LESSON PLAN

DATE: April 23, 2015

SUBJECT: Social 9
TOPIC: Social Programs & Taxation
TIME: 60 minutes
Overarching critical inquiry question
To what extent should Canadians support social programs and
taxation?
Lesson critical inquiry question
How do decisions about social programs and taxation in Canada and
the US attempt to meet the needs of citizens?
SLOs
9.1.2 appreciate the various effects of government policies on citizenship
and on Canadian
society (C, I, PADM)
9.1.3 appreciate how emerging issues impact quality of life, citizenship and
identity in Canada
(C, I, PADM)
9.2.1 appreciate the values underlying economic decision making in Canada
and the United
States (C, ER)
9.2.2 appreciate the relationship between consumerism and quality of life
(C, CC)
9.2.3 appreciate the impact of government decision making on quality of
life (C, CC, PADM)
9.2.6 assess, critically, the interrelationship between political decisions and
economic systems by exploring and reflecting upon the following questions
and issues:
How is a political partys philosophy reflected in its platform (i.e., social
programs, specific
taxes, taxation model)? (ER, PADM)
How does the underground economy impact the federal and provincial tax
base and social
programs (i.e., tax evasion, black market)? (ER, PADM, C)

Instructional objectives
Students will compare social programs in Canada and the US.
Students will analyze the connection between taxation and social
programs.
Students will evaluate, based on student values, whether or not
spending by Albertas and Canadas government is appropriate.
Key Questions
1

What are the differences between Public and Private Health

Care?
What is the Affordable Care Act
What is Universal Health Care?
What are income tax, property tax, and sales tax?
How are federal taxes spent?
How are provincial taxes spent?

Preparation
Put extra booklets at the front
Load PPT
Load Obama Care video
Write Agenda on the board
Write Public, Affordable Care Act & Private on the board
Prepare Trashketballs
Agenda:
1. Review/Preview Public and Private Health Care
2. Middle Ground The Affordable Care Act
3. Taxation definitions
4. Albertan and Canadian tax spending
5. Trashketball

Introducti
on

Time

Teacher & Student Actions

Motivations/Assessm
ents

10
minut
es

Welcome students to class, have them take

their places & make sure that all students have
brought their textbooks to class.

Review
This review allows for
multiple students to
share the information
that they have retained
from the previous
classes. The teacher is
able to analyze the
quality of the answers
coming from the
students who are
chose/volunteer
answers.
It also allows for
students who did not
grasp the information
in previous classes/
have forgotten, the
chance to refresh in

Have students take out their note guide pages

to help them review.
Review
Students will review the major differences
between Health care in Canada and the US.
Choose a student to go up to the boards and
create a t-chart with the labels Public Health
Care and Private Health Care. Have them
document answers of other students on the
board as they are said. Ask for volunteers to
raise their hands to list one element at a time
that relates to the public or private health care
system. Discuss the similarities and
differences between the two systems.

* Touch on the notion of having free health

care in Canada what universal health care
really means: not completely free & sometimes
limited.
Preview
During this class, students will Students

will compare social programs in

Canada and the US. They will do this
by discussing the similarities and
differences between Private & Public
Health Care as well as other forms of
Health care such as the Affordable
Care Act. Students will complete 4
square notes and answer the
following questions:
-

order to be successful
with the upcoming
information.
Preview
The preview allows
students to see the
objectives they are
expected to meet
throughout the class as
well as make them
aware of the steps they
will need to take in
order to achieve those
goals.

What are the similarities between

Obama Care and universal health
care in Canada
What are the differences?
Who does the Affordable health care
Act benefit?
Who does it disadvantage?

Students will analyze the connection

between taxation and social programs.
- Students will define vocabulary terms,
which relate to taxes and the way that
they are spent in Canada.
- Students will analyze how provincial
and federal governments spend taxes
- Students will come to their own
assumptions, based on their personal
values, about whether or not spending
by Albertas and Canadas government
is appropriate.
- Evaluate, based on student values,
whether or not spending by Albertas
and Canadas government is
appropriate.

Transition
Have students take out 4-square notes from
the previous day.
Explain that we will re-watch the video so that
students are able to get a more in-depth
understanding of what exactly the Affordable

Care Act is.

- Ask students to look for the
similarities to both the Private Health
Care and Universal health care. Is
Obama Care a middle ground
between the two?
Open Obama Care video.
Learning
Activity
#2

20
minut
es

Obama Care
-

Watch Obama Care video. Circulate

throughout the classroom to monitor
whether students are taking meaningful
notes.
- After the video, draw a 4 square on the
board. Have 4 students come up to the
board and fill in information they noted
during the video.
- Have other student volunteers come up
and add any additional information that
was missed.
Discuss
- What are the similarities between
Obama Care and universal health care in
Canada
- What are the differences?
- Who does the Affordable health care Act
benefit?
- Who does it disadvantage?
Take a Stand
They will choose: Which is better? Traditional
Private Health Care? Obama Care? Universal
Health Care?
- Students will get up and choose their
position in the room. 1 student from
each perspective will defend their
position.

