there is still more that our students would
have to learn about Canadian culture and the culture of different countries, we have scaffolded
their learning and have allowed for more learning opportunities that continue building upon the
same GLOs and SLOs that we have worked on during our mini unit. Our plan was to have our
mini unit address key elements of our subject disciplines by having the students learn about
elements of Canadian culture.

Key Questions
Some specific questions that we wanted to explore based upon our key question were
what would happen if someone moved to Canada?, what would happen if someone moved to
India or Peru?, what is Peru like, and what is unique about Peruvian culture?, what is India
like, and what is unique about Indian culture?, what are some key elements of Canadian

culture?, what is similar and different about Canadian, Peruvian and Indian culture?, how
would I feel about moving to a new country?, how would I adapt to a new culture?, why
would people move to a new country?, and what are ways we could discuss world issues like
the crisis in Syria in relation to our program of studies?. Based upon these questions, we
created three lessons that would cover our key question while being connected to the Social
Studies and English Language Arts program of studies and still allowing room for student voice
and interests to help shape and guide the discussions and the specific details of their
assignments.
Some knowledge and skills that we are assuming are in place would be a general
understanding of Canadian culture and identity, based upon both collectively learned
experience, and from what they learned in the Social Studies Grade 2 curriculum, as that
includes looking at rural and urban communities, as well as an Inuit, Acadian, and a prairie
community. Based upon this, the students will hopefully have some background knowledge
about researching, but this is something that we have decided we would have already
discussed with the class and that prior to this mini unit the students would have had some prior
experience within the class working on smaller research projects to ensure their learning has
been properly scaffolded. In regards to previous knowledge from English Language Arts, we
would be continuing to build on the general outcomes that the students have been working on
since Grade 1 such as listening, speaking, and writing to explore thoughts, ideas, and feelings.

Connection to Program of Studies

Our critical inquiry question or overarching question was What would happen if I moved
to a different country? While exploring this question, we focused on Social Studies and English
Language Arts programs, although this could be examined from a Science perspective, a
Drama perspective, a Mathematics perspective, or within many other countries.

The Social Studies GLOs and SLOs we used to direct our main basis of inquiry was:

Social Studies: 3.1: Students should understand and appreciate geography, language and
culture of Ukraine, India, Peru, and Tunisia.
Social Studies: 3.2: Students will appreciate, and understand the role of Canadian Citizens in
relation to communities in India, Tunisia, Ukraine and Peru.
Social Studies: 3.1.2: examine the social, cultural, and linguistic characteristics that affect
quality of life in communities in other parts of the world by exploring and reflecting upon the
following questions for inquiry: -what determines quality of life -how does daily life reflect quality
of life in communities - what are the traditions, celebrations, stories and practices in the
communities that connect people to the past and to each other. - How does access to public
services affect the communities?-how is identity reflected in traditions, celebrations, stories and
customs in the communities? -how is cultural diversity expressed within each community?
Social Studies 3.1.1: Students will appreciate the similarities and differences in communities:
Demonstrate an awareness of an interest in the beliefs, traditions and customs of groups and
communities other than their own.
Social Studies 3.1.3: Examine the geographic characteristics that shape communities in other
parts of the world by exploring and reflecting upon:- Where on a globe/map are the communities
in relation to Canada?- How does the physical geography influence the human activities within
the community?
Social Studies: 3.1.1: Students will appreciate the similarities and differences in communities:
Demonstrate an awareness of an interest in the beliefs, traditions and customs of groups and
communities other than their own.
Social Studies: 3.2.2: Explore the concept of global citizenship by reflecting on:
-How are the rights, responsibilities and roles of citizens around the world the same or
different than those of Canadian citizens?
The English SLOs we used to direct our main methods of inquiry were:
English: 1.1: Connect prior knowledge with personal experiences with new ideas and
information in oral, print, other media texts.
-Explore ideas and feelings by asking questions, talking to others and referring to oral,
print, and other media texts.
English: 1.2: Clarify and Extend: ask for the ideas and observations of others to explore and
clarify personal understanding
English: 1.2: experiment with arranging and recording ideas and information in a variety of
ways.
English: 2.1: Attend to and use knowledge of capitalization, commas in a series, question
marks, exclamation marks, and quotation marks to read accurately, fluently, and with
comprehension during oral and silent reading.
English 3.2: locate answers to questions and extract appropriate and significant information
from oral, print and other media texts or use card or electronic catalogues to locate information
English 3.2: ask topic-appropriate questions to identify information needs.
English 3.3: list significant ideas and information from oral, print and other media texts
English: 3.4: assess the research process, using pre-established criteria
English: 4.1: Edit for complete and incomplete sentences

By placing students in groups for the projects we allowed for them to utilize their
strengths to enhance the project and the learning process for all students in the group. We also
emphasized using class discussion to give students the time they need to think about their
answers and to accommodate those diverse learners. Throughout all three lesson plans we
have provided various formative assessments for students to prove what theyve learned.
These formative assessments take the form of journal entries, snowball fights, class
discussions/brainstorms, think/pair/share, KWL sheets, checklists, jigsaw activities, exit slips,
and whiteboard activities. Since students will have learned about Indigenous cultures in Grade
2, connecting Canadian culture to Indigenous knowing during the first lesson would not be
difficult to build into the lesson.

The resources we used included:

Stepping Stones: A Refugee Familys Journey by Margriet Ruurs
This picture book provides the perspective of a Syrian family who has moved to Canada. This
book can help students draw similarities between their life and a immigrant students life. It
includes Arabic writing so that both forms of language and literacy is included in the discussion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJY38cVh3oo&feature=youtu.be
This resource will be used to review how to use iMovie with the students (should know the
basics from previous classes). It is a good refresher for students and can trigger memories
about iMovie that they might need to operate the program.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsw8EXuefuY
This is a video where kids answer What is the best country in the world? This resource is
useful to our unit because it helps students understand which kinds of interview questions or
answers are useful for gaining valuable information. By leading a discussion on what can be
improved in this type of interview, it gives students a chance to understand what is vital.
http://www.aculpeca.com & http://www.kids.nationalgeographic.com
These websites were provided for students who were researching Peru. The resources allowed
students to start their research process with reputable websites about Peru.
http://kidswebindia.com & http://www.kids.nationalgeographic.com
These websites, like the aforementioned websites, were provided for students who were
researching India. These resources allowed students to start their research process with
reputable websites about India.
Research-Directing Worksheet (Found at the bottom of lesson 2)
This worksheet is a resource we created to help direct our students focus while completing
research. By giving something to assist research, we ultimately teach students what is
necessary when examining a new topic.

Worksheet for the Final Video Project (Found at the bottom of lesson 3)
This worksheet, checklist, and guided question/answer is a resource we have created to to
assist our students with successfully completing all components of the assignment. The
checklist will help students to stay on task, while the guided question/answer sheet helps to
keep them organized.

