Basic 9 · Social Studies · Term Project

Term Project: Investigating a Community Issue

In this topic you will apply the term's learning through community-based project work, using investigation and discussion.

By the end of these notes you should be able to:

Plan a community-based project
Collect information from the community
Analyse your findings

What you already know

All topics covered in Social Studies this term

Copy everything that has a blue line on its left into your notebook. The other parts are for reading.

Lesson 1

Strand: Environment
Sub-strand: Term Project

Introduction

Over the next two weeks, you will investigate a real issue, and suggest what can be done.

1. Project Options

Project options

Option	Task	Topic
clean air	survey burning of rubbish	air pollution
energy use	school energy audit	energy
local resource	study a local resource	natural resources
job market	interview workers	human resources
family survey	views on marriage and parenting	family

2. Writing Your Question

A good question is clear and can be researched. "How often is rubbish burned near our school, and how do residents feel about this?" is better than "Is pollution bad?" Your question decides what information you need, and who to speak with. Choose a question that matters in your community.

3. Planning

Project plan

Item	Example
question	How do people dispose of waste?
methods	observation, 20 questionnaires
team roles	leader, recorder, reporter
timeline	week 1 collect, week 2 present
permission	headteacher and assembly member
risks	avoid dump sites

Students planning around a table

Figure 1: Planning a project Write your project question.

4. Preparing Tools

Write your questionnaire or interview questions. Use clear, polite language, and translate them if needed. Test them on a classmate. Prepare an observation sheet. Agree on how you will approach people. Dress neatly, greet people and explain your purpose. Do not go alone to unfamiliar places, and do not interview strangers without an adult's knowledge.

5. Respect for Community

Seek permission from local leaders, and thank them. Do not promise things that you cannot deliver. Keep people's answers private if they ask you to. If an issue is sensitive, such as marriage or parenting, ask general questions, and do not pry into private lives. Remember that you are a guest in people's lives, and that they are giving you their time.

6. Sharing Tasks Fairly

Agree on tasks at the start, and check your progress at the end of each day. Each member should collect some information, write some of the report and help to present it. If one person falls behind, the group should help and not complain. Fair sharing keeps a team strong.

New words

research question: A question an investigation tries to answer.
recorder: A person who writes things down.
observation sheet: A form for recording what you see.
permission: Agreement to do something.

Summary

Choose a clear research question.
Plan methods, roles and time.
Respect the community.

Class activity: Project Launch

Choose a project.
Write your plan.
Prepare your tools.

You need: Map of Ghana, Local newspaper, Printed photographs of a Ghanaian community

Exercises

Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.

1. A person who writes things down is a…
- A. recorder
- B. driver
- C. judge
- D. nurse
Show answer
Answer: recorderRole.
2. Which is a good research question?
- A. How do people dispose of waste?
- B. Is life nice?
- C. Why am I here?
- D. Who cares?
Show answer
Answer: How do people dispose of waste?Clear.
3. You should seek permission from leaders.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: TrueRespect.
4. A form for recording what you see is an observation ______.
Show answer
Answer: sheetTool.
5. State three items in a plan.
Show answer
Answer: Question, methods and roles.Any three.
6. Why should you avoid prying on family topics?
Show answer
Answer: They are private and should be treated with respect.Ethics.

Lesson 2

Strand: Environment
Sub-strand: Term Project

Introduction

Now it is time to go out and gather facts. Be careful, polite and truthful.

1. Collecting Information

Introduce yourself and your purpose.
Ask for consent.
Ask your questions clearly.
Record the answers exactly.
Thank the person.
Review your notes the same day.

2. Organising Data

Percentages

Of 40 people surveyed, 24 burn their rubbish, 10 pay for collection and 6 use a public dump. Find the percentage who burn rubbish.

24/40 × 100.

Answer: 60%

Sample results

Method of disposal	Number	Percentage
burning	24	60%
paid collection	10	25%
public dump	6	15%

3. Finding Patterns

Ask what the results show. If most people burn rubbish, why? Perhaps collection is too expensive, or too far away. Look for reasons behind the numbers, using what people told you. Compare different groups, such as old and young residents. Bar and pie charts can show the results clearly. Your job is to report what you found, and not what you hoped to find.

Students making a chart

Figure 2: Making a chart Draw a chart of your results.

4. Discussing Findings

Share your findings in your group. Do they make sense? What surprised you? Do they agree with what you expected? Consider what could have affected your results. Perhaps you surveyed only people at home in the morning, and missed the workers. Being honest about limitations is good practice in social research.

5. Identifying Solutions

Linking findings and action

Finding	Possible action
many people burn rubbish	ask the assembly for bins
lights left on	energy monitors in class
few know their resources	a school exhibition
young people lack skills information	career talk
few know about child rights	poster campaign

Think about realistic solutions, and who can help. Discuss these with community leaders. Good solutions use local resources, and they are acceptable to the people affected.

6. Keeping Your Records

Keep all your questionnaires and notes in one file, in date order. Number each questionnaire, so that you can go back and check an answer. Store private information safely, and share only summaries in your report. Good records let your teacher see how you reached your conclusions.

New words

consent: Agreement given freely.
pattern: A regular trend.
limitation: A weakness in a study.
bar chart: A chart that compares amounts.

Summary

Collect information politely and accurately.
Organise data and look for patterns.
Identify realistic solutions.

Class activity: Data Analysis

Enter your data in a table.
Find percentages.
Discuss what they show.

You need: Map of Ghana, Local newspaper, Printed photographs of a Ghanaian community

Exercises

Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.

1. A weakness in a study is a…
- A. limitation
- B. solution
- C. budget
- D. census
Show answer
Answer: limitationTerm.
2. 30 out of 60 is…
- A. 50%
- B. 30%
- C. 60%
- D. 20%
Show answer
Answer: 50%Percentage.
3. You should report what you actually found.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: TrueHonesty.
4. Agreement given freely is ______.
Show answer
Answer: consentTerm.
5. State three things to do when interviewing.
Show answer
Answer: Introduce yourself, ask for consent and thank the person.Any three.
6. Why might a survey done only in the morning be limited?
Show answer
Answer: It could miss people who are out at work.Limitation.

Homework

Complete your data table and write three findings.