Four square note

taking, paired with
reproducing notes on
the board allows the
teacher the specific
learning level of
students who add input
and establish a more
general understanding
of student learning
from the whole class.
This repetition allows
students to grasp a
more complete view of
the concept as well as
help them to
remember it.
Discussion also allows
the teacher to assess
general understanding
from the class, as well
as understanding of
specific students.
Choosing students,
who the teacher knows
will give either correct
or incorrect answers,
will allow for a more in
depth discussion of the
concept.
Picking a position
allows students a
chance to get up and
recharge, while at the
same time allowing the
teacher to see if
students are taking a
stand defence of

where students have

chosen to stand
requires critical inquiry
into their own values
and how it relates to
the material from this
unit.
Transition
Pass out Taxation booklets
Load PPT
Tell students: Now that we have learned more
about the concepts of Public Health Care,
Private Health Care and other social programs
such as old age pensions and income
assistance, we will explore how our taxes are
used to fund those programs and how they are
connected to personal and collective values.
Learning
Activity
#2

20
minut
es

Define Taxation
1 Student will read aloud, from the PPT, the
definition of Goods and Services Tax. Students
will copy down the definition into their
booklets.
Repeat for Income Tax (also discuss
progressive taxation), and Sales Tax (different
between sales tax and GST).
Government Spending & Values
Students will then copy information from page
282 into the circles provided and answer the
following question: Based on your
understanding of social programs so far, do
you believe the distribution of tax dollars
indicated in these charts are appropriate? Does
the distribution reflect values that you
support?
Circulate through the classroom and ask
students why they feel the spending was
appropriate or inappropriate.

Students will copy

notes and charts in
order to gain a deeper
understanding.
Answering the
questions Based on
your understanding of
social programs so far,
do you believe the
distribution of tax
dollars indicated in
these charts are
appropriate? Does the
distribution reflect
values that you
support? will allow the
teacher to evaluate (by
circulating and
discussing with
students), if students
are thinking critically
about their own values
and the values that the
governments of
Canada and Alberta
hold.

Transition
Have students put away their booklets and
textbooks

Remind students of the concepts we have

covered this class
- Private Health Care
- Universal Health Care
- Affordable Care Act
- Income Tax
- Sales Tax
- GST
- Progressive sales tax
Review Trashketball rules
Closure
10
minut
es

Trashketball
Students are divided into two teams (equal
numbers, split down the center of the
classroom).
Students will line up with their teams
beginning at the front of the classroom and
rapping around the sides.
1 member from each team will face off.
The question will be read off and the first team
to grab the ball will get to answer the review
question.
If the answer is correct, that team gets two
points and gets to shoot a trashket in order to
earn two additional points.
Review Questions:
1. Describe Universal Health Care
2. Describe Private Health Care
3. What are the similarities between
Obama Care and universal health care in
Canada
4. What are the differences?
5. Who does the Affordable health care Act
benefit?
6. Who does it disadvantage?
7. What did the Alberta government spend
the most on in the year 2007? (Health)
8. What did the Canadian government
spend the most on in the year 2007?
(Social services)
9. What is GST?
10.What is a sales tax?
11.As a ninth grader, which form of taxation
do you participate in?
12.What is Progressive taxation?
13.Is there Progressive Taxation in Alberta?

Trashket ball is
motivation for students
to pay attention to
materials in class.
Trashketball functions
as a closure and review
of taxation principles
that were covered
today. It also assesses
what students have
learned throughout the
class period by asking
specific questions,
which test students
recall and depth of
understanding. If time
allows, each student
will get the chance to
answer a review
question, giving the
teacher a look into the
level of understanding
of each individual
student.

14.Name a Canadian value represented by

Universal health care?
15.Which economic model is Private health
care based on?
16.What percentage of GST do we pay in
Alberta?
17.What is PST?
18.What is HST?
19.Before the Affordable Care Act who paid
more for health care: men or women?
20.Under Obama Care, who will pay the
most taxes towards health care?
Students will return to their seats once they
have had their turns.
The team with the most points with 1 minute
remaining in class, may leave.
The other group will answer speed round
questions until the bell rings.

Adaptations
Activities reflect strategies for a variety of learners.
Visual & Auditory
All activities contain both a visual and auditory component. As the
majority of students are visual learners, directions for each activity, as
well as key questions, are presented on the PPT for students to
reference. Either the teacher or a student also presents all directions
and questions in an auditory fashion for students who need auditory
input.
Kinaesthetic
Take a stand, government spending and Trashketball activities allow
kinaesthetic students to show what they know while moving around
the classroom, or by physically reproducing a graph in order to develop
a more complete understanding.
Reflection
TBA