Social Studies - Level one practice exam information April 2014

1. Describe how cultures change
4 credits

2.  This achievement standard involves describing
how cultures change
 We are going to use the Vikings as our culture
 This achievement standard will be assessed at
the END OF THE YEAR during NCEA exams
 This is going to be a practice external based on
the Vikings, it will be open book.
 In the end of year exam you will be given a
resource booklet which you will base your
answers off

3.  For this standard you will need to describe
how a culture changes.
 Let’s break it down:
 Giving an account of the change involved
 The individuals/groups/society that is involved
 Giving an account of the PROCESSES that led to the
change
 Points of view about the change
 Why the processes led to the change were important
for the individuals/groups/society(s) involved

4.  You are going to have 2 periods to research this
in class and homework time to complete your
research.
 You are going to base this research around the
Vikings
 Any notes you write down in your book may be
used in the practice assessment but you may not
pre-write an answer
 We are going to write up this assessment over 3
periods – Friday 11th April, Monday 14th April and
Tuesday 15th April

5.  What do you need to research?
 During your research you are going to need
to use the template on the following page to
guide this process.
 Over a double page in your book, rule up the
planning page with subheadings shown on the
next slide

6. Name and description of the
cultural change
Name and description of the
individuals, groups and/or society
involved
Social Studies concepts (use at least two)
Viewpoint(s) How points of view contrast
Points of view about the change
Viewpoint(s)
PAGE 1 OF YOUR DOUBLE PAGE

7. Process that led to the change, and reasons why the processes were
important for society
Processes that led to the change
PAGE 2 OF YOUR DOUBLE PAGE
Processes that led to the change
Importance of process for societyImportance of process for society

8.  Our Culture for this practice assessment is
the Vikings.
 The most obvious example of a cultural
change we can see is from the Viking culture
back in 793-1066 to the European culture you
see today in the Viking homelands of Norway,
Sweden and Denmark
 Remember to describe a change you have to
say what it was like 1st and then what it
became later on.

9.  This means you need to first describe the
Viking culture back in the 700s and then
explain the changes that occurred over time
to give us today’s European culture
 How do we describe a culture? What things
make up a culture?

10.  You must apply 2 concepts to your
description of cultural change.
 These can be selected from:
 Society
 Change
 Culture
 Perspectives
 Rights
 Values
 Social Justice
Which do you think might be the most relevant?

11.  A viewpoint is a way a person or group of
people perceive a particular issue.
 A person’s viewpoint is often determined by
their background (ethnicity, race, gender,
age, wealth etc.)
 You need to select 2 CONTRASTING
viewpoints about the change in Viking
culture e.g. 1 who thinks the change was
good, 1 who thinks the change was bad

12.  A process is a linked series of actions or
events that can occur over a period of time.
 You need to select TWO processes and
describe how they have led to or caused the
change in Viking culture
 You also need to describe why the processes
that led to the change were important for
the individuals/groups/society(s) involved

13.  You can select from 3 processes that have
caused cultural change of the Vikings
 Write these definitions down in your book
now……
 Assimilation: When one culture absorbs into
another or becomes similar
 Colonisation: When another culture/country send
settlers to a place and establish political control
over it
 Integration of new understandings: the Vikings
took on the understandings and beliefs of the
European culture

14.  Your answer will be written as a series of
paragraphs over the space of 3 periods.
 It will cover the 3 main criteria for this standard
 Describe the cultural change and the people involved in
the change
 Describe contrasting points of view about the change
 Describe the processes that led to the change with
reasons why these processes were important for the
society involved
 You can plan (not pre-write) your answer and use
notes from your research to help you answer this
in these 3 periods. It is OPEN BOOK