About the course
This course explores Canadian law, with a focus on legal issues that are relevant to the lives of people in Canada. Students will gain an understanding of laws relating to rights and freedoms in Canada; our legal system; and family, contract, employment, tort, and criminal law. Students will develop legal reasoning skills and will apply the concepts of legal thinking and the legal studies inquiry process when investigating a range of legal issues and formulating and communicating informed opinions about them.
Understanding Canadian Law
Course Credit
1
Course Price
$ 550.00
Course Developer
My Learning Oasis
Prerequisite(s) (Text)
Canadian History since World War I, Grade 10, Academic (CHC2D)
Course Code
Department Head & Contact Information
CLU3M
Ravi Sharma (ravi@mylearningoasis.com)
Course Type
University/College
Grade Level
Grade 11
Course Development Date
June 10th, 2021
Course Outline
The Inquiry Process and Skill Development in Legal Studies
In this unit, students will explore “The Inquiry Process in Legal Studies''. They will look at how to use the legal studies inquiry process and the concepts of legal thinking when investigating law and legal issues in Canada. They will explore “Transferable Skills'' and how to apply them in everyday contexts. The skills learnt in this unit will be revisited in other units as the course proceeds.
Estimated Hours of Instructions: 3 hours
Legal Foundations
In this unit students will look at “Legal Principles” and explore the role and importance of law and the fundamental principles of justice in Canada. They will then delve into “Legal Heritage” to get an understanding and appreciation of early laws and legal systems and their relationship to the Canadian legal system. Students will then look at “Legal Roles and Responsibilities” and analyse the role and function of individuals, groups, and governments in Canadian law. Students will be introduced to “Development of Law” and look at how various social, scientific, and technological factors have influenced and continue to influence the development of Canadian law.
Estimated Hours of Instructions: 22 hours
Rights and Freedoms
In this unit students will be introduced to “Human Rights”. They will explore the legal significance of the Canadian Bill of Rights, the Ontario Human Rights Code, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and the Canadian Human Rights Act. They will then look at “Development of Human Rights Law” and analyse how various factors have influenced and continue to influence the development of human rights law in Ontario and Canada Students will then delve into “Protecting Rights and Freedoms” and analyse the relationship between the formal, legal recognition of rights and freedoms in Canada and how those rights are interpreted and protected in practice. This unit concludes with “Legal Limitations of Human Rights” and analyses situations in which it may be appropriate to limit rights and freedoms, and explain the arguments for and against such limitations.
Estimated Hours of Instructions: 23 hours
Civil Law
In this unit students will be exposed to “Tort Law” and will analyse the legal foundations of tort law; the factors influencing its development; and the role of individuals, groups, and courts in its processes. They will then delve into “Family Law” and will analyse the legal foundations of family law; the factors influencing its development; and the role of individuals, governments, and courts in its processes. Students will explore “Employment Law” and analyse the legal foundations of employment law; the factors influencing its development; and the role of employers, employees, and the courts in its processes. They will then be introduced to “Contract Law” and will analyse the legal foundations of contract law; the factors influencing its development; and the role of individuals, groups, and the courts in its processes.
Estimated Hours of Instructions: 30 hours
Criminal Law
In this unit students will be introduced to “Foundations of Criminal Law” and the foundational concepts of criminal law and their legal significance. They will then delve into “Legal Processes and Procedures” and explore the structures and key roles and processes of the Canadian criminal justice system and explain key interrelationships among them. Students will look at the “Criminal Justice System'' and assess the ability of the Canadian criminal justice system to provide appropriate and even-handed justice to people living in Canada. They will then be introduced to the “Development of Criminal Law”. Students will analyse how various factors have influenced the development of Canadian criminal law.
Estimated Hours of Instructions: 30 hours
Final Exam
This is a proctored exam worth 30% of your final grade.
Estimated Hours of Instructions: 2 hours
Total 110 hours
Resources
Note: This course does not require or rely on any textbook.
● Every student needs access to an electronic device to communicate with their teacher
● All class notes and assignments will be provided by teachers.
Overall Curriculum Expectations
A. The Inquiry Process and Skill Development in Legal Studies
A1 use the legal studies inquiry process and the concepts of legal thinking when investigating law and legal issues in Canada
A2 apply in everyday contexts skills developed through the study of law, and identify careers in which a background in law might be an asset
B. Legal Foundations
B1 explain the role and importance of law and the fundamental principles of justice in Canada
B2 demonstrate an understanding of early laws and legal systems and their relationship to the Canadian legal system
B3 analyse the role and function of individuals, groups, and governments in Canadian law
B4 analyse and describe how various social, scientific, and technological factors have influenced and continue to influence the development of Canadian law
C. Rights and Freedoms
C1 explain the legal significance of the Canadian Bill of Rights, the Ontario Human Rights Code, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and the Canadian Human Rights Act
C2 analyse how various factors have influenced and continue to influence the development of human rights law in Ontario and Canada
C3 analyse the relationship between the formal, legal recognition of rights and freedoms in Canada and how those rights are interpreted and protected in practice
C4 analyse situations in which it may be appropriate to limit rights and freedoms, and explain the arguments for and against such limitations
D. Civil Law
D1 analyse the legal foundations of tort law; the factors influencing its development; and the role of individuals, groups, and courts in its processes
D2 analyse the legal foundations of family law; the factors influencing its development; and the role of individuals, governments, and courts in its processes
D3 analyse the legal foundations of employment law; the factors influencing its development; and the role of employers, employees, and the courts in its processes
D4 analyse the legal foundations of contract law; the factors influencing its development; and the role of individuals, groups, and the courts in its processes
E. Criminal Law
E1 explain the foundational concepts of criminal law and their legal significance
E2 describe the structures and key roles and processes of the Canadian criminal justice system and explain key interrelationships among them
E3 assess the ability of the Canadian criminal justice system to provide appropriate and even-handed justice to people living in Canada
E4 analyse how various factors have influenced the development of Canadian criminal law
Special Accommodations
Only Some students are able, with accommodations, to be part of a regular course curriculum and to demonstrate independent learning. These accommodations allow access to the course without any dilution of the knowledge and skills the student is expected to demonstrate.