Mini Unit Reflections- Curriculum and Instruction

Catherine Loewen - Reflection
The goal in all three lessons in the mini unit was to have students learn and appreciate
different global communities by weaving together aspects of both the Social Studies and English
Language Arts Programs of Study by looking at the question what would happen if I moved to
another country?
The overarching question that was chosen allowed students to reflect on their own
experiences and use the knowledge they would gain about other countries to guide their
predictions. The sub-questions that were raised such as, what are Peruvian and Indian
communities like? will give students the chance to reflect upon their experiences in Canada
and how Canada compares with Peru or India. By raising these questions, there is also the
hope that we are creating a curiosity in the students to explore many different global
communities that are not covered within the Social Studies Program of Study.
Since it is very probable that students will either move to another country or meet
someone who has moved from another country at some point in their life, this project allows for
students to appreciate the differences and similarities between their native country and the other
country. This would give students the opportunity to gain a better understanding of people who
come from a country different from their own. As this question is so relatable to students lives, it
is important not to focus too much on the curriculum-as-plan, but to incorporate curriculum-aslived, as Aoki (2005) puts it, so that students can bring their own experiences into the
classroom. I think that because this lesson incorporates students experience and research that
connects new information to the prior knowledge possessed that these three lessons will have a

deeper impact on student learning and be more meaningful because of that connection to their
lives outside of the classroom; the personal and past experiences of each child will work with
the curriculum to increase the childs growing development (Dewey, 1902).
In every lesson we used class discussion as a formative assessment in some way, this
creates a community within the classroom and gives students the opportunity to contribute their
ideas to that community. While creating our three lesson plans, we envisioned the class
discussions working to enhance the positive learning environment of the classroom by building
upon that community. We also wanted students to feel comfortable to contribute to this
community and so used strategies that would reaffirm students (such as using think/pair/share).
Through the connection that students feel within that community and the positive learning
environment, students will be more deeply engaged with the material because they are having
fun, likely becoming more memorable for the students.
Through our key question, what would it be like if I moved to another country? students
will explore their personal experiences, thoughts, and feelings while connecting it with new
knowledge in all three of our lessons. We hoped that students would come away with the
knowledge regarding the cultures and communities of Canada, Peru, and India, which will,
hopefully, drive their curiosity and acceptance of others in other parts of the world.

References:
Aoki, T. (2005). Curriculum in a new key: The collected works of Ted. T. Aoki. Eds. Pinar, W.,
Irwin, R., Mahwah; New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Association.
Dewey, J. (1902/1990). The child and the curriculum. In J. Dewey, The school and society.
The child and the curriculum (pp. 181-209). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Curriculum and Instruction Reflection for Mini Unit
Kathleen Steele

We began creating our mini unit by starting with our overarching question, What would
happen if I moved to a different country? and then we started to explore other questions that
related to the English Language Arts and Social Studies program of studies. After we found
some key questions that related to the two program of studies, we started to create the
individual lessons, and ensured that we scaffolded the students learning within the mini unit, as
well as within each individual lesson.

We have allowed the students to explore the topic themselves through the use of
research projects, and discussions which creates opportunities to include the curriculum as lived
within our lessons, and mini unit entirely. I think that this would be beneficial for our students
because it allows them to explore different elements of Canada, India, and Peru, which not only
covers the program of studies, but also explores the key questions. Majority of the lesson we
designed revolves around student engagement through the use of discussions, journal writing,
and group research projects. There is minimal lecturing involved, which should allow for
increased student engagement throughout the mini unit plan. Also, the topic of our mini unit
would help with student engagement because this could potentially be a real world scenario for
them, or have been something they have already experienced within their lives.

Curriculum and Instruction Reflection: Kate Kovacs

The nature walk we took in Curriculum and Instruction really helped me figure out how to
conceptualize a potential question for a mini unit. Because we began searching for a question
organically (through our own personal curiosity), I believe our planning process was also natural
and lead us down an organic path on how to provoke deeper understandings from our students.
Our overarching question, What would it be like if I moved to a different country? sounds like it
could be very simple, but the more you think about what that might all entail, the more you
realize you dont know. Thus, by connecting our question to general Social Studies topics or

outcomes on what changes might occur for an individual when moving, regarding culture,
citizenship, geography, and language, we brought curricular outcomes to an organic question.
Then, we explored these topics creatively through English Language Arts means. This meant
we were able to combine two seemingly opposing curriculums into something meaningful for our
students to explore. Then, we were able to scaffold knowledge and understandings deeper and
deeper: first we asked students to explore personal topics, self knowledge, and Canadian
culture. Then we had students complete research into what they didnt know. Finally, in a
summative performance task, we used these previous two lessons to ask students to apply
what they had learned and came to understand by drawing them back to the overarching
question. This full-circle, cross-curricular examination of the topic allow students to develop full
personal understandings of what culture, citizenship, language and geography can mean in a
global environment and ultimately allow students to understand and appreciate diversity to a
greater extent.
Our lessons are designed to enhance student engagement by allowing students to
explore their own ideas in varying manners based on Social Studies topics. For example, lesson
one allows students to creatively journal a story based on realistic experiences of moving TO
Canada. Then, lesson two allows students to work together in groups (groups created based on
their strengths and interests) to research new topics. Finally, students are permitted to act out
an interview dialogue in which they wrap together all these items. By creating learning
experiences in various methods (visual, written, oral, auditory) many senses and learning
preferences are engaged throughout all lessons. This allows lessons to come alive for students,
creating curriculum-as-lived (Aoki, 2005). Finally, we believed the over-arching question
appealed to students in itself as they will most definitely meet someone from another country at
some point (or might even have a Syrian refugee in their class, making the first lesson
invaluable to understanding each other as a community). Finally, we made sure to include lots
of class discussion within our lessons as this can open up students to different points of views

and perspectives. This also helps create a classroom environment wherein students will feel
comfortable discussing confusion around ideas, allowing students to come to their own
conclusions on topics rather than having a teacher tell them what to think as was demonstrated
in the Scholar Academic style ideology of teaching.

References
Aoki, T. (2005). Curriculum in a new key: The collected works of Ted. T. Aoki. Eds. Pinar, W.,
Irwin, R., Mahwah; New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Association.

Evaluation/Assessment Rationale
Questions 1&3:
Each formative assessment ensures students are grasping the concepts and ideas being
presented in each lesson. All of the concepts and ideas from each lesson will be used in the
final performance task to evaluate student learning of all the concepts with regard to the GLOs
and SLOs found in the Social Studies and English Language Arts Programs of Study. For
example, our first lesson formative assessment ensured all students fully grasped the topics we
wanted them to: If they were slightly unclear on some aspects, this would be addressed and
clarified at the beginning of lesson two where we started with a snowball fight to assess what
students had remembered. Following this, we had a discussion to fill the gaps in knowledge
recognized from the previous lesson and the snowball fight, which was also used to formatively
assess the classs knowledge. This solidification of information ensures students have a solid
basis upon which to begin to connect ideas in lesson two where we then discuss NEW cultures
and communities. By scaffolding upon what the students have already demonstrated a learning
of, our inquiry into new cultures can lead to deeper knowledge. Following this second lesson,
we again assess what students have retained by using an exit slip. By examining the answers
within these exit slips, we can see how information has been processed by students. Again, a
discussion solidifies this. All of this learning comes together and thus scaffolds in the final
project where students are asked to demonstrate their learning over the past two days. By
building on knowledge, students have all the materials they need to complete the assignment
and thus are set up for success.
Question 2:
Fairness: We wanted each student to start from the same place (as much as possible) so we
used the formative assessment to scaffold student learning so that every student has the skill to
complete the final summative performance task. We also allowed for accommodation for our
students so that everyone has an equal (fair) chance to complete the final performance task.
Reliability: We provided students with a clear rubric and went over what was expected of them
in terms that the students could understand clearly and completely. We have tried to eliminate

any potential systematic error by ensuring that we have clear instructions and directions and
triple checking grammar/spelling to prevent extraneous issues.
Validity: We made sure to not assess the students on how well they filmed the video, or on their
acting skills because that is not part of the curriculum, and therefore it wouldnt be a valid
assessment. Since we have scaffolded the students learning in regards to the lesson plans and
the formative assessments, and since the assessment will include content and research they
have done in previous classes, there shouldnt be an issue with content validity. We attempted
to ensure a low degree of consequential error by allowing using students strengths when
creating groups. We also included a lot of space on worksheets for students to elaborate on
answers in lessons 1 and 2 so that the material is easily accessible and clear for lesson 3 and
the performance task. To ensure a high degree of concurrent validity we would consult another
teacher to look at our rubric and, ultimately, the entire project.

