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Course Profile World Geography: Urban Patterns and Interactions (CGU4C), Grade 12, College Preparation, Public

Course Overview

Policy Document: The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12, Canadian and World Studies, 2000.

Prerequisite: Any University, University/College, or College Preparation course in
Canadian and World Studies, English, or Social Sciences and Humanities

Course Description

This course examines cities around the world and the social, economic, and physical factors that shape them. Students will use geographic concepts, methods, and tools to examine such topics as urban structures and systems, spatial interactions, environmental impacts, rural-to-urban migration, cultural interactions, and urban problems.

Rationale for World Urban Geography

Students develop an understanding of the dynamic and interrelated nature of urban habitat, in which the vast majority of Canadians and an ever-growing number of people everywhere in the world live. The United Nations Population Fund predicts that more than 60% of the world’s population will live in cities by 2030.

Students develop an understanding of the interconnections among the economic, political, cultural, social and environmental aspects of the geography of cities. They gain valuable knowledge and skills as they analyse patterns and trends, develop predictions and alternative solutions to problems, and compare geographic and quality of life issues in cities around the world. Through a study of urban geography, students have an opportunity to think about where they live, how they live, the relationship that they have with the natural environment, and the choices they will make in the future.

Course Notes

The strands outlined in The Ontario Curriculum Grades 11 and 12, Canadian and World Studies, 2000 document, form a framework for the development of this Course Profile. Expectations from across the strands are clustered to form five units centred around an overall focusing question: What are the characteristics of a successful, sustainable city?

The rationale for the sequencing of the units takes students from an introduction to basic urban concepts through interactions within urban systems and between rural and urban systems, to application of concepts and principles in a variety of contexts.

While the main focus of the course is on global patterns and world cities, each unit includes a focus on a related aspect of the students’ local community and builds outwards from there, to national and global scales. Each of the five units concludes with a culminating performance task, designed to allow for multiple intelligences and to help students synthesize essential or enduring understandings from the unit. The culminating tasks are components of the final course culminating activity and apply directly to the city chosen by students for their final inquiry.

Because of the nature of the course, one approach that is recommended is the use of case studies of situations, issues, and initiatives in towns and cities in a variety of different countries. There are hundreds of success stories in communities large and small around the world that can provide ideas and inspiration to students as they apply what they have learned to their own independent inquiry. This case study approach provides students with a broader perspective and a better foundation for their final culminating task. The case study approach also helps to equip students with important knowledge and skill required in most college programs. Some of the case studies should be produced by students based on their research, while others may be provided for student discussion and analysis. The curriculum has been interpreted as closely as possible based on what we called an ‘international’ city. A few expectations specifically mention Africa, Asia, and Oceania so teachers need to be sure that their students look at some cities in these regions throughout the course.

It is recommended that teachers make use of a wide variety of media including atlases, journals, newspapers, videos and the Internet. The use of community resources such as municipal governments, the local Chamber of Commerce, planning departments, representatives from local water or waste management utilities, libraries, community colleges, and local developers is recommended. Guest speakers on urban issues will enrich the course for students. Assigning ongoing current events searches using a variety of media will help students locate relevant resources. There are many films and videos, both movie style and documentaries with an urban context that provide opportunities for students to discuss issues. Segments from these could be used as resource material. The use of visual resources such as posters, and geotechnologies including satellite images is essential. Because of the systematic, multi-layered, and spatial nature of urban geography, students have many opportunities within the course to use geographic information systems (GIS) as an analytical tool thereby developing essential technological skills.

This Course Profile is only one interpretation of how the course could be designed. The timelines suggested are meant to be flexible and may be used as a guideline dependent on the specific needs of students. Teachers are encouraged to alter, reorder, or further develop units and activities to meet the needs of their students and reflect the resources available within the community.

Students apply the geographic foundation of knowledge and skills, including basic geographic themes and concepts, gained in Grades 7, 8, and 9 to a study of urban geography. The course provides numerous opportunities for students to further develop written, oral, and visual communication skills. Students also have opportunities to research, debate, interpret, evaluate and apply the products of their geographic inquiries within local, national, and global contexts.

Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in World Geography

The use of geotechnologies such as geographic information systems (GIS) and satellite imaging help students to develop their inquiry skills using current, authentic application software and technologies. Software such as ArcView 3.2, Arc Canada 2.0, and MF Teach is licensed for use in all secondary schools in Ontario. Support for teachers and students, GIS lessons and links to additional databases, can be found on a range of websites listed in Resources. Teachers are encouraged to use GIS as a tool for enhancing critical thinking and problem-solving process rather than simply a mechanism to complete prescribed exercises.

Units: Titles and Time

* Unit 1	What is a City?	20 hours
Unit 2	Urban Systems	22 hours
Unit 3	Cities and their Hinterlands	14 hours
Unit 4	Cities – Places of Conflict and Compromise	30 hours
Unit 5	Solutions to Urban Environmental Problems	16 hours
Culminating Task	Creating a Plan for a Workable Urban Community	8 hours (in class)

* This unit is fully developed in this Course Profile.

Unit Overviews

Unit 1: What is a City?

Time: 20 hours

Unit Description

Students are introduced to the study of urban geography and the nature of cities. They gain an understanding of how people perceive cities from different experiences and viewpoints and the factors that contribute to those perspectives. Students apply creative-thinking skills as they write from the perspective of a particular urban lifestyle and study the variety of factors that influence that way of life. They renew geographic skills developed through previous Geography courses in this introductory unit, including mapping, graphing, and spatial analysis, as they investigate patterns and rates of urbanization around the world. The factors that influence the unique vitality and character of every city and its distinctive skylines is one focus of the unit culminating task. In the concluding activity, students write a report on an international city. This report is presented to the class, as they collect information for a world city database, which can be used as a resource for all students. The report includes an analysis of the geographic setting and morphology of the city, an overview of cultural characteristics, and an urban problem. The city chosen is the focus of geographic inquiry for each student for culminating tasks throughout the course.

