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Global Schools Program Grade 9

Secondary

Description

Students will examine topics related to women's rights and gender equality through literature. Using these literary portrayals of women, students will explore gender inequality as it exists at the local, national, and global levels. Finally, students will design, implement and present a project based on what they have learned.

The unit consists of five lessons:

  • Looking Towards Literature: How are Women are Portrayed in a Global Context 
  • Analyzing Literature: How are Women Portrayed in Their Community 
  • Learning From Literature: Current Reality of Women in the Community 
  • Designing a Project to Address Gender Inequalities 
  • Implementing a Project based on what they have learned

 

General Assessment

What skills does this resource explicitly teach?

The lessons provide opportunities for students to practice and strengthen those skills associated with analyzing and sharing information, and creating and implementing a strategy to enlighten others and advocate for a particular cause.   

Strengths

The lesson has the strengths associated with the guided inquiry approach to learning in adopting a framework that strikes a balance between teacher direction and student activity. It also includes suggestions for students to reflect on what they have learned and to act on their newly acquired understandings of an issue that is critical to building a more sustainable society.

Recommendation of how and where to use it

The struggle for women's rights is found in a number of history courses, in courses on civics, in any study of the larger issue of human rights and as noted in this review may be included in literary studies.

Relevant Curriculum Units

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        • Social Studies 10 -Canada and the World: 1914 to the Present: Historical and contemporary injustices challenge the narrative and identity of Canada as an inclusive, multicultural society
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        • Explorations in Social Studies 11: Social justice initiatives can transform individuals and systems
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        • Social Justice: Individual worldviews shape and inform our understanding of social justice issues.
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        • Citizenship and Sustainability: Area of Inquiry: Social Justice and Human Rights
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        • World Issues 120: Humanity
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        • Art and Design3200: Creating, Making, and Presenting
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        • Equity, Diversity, and Social Justice (Workplace Pre.) Equity, Social Justice, and Change
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        • Canadian History 621A: Justice
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        • The Roots of Society: Interdependence & Interaction
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        • Social Studies 20: World Issues -Human Rights
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        • Social Studies 10 -Canada and the World: 1914 to the Present: Historical and contemporary injustices challenge the narrative and identity of Canada as an inclusive, multicultural society
    • Grade 11
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      • Social Studies
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Explorations in Social Studies 11: Social justice initiatives can transform individuals and systems
    • Grade 12
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Social Studies
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Social Justice: The causes of social injustice are complex and have lasting impacts on society

Themes Addressed

Human Rights (1)

  • Gender Equality

Sustainability Education Principles

Principle Rating Explanation
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives Good

The unit starts with the assumption that gender inequality has been and is a social reality and sets up a framework wherein students investigate that reality locally and globally, currently and historically. Each of the lessons identifies specific goals intended to enlarge student understanding of this reality. The lessons reject a didactic approach that would have teachers tell students of this reality in favor of an inquiry approach in which students, guided by focused questions, discover for themselves the evidence of gender inequality.

Consideration of Alternative Perspectives:
  • Satisfactory: absence of bias towards any one point of view
  • Good: students consider different points of view regarding issues, problems discussed
  • Very good: based on the consideration of different views, students form opinions and  take an informed position
Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions Good

Gender inequality has prevented societies from realizing the full benefits of greater female participation in the economy. Some may also argue that the environment might also benefit from a strengthening of the matriarchal elements in our society. These issues are not pursued directly in the resource but may be addressed by students with appropriate guidance from teachers.

Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions:

Effectively addresses the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the issue(s) being explored.

  • Satisfactory: resource supports the examination of  these dimensions
  • Good:  resource explicitly examines the interplay of these dimensions
  • Very Good:  a systems-thinking approach is encouraged to examine these three dimensions
Respects Complexity Good

The guiding questions suggest something of the depth of the student inquiry. Students are asked to consider what major social and historical forces have shaped the rise of women's rights; how are women represented in literature? what are the underlying power structures and cultural values that define the treatment of women in your society?

Respects Complexity:

The complexity of the problems/issues being discussed is respected.

Acting on Learning Very Good

Lesson 4 asks students to design a project to address gender inequalities and lesson 5 provides direction for implementing their project. 

Acting on Learning:

Learning moves from understanding  issues  to working towards positive change — in personal lifestyle, in school, in the community,  or for the planet

  • Satisfactory: action opportunities are included as extensions 
  • Good: action opportunities are core components of the resource
  • Very Good: action opportunities for students are well supported and intended to result in observable, positive change
Values Education Very Good

Any study of gender inequality will cause students to consider issues of fairness, justice, morality and the values they attach to these. 

Values Education:

Students are explicitly provided with opportunities to identify, clarify and express their own beliefs/values.

Empathy & Respect for Humans Good

One may expect that at the conclusion of the unit, students will have a greater understanding of women's struggle for equality and that understanding should contribute to increased empathy and respect for those engaged in that struggle. 

Empathy & Respect for Humans: Empathy and respect are fostered for diverse groups of humans (including different genders, ethnic groups, sexual preferences, etc.).
Personal Affinity with Earth Poor/Not considered
Personal Affinity with Earth:

Encourages a personal affinity with -the natural world.  

  • Satisfactory: connection is made to the natural world
  • Good: fosters appreciation/concern for the natural world
  • Very Good: fosters stewardship though practical and respectful experiences out-of-doors 
Locally-Focused Learning Good

Lesson 2 introduces students to a consideration of the representation of women literature in a variety of settings while lesson 3 asks that they make the link from that broad investigation to the realities faced by women in their communities. The action elements also require students to share their study with the local community.