Note for Keith: We tried to make our inclusion of formative and summative
assessment opportunities obvious by bolding these instances within lesson
plans. Also, following the lesson plan charts, we usually include a brief
description of how these formative pieces are useful to scaffolding knowledge.
Our reflection is meant to focus on the summative performance task within
lesson 3. Each lesson was cross-curricular so our reflection is a group-effort.
Finally, our rubric for the performance task is at the very end.

LESSON ONE
Kate, Catherine, Kathleen
Grade: 3

Activity: Coming to Canada (Combining both English and Social Studies blocks)
Key Question: What would happen if I moved to a different country?

General Outcomes:
English: 1.1:
-Connect prior knowledge with personal experiences with new ideas and information in
oral, print, other media texts.
-Explore ideas and feelings by asking questions, talking to others and referring to oral,
print, and other media texts.
English: 1.2:
-Clarify and Extend: ask for the ideas and observations of others to explore and clarify
personal understanding

English: 2.1:
Attend to and use knowledge of capitalization, commas in a series, question marks,
exclamation marks, and quotation marks to read accurately, fluently, and with comprehension
during oral and silent reading.
English: 4.1
Edit for complete and incomplete sentences
Specific Outcomes:
Social Studies 3.1.2:
-examine the social, cultural, and linguistic characteristics that affect quality of life in
communities in other parts of the world by exploring and reflecting upon the following questions
for inquiry: -what determines quality of life?
-how does daily life reflect quality of life in communities?
-how is identity reflected in traditions, celebrations, stories and customs in the
communities?
-how is cultural diversity expressed within each community?
Goals: Students will have an increased understanding of varying
perspectives of newcomers to Canada, and will gain a better
understanding of Canadian culture.
Objective:
Students will be able to explore feelings and ideas by asking questions
about different cultures and connect this to prior knowledge of personal
experiences to create a synthesis of global understanding. Students will
also be able to examine factors that influence quality of life in
communities in other parts of the world while beginning to explore
Canadian culture and identity.

Pre lesson Considerations:

Lesson overview of main ideas to be learned and pre-learning
required:
-understanding a definition of culture
-understanding what happened in Syria/what refugees are
-what kind of form does a journey entry take?
-discuss what two stars and a wish looks like and how in depth it should
be
Materials needed/preset up required/logistical considerations
needed (seating arrangement):
-Stepping Stones: A Refugee Familys Journey by Margriet Ruurs
-journal for students to write in
-carpet/reading space

Content:

Introductio
n
Time Est.
25 to 30
minutes.

What is the teacher doing?

What are the students doing?

Review what culture is as

class--(the beliefs, customs,
arts, etc. of a particular society,
group, place or time. A way of
thinking and behaving)

Sitting in desks, participating in

think, pair, share.

(Using a think, pair, share

hopefully turn that into a
discussion to expand upon the
topic and their learning, but if
the class isnt being talkative
ask questions and use popsicle
sticks to call on students)
(FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT)
- assessment for learning
Discussion on Syria: where it
is, include map, what is
happening in Syria, why are
Syrian refugees moving to
Canada?
Ask students to individually
think of one thing that they

Answering questions in the

discussion on Syria.

Students will think of something

that Syrian refugees would find
new and interesting about

think Syrian refugees would

find new and interesting about
Canada
Choosing students one by one
(pick those who are sitting
quietly) to the reading circle for
a read aloud of Stepping
Stones: A Refugee Familys
Journey by Margriet Ruurs with
the class.
Ask student to turn to a partner
and discuss if their one idea
(mentioned above) came up in
the book, what did they learn,
and what do they still want to
know (and possibly discuss if
time still allows).

Canada.

Students will move to reading

circle on carpet from desks for the
read aloud, when they are chosen
for being quiet.

Students will discuss with a

partner whether or not their idea
came up within the book, while
still sitting in the reading circle.

Teacher will be writing point

form responses on the board.
(FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT)
Transition
consideratio
ns

Activity 1
(add more if
needed)

Time Est.
20 minutes.

Pick students sitting quietly to

return to their desks from the
reading circle for the next
activity.

Moving from the reading circle to

their desks when called.

Debrief about the book: ask

questions in class discussion,
ex.:
-What was this like for the main
character? The whole family?
-What was their biggest
challenge?
-How did the war change their
life?
Ask about what Canadian
culture look like? Is there
something you can think of that
is unique to Canada? (Have
students work in table groups

Students sitting quietly,

attentively, thinking and
responding to questions asked by
the teacher.

to complete a mind map about

what they think the key
characteristics of Canadian
culture are)
After the mind map is complete,
each table can share their
answers, the teacher can
create a Wordle, and the class
can discuss similarities and
differences between each mind
map.
Transition
consideratio
ns
Activity 2

Time Est:
30 Minutes

One student from each table will

grab chart paper and a marker for
the mind map. Students will then
work on completing the mind map
activity and participate in the
discussion.

Call attention back to the front,

ask students to get their
journals out.

Students will refocus and get out

their journal.

Ask students to take into

consideration what topics were
discussed in the book and the
ideas that the class came up
with in the discussion and the
Wordle. Ask students to use
these thoughts to influence a
journal entry based on fictional
narrative about them moving to
Canada if they were from
another country.

Students will think about the class

discussion, the book reading and
the Wordle and begin planning
out what their journal entry will
look like.

As they are writing, walk

around and answer questions
and determine (FORMATIVE
ASSESSMENT) if they
understand the question.
Once their journal entry is
written, have a peer edit it for
grammar, spelling, confusion.
Partner peers based on who
finishes their draft at the same
time. Peers will provide two
stars and a wish when editing.

Write journal entry at desk quietly.

Ask questions when needed.

Participate in peer editing with

next people done by giving two
stars and a wish for their partner.
Make changes after peer editing
while waiting for teacher formative
assessment.

After peer edit, have them bring

it to the teacher to be checked
over (through this, do a quick
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
on whether they understood
what being introduced to
another country would be like).
Ask students to make peer
recommended changes to their
journal if they waiting for
teacher

Conclusion
-

How will
you know if
students
learned what
you hoped?

