This kit was created to thread sustainability-related knowledge, skills and attitudes throughout the Ontario grade nine geography course. While the kit consists of separate modules designed to match the conventional units of study in the Ontario course, these materials will effectively support geography programs as well as other areas of study in all provinces and territories. The modules are as follows:
1. What is Fair? Students are put into an unfair situation to provoke them to reflect on their own definition of what is fair.
2. Sense of Place Module. This module includes a walk in the local community, the development of a map of the area and a task in which students take photos of places they like and dislike and justify their choices.
3.Lens Module. This module helps students to understand that we see the world through a certain lens and that there is a conventional way of seeing the world that is dominant in Canada. Students learn that the lens colours the way we see things and examine alternative lenses (eg. the traditional aboriginal lens). Students then analyse different lenses and choose features that they would like to have for their own lens.
4.Physical Geography Module. The students use a field trip to a local natural place to see more concretely how the physical features of geography (geology, soil, vegetation, etc.) are interconnected in a real setting. The students demonstrate their learning through a mind map which they build upon in later modules. The students also do some sensory activities to encourage their appreciation of the natural site.
5. Human Unit Module. Students participate in a simulation of applying to immigrate to Canada. They experience other peoples' genuine stories of moving to Canada. Students analyse the Canadian immigration system from a sustainability perspective.
6.Human-Environment Module. Students examine the environmental, social and economic consequences of the resources we use. Water is used as an example. Students then examine the consequences of certain products that they use. They take on a structured challenge to examine their use of a particular product and reflect on the opportunities to use it differently.
7. Global Unit Module. Students examine the interconnected nature of our world through mapping the origins of the products studied in the Human-Environment module (module 6). Students are given an opportunity to examine an alternative way of aspiring to make the relationships in the world fair and 'persistable' through a micro-loan project.
8. Culminating Assessment Opportunity. This mind map activity weaves the interconnections of all of the modules in this resource.
Examining the (figurative) lens we use that impacts the way we see the world.
Listening to peers.
Monitoring the amount of time one speaks in a group setting.
Examining a product from a life-cycle perspective.
Deciding if a behaviour/action is 'persistable'.
Creating a list of parameters for our personal assessments of what is 'fair'.
This resource is extremely thorough and easy-to-use. It provides many student-ready sheets for the activities.
The resource helps to thread the idea of sustainability throughout an entire course.
The modules work well together and can be used separately.
The resource was designed by a group of teachers who are currently teaching the course thus everything in the resource is extremely user-friendly and timely.
In the lens activity, students are asked to look at many aspects of society through different lenses. It is a rare opportunity to take an explicit, activity-based approach to this important concept.
There is a skills-based approach to encouraging students to examine issues from multiple perspectives.
There are explicit, skill-building activities to help students build their group-work skills. One activity helps students to reflect on their use of 'air time' in a group setting. The other provides concrete opportunities and tips to help students to build and reflect upon their listening skills.
Some good simulations as well as authentic experiences.
Many of the activities are fairly conventional.
The activities are fairly teacher-driven.
The action opportunities are very structured. Students do not get experience designing their own action projects nor developing action-project related skills.
The following tool will allow you to explore the relevant curriculum matches for this resource. To start, select a province listed below.
Principle | Rating | Explanation |
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Consideration of Alternative Perspectives | Very Good | In the lens activity, students are asked to look at many aspects of society through different lenses. The students compare the conventional way of looking at society with at least one other lens (the traditional aboriginal lens is suggested). Then students have the opportunity to reflect and create their own 'lens' by cutting and pasting the perspectives they have learned about and/or naming/creating their own perspectives. |
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives:
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Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions | Very Good | There is a skills-based approach to encouraging students to examine issues from multiple perspectives. Throughout the resource students are encouraged to examine issues from environmental, social and economic perspectives. |
Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions: Effectively addresses the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the issue(s) being explored.
