Social Studies Report Card Comments, Grades 1-3 (Ontario)

Social Studies, reported in Grades 1-6, has two strands, Heritage and Identity and People and Environments. Students learn through the inquiry process, spatial skills such as maps and timelines, and concepts such as cause and consequence or perspective.

Below are 13 sample sentences for Grades 1-3: two strengths and one next step for each of the 4 comment levels (Level 4 (A, 80-100%) / Level 3 (B, 70-79%) / Level 2 (C, 60-69%) / Level 1 (D, 50-59%)), plus a tip for families. They are a small selection from the 323 social studies sentences in the full pack. Copy one, then add a detail only you know about the student.

Jump to: Level 4 (A, 80-100%) · Level 3 (B, 70-79%) · Level 2 (C, 60-69%) · Level 1 (D, 50-59%) · Writing tips

Student name Pronouns

Fills in the name and pronouns on this page. Nothing is sent anywhere.

Level 4 (A, 80-100%) A

Strengths

Reading simple maps of familiar places, [Name] uses symbols and a legend with ease to find features such as the school, a park or a river.
When working with maps in social studies, [Name] uses the title, legend and symbols accurately to locate places and explain what the map shows.

Next steps:

[Name] is encouraged to explain how a change in our community might look different to a child, an older adult and a shop owner.

Level 3 (B, 70-79%) B

Strengths

[Name] explains how communities have changed over time by comparing old and new photographs and describing what is different.
[Name] identifies causes and consequences with considerable clarity, explaining how an event or decision changed life for people in a community.

Next steps:

Using a "then and now" chart, [Name] can describe in more detail how a community has changed over time.

Level 2 (C, 60-69%) C

Strengths

With the help of photographs, [Name] is developing the ability to describe how a community has changed over time.
With a model to follow, [Name] uses a legend to find features on a map and is learning to describe where places are located.

Next steps:

Sorting old and new photographs of a community with a partner will help [Name] name one thing that has changed and one that has stayed the same.

Level 1 (D, 50-59%) D

Strengths

[Name] shows a limited understanding of how communities change over time and can name one change when comparing two photographs.
With guiding questions, [Name] is beginning to tell what happened and why in the social studies stories and events we discuss.

Next steps:

[He/She/They] can use picture cards with a small group to choose and share one way to care for the schoolyard or a local park.

Support at home

Borrowing books from the public library about communities, traditions and places around the world supports the questions we explore in class.

How to write social studies comments for Grades 1-3

Cite map evidence the child can show: finding the school on a map of the community, reading a simple legend, or using words like near, beside and left. Families can draw a map of their street together.
Describe how the child compares past and present, or one community's traditions with another's, such as how people travelled long ago. Keep the comment about classroom learning, never about the child's own family or culture.
For First Nations, Métis and Inuit learning, name what the child can explain, such as why the land and water are important to communities in your area, using respectful, present-tense wording.

Watch out: Avoid comments that are only a list of facts the student remembers. Pair one piece of knowledge with a thinking concept, such as explaining why a community changed over time, so families see how the child reasons.

Level 4 (A, 80-100%) language is thorough, independent and applied in new situations; Level 3 (B, 70-79%) is considerable, clear and usually accurate; Level 2 (C, 60-69%) shows some effectiveness, often with a model or support; Level 1 (D, 50-59%) names what the student does with direct support and what is emerging. The grade is already printed, so describe the learning rather than restating the mark.

What Social Studies covers

Report card strands and skills for social studies:

Heritage and Identity: connections between past and present, communities and traditions, and the experiences and contributions of diverse peoples, including First Nations, Métis and Inuit
People and Environments: natural and built environments, regions, government, citizenship and global connections
The social studies inquiry process: asking questions, gathering and analysing information, drawing conclusions and communicating
Spatial skills: maps, globes, legends, directions, timelines and graphs
Concepts of social studies thinking: significance, cause and consequence, continuity and change, patterns and trends, interrelationships and perspective

More Ontario subjects comments

How these sentences were made, and what has been checked: About these comments.