Connections
to next
lesson

Ask students to do a
think/pair/share based on the
story/discussion/journaling that
resonated with them.
Each pair can share one of
their ideas with the class after
calling on the pair
(FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT)
Inform class that since today
they looked at a few aspects of
Canadian culture and
citizenship, the next day in
social studies they will explore
a few key aspects of culture
and citizenship in another
country.

Make final changes as approved

by teacher.

Students will pair up with the

person sitting beside them and
share ideas that resonated with
them from the story/class
discussion/journal. Students will
then be called upon to give one
idea that they came up with in
pairs.

Assessment:
- Pre-discussion regarding understandings of culture (helps teacher determine what
students know and what needs to be revisited/retaught)
-formative assessment by teacher after reading the book and listening to
questions/answers provided in discussion.
- listening to answers from think/pair/share (assessment for future learning)
- Peer edit to formatively assess grammar/spelling, etc
- Teacher edit to formatively assess whether students fully grasped concepts or not
- Think/pair/share- to formatively see where students are at regarding what was learned.
Accommodations/Modifications:
-no accommodations or modifications would be necessary, unless there is a student who needs
a scribe for their journal, as majority of the lesson is group based

LESSON TWO
Kathleen Steele, Kate Kovacs, Catherine Loewen

Grade: 3 Social Studies

Activity: Exploring Other Countries Research Project
(Combining English and Social Studies blocks)
Key Question: What would happen if I moved to another country?
General Outcomes:
3.1: Students should understand and appreciate geography, language and culture of Ukraine,
India, Peru, and Tunisia.
Specific Outcomes:
English 3.2: locate answers to questions and extract appropriate and significant information
from oral, print and other media texts or use card or electronic catalogues to locate information
English 3.3: list significant ideas and information from oral, print and other media texts
English: 3.4: assess the research process, using pre-established criteria
Social Studies 3.1.1: Students will appreciate the similarities and differences in communities:
Demonstrate an awareness of an interest in the beliefs, traditions and customs of groups and
communities other than their own.
Social Studies 3.1.2: Examine the social, cultural and linguistic characteristics that affect
quality of life in communities in other parts of the world by exploring and reflecting upon:
- what are the traditions, celebrations, stories and practices in the communities that
connect people to the past and to each other.
- How does access to public services affect the communities?
- how is cultural diversity expressed within each community?
Social Studies 3.1.3: Examine the geographic characteristics that shape communities in other
parts of the world by exploring and reflecting upon:
- Where on a globe/map are the communities in relation to Canada?
- How does the physical geography influence the human activities within the
community?
Goals: Students will demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of the geography,
language and culture in both India and Peru, and compare this to the geography, language and
culture of Canada.
Objective: Students will understand the culture (eventually leading this into a discussion of
rights, responsibilities and roles) of citizens in communities (Peru and India) and explore the
similarities and differences between those communities and Canada. This will be done by
demonstrating their research in a written manner and by discussing ideas orally. By completing
a jigsaw activity at the end, students can fill in gaps of knowledge.

Pre lesson Considerations:

Lesson overview of main ideas to be learned and pre-learning required:

-culture of Canadian citizens and the definitions (Brainstorming session with class) [Not all
students start at the same place so a foundation is needed for scaffolded learning and offers a
good opportunity to engage students in the material.]
-Need technology to complete research
-Research Skills: Understand how to research topics (what information is reliable? What
information is important?) This will have been covered in previous classes.
Specific websites will be provided for students to use for their research
Materials needed/preset up required/logistical considerations needed (seating
arrangement):
Technology (e.g. Laptop from cart)
Seating arrangements: Students will sit at their regular tables until directed (by teacher) to move
into pre-determined groupings.
Pre-determined jobs for groups based on strengths of students (e.g.
researcher [strong technological abilities], recorder [strong writing
abilities], group supervisor [strong leadership skills], Illustrator [strong
creative abilities to depict research])
Checklist for students to complete while researching

Content:

Introduction
(how will you
engage students?
Connections to
previous
learning?)

Time
estimation: 20
minutes

What is the teacher

doing?
Include Key
questions, logistics,
key concepts that
will be addressed,
methods of formative
assessment

What are the

students doing?

Psychological
Defense

-Greet students as
they come in for
class in the morning
and ask about
students favourite
part of the weekend.

-Greeting teacher and

each sharing (if
wanted) their
favourite part of the
weekend.

-Want students to feel

included in classroom
(Maslows Hierarchy
safety and
belongingness). Allows
students to transition
back into the classroom
environment in an
engaging way.

-Connect back with

previous lesson
where we looked at
moving to Canada:
Remind them about
the wordle we
completed as a class
and the mind-maps

-Students will think

about the previous
lesson

that were created.

Remind them we
were talking about
what it is like to move
to a different country.

- students will take out

a piece of paper and
write an idea from the
- Have each student
previous class, then
take out a piece of
crumple it up. Then,
paper and pencil and students will throw
write down one idea
them across the room
of what they
until the teacher gives
remember about
them a time warning to
Canadian culture from find a piece of paper.
our previous class.
Find a piece of paper
and hold onto it until
-Have a snowball fight otherwise instructed.
(crumple up paper,
have them throw the
papers at each other
for 15 seconds, give
them a time warning
to find another piece
of paper, and then
bring attention back to
the front with a bell).
- read snowball aloud,
-Class brainstorm,
participated in class
based on their
discussion based on
snowballs, with
this.
students the culture
of Canadian citizens
and define those
terms. Students
should be
responding because
they all have a
snowball paper so
everyone has a
chance to contribute.
(FORMATIVE
ASSESSMENT)
- think about question
Pose a dichotomous
posed by the teacher,

-participating in the
snowball fight will allow
for students to recall
previously learned
information helping with
the process of moving
the information into
students long-term
memory.

-Brainstorming the
rights, responsibilities,
and roles to develop a
foundation for every
student to build upon
(Vygotskys scaffolded
learning). We are also
engaging students with
this activity through
their participation in
class discussion, which
activates the
phonological loop to
help students fill out
KWL sheet in Activity 1.
-Writing down their
question helps ease
the load on their

question that students

can think about or
even jot down: What
would happen if YOU
moved to another
country?
-How would these
rights, responsibilities
and roles change?

possibly jot answers

down in their social
studies notebook if
they cant hold onto
their answer.

-determining groups
because students do not
follow the same rate of
development and thus
have different strengths
and skills, by not
revealing the group
members until they are
supposed to organize
themselves, we prevent
a disruptive transition
and still have the
students attention while
doing the snowball fight
and the class
discussion.
-Reading the groups
aloud will activate the
students phonological
loop and having the
groups written on the
board will activate
students visuo-spatial
sketchpad as well as
reducing working
memory load.

-Tell students about

their pre-determined
groups (either India or
Peru) and roles within
groups of five(ish).
Have groups on a
smart presentation
where we can
uncover the list of
names and roles
down. Read the
names and roles
aloud and unpack
what these roles
mean (group leader,
recorder, researcher,
illustrator, with two
researchers per
group)

Transition
consideration
s
Time est: 3-4
minutes

Activity 1
(add more if
needed)

Time est:

phonological loop so
that they can focus on
other instructions.

Ask class to tidy up

following the
snowball fight.
Assemble into
designated groups.

Clean up the
classroom, organize
selves into groups.