These required accommodations to facilitate the student’s learning will be identified in his or her IEP (see IEP Standards, 2000, page 11*). It is likely that IEP for many or all courses will reflect the same accommodations. The instructions and accommodations are geared to meet the diverse needs of learners. The three types of accommodations that are going to be used are:
i) Instructional accommodations - changes in teaching/learning strategies facilitated by different styles of presentation; methods of organization; the use of technology and multimedia.
ii) Environmental accommodations - Certain classroom settings and preferential seating may benefit these students.
iii) Assessment: assessment procedures that enable the student to demonstrate his or her learning, such as Multiple Intelligence Theory, giving more time to complete tasks (see page 29 of the IEP Resource Guide, 2004, for more examples).
For students who require accommodations for only the mathematics courses, the assessment and evaluation of their achievement will be based on the appropriate course curriculum expectations and the achievement levels outlined in this document. The IEP box on the students’ Provincial Report Cards will not be checked, and no information on the provision of accommodations will be included.
* Taken form: Ministry of Education, Ontario. Extracted from The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12: Canadian and World Studies; Date of extraction: Sunday, March 14, 2021
Program Considerations For English Language Learners
Students from a variety of cultural and linguistic backgrounds. For many of tStudents hese students, English is not their spoken language. They may be coming from highly sophisticated educational systems, while others may have come from regions where access to formal schooling was limited. These students offer a rich addition to the classroom experience by way of their background knowledge and experience. All teachers will assist with their English- language development. In mathematics the teachers will include appropriate adaptations and strategies in their instructions and assessments to facilitate the success of the English language learners in their classrooms. Some of these strategies and adaptations are: modification of some or all of the course expectations so that they are challenging but attainable for the learner at his or her present level of English proficiency, given the necessary support from the teacher.
Teaching/Learning Strategy
The key learning strategy at My Learning Oasis Elite Private School is Constructivism. This format facilitates learning by many techniques, most or all of which will be adopted in the classroom. The most dominant of these is group learning. The facilitator places students of different backgrounds in the same group so that they can feed off each other. Each may bring to the table a different reasoning strategy to facilitate problem-solving. Now, each student becomes a learner and a teacher at the same time, as he/she has to communicate his/her solution. This builds the students' knowledge base and by default, increases their confidence to speak in a crowd, albeit a small group at the beginning.
The famous educationalist, Vygotsky, proved that by placing students in a group they function at the upper level of their zone of proximal development, each one scaffolding the other. This strategy is further enhanced by the teacher asking leading questions as opposed to giving the answer outright, then allowing for group discussion. The students are encouraged to make connections between what they have learnt and their life experiences, then share with the group.
The effect of this strategy is intrinsic motivation and learning. Each student develops an expanded appreciation of the topic at hand by seeing how it applies in different settings around the world by way of listening to their group members. This Constructivist approach will be further accentuated by implementing “fish-bowling”. There are many ways to implement this technique. The one that will mostly be used will be by dividing up the larger problem (technical, mathematics, science, or otherwise) into smaller bits and have each student thoughtfully master one part. That student then teaches the group and facilitates a discussion reflection about the strategy (computational or otherwise) used in the solution. Each student in turn does this. The above techniques enable students to reflect on the material learnt, make real life connections, and develop problem solving skills. One important by-product of the technique of Constructivism is that each student develops an appreciation of each other’s culture.
This cultivates healthy people’s skill, which is not only important for the professional world but for life itself. Constructivism lends itself well to students whose first language is not the language of instruction and who is new to the class. While other strategies will be used for students having difficulty with the English Language, this technique will definitely be used to enhance their English skill.
Assessment And Evaluation
At My Learning Oasis, course facilitators do not wait for a quiz or exam to determine how well a student is doing. Here, evaluation is an on-going exercise. The pedagogical techniques (refer to Teaching and Learning Strategies) used at My learning Oasis are perhaps the best techniques suited for on-going assessment, hence, they being an integral part of our delivery methodologies. Concrete assessments are made through projects and assignments. However, the evaluation is based on “our flavor” of the Mastery Teaching technique.
This ensures that the emphasis is on the quality of learning and NOT grading. Students' projects and homework will continuously be evaluated and re-evaluated with appropriate guidance to meet the school’s and Ministry’s expectations. At My Learning Oasis, we will work with the students until the projects meet a minimum of a B-grade, unless in extreme circumstances where the willful negligence of the students force lower grades. While this is a lot more taxing on the facilitator, it does not matter because My Learning Oasis is a Learner-centered institution NOT a Grade-Centered nor a Teacher-Centered institution.
Four categories of knowledge and skills are outlined in the achievement chart - knowledge and understanding, thinking, communication, and application. Student’s work is assessed and evaluated with respect to these categories, and that achievement of particular expectations is considered within the appropriate categories. A final grade will then be recorded for this course and if that grade is 50% or higher, a credit is granted to the student and recorded for this course. The final grade for this course will be determined as follows:
● For material evaluated throughout the course, seventy percent of the grade will be assigned. This portion of the grade should reflect the student's consistency in his/her level of achievement throughout the course, although special consideration should be given to more recent evidence of achievement.
● Thirty percent of the grade will be based on a final evaluation, which is administered towards the end of the course.
Final Exam 30%
Grading for all course work, projects, presentation, participation, interim quizzes and exams 70%
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