GRADE 10 CIVICS
Welcome to Civics!
"I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all of mankind."
-Former Prime Minister John Diefenbaker-
Course Overview
Unit 1 - Issues and Ideas - 20 hours
The first unit of civics focusses on the basic ideas and issues of democratic government and citizenship. Students will consider democracy as a means of problem solving, resolving conflicts and making decisions from both a personal and conceptual perspective. Through simulations, independent research and collaborative learning, students will gain a moral background to what it means to be a democratic citizen.
Click here to view the Unit 1 outline.
Unit 2 - Canadian Context - 20 hours
The second unit focusses on the structure of Canadian democracy in terms of its governments, courts and law enforcement. Students will gain an understanding of the levels of government in Canada as well as the legal traditions of its judicial system. Students will engage with civic issues concerning criminal justice by studying case studies from both the past and present.
Click here to view the Unit 2 outline.
Unit 3 - Global Perspectives - 15 hours
The final unit focusses on the promotion of democracy in a global context. Students will engage with current issues that affect the world and develop democratic solutions to these problems using critical thinking and research skills.
Click here to view the Unit 3 outline.
Welcome Message ~ September 2011
This will be your virtual classroom for the coming months as you discover what it means to think globally and act locally. In an interactive, web-based learning environment you will experience ways of becoming more informed about democratic rights, responsibilities and powers. It is our expectation that each of you will become more active in your local, national and global communities upon completion of this course.
Since this will be almost entirely an online course, your first assigned "homework" is to bookmark this page and make a point of checking it regularly. You also need to create a Google account if you do not have one already to access and use
This will be explained in more detail in the first assignment, but if your keen to register right now you can use your HSC email (i.e. first.last@hsc.on.ca).
Website Tour...
In the menu bar above you will find some links to important corners of this website. The Calendar will include important dates and events related to the course; this will be updated monthly. The Handouts section will include course and unit outlines, as well as helpful resources for assignments. The Units are broken into three and will be themed as such. Each unit has modules that include assignment tasks and rubrics; the concept of modules is explained in the course outline. Weblinks will be updated as the course unfolds with useful online resources and cool links. Last but not least, the Contact section includes a "Biopoem" of myself as an exemplar for the first assignment, email(s) and office hours.
You will also use