Page 47 - Social Sciences Humanities - The Ontario Curriculum Grades 9 to 12 - 2013

Throughout social sciences and humanities courses, there are clear connections to financial literacy. Social sciences and humanities students learn the skills required to manage their personal and family finances, to be critical consumers, and to understand the ways in which larger economic factors can enhance or limit the ability of individuals and families to meet their needs. Students also explore ethical questions inherent in issues related to wealth distribution, needs and wants, and capitalist economies.
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. Teachers can use this document to plan integrated lessons focusing on financial literacy within disciplines. 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/RESEARCH SKILLS
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 emphasis in different subjects, but in all subjects, literacy needs to be explicitly taught. Literacy, mathematical literacy, and inquiry/research skills are critical to students’ success in all subjects of the curriculum and in all areas of their lives.
Many of the activities and tasks that students undertake in the social sciences and humanities curriculum involve the literacy skills relating to oral, written, and visual communication. For example, students use language to understand sources, to analyse and evaluate arguments and evidence, and to present findings in oral, visual, and written forms. In all social sciences and humanities courses, students are required to use appropriate and correct terminology and are encouraged to use language with care and precision in order to communicate effectively.
SOME CONSIDERATIONS FOR PROGRAM PLANNING
45