Course Profile Canadian and World Issues: A Geographic Analysis (CGW4U), Grade 12, University Preparation, Catholic

Unit 1: Introduction: Future State of the Planet

Time: 20 hours

Unit Description

Inequality of resources and economic capability creates an increasing “gap” between those nations possessing and developing the means of growth and those experiencing severe economic hardships and accumulating debts. In affluent nations power and wealth are becoming increasingly more concentrated and the gap between rich and poor citizens continues to widen. The concepts of stewardship, justice and distribution are introduced to students in this unit.

Unit 1 provides a firm foundation for understanding the terminology and key issues presented in the remainder of the course. This unit familiarizes students with the issues relating to human and environmental geography and introduces them to the skills and technology used in geographic study. Students use issue analysis as a means to break down complex global issues, cartoon interpretation to gain insight on how the media influences public perceptions of world issues, and statistical and mapping techniques to understand global patterns. Students do a detailed analysis of global issues in subsequent units. They also initiate a process of collecting data from their school, community, and other sources to use as a foundation for developing future scenarios. Students reflect on a future that integrates their Catholic faith tradition with life in the global village.

Unit Synopsis Chart

K/U = Knowledge/Understanding C = Communication T/I = Thinking/Inquiry A = Application

Activity	Learning Expectations	Assessment	Tasks
1.1 3.5 hours	SSV.01, UCV.01, GIV.04, UC3.01, SS1.03, SS1.06, SS1.08, GI1.01, GI1.06, GI2.06, GI2.09 CGE1d, 1h, 2a, 2c, 2e, 5a	Diagnostic K/U Formative Peer/ Teacher/Self-assessment T/I, A, C	- design a global issues based, community survey - design a futures wheel based on student’s global perspective
1.2 3 hours	GIV.01, GIV.02, SSV.01, GI1.04, GI1.06, GI2.01, GI2.07, SS1.04, SS1.06 CGE1d, 3f, 7f, 7g	Peer/Self-assessment map rubric (formative) T/I, C	- categorizing countries based on student developed criteria - student designed chloropleth map
1.3 3 hours	GIV.01, GI2.07, GI2.08, GI3.02, SS3.01, GC3.01 CGE1d, 3c, 3d, 5e, 7a, 7b, 7d, 7e, 7f, 7g, 7h	Learning Skills assessment Supported Opinion rubric (formative) K/U, T/I, A	- reflection - student designed quality of life index and chloropleth map
1.4 3.5 hours	HEV.01, HE1.02, UC1.01, SS1.06, SS1.09, GI1.01, GI2.02, GI2.05, GI2.06, GI2.08 CGE1h, 3f, 7f, 7g	Group work assessment Presentation rubric (formative) K/U, T/I, C	- group developed case study based on a country’s population problems and policies
1.5 1.5 hours	SSV.01, HEV.02, GIV.01, GIV.02, SS2.01, SS3.01, HE3.01, GI1.01, GI2.02, GI2.07 CGE1e, 3c, 3e, 7I	Learning Skills assessment Peer-assessment (formative) using a Supported Opinion rubric K/U, T/I, A	- biome research organizer and map comparison
1.6 3 hours	UCV.02, GIV.01, UC1.04, SS1.01, GI2.02, GC1.01 CGE1e, 2e, 3f, 7I	Organizer rubric (formative) K/U Supported opinion rubric (formative) T/I, C	- article organizer - supported opinion paper
1.7 Culminating Activity 2.5 hours	UCV.01, HEV.02, GIV.01, SSV.01, GC1.01, GI1.01, UC3.05, GI2.05, GI1.07, GI2.06, SS1.01, SS1.06, HE3.01 CGE3c, 3e, 3f, 4f, 7I	Scenario Presentation rubric Peer-assessment (formative) K/U, T/I, C A Written Scenario rubric Student Evaluation K/U, T/I, C, A	- “futures wheel” based on a resource issue - scenario building based on futures wheel - a unit test is an option instead of the “futures wheel”/scenario

Note: Throughout this unit and throughout this course, it is suggested that students participate in developing a “class resource file,” consisting of current newspaper or periodical articles, and articles from the Internet. This can be organized by week and/or by subject heading (people, politics, technology, economics, and environment) or by region. Students should be required to contribute a selected number of items throughout the course and record the bibliographic information. The “class resource file” is to be used in a number of activities, including Activity 1.7, and may serve as the basis for ongoing research through the course.

Activity 1.1: Defining Global Issues: A Survey

Time: 3.5 hours

Description

Analysis of a global issue follows a pattern that can become a model for lifelong learning. The goal is to give each student a set of questions that he or she can apply to any global issue as it occurs in a rapidly changing world. Rather than learning a body of knowledge which may soon become outdated, students are provided with tools to locate and evaluate new information. This activity introduces a process which can be used throughout the course to provide a basis for comparison of global issues. To initiate this process, students, as a class, develop a survey to document and analyse the perceptions and attitudes concerning global issues that prevail in their school and local community, and across varying social strands, e.g., culture, gender, income status, and educational levels achieved. Students also begin developing a “class resource file.”

Strand(s) & Learning Expectations

Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations

CGE1d - develops attitudes and values founded on Catholic social teaching and acts to promote social responsibility, human solidarity, and the common good;

CGE1h - respects the faith traditions, world religions, and the life-journeys of all people of good will;

CGE2a - listens actively and critically to understand and learn in light of gospel values;

CGE2c - presents information and ideas clearly, honestly, and with sensitivity to others;

CGE2e - uses and integrates the Catholic faith tradition, in the critical analysis of the arts, media, technology, and information systems to enhance the quality of life;

CGE5a - works effectively as an interdependent team member.

Strand(s): Geographic Foundations: Space and Systems, Understanding and Managing Change,
Methods of Geographic Inquiry

Overall Expectations

SSV.01 - explain the complex nature of the earth’s natural and human systems;

UCV.01 - analyse, forecast, and evaluate changes in the human use of the earth and its resources;

GIV.04 - conduct an independent inquiry that effectively applies geographic knowledge, skills, methods, and technologies to a selected local, national, or global geographic issue;

GIV.01 - select and apply geographic skills, methods, and technologies to gather, analyse, and synthesize ideas and information.

Specific Expectations

SS1.03 - explain how points of view and paradigms influence an individual’s perceptions of a place;

SS1.06 - identify the social, economic, cultural, and political components of selected geographic issues;

SS1.08 - demonstrate an understanding of the need to respect the cultural and religious traditions of others;

UC3.01 - identify awareness levels and viewpoints relating to a geographic issue by conducting a survey in the school or local community;

UC3.05 - produce scenarios for probable and desirable futures based on current trends in the human use of the earth and its resources, including trends in technology;

GI1.01 - use geographic terms correctly in written and oral communication;

GI1.06 - demonstrate an understanding of the need to consider social differences when analysing global problems and issues;

GI2.05 - evaluate the effectiveness of techniques used to predict the future (e.g., forecasting, backcasting, futures wheel);

GI2.06 - draw conclusions or make judgements or predictions on the basis of reasoned analysis;

GI2.09 - collect data, using field study techniques, and analyse the data to identify patterns and relationships.