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Respects Complexity | Very Good | Water is used as an exemplar to help students to understand all of the impacts a bottle of purchased water has throughout its life cycle. Then, students are given the opportunity to transfer this approach to a product of their own choosing. |
Respects Complexity: The complexity of the problems/issues being discussed is respected. | ||
Acting on Learning | Good | There are two action opportunities in this resource. The opportunities are very structured but still provide an opportunity for a sense of efficacy and for reflection. |
Acting on Learning: Learning moves from understanding issues to working towards positive change — in personal lifestyle, in school, in the community, or for the planet
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Values Education | Good | |
Values Education: Students are explicitly provided with opportunities to identify, clarify and express their own beliefs/values. | ||
Empathy & Respect for Humans | Good | Students apply to immigrate to Canada. Their application is scored. Students may or may not get in. Guided reflection questions and pairing up of 'those' who got in with those who did not, help students to reflect on their own feelings and to try to understand the feelings of someone in the opposite position. Two 'commercials' are offered in which the power relationship is shifted from what we conventionally experience in Canada. |
Empathy & Respect for Humans: Empathy and respect are fostered for diverse groups of humans (including different genders, ethnic groups, sexual preferences, etc.). | ||
Personal Affinity with Earth | Good | Explicit sensory activity to cultivate personal affinity with Earth is offered in Module 4. |
Personal Affinity with Earth: Encourages a personal affinity with -the natural world.
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Locally-Focused Learning | Very Good | The Sense of Place module is explicitly designed to do this through a local walk, map-making, and photo activities in which students document what they like and don't like about their community. |
Locally-Focused Learning: Includes learning experiences that take advantage of issues/elements within the local community.
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Past, Present & Future | Satisfactory | The question, 'is it persistable' arises over and over again which is an adequate future focus. Students also have at least two opportunities to make a positive change for the future. The past is not well-addressed. |
Past, Present & Future: Promotes an understanding of the past, a sense of the present, and a positive vision for the future. |
Principle | Rating | Explanation |
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Open-Ended Instruction | Very Good | The instructions in the resource are careful to leave room for students to come to their own conclusions. The action opportunities provide explicit instructions for students who do not 'buy in'. The bias of the resource toward a sustainable approach will probably still be obvious to most students. |
Open-Ended Instruction
: Lessons are structured so that multiple/complex answers are possible; students are not steered toward one 'right' answer. | ||
Integrated Learning | Poor/Not considered | The nature of 'geography' is multi-disciplinary. This resource does not attempt to break-down conventional secondary school subject barriers. |
Integrated Learning: Learning brings together content and skills from more than one subject area
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Inquiry Learning | Satisfactory | The What is Fair? activity does this well. |
Inquiry Learning: Learning is directed by questions, problems, or challenges that students work to address.
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Differentiated Instruction | Satisfactory | Activities address a range of learning styles. An opportunity is provided to differentiate the instruction based on academic success on an assignment. No accommodations are suggested for students with learning difficulties. |
Differentiated Instruction: Activities address a range of student learning styles, abilities and readiness.
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Experiential Learning | Good | The 'What is Fair' activity and the Immigration Application activities are simulations. The map-making activity, the sensory activities, the challenge to alter uses of a product and the micro-loan opportunity provide authentic experiences. |
Experiential Learning: Authentic learning experiences are provided
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Cooperative Learning | Good | There are a few well-developed activities at the back of this guide to help students with their group-work skills. One activity helps students to reflect on their use of 'air time' in a group setting. The other provides concrete opportunities and tips to help students to build and reflect upon their listening skills. |
Cooperative Learning: Group and cooperative learning strategies are a priority.
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Assessment & Evaluation | Satisfactory | Culminating assessment activity is provided but no assessment tools were included. Listening to Presentations: The Note Organizer could be used for formative assessment. Self and 'other' (peer or teacher) assessment tool is provided for listening skills. |
Assessment & Evaluation: Tools are provided that help students and teachers to capture formative and summative information about students' learning and performance. These tools may include reflection questions, checklists, rubrics, etc. | ||
Peer Teaching | Good | The 'Using our natural resources' activity is created so that the only source of information that students have for the natural resources other than the one they studied arises from their peers' presentations. Students must learn about 5 other natural resources in this way. An organizer is provided to help students to capture this information while listening. |
Peer Teaching: Provides opportunities for students to actively present their knowledge and skills to peers and/or act as teachers and mentors.
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Case Studies | Poor/Not considered | |
Case Studies: Relevant case studies are included. Case studies are thorough descriptions of real events from real situations that students use to explore concepts in an authentic context. | ||
Locus of Control | Satisfactory | Students get to choose the natural resource and the product they wish to study. Students get to choose the medium they use to share their knowledge about their product of study. Students get to choose the personal challenge they wish to take on. |
Locus of Control: Meaningful opportunities are provided for students to choose elements of program content, the medium in which they wish to work, and/or to go deeper into a chosen issue. |