Grade 9 Students Participate in Individuals and Societies Summative Project

For their summative project in their Individuals and Societies class, Grade 9 students participated in a debate on immigration while role playing as different members of the House of Representatives and Senate. The summative, done while students are studying the United States government, gives students hands-on experience learning how our government operates. 

Students were each assigned an elected official and had to research their stance on the immigration debate. Students then gave speeches, presented arguments, and participated in group discussions while taking on the role of their elected official. It allows the student to immerse themselves in a perspective that may not be their own and attempt to understand it more effectively by trying to see it through someone else’s eyes - tying directly into the IB Learner Profile. 

Throughout the US Government unit, students have had many opportunities to work on skills in the IB Learner profile. Students learned about the branches of the US government, balance of power, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Students then took their knowledge to investigate their assigned officials, to communicate their ideas through a position paper stating the political leader's views and verbally in debate, and to collaborate with others to form blocks based upon these views. 

During the debate students were assessed on their critical thinking skills, their ability to provide a discussion of the major concepts, summarize the points in arguments, and interpret these concepts through a range of perspectives recognizing their implications.

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