The National 4/5 course is as follows;
Pupils will study the following:
Crime and the law UK
- Types of crime
- Reasons why people commit crime
- Impact of crime
- Drugs, alcohol and smoking laws.
- The role of the police
- Prisons & non-custodial sentences
- The courts
- Children’s hearing system
World Powers : USA
- Ethnic groups
- Why America is a superpower
- Immigration and the American dream
- Social and economic inequalities & Government responses
- Rights and responsibilities
- Political participation
- Political structure of the USA
Democracy in Scotland and the UK
- Background of the Scottish Parliament
- Devolved and reserved powers
- Political Participation
- Role of MSPs
- Role of the First Minister
- Scottish political parties
- The workings of the Scottish Parliament
- Independence debate
- Local councils
- Voting systems
- Pressure groups and the media
Additionally, pupils will develop skills in modern studies by focusing on skills question areas which are:
- Selective in the use of facts questions
- Conclusion questions
- Options questions
Learning, Teaching & Assessment
A wide range of teaching and learning strategies will be employed throughout the course. Pupils will have the opportunity to undertake a range of individual and group activities. Examples include note taking, research exercises, essay writing, poster work, oral presentations, ICT tasks, debates, and co-operative learning.
As part of good teaching practice, teachers will regularly monitor student work with a view to identifying particular strengths and weaknesses.
In addition the department will employ various forms of assessment to provide as full a picture as possible of individual student attainment. Students presented at National 5 will sit an external examination. The National 4 course is internally assessed with a pass or fail outcome.
Homework
Pupils should expect to receive homework every two weeks that will either be a skills question or Knowledge and Understanding question.