Modelling smooth
transitions, which are
essential for classroom
environment.

- (FORMATIVE
ASSESSMENT)
Find out what
knowledge of

-Students will work

together in their
assigned groups to fill
out KWL sheet (1 per

-KWL sheet provides

opportunity to recall
and recognize previous
learning. This activity is

10 minutes

Peruvian/Indian
culture students
already possess with
1 KWL sheet per
group based on their
assigned groups.
- Explain that
whatever is on their
W section of KWL
Sheet is can help to
direct their research
in their group.
(For example, what
do they eat, do for
entertainment, what
are their houses or
cities like, what is
their school like, do
they learn the same
things we do, what
does their country
look like?)

Transition
consideration
s
Time est: 5 min

Ask the group leader

for each group to
come get 5 planning
sheets: this includes
the research
instructions and
planning
guide/checklist,
which will help direct
their group activity.
Ask designated
leader to get laptop
from laptop cart and
return to group for
further instruction.
After done, call
attention back to the
front by clapping
(clap once if you can
hear my voice, clap

group) about
Peruvian or Indian
culture.
-Students will fill out
K and W portion of
KWL page and revisit
the L portion if time
permits at the end.

-Attentively listening
to instructions and
asking any necessary
question to complete
their group KWL
sheet.

Leaders of group will

get planning sheets for
their group, the
researchers will get
laptops from cart while
other members of the
group gather materials
for their job (i.e.
illustrator gets pencil
crayons)

-Students will refocus

their attention on the
teacher once duties
are done.

a formative
assessment for
learning; allows teacher
to revisit material that is
not clear so students
have strong starting
point.
-Encourages interdevelopment because
students must work
together to complete
the KWL sheet, which
allows them to scaffold
their own learning.

-Handing out written

instructions will reduce
working memory load
-Asking only one
student from each
group minimizes chaos
in the classroom
environment
Modelling smooth
transitions, which are
essential for classroom
environment.

twice)
Activity 2

Time Est:
1 hour (to be
continued the
next day if
needed)

As a class, go over
the planning guide in
detail (the specifics
of what kind of
information students
should be searching
for). To keep the
classs attention,
choose popsicle
sticks to have
students read a
certain section of the
planning guide.
Ask if there are any
questions.
Allow students to
start researching.
Roles and instructions
for roles will be
written on the board:
The group leader will
be ensuring that each
section of the
checklist has been
researched and that
people are on task,
the researchers will
be researching, and
the illustrator will draw
a picture that
summarizes and
represents the
research about their
country, and the
recorder will be
writing down the
research on the
provided worksheet in
the checklist blanks.

Pay attention to
planning sheet:
students who are
chosen will read
aloud a section of the
guide.

Ask questions if
unsure.

Begin working on the

research, with each
student working on
their own specific role
that has been
designated for them.

Students will

-Popsicle sticks keeps

students on task and
attentive, creating a
calm and observant
classroom environment
-Reading the planning
guide aloud will activate
students phonological
loop.
-Group roles written on
board will reduce
working memory load.

-By giving students the

planning guide, we are
directing their research
and supporting their
learning (Vygotskys
Zone of Proximal
Development)

Group leader and

illustrator can assist
with the other roles as
needed.
At the end the entire
group will fill out the
lined sheets at the
end by writing full
sentences on the
research they came
up with.
Teacher will give
students time
warnings based on
how much time is left
in the activity.

complete research
based on fill in the
blank activities,
paying attention to
time warnings given
by teacher.

As students finish
their research earlier,
students will fill out
their last KWL box as
time permits. (L box)

-By letting students

participate in a jigsaw
activity they are
recalling the information
that they have learned
quicker so that there is a
better chance of the
information being put
into their long-term
memory.

When the research,

checklist
(FORMATIVE
ASSESSMENT),
and illustrations are
completed, the
groups are done.
They may fill in the
rest of their KWL
sheets as time
permits or if they
finish earlier than
some groups.

When all groups are

finished (time cues
of 10 minutes, 5
minutes, 1 minute
will be given), Peru
research groups will
be matched with
India research
groups to do a
jigsaw activity based

This will help students

tie together what they
have learned. It helps
with their short term
memory to reconnect
back to what they knew,
wanted to learn and now
have learned. Part of
this includes recalling
what they just
researched.

Students, when done

research, will
participate in jigsaw
activity, comparing
and contrasting what
their country is like
based on their
checklist answers and
other research done.
They will take notes

Students will take notes

on the opposing country
to ensure that
information is accurately
recorded and accessible
if/when it is forgotten
from their working
memory. Furthermore,
writing the notes by

Transition
Consideration
s:
Time est: ~1
min

Conclusion
-

How will you

know if
students
learned what
you hoped?
Connections
to next lesson

on what was
discovered. Students
will take notes on the
opposing country.
(FORMATIVE
ASSESSMENT) Teacher will be
listening to what the
students have found
with their research)

to ensure they will

remember the
information.

Teacher will use bell

at front of room to
bring students
attention back to the
students

Students attention
will be brought from
their research back to
the front of the class

The bell will refocus

students attention on
the teacher and
instructions that the
teacher may be giving
next. This creates a
non-disruptive learning
environment.

As part of a debrief,
the teacher will ask
the class if there
were any favourite
facts they discovered
when completing
their research.
(FORMATIVE
ASSESSMENT)
Ask:
-what do you still
wonder about this.

-Students will respond

to the teacher with any
favourite/interesting
facts that they
discovered while
completing their
research.
-Students will respond
with something that
they still wonder about.

- debriefing with the

students will allow them
to transfer the
information that they
have just learned into
their long-term memory
by recalling the
information that they
have learned.

EXIT SLIP
(FORMATIVE
ASSESSMENT):
To draw a
connection to the
subsequent class,
ask students to find
one similarity and
one difference
between Peru and
India (that they just

Students will complete

an exit slip, by writing
(or if needed can be
produced orally) their
answers down and
handing it in to the
teacher. This activity
connects to the
previous lesson and

hand will help students

remember the
information better.

By drawing connections
between previous
learning, current
learning, and future
learning topics, students
will develop a more
holistic view of what is
being discussed in
school. This relates to
scaffolding learning, an
idea posed by Vygotsky.
Through explorations

discussed in the
jigsaws), and then
compare to Canada.

ties into the next

lesson.

like this, students begin

to understand where
topics like global culture
can fit in their own lives.
By understanding the
topic in this way, they
are using deep
processing which
hopefully allows
students to store
learning like this in their
long term memory. By
asking students to
compare the different
cultures (Peru, India,
and Canada), we are
activating the third level
(strategic thinking) of
Webbs Depth of
Knowledge.

Assessment: Teacher will complete formative assessment as listening to students questions

and assessing the group cooperation and quality of information found. The jigsaw at the end will
look at how thoroughly the students learned information about their respective groups and the
quality of note taking will demonstrate ability to learn new topics. Exit slip allows teacher to
understand if the students were able to achieve the kind of synthesis of ideas that the teacher
was attempting to convey: this will allow students to connect previous ideas on how Canadian
citizenship and culture compares to that of Peru and India. Then in the next lesson, this
information will be scaffolded and lead up to the summative assessment.
Accommodations/Modifications: Although some students might want to work alone, we will let
them know that their role within the group is crucial to the integrity of the project and that their
role is something that they can make their own. If students need help writing their answers for
their exit slip the teacher may help them (scribe) or the student can produce his/her answer
orally.
Extension and extra time activity: If completed very early, students to do more research on
other topics they can think about for their country. Brainstorm on this. Ensure illustration job is
completed in a meaningful and accurate way.