Unit Overview Chart

Activity	Learning Expectations	Assessment Categories	Focus
1.1 Cities...the good, the bad, and the ugly	SSV.03, SS1.06, SS1.07, HE1.02, UC1.01, GI2.04, GI2.05, GI2.06	Knowledge/ Understanding Communication	What do people think of cities? What factors, including cultural factors, influence their perceptions?
1.2 “Cities: a nice place to visit but...”	SSV.02, SSV.03, SS1.04, SS3.06, UC1.01, GI2.02, GI2.04	Thinking/Inquiry Communication Application	What indicators tell us how liveable cities are and what is their relative importance?
1.3 Big cities, small world	SSV.03, GIV.01, SS2.02, SS3.04, SS3.07, GC2.01, GI2.01, GI3.04	Thinking/Inquiry Communication	How do global urban patterns and rates of urbanization vary in different parts of the world?
1.4 Defining the city	SS1.01, SS1.03, SS3.02, SS3.03, SS3.07, HE1.01, GI2.02, GI2.01	Knowledge/ Understanding Application	What factors define a city’s shape or morphology?
1.5 Cityscapes	GIV.01, SS1.03, SS3.07, HE1.02, UC1.01, GI2.04		Why do international cities have unique skylines? What characteristics contribute to the unique and distinctive nature of a city?
1.6 An International City Investigative Report Part 1 - Image of a City Part 2 - Written Report and Oral presentation	SSV.01, SSV.02, SS1.02, SS1.03, SS3.06, SS3.07, HEV.01, GCV.01, GC1.03, UCV.02, GIV.01, GI1.01, GI2.04	Knowledge/ Understanding Thinking/Inquiry Communication Application	Culminating Performance Task: An International City Inquiry - 3-D city image postcard - written report - oral presentation

Unit 2: Urban Systems

Time: 24 hours

Unit Description

Students study the structure of urban habitats, the patterns that develop as people live, work, play, and move about in cities and the complex systems that are needed to provide services for so many people in one place. Students begin to develop an understanding through an examination of the functions and position of their own community within the urban hierarchy. They further develop knowledge and skills as they investigate how cities are structured, including land use patterns and the interconnections of urban systems on which people depend. As cities grow and more demands are made on existing financial resources, infrastructures that move people, resources (such as water, goods, ideas, communication modes), and waste removal systems become decayed and overburdened. Students use critical thinking skills to investigate ways to rebuild these systems, while comparing the realities of cities in developed and developing countries. Students examine problems posed, e.g., transportation systems trying to keep up with urban growth and changing mobility patterns. Students debate the pros and cons of promoting public transit as opposed to use of highways and roads. In the culminating activity students synthesize their learning about systems and infrastructure as they suggest improvements to the transportation system in their city. This transportation plan and one additional system from other units, such as water supply, waste management, affordable housing, clean energy etc. are included in the course culminating activity. The cities which students choose will be determined by the resources and websites available to them.

Unit Overview Chart

Activity	Learning Expectations	Assessment Categories	Focus
2.1 The Evolving City	SSV.01, SS1.05, SS2.03, SS3.07, HEV.01, HE1.01, HE3.01, GCV.01, GC1.01, GC3.01	Knowledge/ Understanding Thinking/ Inquiry	What are the functions of the local community and how does it fit into the urban hierarchy? How are urban hierarchies different in developed and developing countries? How can single function towns be compared to world-class cities?
2.2 Urban Habitats	SS1.01, SS1.02, SS2.01, SS3.03, GIV.01, GI2.01, GI2.03, GI2.06	Knowledge/ Understanding Application	What land use patterns are created where people live, work, play, learn, and move about in cities? Can traditional theories of urban structure be applied to a city? (GIS activity suggested)
2.3 A web of systems	SSV.02, SS1.05, SS1.08, SS3.01, HEV.02, UC2.04, GI2.03, GI2.06	Thinking/ Inquiry Communication	How does infrastructure affect mobility and interdependence? What patterns are formed as complex infrastructure systems move people, goods, ideas, waste, and resources. (GIS activity suggested)
2.4 Rebuilding city infrastructures	SS2.05, SS3.07, HEV.02, HE1.02, HE1.03, UC3.01, GIV.01, GI2.08	Thinking/ Inquiry Communication Application	How can decayed infrastructures in developed and developing countries be rebuilt? What incentives might a community initiate for maintaining infrastructures? Case study opportunity, e.g., Hong Kong airport.
2.5 Transportation systems and issues	UCV.02, UCV.03, UC2.03, UC3.01, UC3.02, UC3.03, GIV.02, GI1.02, GI2.04, GI2.07, GI2.08, GI3.01	Communication Application	What are the advantages and disadvantages of our dependence on cars and trucks? What are the ways to increase use of the “green” machine (bicycle) in the local community? What would be included in a charter of pedestrian rights, applicable to develop and developing countries? The public transit vs. highways debate as seen in successful community case studies around the world.
2.6 Designing a workable transportation infrastructure	SS1.02, SS1.08, SS2.05, SS3.01, SS3.02, HEV.01, HEV.02, HE1.01, UCV.02, UC3.01, UC3.04, GIV.01, GIV.02, GI2.01, GI2.04, GI2.08, GI3.02	Thinking/ Inquiry Communication Application	Culminating activity. Produce a map and oral or written report outlining a design to improve public/private transportation infrastructure in the city chosen for final course culminating task. Report includes effects of natural setting, and city structure, effective linking of land uses, efficient linking of goods and people to places they need to go, creative solutions for transportation issues. Use annotations and draw arrows to represent links on the map where possible.

Unit 3: Cities and their Hinterlands

Time: 14 hours

Unit Description

Fewer and fewer places on the planet are unaffected by the dynamics of cities as they spread out onto surrounding land. Cities have a complex relationship with their surrounding region. The largest world-class cities have become engines of economic power and growth and may consider the whole world their hinterland. The stage is set for learning within a local context as students produce a flow diagram to illustrate the inflow and outflow of the many aspects of human and natural systems that are exchanged. Students examine the factors that cause cities to spread out, including population growth, poor planning, and rural-urban migration. Students apply the ecological footprint concept, first introduced in Grade 9 geography, to a study of the effects of urban sprawl. Students evaluate the positive and negative aspects of suburban living and investigate current methods and principles of planning designed to contain urban sprawl and mitigate its negative effects. Students analyse the considerable differences between cities in developed and developing countries.

