Page 66 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9 AND 10 | Canadian and World Studies

Citizenship Education
The expectations in the Grade 9 geography courses provide opportunities for students to explore a number of concepts connected to the citizenship education framework (see page 10).
Spatial Significance
This concept requires students to determine the importance of a place or region . They explore the connections that exist between the geographical location and physical characteristics of a site and analyse the unique relationships that exist in and between the natural and human environments in a particular place . Students come to understand that the significance of the same place may be different for humans, animals, and plants .
Related Questions*
− What are wetlands? Why are they important? (Grade 7, A3 .4)
− Why are there so many high-rise buildings in Hong Kong? (Grade 8, A1 .1)
− What does a population settlement map tell us about the preferred range of latitude for settlement
in Canada? (CGC1P, B2 .2)
− How does the availability of fresh water in Canada compare with the availability of fresh water
elsewhere in the world? (CGC1P, C3 .2)
− How does the official plan for your community address urban sprawl? (CGC1D, E2 .3)
THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9 AND 10 | Canadian and World Studies
(continued)
* These “related questions” are drawn directly from the overview charts that precede the geography courses and from the sample questions that accompany many specific expectations. To highlight the continuity between the geography courses in Grade 9 and those in Grades 7 and 8, and to show possible progression in the use of the concepts of geographic thinking over those grades, the chart includes some questions from the elementary geography curriculum as well.
D. Changing Populations: In this strand, students will analyse trends in Canada’s population and assess the implications of these trends in local, national, and global contexts. Students will have the opportunity to analyse geographic issues associated with population demographics and settlement patterns and to assess strategies that could be used to address the economic, environmental, social, and political implications of an aging and increasingly diverse population.
E. Liveable Communities: This strand focuses on the need for students to recognize how the infrastructure of a community can affect its liveability and its environmental, economic, and social sustainability. Issues relating to land use, urban growth, and human systems are analysed. Students will have the opportunity to develop strategies for making their community a more sustainable place in which to live.
The Concepts of Geographic Thinking
The four concepts of geographic thinking – spatial significance, patterns and trends, interrelationships, and geographic perspective – underpin thinking and learning in all geography courses in the Canadian and world studies program. At least one concept of geographic thinking is identified as the focus for each overall expectation in strands B–E of these courses. The following chart describes each concept and provides sample questions related to it. These questions highlight opportunities for students
to apply a specific concept in their studies. (See page 13 for a fuller discussion of the concepts of disciplinary thinking.)
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