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Needs versus Wants: Gr. 9-12

What is Quality of Life

Secondary

Description

This resource challenges students to find the relationship between subjective quality of life, objective quality of life indicators, and needs and wants for individuals, groups and nations.

Students are asked to read a background article on quality of life (q of l) that is based on needs compared to wants. Then they are asked to answer 4 questions that helps put q of l into historical perspective and into a comparative international context.

In the second activity, students are asked to brainstorm, in small groups or with the entire class, factors that contribute to quality of life. Students are then asked to prioritize the factors and sort them into the most relevant following 4 categories: environmental, social, economic, personal/physical. 

In the last activity, students are asked to pick 2 factors from each of the above 4 categories and compare statistics for Canada, a European nation and a tropical developing country. Then students are asked to respond to 4 more questions about the problems of comparing prognostic demographic and social statistics across different nations. Lastly, students are asked to state the difference between quality of life and standard of living.

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General Assessment

Themes Addressed

Relevant Curriculum Units