Prior Knowledge & Skills

· Grade 10, Civics – CHV2O, A Global Citizen Unit (to describe and analyse a global issue)

· Grade 9, Geography – CGA1D, Global Connections Unit: Connections between Canada and other countries

· Grade 6, Canada and World Connections: Contributions Canada Makes to the Global Communities

Planning Notes

The teacher coordinates unit planning with library staff to ensure a wide variety of learning materials are available. Students should be aware from the beginning of the course what is expected of them and for this reason it is important that the teacher introduces the final course culminating activity early in the term and the culminating activity for this unit early in the unit. The teacher should have chart paper and markers available, and be able to photocopy survey questionnaires depending on survey sample size. The teacher and students seek permission to have students conduct the survey in the school and local community venues. Note: Students must be instructed to accept “no comment” as a valid answer to any questions, and to respect that people may choose not to respond at all.

Teaching/Learning Strategies

1. Ask students, “What are the major issues of today?” Students brainstorm issues ranging from local, national, and international. Record answers on the board. Ask students to identify the major players and their positions on the issue. Also ask them what actions these players have taken to express or enforce their position on this issue. Record answers on the board. The teacher does not go into any great detail concerning these issues to keep the brainstorming session active.

2. Students group the issues into the following categories: political, environmental, economic, social, and technological (some issues may be in more than one group). Briefly analyse the groupings to seek a pattern using varied criteria, such as the number of issues in a specific group, or the scale of these issues from local to global, or the people most affected.

3. Ask students to choose the most important issue from the list using different perspectives, e.g., from the point of view of student’s personal belief, of Catholics – social teaching principles, of a person living in a developing country. Students discuss what values or beliefs led them to those positions. Have students also list the possible resources that would be needed to identify the issue. The final questions to ask of students are, “What future implications might there be concerning their important issue” and “How certain is the outcome?” This line of questioning can be easily summarized using a question sheet. (Appendix 1.1.1) This questioning model is used in all global geographic issues analyses in this course.

4. From strategy 3, students choose one issue that is most important and write a brief three-paragraph analysis based on what is an important global issue to the class. Students include the following points in the three paragraphs respectively:

· what is the “most important” and “least important” issue? State why you think it is the “most important” and “least important” to your community;

· what is the “most uncertain” issue (most likely not to occur) and the “least uncertain” issue (more likely to occur) from the survey? State why;

· compare the first two paragraphs and state if the issue that is “most important” is “least uncertain.” Students explain their answer.

5. Students then eliminate those “futures” that are highly unlikely or too much like the present. Using the issue that is “most important” and the “least uncertain” to the class, students create a futures wheel showing the possible effects that the issue has on the world, projecting 10 years into the future. A futures wheel creates multiple future possibilities. Using the same issue as a starting point, the class brainstorms three to six subtopics derived from the initial topic or issue. Each subtopic is further divided into three to six more topics, until students reach the third of four levels. Examples are found at the websites listed below and a possible template is shown in Appendix 1.1.2. Students must identify at least two driving forces that lead to the subtopics. Students also critique the futures wheel as a means to logically develop future scenarios.

6. Students realize there are varied perceptions and attitudes in just one class. The teacher asks students what the prevalent perceptions and priorities might be in our own communities. After a brief open discussion, the teacher initiates the need for a survey to be designed to determine those attitudes and perceptions.

7. Before the survey questionnaire can be designed, the teacher and students must establish clear goals to determine what exactly the class wants to learn from the survey, from whom they want it, and the interviewing methodology. The sample size need not be large but must expand across demographic categories. The teacher emphasizes the need to have environmental concerns, resource use, and future implications as one of the goals. Students, using these goals are organized into groups of three to four and create 10 questions to poll the attitudes, perceptions and future implications of people in their community regarding the major issues of the day. At this point, the teacher instructs the class in the proper formulation for designing questions or students inquire using Internet sources given below. See Appendix 1.1.3 for a checklist of criteria for survey design.

8. The groups share their questionnaire items with the class by using chart paper and markers. Consolidate the questions into groups according to the categories in step 2 or others of the class’ choosing. The teacher asks for a consensus of the best or most appropriate questions to be included in the questionnaire. Be sure to put in demographic related questions to cross-reference the survey answers. Ask for volunteers to have the questions typed.

9. Before the class uses the questionnaire, a pre-test is done using a small sample of students from another class. This determines the questions with unclear wording, questions that are difficult to understand, and typos that could easily be corrected.

10. The survey should be conducted over a two-week period so that data can be collated prior to the culminating activity in this unit. All students participate in the implementation of the survey. This data is needed to formulate the futures wheel and scenario writing in the culminating activity. As survey questionnaires are returned, students collate data on an ongoing basis.

Assessment & Evaluation of Student Achievement

· The brainstorming activity is largely diagnostic and is meant for reviewing geographic skills that some students may not have used for two years. As a result, the assessment is formative and meant to give the teacher an idea of the skill level and background knowledge of the class, while at the same time providing a review of terms and concepts for all students.

· Peer/self-assessment indicates whether students completed the necessary homework, worked well within the group, and their level of understanding of the material covered.

Accommodations

· Students in an ESL program may benefit from a mini-lesson that identifies key vocabulary terms for the survey activity. Encourage students to develop their own dictionaries/glossaries.

· Allow students to ask survey questions and collect information in their first language.

Resources

Catholic Social Teaching Principles – http://www.mtn.org:80/justice/cst6prin.htm

Creating Preferred Futures – http://dev.planettech.com/cpf/resources.htm
Social, technological, economic, environmental, political, and futures data source directory

Draper, Dianne. Our Environment: A Canadian Perspective, 2nd ed. Nelson Thomson Learning, 2002.
ISBN 0-17-616904-0

Facing the Future – http://www.facingthefuture.org/trends/trends-index.htm
Discussions on scarce resources, poverty, conflict, and the environment

Future Scenarios – http://faculty.plattsburgh.edu/rich…ins/legacy/futuristic_resources.htm
Internet links to various future scenario discussions

StatPac Designs – http://www.statpac.com/surveys/

The Futures Wheel – http://www.futurovenezuela.org/_curso/15-futweel.pdf

The Survey System – http://www.surveysystem.com/sdesign.htm

Scenarios for a Sustainable Future – http://www.planet.tech.com/projects/sustainable_future/

Appendix 1.1.1

Global Geographic Issues Research and Analysis

Global Geographic Issue: __________________________________

1. Define the issue and explain what conflict is involved in this issue.

2. List facts to prove that there is a problem and organize your facts in a logical sequence.

3. Identify related patterns and processes, at various scales (local to global), that are based on physical and human geography.

4. What are the causes of the issue? List and briefly explain the causes of the problem.

5. What are the various positions or views held by the different people/groups/nations on this issue?

6. What actions or strategies have been taken to express or enforce their position on this issue?

7. What values or beliefs would lead them to take the position they have on this issue?

8. How does this issue affect us at the global, national, and local levels?

9. What gospel value or social justice concept can best be applied to this issue?

10. What strategies have been successful in dealing with this issue?

11. How would you translate the particular gospel value or social justice concept into action?

Appendix 1.1.2

Futures Wheel Template

Appendix 1.1.3

Survey Criteria Checklist

1. Define goals and objectives.

2. Design methodology (e.g., interview, letter, websites).

3. Determine feasibility of methodology (may want to re-address Step 2).

4. Select sample group (know your audience).

5. Develop questionnaire instruments (questions and possible responses).

Questions:

· Avoid double-barrelled questions.

