Modern Studies Learner journey

S1(BGE) / Learning Intention / Success Criteria – learners will be able to; / Planned Homework activities / Ways to Support Learning at Home / Assessment
Living in a Democracy / Describe the main features of a democracy /
  • Describe the powers that each level of government – council, Scottish, UK and European – are in control over.
  • Research and describe some beliefs held by the main political parties in the UK.
  • Describe the characteristics of a good political representative.
  • Use the above to work in groups to take part in a mock election campaign.
/ 1. Research to find out who their councillors, MSPs, MP and MEPs are and which party they are in. / Encourage pupils to be aware of current affairs by reading newspapers and watching TV news regularly. / End of unit assessment
‘Describe’ stem knowledge questions in National 4 and National 5 exam.
Passport of Skills
  • Taking Responsibility
  • Managing, Planning, Organising
  • Communicating
  • Working with others

Living in a Democracy / Explain the ways we can participate in democracy /
  • Explain how and where they are represented in politics
  • Offer their own political opinions on a range of current issues and be able to explain what this means for their place on the political spectrum
  • Explain the various ways people can participate in politics in the UK
/ 1.
Research an existing petition from a petition website and be able to explain its intention. / Ask them to explain their opinions regularlyon current affairs as they arise.
Encourage them to get involved in politics if they are interested – e.g. by joining a political party. / End of unit assessment
‘Explain’ stem knowledge questions in National 4 and National 5 exam
Passport of Skills
  • Taking Responsibility
  • Communicating

Living in a Democracy / Learn to use graphical sources to make conclusions /
  • Draw broad conclusions from 4 graphical sources relating to UK democracy.
/ Use any sources of information at home (e.g. in newspapers) as prompts to draw conclusions from. / End of unit assessment
‘Conclusions’ skill questions in National 4 and National 5 exam.
Passport of Skills
  • Managing, Planning, Organising
  • Communicating

Living in a Democracy / Learn to use sources to make and justify decisions /
  • Make and justify a decision on whether or not to introduce compulsory voting in the UK using 4 sources of information as evidence.
/ Regularly ask them to rationally justify their opinions or decisions they make. / End of unit assessment
‘Options’ skill questions in National 4 and National 5 exam
Passport of Skills
  • Managing, Planning Organising
  • Communicating

Living in a Democracy / Learn to be able to detect bias and exaggeration in sources / Use 3 mock newspaper articles on the government’s health performance to state whether each one is biased or not and be able to select source evidence as proof of this. / Use newspapers to encourage pupils to spot bias or exaggeration. / End of unit assessment
‘Support and Oppose’ skill questions in National 4 and National 5 exam
S1 / Learning Intention / Success Criteria – learners will be able to; / Planned Homework activities / Ways to Support Learning at Home / Assessment
The Developing World / Describe what is meant by the developing world /
  • Identify where in the world the developing world is.
  • Be able to describe what we mean by the term ‘developing’.
  • Research online using the UN Human Development Index to identify a number of specific developing countries and developed countries and be able to locate them on a map.
/ Encourage pupils to be aware of current affairs by reading newspapers and watching TV news regularly. / End of unit assessment
‘Describe’ stem knowledge questions in National 4 and National 5 exam.
Passport of Skills
  • Taking Responsibility
  • Managing, Planning, Organising
  • Communicating
  • Working with others

The Developing World / Explain the problems faced by developing countries /
  • Research online using the UNICEF website to compare a range of ‘development indicators’ between the UK and a developing country of your choice.
  • Explain some of the problems faced by developing countries.
  • Explain some of the causes of these problems.
  • Develop their understanding of the trading disadvantages faced by developing countries.
/ Ask them to explain their opinions regularlyon current affairs as they arise. / End of unit assessment
‘Explain’ stem knowledge questions in National 4 and National 5 exam
Passport of Skills
  • Taking Responsibility
  • Communicating

The Developing World / Learn to use graphical sources to make conclusions /
  • Make broad conclusions from 2 graphical sources relating to the developing world.
/ Use any sources of information at home (e.g. in newspapers) as prompts to draw conclusions from. / End of unit assessment
‘Conclusions’ skill questions in National 4 and National 5 exam.
Passport of Skills
  • Managing, Planning, Organising
  • Communicating

The Developing World / Learn to use sources to make and justify decisions /
  • Make and justify a decision on whether or notto continue with or reduce the current levels of foreign aid the UK gives to developing countries using 3 sources of information as evidence.
/ Regularly ask them to rationally justify their opinions or decisions they make. / End of unit assessment
‘Options’ skill questions in National 4 and National 5 exam
Passport of Skills
  • Managing, Planning Organising
  • Communicating

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