Assessment Assignment

ECUR 325
Philip Braun
Society Analysis Project – Grade Nine, Outcome IN9.1 – Explain what constitutes a society.

 Your job – analyze and outline a society answering the question: What constitutes a
society? This analysis may take the form of a past or present society, one that we have
studied or a different society of your choosing, or if you so choose, the creation of your
own fictional society. Your analysis should explore and highlight important societal
features such as: goals, needs, roles (within institutions, expectations of roles),
institutions, etc. You may use a society that you have previously researched in your
groups or on your own.

 Possible Societies to study…

 Your representation – you may choose to represent your findings in a number of ways:
through a presentation (this can be in the form of PowerPoint, video, or other), a written
paper explaining their findings, a poster, picture, painting, or drawing, or through the
creation of a map representing the societies layout and essential qualities. Other ideas for
project representation are also encouraged. A date will be set for projects to presented (if
relevant) or displayed for the class to see.

 Possible representation ideas…

 Your grading – you will be graded according to a rubric that is co-created with the
teacher.
Assessment Explanation

The purpose of this unit is to have students understand what a society is, and the

components of a society based on the learning outcome IN9.1 – Explain what constitutes a

society; hitting on the indicators:

(a) Relate the functions and services of institutions in the community (e.g., schools, churches, local governments,
parents, Elders, traditional knowledge keepers) to the needs of the people in that community.

(b) Investigate the roles of individuals in the institutions of the local community, including the expectations attached to
those roles (e.g., school: student, principal, teacher, caretaker, secretary; hospital: doctor, nurse, traditional healer,
receptionist, paramedic, medical technician, patient).

(c) Research a list of characteristics and attributes that formulate a definition of a society.

(e) Apply the definition of society to one of the civilizations studied, and detail ways in which the civilization meets the
criteria to be considered a society (e.g., How can Mesopotamia be called a society according to the formulated
definition? Would Aboriginal groupings of the plains and woodlands in North America meet the criteria?).

(f) Investigate diverse historical views regarding the terms `primitive' and `civilized’ and analyze the effect of the
perceptions of the concepts on ethnocentrism in colonizers.

Throughout the unit students will learn the makings of a society and understand how a good

society is run and what happens to a dysfunctional society. Examples given to them during the

unit will help solidify these ideologies. Students will also have been given examples of different

roles, leaders, institutions, goals, etc. that are essential to a society. During the unit students will

conduct two previous research projects on different societies. One project will be done with a

group on a First Nation or Inuit society. In groups students will create posters and present them

to the class. While other groups present students will record what they learn in their ongoing

journals. These journals will help them reflect on what they learn and information and ideas they

can use for their final project. The second assignment that students will do prior to their final

project will be an individual research assignment on an ethnic group or society within early

Canada. They will research a group of their choosing and represent it in the form of a poster.

This along with the projects of other students will give them inspiration and a better

understanding of how to approach their final project. They will have the opportunity to use their
previous assignments create their final project or simply use similar ideas. Those two

assignments, along with their journals will help them create their final project.

This final project gives the students a chance to show what they have learned and come to

understand about a society. By having them analyze on their own a society they will be able to

show the teacher how well they have understood what a society is and how it is run. By giving

them the option to research a society of their choosing, (past, present, future, or their own

creation) they will be able to study something that hopefully peaks their interests. The option that

I find most intriguing is to create their own society, which would give students an excellent

opportunity to showcase what they know and showoff their creativity.

The idea of choice gives them agency and the ability to inquire about something that they

find interesting and hopefully inspires them to want to be life long learners. Students will also

have a choice in how they represent their project. This will hopefully spur their interest even

further and increase their creativity and enjoyment of the assignment. The study of a society also

gives them an option to better understand the world around them. Whether it be a societal study

of their own community, province, country, world, or one that they are not familiar with, it will

give them a better idea of who they are, a sense of self, community, and place. This study will

further inspire them to be more engaged citizens as they will come to understand how people’s

actions within a society can make a difference, for better or for worse. This assignment will also

help students develop thinking, develop identity and interdependence, develop literacies, and

develop social responsibility. Through inquiry learning students will be able to develop their

thinking and better understand the ways in which they learn and represent their learning best.

Through this assignment students will also begin to understand society, who they are, and how

they fit into it and how within a society or societies there is a need for interdependence. Their
research and the way in which they represent their final project will come in several forms,

primary and secondary readings, interviews, videos, etc. Through this, students will be able to

develop literacies. Finally, through their research and the research of their fellow students,

students will be developing social responsibility as they gain a better understanding of the world,

its societies and the components within those societies.