· Avoid biased questions.

· Avoid questions directly linked to people and organizations.

· Avoid questions that present only one side of the story.

Responses:

· Use a 4-or 6-point scale to force a negative or positive response, no neutral responses.

· Do not overlap responses.

6. Conduct pilot test for questionnaire.

7. Revise questions and responses if necessary.

8. Conduct research survey.

9. Collate data and analyse.

10. Prepare report/conclusions.

Activity 1.2: Perspective On Global Classification Systems

Time: 3 hours

Description

Students brainstorm various methods of categorizing countries using familiar categories, e.g., military alliances, economic alliances, developed and developing countries, as a starting point. Students use geotechnologies, e.g., GIS, to design a series of maps for future analysis in later units. They determine the best techniques to visually present their data. They are given the opportunity to discuss the relevance of the characteristics mapped.

Strand(s) & Learning Expectations

Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations

CGE1d - develops attitudes and values founded on Catholic social teaching and acts to promote social responsibility, human solidarity, and the common good;

CGE3f - examines, evaluates, and applies knowledge of interdependent systems (physical, political, ethical, socio-economic and ecological) for the development of a just and compassionate society;

CGE7f - respects and affirms the diversity and interdependence of the world’s peoples and cultures;

CGE7g - respects and understands the history, cultural heritage, and pluralism of today’s contemporary society.

Strands: Geographic Foundations: Space and Systems; Methods of Geographic Inquiry

Overall Expectations

SSV.01 - explain the complex nature of the earth’s natural and human systems;

GIV.01 - select and apply geographic skills, methods, and technologies to gather, analyse, and synthesize ideas and information;

GIV.02 - use a variety of methods and technologies to communicate the results of geographic inquiry and analysis effectively.

Specific Expectations

SS1.04 - identify different methods of grouping countries and evaluate the implications of categorizing countries in these ways;

SS1.06 - identify the social, economic, cultural, and political components of selected geographic issues;

GI1.04 - describe biases that may inform different viewpoints and perspectives on geographic issues;

GI1.06 - demonstrate an understanding of the need to consider social differences when analysing global problems and issues;

GI2.01 - demonstrate an ability to distinguish between fact and opinion in information sources;

GI2.07 - produce mental, thematic, and chloropleth map to illustrate local or global patterns.

Prior Knowledge & Skills

· Grade 9 Geography (CGA) and Grade 10 History (CHC), particularly the concepts of regions, organizations, and alliances

· Mapping skills from Grade 9 Geography (CGA)

· Research skills

· Internet skills

Planning Notes

· Students require access to the library/resource centre and an Internet lab, where available, in order to gather data.

· The teacher should generate a list of selected countries that represents the diversity of the world.

· The teacher should check the GIS database to determine how current the data is. If there is newer data the teacher should allot extra time for students to update the data.

· The teacher may create the various maps prior to class so students can spend more time analysing them.

Teaching/Learning Strategies

1. Introduce students to the concept of categorizing countries by using familiar examples, e.g., military alliance systems. A class discussion can be used to determine the best way to visually present country classification methods. The class could design a map scoring rubric/checklist to be used as a summative and formative assessment tool for this activity and throughout the course. (An example is found at Appendix 1.2.1)

2. Brainstorm, with students, possible ways to categorize countries. (Students can be reminded that all ideas are acceptable although the connection is not always immediately evident to everyone.) They then put their ideas in groups of “similar characteristics.”

3. In small groups students are given a group of “similar characteristics” to research for each of the selected countries. What data is required to categorize the countries? Students gather the data and design a method to visually present it, e.g., chloropleth map.

4. Students design maps using a GIS application. Students may have to input their data in order to be able to map current information. (Be aware that some countries have changed their names and others have been divided into smaller states.) Using the “query” tool, students should experiment with a variety of criteria in order to create new data sets that can be mapped. After each “query” students must answer the following:

· what patterns are evident in the data?

· were the data/categories mapped useful to our understanding of global issues?

Assessment & Evaluation of Student Achievement

· The brainstorming activity should be assessed formatively. It will give the teacher an idea of the skill level and background knowledge of the class, while at the same time providing a review of terms and concepts for all students.

· Peer/self-assessment indicates whether students completed the necessary homework, worked well within the group, and their level of understanding of the material covered.

· The map could be peer/self-assessed using the class-designed map scoring rubric/checklist (Appendix 1.2.1).

Accommodations

· Arrange for a peer to assist with the use of technology or provide hard copies of websites for student to read.

· Allow alternative ways of recording information, e.g., semantic mapping.

· Provide and limit the number of readings required for this activity.

· Provide a list of sample ways to categorize countries.

Resources

De Blij, H. J. and A.B. Murphy. Human Geography: Culture, Society, and Space, 6th Edition. John Wiley and Sons, 1998.

Goode, J.P. and J.C. Hudson, ed. Goode’s World Atlas (Goode’s World Atlas, 20th). Rand McNally and Company, 1999.

Knox, P.L. and S.A. Maston. Places and Regions in Global Context: Human Geography. Prentice-Hall College Division, 2000.

Matthew, G. Canada and the World: An Atlas Resource. Toronto: Prentice Hall Canada Inc., 1995.

The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2002. World Almanac Education, 2002.

The World Fact Book – http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html

World Bank Group – http://www.worldbank.org/data/countrydata/countrydata.html

World Bank Group – http://www.worldbank.org/data/databytopic/databytopic.html

Appendix 1.2.1

Map Scoring Checklist (Application)

Description

Checklist

Score

All checklist items must follow appropriate design conventions, be drawn neatly and be located in an appropriate location

Title
Legend
Labels
Direction Indicator
Scale
Border

Appearance

· Colour

· Shading

· Lines

Accuracy of Features Mapped

Total

____ / 2
____ / 2
____ / 2
____ / 2
____ / 2
____ / 2

____ / 2

____ / 20

Note: A student whose achievement is below Level 1 (50%) has not met the expectations for this assignment or activity.

Overall Level:	Student Name:
Comments:	Strengths:
Areas to Review:	Next Steps:

Activity 1.3: Indicators of Quality of Life

Time: 3 hours

Description

The concept of human dignity is the pillar upon which all social justice efforts are based. The human person, fashioned in God’s image, has inherent rights and responsibilities which demand recognition. People do not lose this dignity because of disability, poverty, age, misadventure, or misfortune. Students determine the indicators of quality of life and assign an importance to them. They then draft maps of their data and compare their maps to a map of the Human Development Index (HDI) and to a map of the developed and developing countries. Finally, they are to analyse the appropriateness of the indicators that they used.

Strand(s) & Learning Expectations

Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations

CGE1d - develops attitudes and values founded on Catholic social teaching and acts to promote social responsibility, human solidarity, and the common good;

CGE3c - thinks reflectively and creatively to evaluate situations and solve problems;

CGE3d - makes decisions in light of gospel values with an informed moral conscience;

CGE5e - respects the rights, responsibilities, and contributions of self and others;

CGE7a - acts morally and legally as a person formed in Catholic traditions;

CGE7b - accepts accountability for one’s own actions;

CGE7d - promotes the sacredness of life;

CGE7e - witnesses Catholic social teaching by promoting equality, democracy, and solidarity for a just, peaceful and compassionate society;

CGE7f - respects and affirms the diversity and interdependence of the world’s peoples and cultures;

CGE7g - respects and understands the history, cultural heritage, and pluralism of today’s contemporary society;

CGE7h - exercises the rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizenship.

