Geography

Grade 7: Themes of Geographic Inquiry	Planning: Term # Tracking: Ach. Level
Overall Expectations	1	2	3	4
* identify and explain the themes of geographic inquiry: location/place, environment, region, interaction, and movement;
* use a variety of geographic resources and tools to gather, process, and communicate geographic information;
* analyse current environmental issues or events from the perspective of one or more of the themes of geographic inquiry.
Specific Expectations
Knowledge and Understanding
* explain the geographic concept of location/ place (e.g., "location" means where a place is and where it is relative to other places; "place" is defined by unique physical and human characteristics);
* explain the geographic concept of environment (e.g., "environment" refers to physical surroundings and conditions, particularly as they affect people's lives);
* explain the geographic concept of region (e.g., a region is a part of the earth's surface that has similar characteristics throughout its extent; the concept of region helps to simplify complex ideas);
* explain the geographic concept of interaction (e.g., the environment provides opportunities and challenges; people change the environment as they use it);
* explain the geographic concept of movement (e.g., "movement" refers to the flow of people, goods, and information and the factors that affect this flow).
Inquiry/Research and Communication Skills
* formulate questions to guide and synthesize research on an environmental issue (e.g., What is the effect on various groups of the government moratorium on cod fishing? What role does an environmentalist play in the planning of an urban community?);
* locate and use relevant information from a variety of primary and secondary sources (e.g., primary sources: interviews, statistics, aerial photographs, satellite images, live telecasts; secondary sources: maps, diagrams, illustrations, print materials, videos, CD-ROMs, Internet sites);
* communicate the results of inquiries about different points of view on an issue, using computer slide shows, videos, websites, oral presentations, written notes and reports, drawings, tables, charts, diagrams, maps, models, and graphs (e.g., write and produce an interview presenting a perspective on government restrictions on fishing);
* use appropriate vocabulary (e.g., phenomena, issues, bias, fact, opinion, absolute location, relative location, interaction, region) to describe their inquiries and observations.
Map, Globe and Graphic Skills
* create and use maps for a variety of purposes (e.g., a thematic map of hurricane regions that illustrates an environmental pattern, a thematic map of deforested areas).
Application
* apply the perspective of one or more themes of geographic inquiry to produce a report (e.g., newspaper, television, radio, website) on an actual or fictional environmental event (e.g., forest fires, illegal dumping, an oil spill, deforestation, an epidemic, drought, the development of a new mine, the depletion of fish stocks);
* choose an environmental issue that illustrates one of the themes of geographic inquiry and explain why various individuals and groups have different opinions on the issue (e.g., theme of interaction: wilderness conservationists versus loggers);
* create a visual presentation (e.g., computer slide show, storyboard, poster, video) to report on how conditions in and around the school illustrate the five themes of geographic inquiry.
Student Name:

Expectations: Copyright The Queen's Printer for Ontario, 2004.  Format: Copyright B.Phillips, 1998.