Page 52 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9 AND 10 | Canadian and World Studies

THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9 AND 10 | Canadian and World Studies
own choices as consumers. For all of these reasons, financial literacy is an essential component of the education of Ontario students – one that can help ensure that Ontarians will continue to prosper in the future.
One of the elements of the vision for the social studies, history, geography, and Canadian and world studies programs is to enable students to become responsible, active citizens who are informed and critically thoughtful. Financial literacy is connected to this element. In the Canadian and world studies program, students have multiple opportunities to investigate and study financial literacy concepts related to the course expectations. For example, in Grade 9 geography, students can develop their financial literacy skills when investigating Canada’s role in the trading of commodities, the use of resources, or their roles as consumers. In Grade 10 history, students investigate the impact of economic factors on the development of Canada, including how different communities responded to or were affected by these factors. In Civics and Citizenship in Grade 10, students develop their understanding of the importance of paying taxes. This course also provides students with opportunities to explore issues related to government expenditures and to analyse, in the context of issues of civic importance, how limited resources are allocated.
A resource document – The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9–12: Financial Literacy Scope and Sequence of Expectations, 2011 – has been prepared to assist teachers in bringing financial literacy into the classroom. This document identifies the curriculum expectations and related examples and prompts, in disciplines across the Ontario curriculum, through which students can acquire skills and knowledge related to financial literacy. The document can also be used to make curriculum connections to school-wide initiatives that support financial literacy. This publication is available on the Ministry of Education’s website, at www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/document/policy/FinLitGr9to12.pdf.
LITERACY, MATHEMATICAL LITERACY, AND INQUIRY SKILLS IN CANADIAN AND WORLD STUDIES
Literacy is defined as the ability to use language and images in rich and varied forms to read, write, listen, view, represent, and think critically about ideas. It involves the capacity to access, manage, and evaluate information; to think imaginatively and analytically; and to communicate thoughts and ideas effectively. Literacy includes critical thinking and reasoning to solve problems and make decisions related to issues of fairness, equity, and social justice. Literacy connects individuals and communities and is an essential tool for personal growth and active participation in a cohesive, democratic society.
Reach Every Student: Energizing Ontario Education, 2008, p. 6
Literacy instruction must be embedded across the curriculum. All teachers of all subjects ... are teachers of literacy.
Think Literacy Success, Grades 7–12: The Report of the Expert Panel on Students at Risk in Ontario, 2003, p. 10
As these quotations suggest, literacy involves a range of critical-thinking skills and is essential for learning across the curriculum. Literacy instruction takes different forms of
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