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B. People and Environments: Canada's Interactions with the Global Community · Canada's Interactions with the Global Community

Be a Social Scientist: Investigating a Global Issue

B2.1 B2.2 B2.3 B2.4 B2.5 B2.6About 60 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can formulate questions to guide an investigation into a global issue.
  • I can gather and organize information from different sources.
  • I can read and construct print and digital maps for my investigation.
  • I can interpret data and draw conclusions supported by evidence.
  • I can communicate my results using social studies vocabulary.

Words to know

inquiry
An investigation that starts with a question and uses evidence to find answers.
primary source
Information from someone who was there or collected it first: an interview, a photo, a survey you did, original data.
secondary source
Information that describes or explains primary sources: a textbook, an encyclopedia, a news article.
reliable
Trustworthy: from an expert or official source, up to date, and supported by evidence.
bias
A one-sided view that favours one side.
thematic map
A map that shows information about one theme, like population, rainfall or trade.
conclusion
What you decide is true, based on the evidence.

You are the investigator

Social scientists don't just collect facts. They ask a question, find evidence, look for patterns, and share what they learned so others can act.

In this lesson you will follow the social studies inquiry process to investigate a global issue: access to clean water.

A glass being filled with clean water from a kitchen tap.
For many Canadians, clean water is as easy as turning a tap. Around the world, and in some communities in Canada, it is not. AI-generated image

Remember from Grade 5

In Grade 5 you used the inquiry process to investigate a Canadian issue from different perspectives. This year you will use the same steps for a global issue, and you will add maps and data about other parts of the world.

The steps of inquiry

  1. Formulate questions. Write an open question about the issue's causes, impact on the global community, or responses.
  2. Gather and organize information. Use primary and secondary sources. Choose reliable ones: UN agencies, government websites like Statistics Canada, well-known NGOs, library books, atlases. Notice bias: an NGO asking for donations may stress the worst stories. Keep notes in an organizer and record each source.
  3. Analyse and construct maps. Use print or digital maps to find where the issue happens and patterns.
  4. Interpret and analyse data. Use tables, graphs and timelines to see what the numbers show.
  5. Evaluate evidence and draw conclusions. Decide what the evidence shows, and how strong it is.
  6. Communicate. Share your findings with a report, poster, slide show, map or speech, using the right vocabulary and listing your sources.
The social studies inquiry process1. Formulatequestions2. Gather andorganize3. Analyse andconstruct maps4. Interpretdata5. Evaluate andconclude6. Communicatenew questionscan start it again
The six steps of an inquiry. What you find out often leads to new questions, so the process can go around again.
Worked example

Let's start an inquiry

Start an investigation into access to clean water. Write a question, choose sources and plan a map.

  1. Question: "How does the distance to clean water affect whether children, especially girls, go to school?" It is open and asks about impact.
  2. Sources: a WHO and UNICEF report on drinking water (reliable, secondary); a UNICEF web page about children who collect water (secondary; note that UNICEF raises money, so check facts against other sources); an interview with a family member who has lived in another country (primary).
  3. Organize: make a chart with columns Source | What it says | Evidence or opinion? | Date.
  4. Map: on a world map, shade countries where many people lack safe drinking water. Add a title, legend (darker = more people without safe water), north arrow and source. A digital map tool lets you add pins and pop-up notes.

A good start: an open question, several reliable sources (checked for bias), an organizer, and a thematic map that shows where the issue is worst.

School attendance by distance to water (pretend data)A: 0.2 km92%B: 1 km85%C: 3 km70%D: 5 km55%0%50%100%
Pretend data for practice: four villages, their distance to the nearest clean water, and the share of children attending school. Bars are drawn to scale.
Village (pretend)Distance to clean waterChildren attending school
A0.2 km92%
B1 km85%
C3 km70%
D5 km55%
Pretend data, made up for practice.
Worked example

Let's interpret the data and draw a conclusion

Use the pretend data. What pattern do you see? What conclusion can you draw, and how sure can you be?

