Shaping Our World
An inquiry to the relationship between communities, environment and natural resources and how we can share these responsibly with each other and other living things
Science: Sharing the Planet: Physical Science: Forces and Motion, Heat and Energy, Technology, and Matter: Understanding the world around us through matter, forces and energy. In the last unit we looked at cell biology, and how all living things are made of cells. In this unit we will looking at the even smaller structures that make up the universe and everything within it, living and non-living; atoms.
Social Studies: Sharing the Planet: Connections and Conflicts, Technology and Society, and Geography: Again, in the context of early modern history (1500 to 1800 AD), we will be looking at European exploration, colonialism and trade and how expansion from Europe impacted other cultures around the world. We will be looking at the main factors influencing human migration and how this causes groups, societies and nations to interact with one another (trade, cultural exchanges and international organisations). We will be exploring the concept of trade, and how trade affects the way of life of people in different parts of the world (access to resources, introduction of diseases, global spread of food crops and animals -> population growth and decline).
Literature: Sharing the Planet: Fiction and Non-fiction text that focuses on the positive and negative impacts of cross cultural meetings and/or influences. As the writing component will also examine persuasive writing, we will begin to look for bias in literature.
Writing: Sharing the Planet: So far we have looked at narrative and informational writing. Now we will look at persuasive writing and how to use facts and evidence to strengthen your argument.
Science: Sharing the Planet: Physical Science: Forces and Motion, Heat and Energy, Technology, and Matter: Understanding the world around us through matter, forces and energy. In the last unit we looked at cell biology, and how all living things are made of cells. In this unit we will looking at the even smaller structures that make up the universe and everything within it, living and non-living; atoms.
Social Studies: Sharing the Planet: Connections and Conflicts, Technology and Society, and Geography: Again, in the context of early modern history (1500 to 1800 AD), we will be looking at European exploration, colonialism and trade and how expansion from Europe impacted other cultures around the world. We will be looking at the main factors influencing human migration and how this causes groups, societies and nations to interact with one another (trade, cultural exchanges and international organisations). We will be exploring the concept of trade, and how trade affects the way of life of people in different parts of the world (access to resources, introduction of diseases, global spread of food crops and animals -> population growth and decline).
Literature: Sharing the Planet: Fiction and Non-fiction text that focuses on the positive and negative impacts of cross cultural meetings and/or influences. As the writing component will also examine persuasive writing, we will begin to look for bias in literature.
Writing: Sharing the Planet: So far we have looked at narrative and informational writing. Now we will look at persuasive writing and how to use facts and evidence to strengthen your argument.
Essential Questions
Science:
Speaking & Listening:
- What is the universe made of?
- How do I use a microscope?
- How is my understanding and view of the world different when seen from the microscopic level?
- What are ‘atoms’?
- How do ‘cells’ and ‘atoms’ play into my world?
- What is the ‘periodic table’?
- How does the ‘periodic table’ play into my knowledge of what makes up the world?
- What are the 5 themes of geography and how do they help us understand the world around us?
- Why do people move around the world and how do they interact with other groups, societies and nations?
- What is trade, why do people trade and how does trade affect our lives?
- How does point of view (narrative perspective) affect the meaning of a text (1st person, 3rd person, who the narrator is, etc ...)
- How is historical fiction differ from a traditional novel?
- What is bias and why is it important for me to be able to notice it?
- Why is it important to have strong organizational skills in a written piece?
- How does improving your vocabulary enhance your writing?
- Why is it important to support your ideas with facts and evidence?
- How can I write a persuasive piece?
Speaking & Listening:
- How are strong speaking and listening skills important aspects of understanding?
- How does discussing a text in depth with my peers enhance my own understanding of a concept/idea?
- Why is it important to be a good listener?