Page 16 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | Canadian and World Studies

THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | Canadian and World Studies
Economics is about making choices, as individuals and as a society, about how best to use limited resources. An understanding of fundamental concepts, models, and methods of inquiry associated with economics can help us make informed decisions about how to allocate resources to address people’s unlimited needs and wants.
The Grade 11 and 12 economics courses provide students with opportunities to develop an understanding of different economic systems and institutions and to assess the ability of those systems and institutions to satisfy people’s needs and wants. These courses examine how markets, societal values, and governments influence economic decision making, and they provide opportunities for students to assess the costs and benefits of market and government activities for different stakeholders. The economics curriculum will also help students make better choices as consumers of goods and services, as contributors to the economy, and as economic citizens.
The Grade 11 and 12 economics courses introduce students to the economic inquiry process and the concepts of economic thinking. Students will develop ways of thinking about economics through the application of these concepts and will use the economic inquiry process as they gather, interpret, and analyse data and information relating to issues of economic importance. Students will make informed judgements and draw conclusions about local, national, and global economic issues.
GEOGRAPHY
Our daily lives are interwoven with geography. Each of us lives in a unique place and in constant interaction with our surroundings. Geographic knowledge and skills are essential for us to understand the activities and patterns of our lives and the lives of others.
Gilbert M. Grosvenor Center for Geographic Education, Why Geography Is Important (2007)
In defining geography, Charles Gritzner notes that “All geographic inquiry should begin with the question, ‘Where?’” He argues that, in considering “major Earth-bound events, features, and conditions”, geographers also investigate why they are where they are, or happen where they happen. And, because these events, features, and conditions “can and often do have some impact on our lives”, geographers consider why they are important to us.5 Gritzner has condensed these ideas into a short but meaningful phrase: “What is where, why there, and why care?” The Grade 11 and 12 geography courses provide students with opportunities to explore these three aspects of geography as they investigate geographic issues in Canada and internationally.
In the Grade 11 and 12 geography courses, students will develop their ability to apply both the geographic inquiry process and the concepts of geographic thinking. They apply this process and these concepts as they investigate a wide range of geographic issues and deepen their awareness of interconnections between Canadian and global issues. These courses enhance students’ ability to act as responsible global citizens and environmental stewards. Students will develop their spatial skills as they analyse information and data obtained from diverse sources, including field studies, aerial photographs, satellite
5. Charles Gritzner, “Defining Geography: What Is Where, Why There, and Why Care?”, accessed at http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/members/courses/teachers_corner/155012.html.
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