Students then do a case study of successful initiatives in dealing with urban sprawl. In the culminating task, students create a large “mental” map of their chosen city to illustrate the enduring understandings from this unit. Students also apply their knowledge of planning principles to the final course culminating task.

Unit Overview Chart

Activity	Learning Expectations	Assessment Categories	Focus
3.1 Cities are not self-sufficient	SS1.01, SS1.04, SS3.01, SS3.08, HE3.02, GCV.03, GC1.03, GC3.05, UCV.01, GI2.06	Knowledge/ Understanding Communication	Flow diagram to illustrate the co-dependency between students’ own (or closest) city and its hinterland, e.g., energy, food, other resources, jobs, transportation, trade, waste, communication, tourism, recreation, shopping, etc.
3.2 Urban Growth Patterns	SSV.02, SS2.04, SS3.01, SS3.08, HEV.03, HE2.02, HE2.03, GCV.03, GC2.04, UCV.01, UC1.02, GI2.03	Thinking/ Inquiry	What and how do political and economic factors (including rural-urban migration) affect urban growth patterns and changing boundaries? How are rural areas affected by urban growth as cities grow in population size, density, area, and vertically? How far do hinterlands extend considering world-class cities as centres of economic power? (GIS opportunity)
3.3 Investigating urban sprawl	HEV.03, HE1.03, HE2.01, HE2.03, GCV.03, GC1.03, GI2.06, GI2.08	Thinking/ Inquiry Communication	Graph land value changes moving out from city core. What are the negative and positive aspects of suburban living? What problems arise from urban growth (including housing shortages, loss of green space)? What is the Ecological Footprint concept and what is the carrying capacity of rural-urban regions to support future population growth and economic development?
3.4 Containing urban sprawl	HEV.03, HE1.03, HE2.03, UC3.03, GIV.03, GI1.02, GI2.07	Knowledge/ Understanding Thinking/ Inquiry Communication	What planning issues are there in the local community? How should we prioritize the issues that must be considered when planning for city growth? What measures should be taken to contain a city’s growth? What are some current essential elements and principles of urban planning, e.g., “smart growth” green infrastructure funds, integrated land uses, ‘neotraditional’ developments? Above questions are answered through a comparative case study of planning successes in two communities/cities in different parts of the world, e.g., Portland, Oregon and London, England.
3.5 Mental Map - Applying knowledge and skills	SS3.08, HEV.03, GCV.03, GC1.03, GC2.04, GIV.01, GIV.02, GIV.03, GI2.02, GI2.04	Knowledge/ Understanding Thinking/ Inquiry Communication Application	Culminating Activity: large map of students’ chosen city for final course culminating task shows its relationship to hinterland, evolving boundaries, relevant growth factors, identification of locations where planning principles might apply, e.g., smart growth principles, edges, districts, nodes, paths, integrated land uses.

Unit 4: Cities: Places of Conflict and Compromise

Time: 30 hours

Unit Description

Because many of the learning expectations for this course focus on cultural and economic aspects of urban geography, this is the largest unit in the course. Students examine cultural and economic patterns in Canadian and world cities that contribute to conflict. Through case studies, students examine the application of opportunities for cooperation and compromise in cities around the world. As this unit requires considerable research on the part of students, it is recommended that the library staff be consulted in advance. In the culminating task, students apply their knowledge, research, inquiry, and critical thinking skills to produce a cultural and economic profile for their city under study.

