Modern Studies Learner journey

S3 / Learning Intention / Success Criteria – learners will be able to; / Planned Homework activities / Ways to Support Learning at Home / Assessment
Social Inequality in the UK
(BGE) / Describe issues related to social inequality in the UK /
  • Give a range of evidence of social inequality existing in the UK.
  • Describe different types of inequality.
  • Describe some of the benefits provided by the UK Government
/ Research online using the Scottish Government website to describe at least one additional government initiative / scheme / law designed to reduce inequality.
Use the UK Government website to research one additional benefit not covered in the unit – describe who receives it, how much it is, and explain its purpose. / 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
Knowledge from Social Inequality unit lays the foundations for the Social Inequality in the UK unit at Higher.
Passport of Skills
  • Taking Responsibility
  • Communicating
  • Working with others

Social Inequality in the UK
(BGE) / Explain issues related to social inequality in the UK /
  • Explain some different causes of inequality.
  • Explain how the UK tax system works.
  • Explain the differences between universal and means-tested benefits and be able to explain some advantages and disadvantages of both.
  • Explain some of the different reasons why some people rely on food banks.
  • Explain the impact of inequality on women.
/ 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
Knowledge from Social Inequality unit lays the foundations for the Social Inequality in the UK unit at Higher.
Passport of Skills
  • Taking Responsibility
  • Communicating
  • Working with others

Social Inequality in the UK
(BGE) / Use a range of textual and graphical sources to make and justify conclusions /
  • Make and justify broad conclusions from textual / graphical sources related to public attitudes towards benefits.
/ 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

Social Inequality in the UK
(BGE) / Use a range of textual and graphical sources to make and justify decisions. /
  • Make and justify a decision on whether or not to extend free school meals to all pupils in secondary school using textual / graphical sources information as evidence.
  • Make and justify a decision on whether or not the NHS should continue to fund treatments for ‘self-inflicted’ illnesses using textual / graphical sources 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

Social Inequality in the UK
(BGE) / Sort source evidence into ‘supporting’ or ‘opposing’ a given view.
Passport of skills
  • Managing, Planning, Organising
  • Communicating
/
  • Use a textual source to identify and record evidence that supports benefits being universal as well as evidence that opposes them being universal.
  • Use a textual source to identify and record evidence that both supports and opposes the view that women have made progress in the UK recently.
/ 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
Social Inequality in the UK
(BGE) / Analyse and evaluate a range of evidence related to social inequality in the UK /
  • Analyse different views on benefits in the UK
  • Critically evaluate these views and form their own informed judgement on benefits.
  • Analyse different views in the debate over universal v means-tested benefits and evaluate these views to make an informed judgement of their own.
  • Evaluate the different causes of inequality to make a judgement on which specific cause or causes are most significant.
  • Analyse the issue by suggesting possible solutions to the causes of inequality.
/ Skill of ‘Evaluation’ is a key part of the National 5 and Higher courses and features in both exams.
‘Analysis’ is key part of Higher exams.
S3 / Learning Intention / Success Criteria – learners will be able to; / Planned Homework activities / Ways to Support Learning at Home / Assessment
Crime and the Law
(NQ, N3-5) / Describe issues related to crime and the law in the UK /
  • Describe some different types of crime and provide specific evidence of it.
  • Describe some specific laws and what the punishments for breaking these laws are.
  • Describe some of the different sentences that criminal courts can issue to offenders, giving specific examples.
  • Describe the actions open to the Children’s Hearing system to help children at risk or in trouble.
/ Regularly revise answers to knowledge questions in ‘National 5 knowledge questions plan’ booklet to prepare for regular timed describe questions in class. / Encourage pupils to be aware of current affairs by reading newspapers and watching TV news regularly.
Pupils are issued with a ‘National 5 knowledge questions plan’ booklet where they plan responses to knowledge type questions from the unit. Use this booklet to test their knowledge of the ‘describe’ questions’ by, for example, giving them some time to study their answer structures then take the booklet yourself to question them on the ‘describe’ questions and see how much of their planned answers they can recall without the booklet. / End of unit assessment
‘Describe’ stem knowledge questions in National 4 and National 5 exam
Passport of Skills
  • Taking Responsibility
  • Communicating
  • Working with others
  • Managing, Planning, Organising

Crime and the Law
(NQ, N3-5) / Explain issues related to crime and the law in the UK /
  • Explain some of the differences between civil and criminal law
  • Explain some of the different causes of crime, and be able to differentiate between social, economic and biological causes.
  • Explain some of the consequences of crime on different individuals and groups such as on the perpetrators, victims, families, communities and wider society, giving specific examples.
  • Explain the role of the police and the ways they tackle crime, giving specific examples.
  • Explain the advantages and disadvantages of different sentences, giving specific examples
  • Explain some of the different roles within a criminal trial in a courtroom and demonstrate our understanding of these roles by participating in a mock trial.
  • Explain some of the specific responses to crime by Government and police.
/ Regularly revise answers to knowledge questions in ‘National 5 knowledge questions plan’ booklet to prepare for regular timed explain questions in class. / Ask them to explain their opinions regularlyon current affairs as they arise.
Pupils are issued with a ‘National 5 knowledge questions plan’ booklet where they plan responses to knowledge type questions from the unit. Use this booklet to test their knowledge of the ‘explain’ questions’ by, for example, giving them some time to study their answer structures then take the booklet yourself to question them on the ‘explain’ questions and see how much of their planned answers they can recall without the booklet. / End of unit assessment
‘Explain’ stem knowledge questions in National 4 and National 5 exam
Passport of Skills
  • Taking Responsibility
  • Communicating
  • Working with others
  • Managing, Planning, Organising

Crime and the Law
(NQ, N3-5) / Use a range of textual and graphical sources to make and justify conclusions /
  • Make and justify broad conclusions from textual / graphical sources related to crime and the law, using SQA National 5 past papers.
/ Carry out a survey home to find out attitudes in the local area towards anti-social behaviour and use the results to draw conclusions.
Regularly revise and practise skill questions to prepare for timed skill questions in class. / 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
  • Taking responsibility
  • Managing, Planning, Organising
  • Communicating

Crime and the Law
(NQ, N3-5) / Use a range of textual and graphical sources to make and justify decisions. /
  • Make and justify decisions from textual / graphical sourcesrelated to crime and the law using SQA National 5 past papers.
/ Regularly revise and practise skill questions to prepare for timed skill questions in class. / 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
  • Taking responsibility
  • Managing, Planning Organising
  • Communicating

Crime and the Law
(NQ, N3-5) / Sort source evidence into ‘supporting’ or ‘opposing’ a given view.
Passport of skills
  • Taking responsibility
  • Managing, Planning, Organising
  • Communicating
/
  • Use a textual source to identify and record evidence that both supports and opposes given viewpoints related to crime and the law, using SQA National 5 past papers.
/ Regularly revise and practise skill questions to prepare for timed skill questions in class. / 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
Crime and the Law
(NQ, N3-5) / Analyse and Evaluate a range of evidence related to social inequality in the UK /
  • Analyse the issue by suggesting possible solutions to the causes of inequality
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of the criminal courts by analysing evidence to reach an informed, justified judgement.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of the police in tackling crime by analysing evidence to reach an informed, justified judgement.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of the government’s responses to crime by analysing evidence to reach an informed, justified judgement.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of the prisons and other sentences in tackling crime by analysing evidence to reach an informed, justified judgement.
/ Skill of ‘Evaluation’ is a key part of the National 5 and Higher courses and features in both exams.
‘Analysis’ is key part of Higher exams.

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