Tawa College

10 Social Studies

Course Description

Teacher in Charge: Mrs J. Struthers.

Recommended Prior Learning

Year 9 Social Studies

Year 10 Social Studies

Learning in Social Studies helps students to thrive in the diverse communities and environments of Aotearoa New Zealand and beyond. This includes understanding the mutual responsibilities to Te Tiriti o Waitangi of tangata whenua and tauiwi as they live together. Learning in Social Studies develops skills in conceptual thinking, research, exploring perspectives and critical and creative thinking to take social action. Ākonga will draw on understandings of the past, to make sense of the present and inform future decisions and actions.

There is wide scope in the Social Sciences to learn in a range of contexts that suit students and allow them to bring their own diverse experiences and understandings of the world into the classroom.

Course Overview

Term 1
Colonisation & Te Tiriti o Waitangi

Students build on prior learning about Te Tiriti o Waitangi to focus on what this has meant for New Zealand today, in particular the promises of rangatiratanga, mana motuhake and self-determination. Students will gain an understanding of the historical events which lead up to the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, and the legacy of colonisation which has had impacts on today's society. It is important in Social Studies to make sense of today's world, so there will be a balanced focus on history as well as current day case studies.

Term 2
Power Balance

Students will develop an understanding of systems of government, how they differ and how they affect people's lives. We will study New Zealand's system of government in detail and understand how people's use of power has had varied impacts on society.
During the Term each class goes on a day visit to a guided tour of the District Court, old High Court and Supreme Court followed by a tour of parts of Parliament House and observing question time from the public gallery. Other themes of this unit include human rights, equality and justice, and students will learn various aspects of New Zealand's history as well as current case studies.

Term 3
Tūmātauenga & Conflict

This unit of learning studies the concept of conflict over time, while weaving mātauranga Māori through Tūmātauenga, Atua Māori of mankind and war. Students will learn about how power and its misuse has historically caused conflict, the extent of the impact of conflict on economies, society and cultures, and how the nature of conflict and how we commemorate it has changed over time. This is learned through local, national, and global case studies including New Zealand's involvement in World War 1 and the Vietnam War, as well as the current role of the New Zealand Army, Ngāti Tūmātauenga.

Term 4
Lights, Camera, Social Action!

Students will learn about how different values, traditions and perspectives can lead to different actions towards justice, and that there is power in taking individual action towards change one wants to see. We will learn about historical examples of action taken towards social, cultural or environmental justice. There is an important aspect of social action in this unit, where students will design and implement a social action towards a cause they are passionate about, in order to deepen their understanding of citizenship and the power of community.

Learning Areas:

Social Sciences

Assessment Information

Students will work towards the Social Studies progressions, which formatively report on student progress towards learning goals. There is one main task per unit of learning.

Social Studies leads to Social Science subjects in the senior school. Senior Social Science subjects include Geography, History and Psychology in Year 11 and in addition to this, Legal Studies, Classical Studies and Tourism in Year 12. Skills developed in the Social Sciences are transferrable and applicable across many other subjects.

Computer (as per school BYOD guidelines), A4 exercise book, pens, pencils, glue stick and scissors.