Page 292 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | Canadian and World Studies

Grade 12, Workplace Preparation
THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | Canadian and World Studies
D2.3 identify major types of pollutants and their sources (e.g., toxic chemicals and heavy metals, smog, acid precipitation, bacteria in water, nutrients in water, noise, light), and explain their effects on plants and animals, including humans (e.g., reduced fertility, cancers, birth defects, cardiores- piratory disorders, neural disorders, detrimental confusion among sea turtle hatchlings)
Sample questions: “How is it possible for large fish and the predators that eat them to have large amounts of toxic pollutants in their tissues when only a small quantity of these pollutants is present in the water?” “How do agricultural fertilizers or phosphates in detergents affect plant and animal life in lakes?” “Why is it sometimes difficult to prove that a particular pollutant has a specific effect? Why might this make it difficult for people to understand or believe that a pollution problem exists?” “Why might there be many points of view about the effects of pollution?”
Using spatial skills: Constructing annotated maps showing pollution impacts and pollution sources for various regions can help students in their investigation of distribution patterns and relationships between affected areas and sources. Graphs can be added to show trends in pollutant emissions and environmental concentrations over time, as well as trends in impacts.
D3. Ecological Processes
FOCUS ON: Patterns and Trends; Interrelationships
By the end of this course, students will:
D3.1 describe relationships between the non-living and living components of an ecosystem (e.g., non-living: sunlight, temperature, precipitation, soils; living: producers, consumers, and decomposers)
Sample questions: “How do the non-living components of an ecosystem affect the type and amount of vegetation in the system?” “What determines the number and variety of animals in an ecosystem?” “How do decomposers support the sustainability of an ecosystem?”
D3.2 describe key nutrient cycles and energy flows in the Earth system (e.g., the carbon/oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrologic cycles)
Sample questions: “Where do plants get the energy they need to grow?” “What happens to the energy stored in uneaten food and in dead plants and animals?” “How does lightning help to support life on Earth?” “Why is it important to understand the hydrologic cycle?”
Using spatial skills: Students can create flow diagrams to illustrate the processes involved in major nutrient cycles, such as the water, carbon, and nitrogen cycles.
D3.3 describe the process of natural ecological succession in a variety of natural communities
Sample questions: “What changes happen to
a forest over time?” “How does a beach change naturally over time?” “How does a volcanic island become repopulated with plants and animals after an eruption?”
290