Page 264 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | Canadian and World Studies

Grade 12, College Preparation
Overall Expectations and Related Concepts of Geographic Thinking
Big Ideas*
Framing Questions*
B. Spatial Organization: Regional Similarities and Differences
B1. Economic Disparities: analyse interrelationships between social conditions, access to natural resources, government policies, and economic disparities within and between countries or regions (FOCUS ON: Interrelationships; Geographic Perspective)
Global inequalities are influenced by a wide variety of current and historical factors .
What are some impacts that may occur because of an inequitable distribution of resources?
Why might some people believe that there is an ethical imperative to share the world’s resources equitably?
What are some of the factors that influence the quality of life in different countries?
How do we measure the social and economic development of a region or a community? Are there potential biases in these measurements?
B2. Resources and Human Systems: analyse global patterns of natural resource and population distribution and their interrelationship with human networks and systems (FOCUS ON: Patterns and Trends; Interrelationships)
The distribution and availability of natural and human resources can have significant impacts on the economy, population distribution, and infrastructure of a country .
B3. Characteristics of World Regions: classify and compare countries and regions of the world, using appropriate criteria and statistical measures (FOCUS ON: Spatial Significance; Patterns and Trends)
Statistical indicators can help us understand spatial patterns of wealth and development around the world .
C. Sustainability and Stewardship
C1. Environmental Stewardship: analyse the role of individuals, the local community, and governments in achieving sustainability, and assess opportunities for personal stewardship and involvement in sustainability initiatives (FOCUS ON: Interrelationships; Geographic Perspective)
Governments at all levels, companies, and individual citizens have a role to play in achieving sustainability .
Why do individuals, companies, and governments continue to make unsustainable choices?
How might the environmental choices we make today have an impact on the world tomorrow?
Why have some countries been more successful than others in extracting and using a natural resource in a sustainable way?
What is the global commons? What can we do to protect the global commons?
C2. Resource Use and Sustainability: analyse selected resource uses and sustainability practices in a variety of countries (FOCUS ON: Interrelationships; Geographic Perspective)
The way that resources are extracted or harvested and the way they are used have a major influence on sustainability .
C3. Managing the Global Commons: explain the meaning and significance of the global commons, and analyse issues associated with the use and sustainability of its various elements (FOCUS ON: Spatial Significance; Patterns and Trends)
Resources that are essential for life are key components of the global commons .
Overview (continued)
Throughout this course, when planning instruction, teachers should weave the expectations from strand A in with the expectations from strands B–E.
Strands B–E
THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | Canadian and World Studies
* See page 17 for a discussion of the purpose of big ideas and framing questions.
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