India/Peru Group Activity: Research Write-Up

Country Name:
Group Members:
CHECKLIST:
In your provided groups, you will be looking at different aspects of life within
India or Peru. The group leader can use the checklist provided to ensure

that all components of the research has been completed. There are boxes
provided for the recorder to use when writing down the research.
Good websites to look at:
PERU:
aculpeca.com
Kids.nationalgeographic.com
INDIA:

kidswebindia.com
kids.nationalgeographic.com

CHas
Research Checklist: Please
ensure these topics or
questions are addressed in
your write-up.
Where it is on a map?

How does geography affect

climate and access to water?
How does geography affect
transportation?
Language(s) spoken.

Religion(s).

Customs/Traditions.

Stories from country.

What are schools like?

Please use full sentences and complete

to ensure all information is available for
write-up

What are hospitals like?

What are houses like?

What is the government like?

TO DO AS A GROUP: Please use these following pages to record your groups research about
your country. Use full sentences and be as detailed as possible. Dont forget to include
everything on the checklist and work together as a team. On the last page is a blank sheet to be
used for your illustration about your country.
____________________________________________________________________________
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____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

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____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
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____________________________________________________________________________
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____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
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____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
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____________________________________________________________________________
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Lesson 3 Communications Technology Rationale:

By incorporating an iMovie into a project where students are tying together information
they have researched on Canada, India, and Peru, the students will have a fun and engaging
way to collaborate and scaffold their knowledge. Because they already have the information
they need to use in this iMovie project, this class or lesson will be about using the conveniences
and benefits of technology to present this knowledge in an accessible way. Although it can be
difficult to teach students how to use a new technological device or application, we have
accounted for this in our lesson. We will also play on the strengths of our students to help each
other answer questions rather than abandon each other to figure it out alone. By keeping our

task simple (an interview format), there is less editing for students to do: the main focus is on
the information they are presenting. Their learning will ultimately be enhanced by this because
there are less distractions or problems they should run into, and the format is a fun and openended way to demonstrate learning.
It is very important to make sure to assess where students skill levels are at regarding
usage of the iMovie. By including a refresher video at the beginning of the class, we help
students remember how to use this application. We also have included a video presentation to
provoke students thoughts on what a good interview might look like. This example will allow
students to excel in this. Students are also told to ask another group if they have any questions
BEFORE asking the teacher. This ensures they become partners in each others learning and
builds community strength. The teacher will need to ensure iPads are booked for this class
(based on the assumption that the school has iPads). If iPads are not available, laptops will also
suffice. This is one of the downsides of incorporating technology: technology might not always
be available. Thus, a lesson like this really depends on the school itself and what kind of funding
and support it has. I think this technology itself will be engaging and self motivating enough to
get the students very excited about the project: the idea of having them acting while creating a
video covers many of the bases. Furthermore, for this project we will have pre-determined the
groups based on roles and will have already considered which students work together, which
are responsible enough to handle the usage of technology, etc.
Although we already explained some possible technological problems above, another
issue that might come up is technological problems in itself. For example, if some of the iPads
arent working on that day, if a students project accidentally isnt saved, etc. Although a problem
like this would throw a big kink in plans, it is possible that groups could work together to make
up for the damage done if a project is lost. Also, because the projects are being marked on the
evidence of learning, this evidence is already clear in the students planning. Therefore if
students work together to create the video, their ideas and evidence is already on paper.

LESSON THREE
Kate, Catherine, Kathleen
Grade: 3
Activity: Beginners Guide to Moving to Canada, India, or Peru
(Combining both English and Social Studies blocks)
Key Question: What would happen if I moved to another country?

General Outcomes:
Social Studies: 3.1: Students should understand and appreciate geography, language
and culture of Ukraine, India, Peru, and Tunisia.
Social Studies: 3.2: Students will appreciate, and understand the role of Canadian
Citizens in relation to communities in India, Tunisia, Ukraine and Peru.
Specific Outcomes:
Social Studies: 3.1.1: Students will appreciate the similarities and differences in
communities: Demonstrate an awareness of an interest in the beliefs, traditions and customs of
groups and communities other than their own.
Social Studies: 3.1.2- Examine the social, cultural and linguistic characteristics that
affect quality of life in communities in other parts of the world by exploring and reflecting upon:
- what are the traditions, celebrations, stories and practices in the communities that
connect people to the past and to each other.
- how is cultural diversity expressed within each community?
Social Studies: 3.1.3: Examine the geographic characteristics that shape communities
in other parts of the world by exploring and reflecting upon:
- Where on a globe/map are the communities in relation to Canada?
- How does the physical geography influence the human activities within the
community?
Social Studies: 3.2.2: Explore the concept of global citizenship by reflecting on:
-How are the rights, responsibilities and roles of citizens around the world the same or
different than those of Canadian citizens?
English: 1.2: experiment with arranging and recording ideas and information in a variety
of ways.
English 2.1: Attend to and use knowledge of capitalization, commas in a series,
question marks, exclamation marks, and quotation marks to read accurately, fluently, and with
comprehension during oral and silent reading.
English 3.2: ask topic-appropriate questions to identify information needs.
English: 4.1: Edit for complete and incomplete sentences

Goals: Students will understand how different countries may have similar
overarching ideologies while having many minute differences between
cultures.
Objective: Students will be able to tie together their understandings of
various countries and cultures: How are Canada, Peru, and India similar
and how do they differ? Students will understand difficulties in moving to
a new country while also exploring how it is sometimes beneficial to move
somewhere else.

Pre lesson Considerations:

Lesson overview of main ideas to be learned and pre-learning
required:
-How to use iMovie (learned in previous classes, refresher video at the
beginning of class)
-Research and knowledge about Canada, India, and Peru (learned in
previous 2 lessons)
-What does a good interview look like? (Video and discussion during
introduction)
Materials needed/preset up required/logistical considerations
needed (seating arrangement):
-Access to iPads
-Pre-determined groups (separated based on Peru/India groups, also on
technological strengths and who does/doesnt work together well in a
group)

Content:
What is the teacher
doing?
Include Key questions,
logistics, key concepts that
will be addressed, methods
of formative assessment

Introductio
n (how will you
engage
students?
Connections to
previous
learning?)

Time
estimation: 20
minutes

Students will begin sitting at

their usual tables. Teacher
will hand out whiteboards (1
per table) and will ask
students to discuss and
choose one thing they
remember about X (Canada,
India, Peru, respectively)
culture, country, location, etc
from their research. Groups
will write one thing at a time
on their whiteboards and then
hold up. Teacher will look at
these boards and say them
aloud, mentioning what is
right/wrong/partially
correct/gaps in knowledge.

What are the students doing?

Students will participate in a

whiteboard activity: each table will
discuss and then write down one
thing they remember about Peru,
Canada, and India, respectively.