Strands: Geographic Foundation: Space and Systems, Global Connections,
Methods of Geographic Inquiry

Overall Expectations

SSV.01 - explain the complex nature of the earth’s natural and human systems;

GIV.01 - select and apply geographic skill, methods, and technologies to gather, analyse, and synthesize ideas and information.

Specific Expectations

SS3.02 - select and compare statistical indicators of quality of life and for a variety of developed and developing countries in different parts of the world;

GC3.01 - demonstrate an understanding of how quality of life and employment prospects are related to the global economy;

GI1.06 - demonstrate an understanding of the need to consider social differences when analysing global problems and issues;

GI2.07 - produce mental, thematic, and chloropleth maps to illustrate local or global patterns;

GI2.08 - use statistical analysis techniques to interpret and analyse data;

GI3.02 - use maps to analyse change over time in a place.

Prior Knowledge & Skills

· Grade 9 Geography (CGA) particularly the concepts of quality of life and the differences between developed and developing countries

· Mapping skills

· Research skills

· Internet skills

Planning Notes

· Students require access to the library/resource centre and an Internet lab in order to gather data.

· The teacher should check the GIS database to determine the type of data available. The teacher should allot extra time for students to update any new data they may have.

· The teacher should prepare a list of developed and developing countries.

· The teacher should prepare materials for an opening reflection to this activity (e.g., Economic Justice for All #80, The Church in the Modern World #26, or National Conference of Catholic Bishops, 1996 – Appendix 1.3.1).

Teaching/Learning Strategies

1. Students are given a reading on which they are to reflect and answer the question, “What are the conditions for an ideal quality of life?” Students are allowed to answer in point form.

2. Students participate in a class discussion on:

· the meaning of “quality of life”;

· how we measure quality of life;

· how the quality of life levels and the measure of it have changed over time?

3. In small groups, students create a quality of life index. To do this, students must first determine quality of life indicators. Once this has been done, students give each indicator a weight according to its importance. Each indicator is then subdivided into three or more levels.

· e.g., the number of telephones per 1000. A country that has 500 – 1000 telephones is weighted at 3x. A country that has 50 – 499 telephones is weighted at 2x. Finally a country that has 0 – 49 telephones per 1000 citizens is weighted at 1x.

The group is then given the opportunity to gather data from selected developed and developing countries for each of the indicators, for three or more separate time periods. It is suggested that students record the data on two or more separate tables: one containing the raw data per year (country, indicators, and weight) and the second containing the weighted indictors and the total for all indicators per country (country, weighted indicators, total). The data for the indicators and their respective weights should be inputted into the GIS database.

4. After the groups have determined the index number for each country they create a chloropleth map using a GIS application. Students brainstorm the appropriateness of the various ways to determine the number and range that would represent high, medium, or poor quality of life.

5. Students create a series of chloropleth maps, using a GIS application, for each of the years researched showing the levels of the quality of life. Students should also note the trends over time.

6. Students present their findings of the trends found to the class. A class discussion can follow noting any differences in the data/indicators used and a suggestion of why the differences were found.

7. Students can now compare their maps to a map of the Human Development Index and to a map of the developed and developing countries. (HDI data for selected years should be inputted into a GIS database if not already there.) Finally, students analyse the appropriateness of the indicators that they used.

Assessment & Evaluation of Student Achievement

· Peer/self-assessment indicates whether students completed the necessary homework, worked well within the group, and the level of understanding of the material covered.

Accommodations

· Pre-teach key concepts or terms e.g., quality of life, to students with language difficulties.

· Provide a rubric and/or exemplar for students to illustrate and clarify what is expected in the activity.

· Draw on students’ own cultural background and experiences and incorporate them into the activity.

· Arrange for a peer to assist with the use of technology.

· Enrichment Activity: Students develop a plan where they use the quality of life data/trends and improve the quality of life in countries whose quality of life is less than Canada’s.

Resources

Adler, R., Adams, J.S., and P. Gould. Spatial Organization: The Geographer’s View of the World. Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1971.

Goode, J.P. and J.C. Hudson, ed. Goode’s World Atlas (Goode’s World Atlas, 20th). Rand McNally and Company, 1999.

Human Development Index – http://www.undp.org/hdro

Matthew, G. Canada and the World: An Atlas Resource. Toronto: Prentice Hall Canada Inc., 1995.

Canadian Oxford School Atlas, 7th ed.

The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2002. World Almanac Education, 2002.

The World Fact Book – http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html

World Bank Group – http://www.worldbank.org/data/countrydata/countrydata.html

World Bank Group – http://www.worldbank.org/data/databytopic/databytopic.html

Appendix 1.3.1

The Church in the Modern World, #26

There is a growing awareness of the sublime dignity of human persons, who stand above all things and whose rights and duties are universal and inviolable. They ought, therefore to have ready access to all that is necessary for living a genuinely human life; for example, food, clothing, housing, the right freely to choose their state of life and set up a family, the right to education, work, their good name, to respect, to proper knowledge, the right to act according to the dictates of conscience and to safeguard their privacy, and rightful freedom, including freedom of religion.

Economic Justice for All, #80

…internationally accepted human right standards are strongly supported by Catholic teaching. These rights include the civil and political rights to freedom of speech, worship, and assembly. A number of human rights also concern human welfare and are of a specifically economic nature.

First among these are the rights to life, food, clothing, shelter, rest, medical care, and basic education. These are indispensable to the protection of human dignity. …All persons have a right to security in the event of sickness, unemployment, and old age …the right to healthful working conditions, to wages, and other benefits sufficient to provide individuals and their families with a standard of living in keeping with human dignity, and to the possibility of property ownership.

National Conference of Catholic Bishops, 1996

All people have a right to life and to secure the basic necessities of life (e.g., food, clothing, shelter, education, health care, safe environment, and economic activity).

All people have the right to economic initiative, to productive work, to just wages and benefits, to decent working conditions as well as to organize and join unions or associations.

The global economy has moral dimensions and human consequences. Decisions on investment, trade, aid, and development should protect life and promote human rights, especially for those in most need wherever they might life on this planet.

Activity 1.4: World Population Trends and Factors

Time: 3.5 hours

Description

Students analyse demographic data to gain a solid overview of world population trends and their factors. Selected readings, graphs, and population pyramids are examined to determine the extent, causes, and possible solutions to population growth rates. Students are given the opportunity to engage in group work and present their statistical analysis to the class.

Strand(s) & Learning Expectations

Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations

CGE 1d - develops attitudes and values founded on Catholic social teaching and acts to promote social responsibility, human solidarity, and the common good;

CGE 2b - reads, understands, and uses written materials effectively;

CGE 2c - presents information and ideas clearly an honestly and with sensitivity to others.

