Page 158 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | Canadian and World Studies

Grade 11, University/College Preparation
THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | Canadian and World Studies
consumption patterns, minimizing waste through reuse and recycling, supporting environmental advocacy organizations)
Sample questions: “What are some ways in which individuals can work to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and smog-causing pollut- ants?” “What are some simple things that you can do to reduce water pollution?” “What common household items contain toxic materials? How should they be disposed of? Are there alternatives to these items that are not toxic or don’t require hazardous waste disposal?” “What is urban farming and what financial benefit does it have for families? How does urban farming help reduce environmental waste?”
C2. Human Impact on the Physical Environment
FOCUS ON: Spatial Significance; Interrelationships
By the end of this course, students will:
C2.1 explain how human modification of the landscape (e.g., urban expansion, paving, river damming or diversion, deforestation, draining of wetlands, mining) affects natural systems (e.g., changes in groundwater, loss of habitat, alteration of food chains, creation of heat domes and other local climatic changes, changes in carbon budget and related climate effects, changes in drainage patterns, impairment of surface water quality)
Sample questions: “In what ways did the modification of the Yangtze River, due to the development of the Three Gorges Dam, affect natural systems in that region of China? What criteria would you use to determine which
of these changes will have the largest and longest-lasting impacts?”
C2.2 explain how human activities that modify the natural environment may increase the possibility of a natural disaster or intensify its impacts (e.g., deforestation or urban construction that alters bedrock may increase the possibility of
a landslide; building houses on permafrost may trigger mudflows; draining and infilling of wetlands may increase the severity of floods)
Sample questions: “How did coal mining in Turtle Mountain, Alberta, contribute to the Frank Slide?” “How did the Vajont Dam in Italy contribute to a flooding disaster, and why was the site of the dam a poor choice?” “How did the construction of offshore islands as part of a land-reclamation process contribute to liquefaction impacts during the Great Hanshin Earthquake of 1995?”
C2.3 assess the effectiveness of various means for decreasing risks from natural hazards (e.g., bans on housing construction in potentially dangerous areas such as floodplains or beachfronts; building code provisions; protective infrastructure such as breakwaters; watershed management practices such as flood control, flood forecasting, and erosion control; avalanche and landslide control measures)
Sample questions: “What impact did the building of a tsunami wall have on the Japanese island community of Okushiri?” “Why did levees fail to protect New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina?”
C3. Human Use of the Physical Environment
FOCUS ON: Spatial Significance; Geographic Perspective
By the end of this course, students will:
C3.1 describe how various features in the physical environment provide economic resources or benefits for society (e.g., waterfalls provide energy sources; moraines and eskers provide sand and gravel; forests and minerals provide materials for building and manufacturing; sheltered bays provide good harbours)
Sample questions: “What are the economic benefits of a river?” “What kinds of physical features attract human settlement? What are some of the economic benefits associated with these features?” “What are the economic advantages of your community’s physical environment?”
C3.2 analyse the costs and benefits of various natural phenomena from a human perspective (e.g., volcanic eruptions pose a danger to human settlement but produce fertile soil; monsoon rains lead to flooding of the land but are vital to crop production; subduction at tectonic plate boundaries causes earthquakes and volcanoes but also forms concentrations of minerals)
Sample questions: “Can excessive snowfall provide benefits to humans? Are there costs related to below-average snowfall?”
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