Unit Overview Chart

Activity	Learning Expectations	Assessment Categories	Focus
4.1 Culture and economics affect ethnic patterns	SSV.02, SS3.05, GC1.01, GC3.02, UCV.01, UC2.01, GI2.01, GI2.03, GI2.04	Knowledge/ Understanding Communication	Patterns of immigration and their impact on Canadian cities. Census tract analysis of a Canadian city to analyse distribution of ethnic groups and compare ethnic patterns to economic patterns. (GIS opportunity)
4.2 Regional study of an ethnic enclave	SSV.02, SS3.05, HE2.03, GC1.01, UCV.01, UC2.01, GI1.02, GI2.03	Thinking/ Inquiry	Why do cities attract ethnic groups? What are identifiable ethnic enclaves? How do we identify them? Regional study of an urban area of ethnic enclaves, or of one particular enclave. (GIS opportunity)
4.3 Young people leaving rural areas in Canada.	HEV.02, HE2.03, GC1.01, UCV.01, GI2.02, GI2.04, GI3.04	Thinking/ Inquiry Communication	A statistical analysis. Rural-urban migration forms complex patterns in Canada particularly with people aged 15-19. What are the implications of these patterns for cities and for preserving population size of rural areas?
4.4 The city – a magnet for migrants	SSV.02, SS3.07, HEV.02, GC1.01, GC1.02, GC2.02, GC3.03, UCV.01, UC1.02, UC1.05	Knowledge/ Understanding Application	Identify various groups involved in rural-urban migration from migrant workers to refugees. How do large numbers of migrants change the characteristics of a city?
4.5 Conflict and compromise issues.	SS3.05, SS3.07, GC1.02, GC3.03, UCV.01, UC1.02, UC1.03, UC1.05, UC2.01, UC2.01	Knowledge/ Understanding Thinking/ Inquiry Communication Application	What are the implications for conflict, cooperation and compromise in ethnic enclaves and rural-urban migration? What are the important issues that define violence and conflict and the factors that interact with urban growth to cause violence? For example, issues might include: (power imbalance, religious militancy, nationalism, rising demand for democratization, ethnocentrism, resource scarcity, environmental degradation, technology gap). Study examples of cultural conflict resulting from rural/urban migration. Analyse changing patterns of growth, decay and renewal in cities and implications for development of inner core of a city.
4.6 Comparing economic opportunities for men, women and children in cities in developing countries	SS3.07, GC3.03, GC3.04, UCV.01, UC1.02, UC1.03, UC1.05, GI2.04	Knowledge/ Understanding Communication	Cities as centres of opportunity, persecution, discrimination, alienation. Choose one of: Case study of street ‘kids’ in a city; or “homelessness”/housing issues; or a comparative study of women in settlements in developed and developing countries. (E.g., Bedouin women and women in a Scandinavian country.) (Discuss a film such as the City of Joy.) Students present results of their case study to class.
4.7 Global connections	SSV.02, HEV.02, GCV.02, GC1.02, GC2.03, GI2.06	Knowledge/ Understanding Communication	A study of cultural convergence and divergence. How do communication and transportation technologies contribute to cultural convergence and stimulate cultural divergence? (E.g., jets, Internet link distant places.) How do convergence and divergence change the way people live, work and interact in cities? Students create a graphic organizer/flow diagram.
4.8 A sense of community – solutions to issues of conflict and cooperation	SS3.07, HE1.03, GC2.02, GC3.03, UCV.03, UC1.05, UC2.03, UC3.02, UC3.03, GI1.02, GI2.07, GI2.08, GI3.03	Thinking/ Inquiry Communication Application	Research and report on: What factors contribute to solving issues in the local community? Solutions need cooperation among all groups. (E.g., citizens, community groups, government, business, Non-Government Organizations [NGOs], local authorities, United Nations [UN] agencies, private foundations.) What measures have been taken in cities to build social capital and an institutional framework for change? (E.g., work of UN, Habitat II, NGO Habitat for Humanity, local community initiatives, human values in neighbourhood design, etc.) How can Canada help with solutions? (E.g., existing assistance programs [CIDA], technical expertise.)
4.9 Economic and cultural profile of a city	SSV.02, SS3.05, HEV.02, GC1.01, HE2.03, GC1.02, UCV.01, UCV.03, UC2.01, UC2.03, GIV.01, GIV.03, GI3.02	Knowledge/ Understanding Thinking/ Inquiry Communication Application	Culminating task: Students create a cultural and economic profile of the city they have chosen for their final course culminating task based on what they have learned from this unit, and determine the essential elements of a profile and the best way to communicate the information.

Unit 5: Solutions to Urban Environmental Urban Problems

Time: 16 hours

Unit Description

In previous units students have focused on analysing economic, political, and cultural issues and evaluating various solutions. While this unit deals primarily with environmental issues, it is essential that throughout the course, students understand the interconnected nature of these aspects of issues. Most geographic issues have aspects and implications of a cultural, social, political, economic, and environmental nature.

With a focus on environmental issues within the local community and how they are connected to global issues, students investigate the distinctive environmental problems of the world’s megacities. The focus of the unit is on air and water pollution and waste management. People in cities cannot be healthy unless they live within a healthy ecosystem. Students compile a list of the characteristics of a healthy city with respect to the environment. They produce an independent study that examines the connection between human health and one aspect of environmental degradation.

As the course draws to a close, students look back through the geographic knowledge and skills they have developed and determine how these can be useful in geography related careers. In the culminating task for the unit, students participate in a round table format and, from the particular point of view of various stakeholders, discuss a selected environmental issue in a selected city. As an alternative, students could argue from a United Nations perspective, and focus on cities in developing countries that are faced with issues such as global warming, air pollution, water supply, etc. Students present ideas for alternative solutions during the roundtable discussion and apply the understanding developed through the roundtable to their final culminating task.

Unit Overview Chart

Activity	Learning Expectations	Assessment Categories	Focus
5.1 Local-Global Environmental connections	HEV.02, HE2.02, UCV.02, UC2.02	Knowledge/ Understanding	A focus on environmental issues in the local community. Where and how does the community get and treat its water, dispose of wastes? Identify global environmental issues that affect cities. (E.g., pollution knows no boundaries.)
5.2 Dealing with air and water pollution, and waste management in megacities	UCV.02, UCV.03, UC1.02, UC1.04, UC2.02, UC2.03, UC3.01, GI1.02, SS1.03, SS2.05, HE3.01, GIV.02	Thinking/ Inquiry Communication Application	What are the main causes of smog and water pollution in megacities? How do officials and organizations attempt to deal with these pollution problems? Conduct an independent inquiry of a case study of a Canadian city (e.g., Halifax and how it deals with garbage) or case study of a specific megacity (e.g., smog in Mexico City or Tokyo, water in Cairo, etc.).
5.3 Solutions for ‘greening’ cities	SSV.02, HE3.01, HE3.03, GC2.04, UCV.02, UC1.02	Knowledge/ Understanding	What are the characteristics of a healthy sustainable city? What connections are there between human and ecosystem health and environmental degradation (e.g., use of chemicals and pesticides, energy production and use)? Can economic and population growth be balanced with healthy urban habitats?
5.4 Careers for the Future	GIV.04, GI1.02, GI2.08, GI3.05	Knowledge/ Understanding Communication	Conduct an independent study that draws connections between the workplace and the units studied in urban geography to investigate a career (e.g., environmental technician, planning technician, draftsperson, architectural or landscape design, GIS analyst).
5.5 Culminating task	UCV.02, UCV.03, UC1.04, UC2.02, UC3.01, GIV.01, GI2.04, GI2.05, GI3.01, GI3.03	Knowledge/ Understanding Communication Application	A round table discussion occurs, with students taking on the roles of various stakeholders. Stakeholders propose solutions to a selected urban environmental problem. Points of view on issues and suggested solutions are presented through discussion, which ends with a vote on suggestions offered by various stakeholder groups. Students apply these alternative solutions where appropriate, to their final course culminating task.

Course Culminating Task

Time: 8 hours (class time)

Students design a plan either for future growth or for improving the effectiveness of a city or a community within their international city of choice. Near the beginning of the course they choose a city on which to focus their unit culminating tasks. They apply the enduring learnings and key concepts and skills developed throughout the course to this final task.