Strand(s): Geographic Foundations, Human-Environment Interactions,
Understanding and Managing Change, Methods of Geographic Inquiry

Overall Expectations

SSV.01 - explain the complex nature of the earth’s natural and human systems;

HEV.01 - analyse selected global trends and evaluate their effects on people and environments at the local, national, and global level;

UCV.03 - evaluate the effectiveness of methods used by different organizations, governments, and industries to find short and long term solutions to geographic problems and issues at the local, national, and global level;

GIV.01 - select and apply geographic skills, methods, and technologies to gather, analyse, and synthesize ideas and information.

Specific Expectations

SS1.06 - identify the social, economic, cultural, and political components of selected geographic issues;

SS1.09 - demonstrate an understanding of the roles and status of men and women in different parts of the world;

HE1.02 - describe selected world demographic trends and explain the factors influencing them;

UC1.01 - explain how economic and cultural considerations influence a country’s population policies;

GI1.01- use geographic terms correctly in written and oral communication (e.g., region, pattern, interdependence, global perspective, global commons, disparity, equity, carrying capacity, Gaia hypothesis, ethnocentrism, anthropocentrism, sustainable development, human development index);

GI2.02 - analyse cause and effect and sequence relationships in geographic data;

GI2.05 - evaluate the effectiveness of techniques used to predict the future;

GI2.06 - draw conclusions or make judgements or predictions on the basis of reasoned analysis;

G12.08 - use statistical analysis techniques to interpret and analyse data.

Prior Knowledge & Skills

· An understanding of world population trends, e.g., birth/death rates, fertility rates, life expectancy, dependency loads, from the Grade 9 Canadian Geography unit “Human Diversity”

· Graphing, mapping, interpreting population pyramids

Planning Notes

· Book computer time and Library/Resource centre.

· Obtain copies of population pyramids of selected countries.

· Gather concise readings/case studies on population polices

· Photocopy and distribute a class set of the reading entitled, Six Billion and Counting, prior to the start of Activity 1.4.

Teaching/Learning Strategies

1. Assign students a homework reading entitled Six Billion and Counting, by Linda G. Martin. Students are to prepare for this activity by highlighting the general trends and projections in world population growth and decline. The article is a good overview of the present trends and future projections of the world’s population as we enter the 21st century.

2. The teacher leads a class discussion on the general trends and projections in world population growth with the aid of statistical data found in the homework article and some excellent sources on the World Wide Web. The concepts of fertility rates, growth rates, mortality rates, and life expectancy are discussed in spatial terms. Students suggest factors that have contributed to the observed trends. Different views, both traditional (Malthus) and more recent, can be brought into the discussion.

3. With the aid of maps (Canadian Oxford School Atlas, 7th ed. or generated from a GIS database) the teacher directs students to regions/countries that are experiencing high and low growth rates. Students, with the aid of population pyramids and line graphs provided by the teacher, make future predictions on population growth and decline.

4. In small groups of three, students select a country in the developing world that is experiencing high population growth. Students use the Internet to research their selected country. Students should be made aware that additional time, such as after school or at home, is required to complete the research. Each student in the group has a specific area to investigate. One student looks at the conditions and factors contributing to the population of the country. A second student examines the effects on the social, economic, and environmental landscape of the country, e.g., women, children, poverty, and resource depletion. The third student investigates the country’s policies in dealing with the population crisis.

5. Each group reports to the class with a brief presentation of their research. All three students are responsible for presenting their individual tasks. A class discussion is used to note the similarities and differences between the problems, impacts, and approaches of the different countries. Chart paper is useful to record the discussion highlights.

Assessment & Evaluation of Student Achievement

· Formative assessment of group work (Learning Skills)

· A presentation rubric, designed and discussed by the class, to assess the presentations (Communication, Knowledge and Understanding, Thinking/Inquiry) Appendix 1.4.1

Accommodations

· Arrange for a peer to assist with the use of technology or provide hard copies of websites for students to read, if required.

· Provide alternative methods for presenting information given students’ strengths, e.g., poster, brochure.

· Analyse readings and other resources to determine how much of the content is culturally based and therefore may be unfamiliar to new Canadian students.

· Enrichment Activity:

· Have students present the information using computer technologies, e.g., electronic slide presentation software.

· Have students present the information in the form of a mini-newscast or documentary with images, maps, and voiceovers.

Resources

World Resources Institute: Earth Trends – http://earthtrends.wri.org

U.S. Census Bureau: IDB Population Pyramids – http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/idbpyr.html

Population Reference Bureau – http://www.prb/org

The State of the World Population 2000 – http://www.unfpa.org/swp/swpmain.htm

World Population: A Guide to the WWW – http://home.nycap.rr.com/history/populate.html

Martin, Linda. “Six Billion and Counting” – http://popcouncil.org/ppdb/six_billion.html

McNicoll, Geoffrey. “Population and Poverty” – http://www.popcouncil.org/pdfs/wp/105.pdf

2000 World Population Data Sheet – http://www.prb.org/pubs/wpds2000/

Demography and Population Studies – http://demography.anu.edu.au/VirtualLibrary/

Appendix 1.4.1

Population Presentation Rubric

Criteria	Level 1 (50-59%)	Level 2 (60-69%)	Level 3 (70-79%)	Level 4 (80-100%)
Knowledge/ Understanding - trends, factors, and components of a country’s population HE1.02, SS1.06, UC1.01	Information presented demonstrates limited: - knowledge and understanding of selected world demographic trends; - explanation of the factors influencing them; - identification of the social, economic, cultural, and political components	Information presented demonstrates some: - knowledge and understanding of selected world demographic trends; - explanation of the factors influencing them; - identification of the social, economic, cultural, and political components	Information presented demonstrates considerable: - knowledge and understanding of selected world demographic trends; - explanation of the factors influencing them; - identification of the social, economic, cultural, and political components	Information presented demonstrates thorough: - knowledge and understanding of selected world demographic trends; - explanation of the factors influencing them; - identification of the social, economic, cultural, and political components
Thinking/Inquiry -cause and effect of a country’s population data GI2.02	- analyses cause and effect and sequence relationships in population data with limited effectiveness	- analyses cause and effect and sequence relationships in population data with some effectiveness	- analyses cause and effect and sequence relationships in population data with considerable effectiveness	- analyses cause and effect and sequence relationships in population data with thorough effectiveness
Application - appropriate conclusions or predictions GI2.06	- draws limited conclusions or predictions on the basis of reasoned analysis	- draws some conclusions or predictions on the basis of reasoned analysis	- draws appropriate conclusions or predictions on the basis of reasoned analysis	- thoroughly draws appropriate conclusions or predictions on the basis of reasoned analysis
Communication - language GI1.01	- uses geographic language and terms with limited effectiveness	- uses geographic language and terms with some effectiveness	- uses geographic language and terms with considerable effectiveness	- uses geographic language and terms with a high degree of effectiveness

Note: A student whose achievement is below Level 1 (50%) has not met the expectations for this assignment or activity.

Overall Level:	Student Name:
Comments:	Strengths:
Areas to Review:	Next Steps:

Activity 1.5: Human and Natural Systems: Relationships and Interactions

Time: 1.5 hours

Description

Students review the connections between human activity and natural processes. They research the varying biomes throughout the world, and analyse the impact of human activity on those biomes. Students are given an opportunity to make connections between the quality of life and the natural environment in various countries.

