Social Studies Report Card Comments, Grades 4-6 (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 4-6: 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
Fills in the name and pronouns on this page. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Level 4 (A, 80-100%) A
Strengths
- [Name] describes the experiences and contributions of diverse groups from the past, using specific evidence from the sources we examined in social studies.
- [Name] creates detailed, accurate timelines in our social studies units and uses them to explain how and why things changed over time.
Next steps:
- Using climate, population and land-use data, [Name] can create a graph that compares two regions and explain what the differences show.
Level 3 (B, 70-79%) B
Strengths
- When examining the societies and communities we studied, [Name] accurately describes the contributions of different groups and how they shaped life at the time.
- In our social studies units, [Name] explains how communities meet their needs and often connects these ideas to [his/her/their] own neighbourhood.
Next steps:
- Explaining how a decision made by a government affects different people in a community, [Name] can give one example for each group.
Level 2 (C, 60-69%) C
Strengths
- When reading about the communities we studied, [Name] identifies a few contributions of different groups with the help of guiding questions.
- During social studies discussions, [Name] at times connects what we are learning about people and places to [his/her/their] own experiences.
Next steps:
- In small groups, [Name] can use role cards and a government chart to match one community service with the order of government responsible for it.
Level 1 (D, 50-59%) D
Strengths
- With teacher modelling, [Name] can describe one contribution of a group from the communities we studied.
- [Name] is beginning to put pictures of events in order on a social studies timeline when working with an adult.
Next steps:
- Acting out a short scene with a small group, [Name] can use two source details to show how two people from our unit viewed the same event.
Support at home
- Drawing a simple map of your home or street together, with a title, symbols and a legend, is an easy way to practise mapping skills.
How to write social studies comments for Grades 4-6
- Describe source use: does the student pull information from a primary source such as a photograph, map or diary, and say what it shows? A next step can be asking who created it and why.
- Junior units range from early societies to regions of Canada, government and global connections, so name a transferable skill: comparing perspectives on an issue, explaining a cause and consequence, or reading a timeline accurately.
- Write about citizenship as understanding, such as explaining how a level of government responds to a community issue, rather than the student's own conduct, which belongs in the Learning Skills and Work Habits section.
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
- Language, Grades 4-6
- Mathematics, Grades 4-6
- Science and Technology, Grades 4-6
- Social Studies, Grades 1-3
- Opening and closing sentences
- All Ontario subjects skills and grade bands
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How these sentences were made, and what has been checked: About these comments.