The course culminating task consists of several integrated components, developed as smaller culminating tasks throughout the five units. Students synthesize these visual components into the final written report and refer to them throughout the report.

In the culminating task, students should consider:

· the characteristics of a successful city;

· urban structures and morphology;

· highlighting changes to existing transportation infrastructure, plus one other urban system of their choice;

· planning principles;

· the relationship of the city to its hinterland;

· local and international action;

· policies and initiatives that are needed to implement the plan.

Finally, they consider how well solutions identified throughout the course would work for their city in order to develop alternatives for solutions to current issues vital to the city’s future.

Teachers might consider providing folders and an easily accessible storage space for students to keep the various components of the task throughout the course. In addition to a number of expectations that represent essential and enduring understandings, the final culminating task is an opportunity for students to demonstrate these expectations:

· UC3.04 - produce a plan for an effective new urban environment;

· GIV.02 - conduct an independent inquiry that applies geographic knowledge, skills, and methods to a study of urban places and patterns with a focus on Asia, Africa, or Oceania.

Teaching/Learning Strategies

This Course Profile focuses on both theoretical aspects of urban geography and practical, concrete applications of the course content, with an emphasis on the latter. It is important to recognize the diverse backgrounds, learning styles, and multiple intelligences of students. A variety of teaching/learning styles within each unit should be used to act as a bridge to help students achieve expectations and ensure student success. Teachers are encouraged to provide many opportunities throughout the course for students to discuss and clarify concepts and issues and the interconnections among them and to reflect on their learning.

Prior Geographic Knowledge & Skills

Students studying World Geography (CGU4C) bring a wide range of geographic understanding and skill level to the class. For students under OSS, prior knowledge may be limited to one Grade 9 geography course. Teachers must be prepared to do thorough prior knowledge assessment at various points during the World Geography course and to adjust assignments to allow for differing student educational backgrounds.

Assessment & Evaluation of Student Achievement

The primary purpose of assessment and evaluation is to improve student learning. In order to give students many opportunities to improve their learning in this course, a variety of formative assessment and summative evaluation tools are used in this partial profile. The suggested procedures for assessment and evaluation of student achievement have been created within the guidelines outlined in the document Program Planning and Assessment, 2000. Student activities should be clearly stated and based on direct demonstration of the course expectations. It is essential that teachers assess student performance frequently and base assessment tools on the four categories of the Achievement Chart found on page 246 of The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12, Canadian and World Studies, 2000. The descriptions at Level 3 represent the provincial standard for student achievement. Multiple opportunities for formative assessment, before the final summative evaluation are recommended.

For evaluation purposes the percentage ratings for each of the four categories of the Achievement Chart should accurately reflect the distribution of the course expectations. Some schools and departments may have set policies regarding weightings of Achievement Chart categories. Seventy per cent of the grade will be based on assessments and evaluations conducted throughout the course. Thirty per cent of the grade will be based on a final evaluation in the form of an examination, performance, essay, and/or other methods of evaluation.

As this is a College Preparation course with a focus on practical application of knowledge, it is recommended that the final evaluation representing 30% of the grade be based on the final culminating activity, and an examination based on the essential or key understandings developed throughout the course.

Accommodations

Accommodations are recommended for those students who need them to achieve success in this and every geography course. Working in collaboration with special education personnel, the teacher must become familiar with the Individual Education Plans (IEP) of exceptional students to understand the specific teaching/learning strategies required for student success.

To accommodate specific needs of students with learning disabilities teachers should:

· provide flexible timelines for completion of projects and assignments;

· contact parents/guardian for support and suggestions;

· arrange for peer tutoring/assistance;

· provide advance key terminology;

· provide oral and written instructions;

· encourage alternative work setting, e.g., resource room, when necessary;

· provide opportunities to redo portions of a task;

· adapt tests and exams as recommended in the IEP, e.g., time, use of a scribe, use of technology.

Consideration for English as a Second Language students is also necessary. The classroom teacher should be familiar with The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 to 12, English As a Second Language and Literacy Development, 1999. To accommodate ESL/ELD students, the teacher may:

· provide teacher/student conferencing;

· arrange peer tutor/assistance;

· combine written and verbal instructions;

· group students in first language brainstorming/review sessions;

· encourage practice sessions for oral presentations in a small group, supportive environment;

· provide sets of reference notes, outlines, or critical information as well as charts, maps, models, timelines and diagrams;

· allow students to use support materials during unit tests;

· consider cloze sentences, filling-in of charts and other graphic organizers for quizzes or tests;

· reinforce main ideas by using think/pair/share peer assessment strategies;

· develop personal or class vocabulary lists;

· consider reduced number of contacts for primary source activities such as interviews or surveys.

Resources

Units in this Course Profile make reference to the use of specific texts, magazines, films, videos and websites. Teachers need to consult their board policies regarding use of any copyrighted materials. Before reproducing materials for student use from printed publications, teachers need to ensure that their board has a Cancopy license and that this license covers the resources they wish to use. Before screening videos/films with their students, teachers need to ensure that their board/school has obtained the appropriate public performance videocassette license from an authorized distributor, e.g., Audio Cine Films Inc. Teachers are reminded that much of the material on the Internet is protected by copyright. The person or organization that created the work usually owns the copyright. Reproduction of any work or substantial part of any work on the Internet is not allowed without the permission of the owner.