Strand(s) & Learning Expectations

Strands: Geographic Foundations: Space and Systems, Human-Environment Interactions,
Methods of Geographic Inquiry

Overall Expectations

SSV.01 - explain the complex nature of the earth’s natural and human systems;

GIV.01 - select and apply geographic skills, methods, and technologies to gather, analyse, and synthesize ideas and information;

GIV.02 - use a variety of methods and technologies to communicate the results of geographic inquiry and analysis effectively.

Specific Expectations

SS2.01 - analyse the distribution of the world’s major biomes and determine the reasons for the observed patterns;

SS3.01 - compare the productivity and biodiversity of selected ecosystems;

HE3.01 - explain the interactive nature of selected natural and human systems;

GI1.01 - use geographic terms correctly in written and oral communication;

GI2.02 - analyse cause and effect and sequence relationships in geographic data;

GI2.07 - produce mental, thematic, and chloropleth maps to illustrate local or global patterns.

Prior Knowledge & Skills

· Grade 9 Geography, particularly ecozones

· Grade 10 Science, particularly biomes

· Map skills

· Research skills

· Internet skills

Planning Notes

· Students require access to the library/resource centre and the Internet in order to gather data.

Teaching/Learning Strategies

1. Reintroduce students to the concepts of biodiversity, ecoregions, and biomes. Students can demonstrate their initial understanding of the concepts by writing down several key points for each concept. In a class discussion, it is noted that there is a strong two-way connection between human and natural systems.

2. Students research the major biomes of the world (tropical rain forest, savanna, desert, steppe, temperate broadleaf forest, taiga, tundra, montane, and island) and place their findings in an organizer, e.g., geography, climate, soils, vegetation, diversity, productivity, human effects.

3. Students should have the information on their organizer to annotate a world biome map.

4. Using the maps that were created in Activities 2 and 3, students consider the following:

· the relationships between the various columns, in particular climate-soils, climate-vegetation;

· the relationship, if any, between the quality of life maps, HDI map, and the developed and developing countries map;

· which biomes have been the most severely impacted by human activity? Suggest reasons why. How can society reverse its impact?

Assessment & Evaluation of Student Achievement

· Map work could be assessed using the Map Scoring Rubric (Appendix 1.5.1).

· Written work could be peer assessed focusing on how well the arguments are supported
(Appendix 1.5.2).

Accommodation

· Arrange for a peer to assist with the use of technology or provide hard copies of websites for students to read, where assistance is required.

· Provide reading materials that deal with curriculum expectations at the appropriate reading levels for students with reading difficulties.

· Extension activity: Students create an annotated world biome map the size of a bulletin board.

Resources

Allaby, Michael. Biomes of the World. 9 vols. Danbury [CT]: Grolier, 1999. ISBN 717293416

Brown, L. and H. French. State of the World 2001. W.W. Norton and Company, 2001.

Chasmer, R. Earth Dynamics. Oxford University Press, 1995.

Chasmer, R. Earth Matters: Studies in Physical Geography. Oxford University Press, 2001.

De Blij, H.J., et al. Physical Geography of the Global Environment, 2nd Edition. John Wiley and Sons, 1998.

Inch, R.S. and W.G. Stone. The Physical Environment. McGraw Hill Ryerson, 1982.

Paulson, D. Biomes of the World. – http://www.ups.edu/biology/museum/worldbiomes.html

Pidwirny, M. Ecosystem Productivity
– http://geog.ouc.bc.ca/conted/onlinecourses/geog_210.210_2_6.html

Smyth, J., et al. Physical Geography. Gage, 1980.

The Importance and Conservation of Biomes
– http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/glossary/gloss5/biome/importan.html

World Biomes – http://www.worldbiomes.com

World Resources Institute – http://www.wri.org

Appendix 1.5.1

Map Scoring Checklist (Application)

Description

Checklist

Score

All checklist items must follow appropriate design conventions, be drawn neatly and be located in an appropriate location

Title
Legend
Labels
Direction Indicator
Scale
Border

Appearance

· Colour

· Shading

· Lines

Accuracy of Features Mapped

Total

____ / 2
____ / 2
____ / 2
____ / 2
____ / 2
____ / 2

____ / 2

____ / 20

Note: A student whose achievement is below Level 1 (50%) has not met the expectations for this assignment or activity.

Overall Level:	Student Name:
Comments:	Strengths:
Areas to Review:	Next Steps:

Appendix 1.5.2

Rubric for Supported Opinion Paper-Biomes

Criteria	Level 1 (50-59%)	Level 2 (60-69%)	Level 3 (70-79%)	Level 4 (80-100%)
Knowledge/ Understanding - the data in the organizer - which biomes have been the most severely impacted by human activity?	- demonstrates a limited understanding of the concepts	- demonstrates some understanding of the concepts	- demonstrates a considerable understanding of the concepts	- demonstrates a high degree of understanding of the concepts
Thinking/Inquiry - how can society reverse its impact on the world’s biomes?	- demonstrates limited awareness of points of view when presenting information	- demonstrates some awareness of points of view when presenting information	- takes into account points of view when presenting information	- skilfully acknowledges points of view when presenting information
Communication - communicates information through writing	- illustrates concepts through writing of the opinion paper with limited effectiveness	- illustrates concepts through writing of opinion paper with some effectiveness	- illustrates concepts through writing of opinion paper with considerable effectiveness	- illustrates concepts through writing of opinion paper with a high degree of effectiveness
Application - the relationships between the various attributes (e.g., climate-soils, climate-vegetation) - the relationship, between the quality of life maps, HDI map, and the developed and developing countries map	- demonstrates limited ability in applying the concepts and relationships between maps - demonstrates limited ability in applying the concepts and relationships between attributes	- demonstrates some ability in applying the concepts and relationships between maps - demonstrates some ability in applying the concepts and relationships between attributes	- demonstrates considerable ability in applying the concepts and relationships between maps - demonstrates considerable ability in applying the concepts and relationships between attributes	- demonstrates thorough ability in applying the concepts and relationships between maps - demonstrates thorough ability in applying the concepts and relationships between attributes

Note: A student whose achievement is below Level 1 (50%) has not met the expectations for this assignment or activity.

Overall Level:	Student Name:
Comments:	Strengths:
Areas to Review:	Next Steps:

Activity 1.6: Connections between ecology, technology and economics

Time: 3 hours

Description

In a world that is experiencing rapid economic, ecological, cultural, and technological change students examine the interdependence and impact of these factors. The study of the concept of globalization is the overall focus whereby students are given the opportunity to challenge this idea, define its costs and benefits to our global community, and reflect how our Catholic faith calls us to meet the challenges of globalization.

Strand(s) & Learning Expectations

Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations

CGE 2b - reads, understands, and uses written materials effectively;

CGE 2c - presents information and ideas clearly and honestly and with sensitivity to others;

CGE 3f - examines, evaluates, and applies knowledge of interdependent systems (physical, political, ethical, socio-economic and ecological) for the development of a just and compassionate society;

CGE 5b - thinks critically about the meaning and purpose of work;

CGE 7f - respects and affirms the diversity and interdependence of the world’s peoples and cultures.

