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Newfoundland and Labrador Social Studies

The CTRL-F: Verification Skills learning outcomes link explicitly to Newfoundland and Labrador’s Social Studies curriculum. The relevant curricular outcomes are listed by grade level below.

Last updated August 14, 2025.

 

SOCIAL STUDIES K-12

The CTRL-F: Verification Skills support the Atlantic Essential Graduation Competencies Citizenship, Communication, Critical Thinking, and Technological Fluency. View connections here.

In 2023, the province adopted the Newfoundland and Labrador Key Competencies. As curriculum is developed and renewed, it will move away from references to the Essential Graduation Learnings towards greater emphasis on the NL Key Competencies.

The CTRL-F: Verification Skills program continues to supports these new Key Competencies, including:

  • Communication
    • communicate using appropriate digital tools, taking care to create a positive digital footprint
  • Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
    • acquire, process, interpret, synthesize, and critically analyze information to solve problems and make informed decisions

 

GRADE 7 – 9

The Social Studies Teaching and Learning Context

  • Literacy and Social Studies: Social studies should encourage critical literacy including awareness of stereotyping, cultural bias, author’s intent, hidden agendas, and silent voices. Literacy for active citizenship involves understanding different perspectives on key democratic struggles, learning how to investigate current issues and participating creatively and critically in community problem-solving and decision-making
  • The Integration of Technology in Social Studies: Technology should play a major role in the teaching and learning of social studies. Students should apply questions pertaining to validity, accuracy, bias, and interpretation to information available on the Internet.
  • Resource-Based Learning: In a resource-based learning environment, students and teachers make decisions about appropriate sources of information and tools for learning and how to access these.

Major Processes and Skills

The social studies curriculum consists of three major processes: communication, inquiry, and participation.

  • Communication: Communication requires that students listen, read, interpret, translate, and express ideas and information. Relevant skills and responsibilities include:
    • Read critically
    • distinguish fact from fiction
    • Express and support a point of view based on critical examination of relevant material
  • Inquiry: Inquiry requires that students formulate and clarify questions, investigate problems, analyze relevant information, and develop rational conclusions supported by evidence. Relevant skills and responsibilities include:
    • identify relevant primary and secondary sources and determine their reliability and accuracy
    • Determine accuracy, reliability and pertinence of information
    • make inferences from factual material and form opinion based on critical examination of relevant information
    • recognize inconsistencies in a line of argument
    • research to determine the multiple perspectives on an issue
    • Use a search engine to locate online sources
    • distinguish fact from opinion
    • distinguish between hypothesis, evidence and generalizations
    • compare and contrast credibility of differing accounts of same event
  • Participation: Participation requires that students act both independently and collaboratively in order to solve problems, make decisions, and negotiate and enact plans for action in ways that respect and value the customs, beliefs, and practices of others. Relevant skills and responsibilities include:
    • keep informed on issues that affect society
    • accept and fulfill responsibilities associated with citizenship

In addition to the Social Studies Learning Context and Skills and Processes above, see General Curricular Outcomes (GCO) and Specific Curricular Outcomes (SCO) identified below.

Grade 7 Social Studies (Empowerment)

  • GCO – Demonstrate an understanding that the interpretation of history reflects perspectives, frames of reference, and biases

Grade 8 Social Studies  (History)

  • GCOs – Students are expected to:
    • Demonstrate competency using the tools of history in locating and assessing sources of information and evidence at a basic level and appropriate use of technology
    • Appreciate the importance of gathering, organizing, and presenting reliable information in ways appropriate to an assigned task.
  • SCO 1.2 – The student will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of how to find out about the past
    • 1.2.1 – Distinguish between a primary source and a secondary source. (K)
    • 1.2.4 – Identify other sources that relate to the key question. (A)
    • 1.2.5 – Gather information that is significant for the question. (A)

Grade 9 Social Studies (Canadian Identity)

  • GCOs – By the end of grade 9 student will be expected to:
    • Take age-appropriate actions to demonstrate their responsibilities as citizens
    • Explore the factors that influence one’s perceptions, attitudes, values, and belief
    • Analyse and evaluate historical and contemporary developments in order to make informed, creative decisions about issues
  • SCO i.0 – The student will be expected to demonstrate proficiency in utilizing concepts and processes from the social sciences
    • SCO i.1 – Use an inquiry model to explore and resolve significant questions
    • SCO i.2 – Apply intellectual tools to analyze events, ideas, issues, patterns and trends 
    • SCO i.3 –  Make reasoned assessments based on appropriate criteria
  • SCO 12 –The student will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of the significance of citizenship in the context of liberal democratic society

 

GRADE 10

Grade 10 Social Studies (1201 & 1202)

  • GCO 1: Civic Engagement – Students will be expected to demonstrate the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a diverse democratic society in an interdependent world.
  • SCO 2.1 – evaluate evidence
  • SCO 3.3 – interpret, analyze, and evaluate information
  • SCO 3.4 – develop rational conclusions supported by evidence
  • SCO 9.6 – respond to a public policy issue (analyze the issue from two ideological perspectives)

 

GRADE 11

Grade 11 Social Studies (2201 & 2202)

  • GCO 1: Civic Engagement – Students will be expected to demonstrate the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a diverse democratic society in an interdependent world.
  • GCO 2 : Inquiry and Research – Students will be expected to demonstrate the ability to apply inquiry and research skills to analyze, synthesize, and share information.
  • SCO 2.1 – evaluate evidence
  • SCO 3.3 – interpret, analyze, and evaluate information
  • SCO 3.4 – develop rational conclusions supported by evidence

GRADE 12

Grade 12 Social Studies (3201 & 3202)

  • GCO 1: Civic Engagement – Students will be expected to demonstrate the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a diverse democratic society in an interdependent world.
  • GCO 2: Inquiry and Research – Students will be expected to demonstrate the ability to apply inquiry and research skills to analyze, synthesize, and share information.
  • SCO 2.1 – evaluate evidence
  • SCO 3.3 – interpret, analyze, and evaluate information
  • SCO 3.4 – develop rational conclusions supported by evidence

References:

All of the authorized NL curriculum is in the midst of being moved to eNLightenED, and is anticipated to be available for September 2025. This reference list will be updated when the new links become available.