This is a FORMATIVE
ASSESSMENT that connects
previous learning to what will
be done in this class. It also
helps students back up each
others knowledge and helps
the teacher recognize where
there are gaps in knowledge.
If there are gaps, after the
game, ask probing questions
like Who, from the Peru
group, can tell me about if
there are any kinds of religion
practiced in India? etc.
-Review how to use iMovie
with the students (should
know the basics from
previous classes) using this
video.
https://www.youtube.com/wa -Will review how to use iMovie by
tch?
watching the video.
v=tJY38cVh3oo&feature=yo
utu.be
-Watch Kids Answer What
is the best country in the
world?
https://www.youtube.com/wa
tch?v=wsw8EXuefuY
-Will watch and be engaged in the
Kids Answer video.
-Ask students questions
about the Kids Answer
video such as: (have kids
discuss question in table
group for 1 minute, inform
-Participate in the teacher led
them that each table has to
discussion about the video (working
share)
with table group, finding one answer
per table)
- did they all name countries?
-do you think the kids did a
good job of explaining why a
country was the best?
-what could they have done

differently with their

answers?
This will ensure students
understand what is expected
by the questions and
answers connected to the
following project: Students
will understand how to give
fully fleshed out answers.
Transition
consideratio
ns

Activity 1
(add more if
needed)

Time est:
15 minutes

Provide students with predetermined groups (two

students that previously
studied Peru, and two that
studied India. Fifth student
will be assigned depending
upon whether or not the
group will need a stronger
addition for the Peru or the
India research. Groups will
also include students who
are stronger at reading,
writing or speaking to assist
their classmates who might
struggle in these areas) and
ask them to get into their
groups.
Bring attention back to the
teacher with clapping (If you
can hear me clap twice)

Students will receive their predetermined groups, join up and wait

for further instruction.

Ask 1 student from each

group to come up and take
assignment instruction
sheets for the rest of their
group.

1 student from each group will take

assignment instruction sheets for the
rest of their group.

Teacher will go through

instructions with students
before beginning task and will
answer any questions to
clarify the project.

Students will go through instructions

with teacher before beginning task.
Will ask any necessary questions for
clarity.

Class will also go over and

discuss the rubric upon
which students learning will
be (SUMMATIVELY)
measured. Teacher will
describe or show ways in
which students can achieve
excellence. By presenting a
poor example as well,
teacher will have students
discuss how this example
could be improved. Teacher
will be sure to go over how
to read fluently with
appropriate intonation,
rhythm, and pace.
Students will work together in
their groups to create a
script for an interview video
that they will be creating.
Script will include 6 studentmade questions that will be
asked about each country
(Canada, Peru, & India) with
answers describing and
selling each country to the
interviewer who will be asking
the questions.
Questions will be based on
the research that students
conducted in previous lesson
Questions should be posed
as, If I were to move to
(country name) what would
the ______ be like?
Questions should be openended to elicit thoughtful
answers
Ex. If I were to move to India,
what would the religion be
like?/ what kind of customs
do they have?

Students will participate in a

discussion around the rubric upon
which they will be marked. They will
examine examples of excellence and
discuss how poor examples can be
improved. Students will also discuss
what they might need to include in a
great project.

After instructions have been made

clear, students will work together in
their groups to create a script for
the interview video that they will be
creating.
-Students will work as a group
to come up with 6 questions
that they will be asking about
each country (Canada, Peru,
& India) using the knowledge
they gained from the research
performed in the previous
lesson
-After creating the 6 questions
they will be asking, students
will come up with answers to
each of the 6 questions for
each of the 3 countries that
will describe and sell the
country they are talking about
to the interviewer.

(FORMATIVE
ASSESSMENT) After the
script has been made,
students will bring their
script to the teacher to have
their questions approved
Teacher will be looking for the
accuracy of questions and
answers
The depth of the knowledge:
Are they using their research
to analyze and compare the
different countries?
Are their questions looking
for answers longer than a yes
or no?
It is up to the student to make
teacher-guided changes to
their script to achieve
excellence on this project.
After their script is approved
(FORMATIVE
ASSESSMENT), students
may take an iPad and begin
making their video interview
either in the library (if they
can work independently) or in
the classroom.
Transition
consideratio
ns

Activity 2

Time Est:
40 minutes

Students will take an iPad

after having their scripts
approved and will go to work
in the library or classroom to
create their interview video.
Teacher will be a facilitator
and guide for students
making their interview
videos.
Walk around (in classroom
and library) to ensure
students are on-task
Answer any questions that

Once they are finished their script,

students will take it up to the teacher
for approval. If their script is
approved students will receive an iPad
and work in either the library or
classroom to complete their video
interview project.
If student script is not approved
students will make changes (changes
offered by teacher will guide students
to excellence but it is up to the student
to make these changes) and take an
iPad to work either in the library or
classroom to complete their video
interview project. Students may ask
any further questions of the teacher
while completing changes to their
script.

Students will receive an iPad after

their scripts have been approved
and will stay in the classroom or
move to the library to work on their
video creation.
Once students are in their
workplace, they will decide which 3
students would like to act as
ambassadors for a country (Peru,
India, & Canada), which student will
be the interviewer, and which student
will be filming the interview.
The interviewer is a potential

will clarify the project for the

students
Answer any questions that
come up when using iMovie
or iPad after they have asked
at least one other group for a
solution.

When groups finish their

interview video they will
return to the classroom and
hand in their iPads with the
video interview saved and
their scripts.

immigrant and will be asking the 6

questions that the students came up
with in their groups to each of the
ambassadors
Ambassadors will answer the
questions that the interviewer asks
(using the answers they came up in
their groups). Their goal will be to
sell their country to the interviewer
so that the interviewer wants to move
to that country.
The person filming will be in charge of
filming the interview, keeping in mind
techniques they have previously
learned (e.g. heads & tails)

After students finish filming their

interview they will return to the
classroom and hand their iPad with
their interview saved and their
scripts, to the teacher to watch at the
end of class or next day.
If there is time left over and groups
are still working, students will silently
read until all groups have finished or
until the end of class

Students will silently read

until all groups have finished.

Conclusion
-

How will you

know if
students
learned what
you hoped?
Connections
to next
lesson

If all groups finish their video

interviews and there is time
left over, teacher will plug
iPads into the SMARTboard
(or available technology) for
students & teacher to watch
video interviews as a class.
If there is no time at the end
of the class then time will be
set aside the next day to
watch video interviews.

If all groups finish their video

interviews and there is time left over,
the teacher will plug iPads into the
SMARTboard (or available
technology) for students & teacher to
watch video interviews. If there is no
time at the end of the class then time
will given during next days class to
watch the video interviews.

Exit slip (For teacher

reflection): students will fill
out a card stating 1 thing
they liked about the project
and 1 thing they found
difficult about it.

Students will fill out a card stating 1

thing they liked about the project and
1 thing they found difficult.

All videos will uploaded to

class blog or website so that
the teacher has a place to
review the videos to
SUMMATIVELY mark them.