Strand(s): Geographic Foundations, Human-Environment Interactions,
Understanding and Managing Change, Methods of Geographic Inquiry

Overall Expectations

SSV.01 - explain the complex nature of the earth’s natural and human systems;

HEV.02 - analyse geographic issues that arise from the impact of human activities on the environment in different regions of the world;

UCV.02 - evaluate the cultural, economic, and environmental impact of changing technology;

GIV.01 - select and apply geographic skills, methods, and technologies to gather analyse, and synthesize ideas and information.

Specific Expectations

SS1.01 - demonstrate an understanding of the interdependence of ecology and economics;

HE3.01 - explain the interactive nature of selected natural and human systems;

GC1.01 - identify current global sustainability issues and environmental threats;

UC1.04 - explain how new technology affects employment and resource management;

GI2.02 - analyse cause and effect and sequence relationships in geographic data.

Prior Knowledge & Skills

· Students are expected to draw on their knowledge of globalization and its economic, social, and ecological costs introduced in the Grade 9 Global Connections unit.

Planning Notes

· Ensure computer time and book library/resource centre.

· Photocopy an excerpt of Brian O’Sullivan’s paper entitled “The Purpose of Education in a Global Era: Excellence, Equity, and the Pursuit of the Public Good.”

· Photocopy and distribute an excerpt of David Reed’s and Herman Rosa’s paper entitled “Economic Reforms: Globalization, Poverty, and the Environment.”

· Prepare readings/websites on the costs and benefits of globalization.

Teaching/Learning Strategies

1. Students read Understanding the Challenges of the New Global Order and the Inequities of Globalization and an excerpt from the paper entitled “Economic Reforms: Poverty and the Environment”. Students focus on the costs and benefits of globalization as discussed in the two articles by creating an organizer with commonly agreed criteria, e.g., Rows - technology employment, gender employment, wages, resource sustainability, distribution of wealth, trade, industry, political and economic sovereignty, ecological sustainability. Columns would include benefits and costs (see Appendix 1.6.1). Students find additional articles via the Internet or several articles that deal with a holistic view of the issue.

2. The class discusses the costs and benefits of globalization and the interconnections among the ecology, technology, and economics of countries in particular Canada. Also, the ideas of inequities and injustices that come from the pressures put on our ecological systems, the widening gap between the rich and poor and the mass displacement of the workforce should also be discussed. Students read a brief excerpt, #2426, from the Catechism of the Catholic Church (Appendix 1.6.2). Given the position of the Catholic Church, write a two-page supported opinion paper on the following question: How does our Catholic faith call us to meet the challenges globalization places on our world today?

Assessment & Evaluation of Student Achievement

· Summative assessment of the supported opinion paper

· Summative assessment of completion and accuracy of organizer – Appendix 1.6.1 (Knowledge/Understanding)

Accommodations

· Arrange for a peer to assist with the use of technology or provide hard copies of websites for student to read.

· Provide and limit the number of readings required for this activity.

· Analyse readings and other resources to determine how much of the content is culturally based and therefore may be unfamiliar to new Canadian students.

Resources

Rifkin, Jeremy. “End of Work.” – http://www.jobsletter.org.nz/art%5Crifkin01.htm

World of Work, No.34, April/May 2000. “Globalization’s losers became its movers.”
– http://www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/inf/magazine/34/migrants.htm

Globalization and Employment – http://www.ilo.org/public/english…/inst/papers/publecs/sachf/ch1.htm

Economic Reforms, Globalization, Poverty and the Environment
– http://www.undp.org/seed/pei/publication/economic.html

Duncan, Isabel. “Politics in a Global World.”
– http://www.ssn.flinders.edu.au/glo…tics%20in%20a%20global20world.htm

Lukasiewicz, Anna. “Education, Employment and Consumption.”
– http://ssn.flinders.edu.au/global1002/2000book/education.htm

O’Sullivan, Brian. The Purpose of Education in a Global Era: Excellence, Equity, and the Pursuit of the Public Good. ICSEI 2001.

Kennedy, Paul. Preparing for the Twenty-First Century. New York: Random House, 1993.

Brown, L., Renner, M., and Hailweil, B. Vital Signs 1999: The environment trends that are shaping our future. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1999.

Appendix 1.6.1

Economic Reforms: Poverty and the Environment Organizer

Criteria	Benefits	Costs
technology employment
gender employment
wages
resource sustainability
distribution of wealth
trade
industry
political sovereignty
economic sovereignty
ecological sustainability

Appendix 1.6.2

Economic Activity and Social Justice, Catechism of the Catholic Church (#2426)

The development of economic activity and a growth in production are meant to provide for the needs of human beings. Economic life is not meant solely to multiply goods produced and increase profit or power; it is ordered first of all to the service of persons, of the whole man, and of the entire human community. Economic activity, conducted according to its own proper methods, is to exercise within the limits of the moral order, in keeping with social justice so as to correspond to God’s plan for man.

Activity 1.7: Culminating Activity – Futures Wheel and Scenario Building

Time: 2.5 hours

Description

Students, as a class, use the results from the survey to create a futures wheel based on an issue that is important in their community. Students then create their own futures wheel showing possible global changes to 2010 and beyond, based on trends of resource use. They present their rationale for their selected scenario and discuss the positive and negative aspects of creating a futures wheel. This approach focuses on cooperative learning and is influenced by multiple intelligences and learning style research. The emphasis on foresight and the implications of ethical problem solving and decision making is imposed on relevant and real life issues.

A unit test is an option, instead of the futures wheel, as the culminating activity. Test questions should be varied and relate to all categories of the Achievement Chart.

Strand(s) & Learning Expectations

Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations

CGE3c - thinks reflectively and creatively to evaluate situations and solve problems;

CGE3e - adopts a holistic approach to life by integrating learning from various subject areas and experience;

CGE3f - examines, evaluates, and applies knowledge of interdependent systems (physical, political, ethical, socio-economic, and ecological) for the development of a just and compassionate society;

CGE4f - applies effective communication, decision-making, problem-solving, time and resource management skills;

CGE7i - respects the environment and uses resources wisely.

Strand(s): Geographic Foundations: Space and Systems, Human-Environment Interactions,
Global Connections, Understanding and Managing Change, Methods of Geographic Inquiry

Overall Expectations

SSV.01 - explain the complex nature of the earth’s natural and human systems;

HEV.02 - analyse geographic issues that arise from the impact of human activities on the environment in different regions of the world;

UCV.01 - analyse, forecast, and evaluate changes in the human use of the earth and its resources;

GIV.01 -·select and apply geographic skills, methods, and technologies to gather, analyse, and synthesize ideas and information.

Specific Expectations

SS1.01 - demonstrate an understanding of the interdependence of ecology and economics;

SS1.06 - identify the social, economic, cultural, and political components of selected geographic issues;

HE3.01 - explain the interactive nature of selected natural and human systems;

UC3.05 - produce scenarios for probable and desirable futures based on current trends in the human use of the earth and its resources, including trends in technology;

GC1.01 - identify current global sustainability issues and environmental threats;

GI1.01 - use geographic terms correctly in written and oral communication (e.g., region, pattern, interdependence, global perspective, global commons, disparity, equity, carrying capacity, Gaia hypothesis, ethnocentrism, anthropocentrism, sustainable development, human development index);

GI1.07 - explain why it is difficult to make accurate predictions relating to human use of the earth and its resources, and why some predictions are more (or less) accurate than others.