Books

Bunting, Trudi and Filion Pierre. Canadian Cities In Transition. Don Mills: Oxford University Press, 1991. ISBN 0-99-540794-6 (A collection of essays on Canadian and global urban geography and issues for teacher background)

Drakakis-Smith, David. Third World Cities. New York: Routledge, 2000. ISBN 0415198828

Engwicht, David. Reclaiming Our Towns & Cities, Better Living with Less Traffic. New Society Publishers, Gabriola Island, B.C., 2000. ISBN 1-55092-27-0

Freedman, Bill. Environmental Science, A Canadian Perspective, 2nd ed. Prentice Hall, Toronto, 2001. ISBN 0-13-015760-0

Gugler, Josef, ed. The Urban Transformation of the Developing World. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996. ISBN 0198741596

Gugler, Josef, ed. Cities in the Developing World: Issues, Theory, and Policy. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1997. ISBN 0198742169

Jacobs, Jane. The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Random House of Canada, Vintage Books Edition, 1992. ISBN 0-679-74195-X

Kasarda, John D. and Allan M. Parnell, eds. Third World Cities: Problems, Policies, and Prospects. Newbury Park: Sage Publications, c1993. ISBN 0803944845

Kleniewski, Nancy. Cities, Change, and Conflict: A Political Economy of Urban Life. University of Massachusetts, 2002. ISBN 0-534-53919-X

Howley, R and E. Otten. Urban Toolkit, Working With City Environments. Gage Educational Publishing, Toronto, 1991. ISBN 0-7715-8169-6

Ness, Immanuel. Encyclopedia of World Cities. Armonk, N.Y., 1999. ISBN 0-7656-8017-3

Potter, Robert B. The City in the Developing World. Harlow, Essex: Longman, c1998.
ISBN 0582357411

Smith, David A. Third World Cities in Global Perspective: The Political Economy of Uneven Urbanization. Boulder, Co.: Westview Press, 1996. ISBN 0813387205

Stanford, Quentin H., ed. Canadian Oxford School Atlas; 7th Edition. Don Mills: Oxford University Press. 1998.

Williams, Donald. Urban Sprawl: a reference handbook. Denver CO., ABC-CLIO, 2000.
ISBN 1-57607-225-8

Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of World Cities. Detroit, 2000. ISBN 0-7876-4869-8

Cities of the World. Detroit, 1998. ISBN 0-8103-7691-1

Cities of the World Series, various authors, various dates, Danbury, CT. ISBN 0-516-29000-2

Enchantment of the World Series, various authors, various dates, Danbury, CT. ISBN 0-516-20870-5

World Geography. Hackensack, NJ, 2001. ISBN 0-89356-024-30

Documents

Rural Use: Stayers, Leavers and Return Migrants. Agriculture and Agrifood Canada, March 2000.
ISBN 0-662-29338-8 (www.rural.gc.ca)

An Urbanizing World, Statement on Sustainable Cities. Canadian International Development Agency, Catalogue No.: E04-292/1998, Minister of Public Works and Government Services, 1998.
ISBN 0-662-63911-1

Geography For Life. American Geographical Society, National Council for Geographic Education and National Geographic Society, National Geographic Research and Exploration, Washington, D.C.1994.
ISBN 0-7922-2775-1

Periodicals

Alternatives Journal, Environmental Thought, Policy and Action. Faculty of Environmental Studies, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1 (519 888 4567 ext. 6783) (The End of Sprawl edition, Summer 2000, Cars vs. Transit, Winter 1998, Green Communities, April/May, 1996 et al)

Lees, David. “Green city.” Canadian Geographic, V. 120, No. 4 (May/June 2000): 60 –70., McDougall, Bruce. “Watershed down.” Canadian Geographic V. 121, No. 6 (November/December 2001): 48-56.

The New Internationalist. (902 421 7022) (Green cities, Survival guide for an urban future, edition,
No. 313, June, 1999.

The Globe and Mail. New Cities for a New Century, January 7 – 11, 2002

The Toronto Star. June 10, 2000. “Sprawl”

Sheehan, Molly O’Meara. Sprawling World, World Watch, January/February 2002 12-23.

Websites

The URLs for the websites were verified by the writers prior to publication. Given the frequency with which these designations change, teachers should always verify the websites prior to assigning them for student use.

Museum of Chinese American History – www.camla.org/history/sangabri.htm -maps of Chinese ethnic enclaves and shifting ethnic populations in Los Angeles

– www.cities.coe.gov - environmental urban problems and solutions

– www.carfree.com - transportation issues and solutions

United Nations Centre for Human Settlements – www.unchs.org

– www.cero1.net/index.htm - Environment Reports on Cities -includes some African cities

National Geographic Society – www.nationalgeographhic.com/3cities - urban systems, functions and land use

Institute of World Affairs – http://iade.iwa.org/en/Unit2.htm

– www.hopeinthecities.org - solutions to cultural conflict

– www.citiesalliance.org - city development strategies, cities without slums

– www.un.org/Pubs/CyberSchoolBus/special/habitat/ - hinterland relationships

US Geological Survey – wwwga.usgs.gov.edu/urbanquality.html - effects of urbanization on water

Sierra Club – www.sierraclub.org/sprawl - report on urban sprawl and interactive sprawl map

Macalester College Geography Department – www.macalester.edu/courses/geog61/urban.html - research studies on world cities

Federation of Canadian Municipalities – www.fcm.ca - promoting ‘green’ infrastructure in Canadian communities

US Department of State, electronic journal on Green Cities, Urban Environmental Solutions,
March, 2000. – http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/itgic/0300/ijge/ijge0300.htm

Statistics Canada – www.statcan.ca - Canadian demographics for some of the local case studies

World Urbanization Prospects, 1999 Revision.
– www.un.org/esa/population/publications/wup1999/urbanization.pdf.

The United Nations University: Urban Studies Publications. – www.un.org/pubs/unu/urban97.htm.

The Basics of Geography Information systems
– www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/naturalresources/dd5926.html

Videos

Urban Issues, Living in the City. Cine Fete, Montreal. Series: includes:

A Square Metre in Mumbai: Housing Crisis, 1998
Abidjan in good hands: Urban Crime: 1998
Beirut, The Fragrance of Days Gone By: Urban Alienation, 1996
Rush Hour in Bangkok: traffic Congestion 1998
Episodes on New York, Moscow, Beijing, Mexico City, 1999
Port-au-Prince: The Challenge of Supplying Drinking Water, 1996
Johannesburg the Black: Dwellings for the Homeless, 1996

CBC News in Review - Dec. 1997 – “The New Toronto: Is Bigger Better?”

