Page 296 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | Canadian and World Studies

History
Historical Significance
This concept requires students to determine the importance of something (e .g ., an issue, event, development, person, place, interaction, etc .) in the past . Historical importance is determined generally by the impact of something on a group of people and whether its effects are long lasting . Students develop their understanding that something that is historically significant for one group may not be significant for another . Significance may also be determined by the relevance of something from the past and how it connects to a current issue or event .
Related Questions*
− Why do you think that certain people or events become national symbols? (CHC2P, D3 .1)
− What criteria would you use to assess the significance of wartime legislation? Who felt the greatest
impact from such legislation? (CHC2D, B1 .4)
− What are some ways in which youth subcultures during this period were tied to the music they were
listening to? What associations were there between types of music and the values and/or behaviour
of these youth? (CHT3O, D3 .4)
− Why would religious leaders have chosen to build the Al-Aqsa mosque on the spot of the Temple
Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem? How did that decision lead to this site’s becoming one of the most contested in the world? (CHM4E, B4 .3)
Cause and Consequence
This concept requires students to determine the factors that affected or led to something (e .g ., an event, situation, action, interaction, etc .) and its impact/effects . Students develop their understanding of the complexity of causes and consequences, learning that something may be caused by more than one factor and may have many consequences, both intended and unintended .
Related Questions
− What impact did medical advances such as the development of penicillin and improvements in blood transfusions have on Canadian forces during World War II? (CHC2P, C1 .2)
− What impact did Canada’s responses to the Second Gulf War and the military mission in Afghanistan have on our relationship with the United States? (CHC2D, E3 .4)
− What role did religious conflict play in the decline of the Kingdom of Aksum? What happened to the people displaced from this society by the expansion of Islam? (CHW3M, D1 .1)
− What criteria would you use to assess the consequences of the Rebellions of 1836–37? If you were to rank the consequences, how might the order change depending on whether you were French or English, rich or poor? (CHI4U, C2 .3)
The Concepts of Historical Thinking
The four concepts of historical thinking – historical significance, cause and consequence, continuity and change, and historical perspective – underpin thinking and learning in all history courses in the Canadian and world studies program. At least one concept of historical thinking is identified as the focus for each overall expectation in the content strands of these courses. The following chart describes each concept and provides sample questions related to it. These questions highlight opportunities for students to apply a specific concept in their studies. (See page 16 for a fuller discussion of the concepts of disciplinary thinking.)
THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | Canadian and World Studies
* These questions are drawn directly from the overview charts that precede the history courses and from the sample questions that accompany many specific expectations. To highlight the continuity between the history courses in Grade 11 and 12 and those in Grade 10, and to show possible development in the use of the concepts of historical thinking over those grades, the chart includes some questions from the Grade 10 history curriculum as well.
294