GI2.05 - evaluate the effectiveness of techniques used to predict the future (e.g., forecasting, backcasting, future wheel);

GI2.06 - draw conclusions or make judgements or predictions on the basis of reasoned analysis.

Prior Knowledge & Skills

· Survey analysis, global issues analysis, and futures wheel in Activity 1.1

· Forecasting population trends using population data in Activity 1.4

· Human and natural systems: Relationships and interactions in Activity 1.5

· The principles of resource sustainability from Activity 1.6

· Class Inventory File: knowledge and understanding of current global issues

Planning Notes

The teacher consolidates survey results to share with class. The teacher becomes familiar with scenario writing using varied futures techniques (websites listed below). Scenarios are multiple, possible futures – alternative stories of how the global environment may develop in the future. They are not predictions of what will happen, but are credible, relevant, and challenging stories that enable students to explore a “what if” possibility. The purpose of scenario planning is not to pinpoint future events, but to highlight large-scale forces that push the future in different directions. The teacher generates a list of resource-based issues to be used by students in the culminating activity.

Teaching/Learning Strategies

1. Students, using the data from the survey, write a brief three-paragraph analysis based on what is an important global issue to the community. Students include the following points in each of the three paragraphs respectively:

· What is the “most important” and “least important” issue? State why you think it is the “most important” and “least important” to your community.

· What is the “most uncertain” issue (most likely will not occur) and the “least uncertain” issue (more likely to occur) of the survey? State why.

· Compare the first two paragraphs and, state, if the issue that is “most important” is “least uncertain.” Students explain their answer.

2. Students then eliminate those “futures” that are highly unlikely or too much like the present. Using the issue that is “most important” and the “least uncertain to the community” students create a futures wheel showing the possible effects that the issue may have on the world 10 years into the future. Using the same issue as a starting point, the class develops a futures wheel. Students brainstorm three-six subtopics from the initial topic or event. Each subtopic is further divided into three to six more topics, until students reach the third of four levels. Examples are found at the websites listed below and in Activity 1.

3. Using the class produced futures wheel as a template, students are assigned an environmental issue from which they are to create their own futures wheel.

4. Next, students produce a two-page “What If?” scenario based on “what if that environmental issue or resource were no longer in the world?” Students identify at least two driving forces that are associated with that issue or resource. They create a mind map to illustrate alternative pathways that lead to different endings.

5. Students share their scenario with the class (approximately five minutes each) and fellow students use the scenario presentation rubric to provide feedback based on students’ logic behind the scenario and the principles of sustainability. Students are given the opportunity to revise their scenario after reviewing the peers’ assessment. They submit their two-page scenario to the teacher for evaluation.

Assessment & Achievement Evaluation of Student

· The presentation of the scenario is peer assessed using the Scenario Presentation Rubric
(see Appendix 1.7.1). Note: this rubric contains the same criteria as the Scenario Writing Rubric. Formative peer assessment (Understanding/Knowledge, Thinking/Inquiry, Communication, Application).

· The two-page written scenario is evaluated using the Scenario Writing Rubric (see Appendix 1.7.2). Summative teacher evaluation (Knowledge/Understanding, Thinking/Inquiry, Communication, Application).

Accommodations

· Arrange for a peer to assist with the use of technology or provide hard copies of websites for students to read.

· Provide and limit the number of readings required for this activity.

· Extension: Students may create a storyboard to help to further plan the details of their story line. Be sure to include the 5 W’s (Who, What, When, Why, Where) and the H (How) in the story telling. Check with the scenario writing rubric to ensure the criteria are met.

Resources

Future Scenarios – http://faculty.plattsburgh.edu/rich…ins/legacy/futuristic_resources.htm
Internet links to various future scenario discussions.

Scenarios for a Sustainable Future – http://www.planet.tech.com/projects/sustainable_future/

Seminar on Futures Techniques – http://ag.arizona.edu/futures/fut/semtech.html

a descriptive listing of 15 futures techniques, including forecasting, backcasting and futures wheel.

Which World? Scenarios for the 21st Century – http://mars2.caltech.edu/whichworld/index.html

World Future Fund-Global Future Watch Indicators System – http://www.worldfuturefund.org/wff-indicatorslist.htm

Appendix 1.7.1

Scenario Presentation Rubric

Criteria

Level 1
(50-59%)

Level 2
(60-69%)

Level 3
(70-79%)

Level 4
(80-100%)

Knowledge/ Understanding
(SS1.01)
- interdependence of ecology and economics

(SS1.06)
- relevant driving forces

- demonstrates limited understanding of the interdependence of ecology and economics

- demonstrates limited ability to identify social, economic, cultural, and political components of selected geographic issues

- demonstrates some understanding of the interdependence of ecology and economics

- demonstrates some ability to identify social, economic, cultural, and political components of selected geographic issues

- demonstrates considerable understanding of the interdependence of ecology and economics

- demonstrates considerable ability to identify social, economic, cultural, and political components of selected geographic issues

- demonstrates thorough understanding of the interdependence of ecology and economics

- demonstrates thorough ability to identify social, economic, cultural, and political components of selected geographic issues

Thinking/ Inquiry
(GI2.05)
- evaluates effectiveness of a technique used to predict the future

- evaluates the effectiveness of a technique used to predict the future with limited effectiveness

- evaluates the effectiveness of a technique used to predict the future with some effectiveness

- evaluates the effectiveness of a technique used to predict the future with considerable effectiveness

- evaluates the effectiveness of a technique used to predict the future with thorough effectiveness

(GI2.06)
- appropriate conclusions or predictions

- draws limited conclusions or predictions on the basis of reasoned analysis

- draws some conclusions or predictions on the basis of reasoned analysis

- draws appropriate conclusions or predictions on the basis of reasoned analysis

- thoroughly draws appropriate conclusions or predictions on the basis of reasoned analysis

Appendix 1.7.1 (Continued)

Criteria

Level 1
(50-59%)

Level 2
(60-69%)

Level 3
(70-79%)

Level 4
(80-100%)

Communication

(GI1.01)
- uses geographic terms correctly in oral presentation

- uses geographic terms with limited effectiveness

- uses geographic terms with some effectiveness

- uses geographic terms with considerable effectiveness

- uses geographic terms with thorough effectiveness

Application
Making Connections
(UC3.05)
- produce scenarios for probable and desirable futures based on current trends in the human use of the earth and its resources, including trends in technology

- shows limited insight in producing scenarios for probable and desirable futures based on current trends in the human use of the earth and its resources, including trends in technology

- shows some insight in producing scenarios for probable and desirable futures based on current trends in the human use of the earth and its resources, including trends in technology

-shows considerable insight in producing scenarios for probable and desirable futures based on current trends in the human use of the earth and its resources, including trends in technology

- shows clear and creative insight in producing scenarios for probable and desirable futures based on current trends in the human use of the earth and its resources, including trends in technology

Note: A student whose achievement is below Level 1 (50%) has not met the expectations for this assignment or activity.

Overall Level:	Student Name:
Comments:	Strengths:
Areas to Review:	Next Steps:

Appendix 1.7.2

Scenario Writing Rubric