- Dec. 2000 – “ Urban Garbage: Landfill or Recycle”

Other resources

Unique Media Maps, Box 4400, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3C 2T9 (416-924-0644)

OSS Considerations

The Grade 12 World Geography: Urban Patterns and Interactions College Preparation course provides students with the opportunity to acquire skills and knowledge that they need in order to pursue education and career goals and to carry out social responsibility. This course would fulfil the requirement for an additional credit in Canadian and World Studies within the 18 compulsory credits required for an Ontario Secondary School Diploma in Section 3.1.1 (p.9) and Appendix 5 (p. 72) of Ontario Secondary Schools, Grades 9-12, Program and Diploma Requirements, 1999. This course provides students with learning experiences that are consistent with program goals outlined in Choices Into Action: Guidance and Career Education Program Policy for Ontario Elementary and Secondary Schools, 1999. Students relate their learning to personal aspirations and interests and to possible work and life roles.

Career and Cooperative Education

It is recommended that teachers take opportunities throughout the course to focus on careers related to geography. The use of community resources and guest speakers enables students to explore and evaluate potential careers. There should be a number of opportunities related to urban geography in municipal offices and private business of most communities that would give students first-hand experience and enable them to apply what they learn in this course.

Coded Expectations, World Geography: Urban Patterns and Interactions, Grade 12, College Preparation, CGU4C

Geographic Foundations: Space and Systems

Overall Expectations

SSV.01 · demonstrate an understanding of urban forms and functions around the world, using concepts and theories of spatial organization;

SSV.02 · explain how social, political, cultural, and economic processes shape urban places;

SSV.03 · analyse the characteristics of major urban systems in different parts of the world.

Specific Expectations

Understanding Concepts

SS1.01 – describe the major categories of land use in cities;

SS1.02 – define and describe the territorial categories used in the analysis of urban areas (e.g., catchment areas, functional zones, trade regions);

SS1.03 – explain why urban places around the world are different from one another;

SS1.04 – demonstrate an understanding of concepts and processes of spatial interaction between urban places (e.g., intervening opportunities, complementarity, distance decay);

SS1.05 – demonstrate an understanding of the social, political, cultural, and economic patterns and systems that influence the development of cities;

SS1.06 – describe how culture (e.g., place names, gender roles, resource use, food preferences, belief systems) affects the characteristics of places;

SS1.07 – explain what a city is and how several criteria can be used to define urban regions;

SS1.08 – identify types of urban systems (e.g., transportation, service systems).

Developing and Practising Skills

SS2.01 – explain selected theories of urban structure (e.g., concentric zone, sector, and multiple node theories) and apply them to major cities;

SS2.02 – illustrate changes in the distribution of urban agglomerations of five million or more inhabitants over time (e.g., 1950, 1975, 2000);

SS2.03 – explain how the quantity and nature of urban functions change at different levels of the urban hierarchy, from village to megalopolis;

SS2.04 – explain why urban boundaries change (e.g., as a result of shifts in population, production, and/or market patterns);

SS2.05 – compare urban service systems in a North American city to those in a South Asian or African city.

Learning Through Application

SS3.01 – apply concepts of spatial interaction effectively to explain selected global and regional movements of goods and people between cities;

SS3.02 – analyse relationships between function and location, topography, transportation, and other factors in the functional zones (e.g., residential, open space, industrial) of an urban area;

SS3.03 – analyse the distributions of selected characteristics of an urban area (e.g., land use, ethnic groups, population structure) and explain the reasons for the observed patterns;

SS3.04 – compare variations in the rate of urbanization in selected regions of the world and explain the reasons for the differences;

SS3.05 – develop cultural and economic profiles for selected cities in Asia, Africa, or Oceania that are at different stages of development (e.g., village-linked, resource-based, industry-based, diversified) and identify similarities and differences;

SS3.06 – explain how the character of a place is shaped by economics, politics, and population (e.g., Singapore as a city state, Moscow as a political centre);

SS3.07 – compare urban areas in different continents, using a variety of criteria;

SS3.08 – explain how a city influences its surrounding areas (e.g., transportation systems, trade, communications).

Human-Environment Interactions

Overall Expectations

HEV.01 · explain how the natural environment affects the location and development of settlements;

HEV.02 · explain how humans modify the environment for urban needs;

HEV.03 · assess the effects of human activities on urban and regional ecosystems and propose solutions to urban environmental problems.

Specific Expectations

Understanding Concepts

HE1.01 – demonstrate an understanding of the locational advantages and disadvantages of different city sites (e.g., within the Nile or Brahmaputra flood plains, in coastal wetland zones, at river crossings) and their effects on urban growth;

HE1.02 – explain how urban places (e.g., Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Tokyo) are made distinctive by human activities that alter physical features;

HE1.03 – explain how changes in political, economic, and social policy affect selected urban environments.

Developing and Practising Skills

HE2.01 – evaluate the capacity of selected urban and rural ecosystems to support population growth and economic development;

HE2.02 – explain the causes of migrations and their effects on the environment and on human activities in both rural and urban areas;

HE2.03 – analyse the effects of population growth and urbanization on selected cities and/or regional ecosystems (e.g., air and water pollution, urban sprawl, destruction of wildlife habitat) and propose solutions to these problems.

Learning Through Application

HE3.01 – analyse the environmental advantages and disadvantages of urbanization in selected areas (e.g., Nile River valley, Atlantic coast of Canada);

HE3.02 – explain how environmental hazards (e.g., earthquakes, floods) affect selected urban and nearby rural regions;

HE3.03 – analyse the environmental consequences of rural-to-urban migration on a selected city and its surrounding region (e.g., Lagos, Mumbai/Bombay).

Global Connections

Overall Expectations

GCV.01 · analyse the influence of culture, politics, and economics on the development of urban settlements in different parts of the world;

GCV.02 · explain the factors influencing cultural and economic convergence/divergence in relation to urban settlements in different parts of the world;

GCV.03 · analyse the interrelationships between a city and its surrounding region and between cities and regions of the world.