Locally-Focused Learning:

Includes learning experiences that take advantage of issues/elements within the local community. 

  • Satisfactory: learning is made relevant to the lives of the learners
  • Good: learning is made relevant and has a local focus
  • Very Good: learning is made relevant, local and takes place ‘outside’ , in the community 
Past, Present & Future Very Good

The lessons move students from an examination of the historical struggle for women's rights to a consideration of the current position of women in their communities and concludes with the presentation of projects designed to inform others of this struggle and to advance the rights of women.

Past, Present & Future: Promotes an understanding of the past, a sense of the present, and a positive vision for the future.

Pedagogical Approaches

Principle Rating Explanation
Open-Ended Instruction Good

In lessons 1-3, student inquiry into the issue of gender equality is guided by a series of open - ended questions that have them examine the portrayal of women in literature and the status of women in their local community. Students discuss their views in small and whole groups which allows for an exchange of perspectives. Each lesson also concludes with a final reflection that encourages students to think about what they have learned from their own efforts and from hearing the views of others.

Open-Ended Instruction :

Lessons are structured so that multiple/complex answers are possible; students are not steered toward one 'right' answer.

Integrated Learning Good

The student investigation into the portrayal of women in literature has relevance for Language Arts. The struggle for women's rights has students examine the historical record. That struggle also touches upon issues of ethics/morality. The different options available to students to "get the message out" following their study provides opportunities for students in the creative arts such as music, drama and visual arts

Integrated Learning:

Learning brings together content and skills  from more than one  subject area

  • Satisfactory: content from a number of different  subject areas is readily identifiable
  • Good:  resource is appropriate for use in more than one subject area
  • Very Good:  the lines between subjects are blurred 
Inquiry Learning Good

Each of the lessons includes "Essential Questions" that are intended to guide student study. These are quite open-ended and allow students to generate more specific questions that must be considered into addressing the larger questions.

Inquiry Learning:

Learning is directed by questions, problems, or challenges that students work to address.   

  • Satisfactory: Students are provided with questions/problems to solve and some direction on how to arrive at solutions.
  • Good: students, assisted by the teacher clarify the question(s) to ask and the process to follow to arrive at solutions.  Sometimes referred to as Guided Inquiry
  • Very Good:  students generate the questions and assume much of the responsibility for how to solve them.  . Sometimes referred to as self-directed learning.

 

Differentiated Instruction Good

Student activities include literary investigations, small and large group discussion, presentation of student findings, freewriting, reflection, and art productions of their choice.

Differentiated Instruction:

Activities address a range of student learning styles, abilities and readiness.

  • Satisfactory:  includes a variety of instructional approaches
  • Good: addresses  the needs of visual, auditory &  kinesthetic learners
  • Very Good: also includes strategies for learners with difficulties
Experiential Learning Good

The student use of primary source readings is in keeping with the principles of experiential learning as is their efforts to analyze gender inequality in their neighbourhood. Taking their message to the community as outlined in lessons 4 and 5 provides practical experience creating and delivering that message and measuring the effectiveness of their efforts. 

Experiential Learning:

Authentic learning experiences are provided

  • Satisfactory: learning takes place through ‘hands-on’ experience or simulation
  • Good: learning involves direct experience in a ‘real world context’
  • Very good: learning involves ‘real world experiences’ taking place’ beyond the school walls.
Cooperative Learning Good

The lessons include numerous opportunities for pair share and whole group share, gallery walks, and sharing of artistic creations.

Cooperative Learning:

Group and cooperative learning strategies are a priority.

  • Satisfactory:  students work in groups
  • Good: cooperative learning skills are explicitly taught and practiced
  • Very Good: cooperative learning skills are explicitly taught, practiced and assessed
Assessment & Evaluation Good

Each lesson includes an assessment suggestion and these range from the formative -classroom discussion, monitoring group discussions - to the summative - mini posters, final reflections, art projects. 

Assessment & Evaluation: Tools are provided that help students and teachers to capture formative and summative information about students' learning and performance. These tools may include reflection questions, checklists, rubrics, etc.
Peer Teaching Good

The lessons encourage a great deal of student interaction from small and large group sharing of individual findings and perspectives as well as the exchanges that are expected to occur as part of the gallery walks and the student presentation of their art works.

Peer Teaching:

Provides opportunities for students to actively present their knowledge and skills to peers and/or act as teachers and mentors.

  • Satisfactory: incidental teaching that arises from cooperative learning, presentations, etc.
  • Good or Very Good: an opportunity is intentionally created to empower students to teach other students/community members. The audience is somehow reliant on the students' teaching (students are not simply ‘presenting')
Case Studies Good

Opportunities for case studies emerge with the study of the literary portrayal of women, the study of leaders in the struggle for women's  rights and in the consideration of local women who serve as inspiration for others. 

Case Studies:

Relevant case studies are included.  Case studies are thorough descriptions of real events from real situations that students use to explore  concepts in an authentic context.

Locus of Control Good

The teacher establishes the framework for each lesson by identifying the goals of the lesson and by outlining the essential questions that are to guide student study in that lesson. Once these parameters have been established the lesson is largely given over to student activities.

Locus of Control: Meaningful opportunities are provided for students to choose elements of program content, the medium in which they wish to work, and/or to go deeper into a chosen issue.