Grade 8
Social Studies

What your teen is learning

Contact between peoples who view the world in different ways has shaped society. By using the historical examples of Japan, Renaissance Europe and Spanish and Aztec civilizations, your teen will examine how societies with differing cultures can affect each other when they come into contact. By exploring how people in different places and times have viewed the world, your teen will think about their own worldview. For more about Grade 8 Social Studies, refer to the program of studies.

Knowledge and Employability Social Studies
Grade 8 Knowledge and Employability Social Studies examines issues related to contact between societies with differing worldviews. Contact between peoples who view the world in different ways has shaped society. By exploring how people in different places and times have viewed the world, your teen will think about their own worldview. Examples of worldviews may be drawn from Japan, Renaissance Europe and Spanish and Aztec societies. Your teen will be provided with additional strategies for success in this Knowledge and Employability course. For more about Grade 8 Knowledge and Employability Social Studies, refer to the program of studies.

How your teen is assessed

Your teen’s learning is assessed using a variety of tools and strategies within the classroom. Ask your teen’s teacher what methods they are using. The different assessment methods tell you and your teen’s teacher about your teen’s strengths, the areas in which they might grow and how well your teen is doing throughout the course. The teacher can then change or refine their teaching plans to ensure that learning activities better meet the needs of your teen. At the end of the course, your teen is assessed and their achievement is reported so that you know if they have achieved the expected learning outcomes for their grade.

More information regarding social studies assessment is available through Assessment: Linking Teaching and Learning.

Resources to help your teen

A variety of digital and print resources from many different sources help students learn. Alberta Education reviews and authorizes many student and teacher resources that support learning and teaching in the classroom. Additionally, teachers may select, and bring into the classroom, numerous other innovative and creative resources to create rich learning experiences for your teen. Visit LearnAlberta.ca to learn more about the resources your teen may encounter.

Recommended Resources:

• Worldviews
• Embedding Critical Thinking into the New Social Studies Program
• Walking Together: First Nations, Métis and Inuit Perspectives in Curriculum
• Social Studies: Yours to Explore Video Series
• Worldviews Images Collection
• Empowering the Spirit

• What if my child needs more support to be successful?