Specific Expectations

Understanding Concepts

GC1.01 – demonstrate an understanding of how culture and economics influence the development of settlements;

GC1.02 – identify examples of cultural, political, and economic factors that contribute to cooperation or conflict in urban regions;

GC1.03 – explain how a city and its hinterland/foreland benefit each other (e.g., Tokyo, Singapore, Capetown).

Developing and Practising Skills

GC2.01 – compare rates of urbanization in Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, and the Americas from 1900 to the present;

GC2.02 – analyse selected examples of the role of cities in the spread of major cultural and economic ideas and activities (e.g., world soccer, religions);

GC2.03 – analyse the geographic spread of urban traits and explain how they contribute to cultural and economic convergence (e.g., ethnic restaurants, golf, retailing franchises) and divergence (e.g., ethnic ghettos, migrants’ remittances);

GC2.04 – assess a city’s influence on its surrounding region, using diverse criteria (e.g., newspaper circulation, transport services).

Learning Through Application

GC3.01 – research and report on the positive and negative implications for cities of dependence on a single function (e.g., resource processing, education, military base);

GC3.02 – assess the impact of selected economic, linguistic, religious, or ethnic concerns on a Canadian city (e.g., Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver);

GC3.03 – explain the roles that culture and economics play in incidents of cooperation and conflict in a selected city (e.g., Belfast, Kuala Lumpur);

GC3.04 – compare economic opportunities for men, women, and children in selected urban regions (e.g., Cairo, Calcutta, Beijing);

GC3.05 – analyse the relationships between their own city, or a nearby city, and its surrounding region.

Understanding and Managing Change

Overall Expectations

UCV.01 · assess the impact of human migrations on urban systems and patterns;

UCV.02 · analyse problems of large urban areas and propose ways to make desirable changes;

UCV.03 · assess various ways of managing urban change in Africa, Asia, or Oceania.

Specific Expectations

Understanding Concepts

UC1.01 – explain how people’s changing perceptions of urban places and regions reflect cultural and economic change;

UC1.02 – assess the impact of large inflows of migrants on urban areas (e.g., shantytowns; stresses on education, sanitation, and transportation);

UC1.03 – identify the causes of internal disputes between cultural groups in selected cities (e.g., Jerusalem, Jakarta, Kigali);

UC1.04 – explain how different points of view and self-interest play a role in conflicts over urban issues (e.g., airport relocations, urban parks, core redevelopment);

UC1.05 – demonstrate an understanding of how assistance programs (e.g., development, disaster relief) can have both positive and negative impacts on urban areas.

Developing and Practising Skills

UC2.01 – assess the political, economic, and social impacts of ethnic enclaves in urban areas, including Canadian cities;

UC2.02 – identify major problems in selected megalopoli (e.g., Tokyo-Kobe, Ruhr-Rhine) and analyse the causes and consequences;

UC2.03 – propose ways to manage change in meaningful, efficient, and sustainable ways for people in selected urban areas in Africa, Asia, or Oceania;

UC2.04 – explain how human mobility, interdependence, and integration can be facilitated through transportation and infrastructure systems (e.g., subway systems in Tokyo, Ankara, Singapore).

Learning Through Application

UC3.01 – propose changes that could be made to solve the service problems (e.g., sanitation, road maintenance, policing) of megalopoli or major world cities;

UC3.02 – research and report on examples of the use of regional and rural planning to reduce regional disparities and improve economic and social well-being in a selected country (e.g., India, China);

UC3.03 – explain how Canadian transportation and communication knowledge and techniques could help to solve urban problems in Africa, Asia, or Oceania;

UC3.04 – produce a plan for an effective new urban environment (e.g., a new town or suburb).

Methods of Geographic Inquiry

Overall Expectations

GIV.01 · apply geographic skills, methods, and technologies to gather, analyse, synthesize, and communicate information related to urban geography;

GIV.02 · conduct an independent inquiry that applies geographic knowledge, skills, and methods to a study of urban places and patterns, with a focus on Asia, Africa, or Oceania;

GIV.03 · use forecasting, problem-solving, and decision-making models and planning principles effectively to develop solutions for urban problems and issues;

GIV.04 · identify potential careers and employment possibilities in geography and urban studies.

Specific Expectations

Understanding Concepts

GI1.01 – demonstrate an understanding of the geographic inquiry process;

GI1.02 – identify ways in which geographic knowledge, skills, and technologies may be used to address urban problems.

Developing and Practising Skills

GI2.01 – create and interpret maps that use a variety of cartographic techniques (e.g., choropleths, symbols) to compare global urban patterns;

GI2.02 – analyse aerial photographs, remote sensing images, maps, diagrams, and charts to interpret urban trends (e.g., evolving social, cultural, economic, and political characteristics);

GI2.03 – use geographic information systems to conduct analyses, synthesize information, and make presentations;

GI2.04 – communicate geographic information in a variety of ways (e.g., written, oral, audio-visual);

GI2.05 – assess the relevance and bias of data gathered from different sources;

GI2.06 – use graphic organizers effectively to analyse, synthesize, and present information related to an urban problem or development;

GI2.07 – evaluate forecasting, problem-solving, and decision-making models to determine which are most suitable for their independent inquiry;

GI2.08 – use the Internet and other information technologies to gather information on careers and employment related to geography and urban studies.

Learning Through Application

GI3.01 – evaluate the positions of various interest groups on a selected urban issue;

GI3.02 – undertake an independent inquiry, using key concepts and methods presented in this course, that involves a political, economic, cultural, or social issue relating to an urban region in Africa, Asia, or Oceania;

GI3.03 – where possible, apply the conclusions reached in the independent inquiry to practical situations in the community or region studied;

GI3.04 – forecast the ways in which cities will have changed by the year 2020;

GI3.05 – analyse the educational requirements, job descriptions, current opportunities, and future prospects for a selected career related to geography and urban studies.

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