  1. Describe the pattern: As the distance to water goes up (0.2 km → 5 km), attendance goes down (92% → 55%).
  2. Calculate a difference: Village A's attendance is 37 percentage points higher than Village D's (92 − 55 = 37).
  3. Explain a possible cause: Children, often girls, may spend hours walking to collect water instead of going to school.
  4. Check how strong the evidence is: This is only four villages, and other things (like poverty or distance to school) could also matter. We need more evidence, such as interviews or data from more villages.
  5. Conclusion: "In these four villages, children who live farther from clean water are less likely to attend school. Bringing water closer may help more children attend, but more evidence is needed."

The data shows a pattern: farther from water, lower attendance. The conclusion is supported by evidence, and it is honest about its limits.

Just for fun

Why did the social scientist take a pencil to bed?

So she could draw conclusions in her sleep! ✏️

Communicating like a social scientist

Use vocabulary from the unit (global issue, impact, NGO, humanitarian aid, development aid, sustainable). Say what you found, how you know (evidence), and what could be done (responses). List your sources at the end, with dates.

Hands-on activity

Mini-inquiry: one global issue

Choose one global issue from this unit (for example, child labour, ocean plastic, refugees, food shortages, clean water). With a grown-up's help online or at the library:

  1. Write one open question.
  2. Find three sources. In an organizer, record what each says, whether it is fact or opinion, and its date.
  3. Make a simple thematic map (print or digital) showing where the issue happens. Include a title, legend, north arrow and source.
  4. Find one number (with its source and year) and show it in a table or graph.
  5. Write a conclusion of 2 or 3 sentences.
  6. Communicate: make a one-page poster or give a 2-minute talk to your family.

What to look for: an open question; reliable, dated sources; a map with all the parts; a conclusion that matches the evidence; unit vocabulary used correctly.

Your turn

1

List the six steps of the inquiry process.

2

What is the difference between a primary and a secondary source?

3

Name two reliable sources for information on clean water around the world.

4

Using the pretend data, what happens to attendance as the distance to water increases?

5

What should every thematic map include?

6

Why should a conclusion mention its limits?

More practice: warm-up

1

Is an interview with someone who lived through a drought a primary or secondary source?

2

Is an encyclopedia article a primary or secondary source?

3

What is bias?

4

In the pretend data, which village has the highest attendance?

5

Name one way to communicate inquiry results.

More practice: on your own

1

Turn this into a strong inquiry question: "Is plastic in the ocean bad?"

2

An NGO website says, "The situation is the worst it has ever been!" How should you treat this?

3

In the pretend data, how many percentage points higher is Village B's attendance than Village C's?

4

Why are digital maps helpful in an inquiry?

5

Why should you write down the date of each source?

Challenge

1

The pretend data shows a pattern. Explain why it does not prove that distance to water is the only cause of lower attendance.

2

Plan a thematic map for an inquiry about Canada's trading partners. What would it show, and what would the legend say?

3

Write a short conclusion (2 or 3 sentences) for an inquiry on a global issue of your choice, using at least two unit vocabulary words.

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

What is the first step of an inquiry?

2.

Which is a primary source?

3.

Why should you check NGO information against other sources?

4.

In the pretend data, Village D (5 km) had 55% attendance and Village A (0.2 km) had 92%. What is the difference?

5.

A good conclusion...

6.

What does a map legend show?

7.

Which is the best way to end a report?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: This lesson walks through the full social studies inquiry process for a global issue: formulate questions, gather and organize information, analyse and construct maps, interpret data, evaluate evidence and draw conclusions, and communicate. The village data is pretend.

How to help at home:

  • Help your child find reliable sources (UN agencies, government sites, library databases) and talk about why some sources may be one-sided.
  • Free online map tools work well for a digital thematic map; a printed outline map with coloured pencils is just as good.
  • Ask your child to present their findings to the family and ask one follow-up question.

Common difficulties:

  • Copying instead of summarizing. Have your child explain each source aloud before writing notes.
  • Conclusions that go beyond the evidence. Ask: "What does the evidence actually show? What else could explain it?"
  • Forgetting to record sources. Keep the organizer open while researching.