Assessment:
This summative performance task will include many opportunities for formative assessment
(assessment for learning scaffolds up to this summative assessment).
Formative assessment will include:
The introduction whiteboard activity that helps students recall information and helps teacher fill
in the gaps of learning
By discussing the rubric, students will know what is expected of them, thus they will plan their
assignment based on the end goals in mind
The group scripts will be checked by the teacher to ensure the right kinds of questions and
answers are being addressed
The teacher will answer any questions along the way about the filmmaking process or the
scripts, thus assessing what students understand
Summative assessment will include:
The final video product and scripts, assessed based on a rubric previously discussed with the
class. (found at the bottom of this lesson)
Accommodations/Modifications:
We chose groups based on who has researched India and Peru: we made sure to have at least
two students who researched each country to ensure there are experts in each group. Groups
were also designed with students strengths in mind (ie if one student is not great at writing and
spelling, there are others who are great at this within the group.
If students prefer to plan on the computers, the performance task will posted on the class
website/blog.
Extension and extra time activity:
Students who have finished early will read silently to themselves until all groups have finished or
until the teacher instructs them otherwise.

Beginners Guide to Moving to Canada, India or Peru

Johnnys family will be moving from England to a new country at the end of
the school year and hasnt decided yet between Canada, India or Peru.
You have been hired by Johnnys family to make a video that helps them
learn more about each country in the form of an interview.

Within each group, find a member who wants to be:

An ambassador for Canada
An ambassador for India
An ambassador for Peru
An interviewer
A videographer (Filmer)
Remember, the ambassadors and the interviewer want to help Johnny and
his family make the best choice. Try to make a strong case for Johnnys
family to move to your country (Think about using cultural appreciation to
show this! What is awesome about your country?)

The videographer must remember the key components and techniques of

filmmaking that we previously talked about in class (minimal shaking,
heads and tails, etc.).
After your roles have been decided, your group must come up with six
questions for the interview, and the answers for these questions. Use full
sentences with proper sentence structure.

Question 1 to ask Indian, Peruvian, and Canadian Ambassadors:

____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Question 2 to ask Indian, Peruvian, and Canadian Ambassadors:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Question 3 to ask Indian, Peruvian, and Canadian Ambassadors:
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

Question 4 to ask Indian, Peruvian, and Canadian Ambassadors:

____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________

Question 5 to ask Indian, Peruvian, and Canadian Ambassadors:

____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Question 6 to ask Indian, Peruvian, and Canadian Ambassadors:
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

Peru Answers to:

Question 1:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Question 2:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Question 3:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Question 4:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Question 5:

____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Question 6:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________

India Answers to:

Question 1:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Question 2:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Question 3:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Question 4:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________

Question 5:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Question 6:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________

Canada Answers to:

Question 1:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Question 2:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Question 3:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Question 4:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Question 5:

____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Question 6:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________

Use the checklist provided to help your group create the best project you can.

My Group Has:

Fill Out/Check When

Completed

Found an ambassador for India, Peru, and

Canada

India:____________
Peru:____________
Canada:___________

Found a videographer (filmer)

Videographer:___________

Found an interviewer

Interviewer:____________

Wrote out our six questions (with proper

sentence structure and full sentences) and
had them checked by a teacher
Wrote out our answers for each country
(with proper sentence structure and full
sentences) and had them checked by a
teacher
Practiced script out loud before filming
Filmed and edited the video of the interview,
keeping in mind the techniques we

studied
Handed in the completed video and our
original questions and answers

RUBRIC FOR MARKING ASSESSMENT TASK

Level

Excellent

Proficient

Adequate

Limited *

Student questions

Student questions

Student questions

Student Questions

Insufficient /
Blank *

Criteria
Questions
regarding
Peru, India,
and Canada

( SS 3.1.2,
3.1.3 & ELA
3.2)

No score is awarded

show an excellent

show a good

show an adequate

show a poor

because there is

understanding

understanding

understanding about

understanding about

insufficient evidence

about Peruvian,

about Peruvian,

Peruvian, Indian,

Peruvian, Indian,

of student

Indian, and

Indian, and

and Canadian

and Canadian

performance based

Canadian

Canadian

communities

communities

on the requirements

communities

communities

of the assessment
task.

(You asked
questions that all
allowed for more
than one answer
and generated
excellent

(You asked

(You asked no

(You asked

questions that

questions that

questions that

sometimes

allowed for more

mostly allowed

allowed for more

than one answer

for more than one

than one answer

and generated little

answer and

and generated

responses)

responses)

generated good

some responses)

responses)

x2*
Answers
regarding
Peru, India,
and Canada

( SS 3.1.2.,
3.1.3)

Student answers

Student answers

Student answers

Student answers

No score is

show an excellent

show a good

show an adequate

show a poor

awarded because

understanding

understanding

understanding about

understanding about

there is insufficient

about Peruvian,

about Peruvian,

Peruvian, Indian,

Peruvian, Indian, and

evidence of student

Indian, and

Indian, and

and Canadian

Canadian.

Canadian

Canadian

communities.

communities.

communities.

performance based
on the requirements
of the assessment

(You gave an
(You gave an

(You gave a good

adequate response

excellent

response to the

to the questions)

response to the

questions.)

task.
(You gave a poor
response to the
questions)

questions.)

x2
Creating a

Students

Students

Students

Students

No score is awarded

case for

demonstrate

demonstrate good

demonstrate

demonstrate poor

because there is

immigration

excellent cultural

cultural

adequate cultural

cultural appreciation

insufficient evidence

appreciation

appreciation

appreciation through

through a positive

of student

through a positive

through a positive

a positive outlook

outlook and poor

performance based

outlook and

outlook and

and somewhat

case for immigration

on the requirements

compelling case

thoughtful case

thoughtful case for

to Peru, India, and

of the assessment

for immigration to

for immigration to

immigration to Peru,

Canada.

task.

Peru, India, and

Peru, India, and

India, and Canada.

x1

Canada.

Canada.

Sentence
Structure

Students always
demonstrate
attention to
sentence structure
and grammar
throughout the
video.

Students
generally
demonstrate
attention to
sentence structure
and grammar
throughout the
video.
(You generally
used full sentences
and correct
grammar)

Students
occasionally
demonstrate
attention to
sentence structure
and grammar
throughout the
video.
(You occasionally
used full sentences
and correct
grammar)

Students rarely
demonstrate
attention to sentence
structure and
grammar throughout
the video.

Speak with good

fluency, rhythm,
pace, and with
appropriate
intonation to
emphasize key
ideas throughout
the video.

Speak with
adequate fluency,
rhythm, pace, and
with appropriate
intonation to
emphasize key
ideas throughout the
video.

Speak with poor

fluency, rhythm,
pace, and with
appropriate
intonation to
emphasize key ideas
throughout the video.

(SS 3.1.1)

(ELA 2.1, 4.1)

(Full
sentences
and correct
grammar)
x1
Oral Fluency
(4.3)
(Use effective
oral and
visual
communicati
on)

(You always used

full sentences and
correct grammar)

Speak with
excellent fluency,
rhythm, pace, and
with appropriate
intonation to
emphasize key
ideas throughout
the video.

No score is
awarded because
there is insufficient
evidence of student
performance based
on the requirements

(You rarely used full

sentences and
correct grammar)

of the assessment
task.

No score is
awarded because
there is insufficient
evidence of student
performance based
on the requirements
of the assessment

task.

x1

*These categories have been doubled in weight because they cover the key concepts that the 3
lessons have most heavily focused on (Social Studies Program of Studies) and generally have
more outcomes within.