Geography

Grade 8: Economic Systems	Planning: Term # Tracking: Ach. Level
Overall Expectations	1	2	3	4
* describe the characteristics of different types of economic systems and the factors that influence them, including economic relationships and levels of industrial development;
* use a variety of geographic representations, resources, tools, and technologies to gather, process, and communicate geographic information about regional, national, and international economic systems;
* compare the economies of different communities, regions, or countries, including the influence of factors such as industries, access to resources, and access to markets.
Specific Expectations
Knowledge and Understanding
* outline the fundamental questions that all economic systems must answer: what goods are produced; how they are produced; for whom they are produced; by whom they are produced; and how they are distributed;
* describe the characteristics of different types of economic systems (e.g., traditional, command, market) and explain why most countries, including Canada, have a mixed economy that includes features from more than one system;
* explain how the availability of particular economic resources (e.g., quantity and quality of land, labour, capital, entrepreneurial ability) influences the economic success of a region;
* identify and give examples of the three major types of industries – primary (resource), secondary (manufacturing), and tertiary (service) – and describe how these industries have developed in Canada.
Inquiry/Research and Communication Skills
* formulate questions to guide and analyse research on economic influences and relationships (e.g., Where would be the best place to start a new logging industry in Canada? How have the types of industries in Canada changed since the nineteenth century? How has technology changed a specific industry?);
* locate relevant information from a variety of primary and secondary sources (e.g., primary sources: statistics, interviews, published field studies, a field trip to a local industry; secondary sources: maps, illustrations, print materials, videos, CD-ROMs, Internet sites);
* communicate the results of inquiries for specific purposes and audiences, using computer slide shows, videos, websites, oral presentations, written notes and reports, illustrations, tables, charts, maps, models, and graphs (e.g., use a brief dramatization to explain an industry to the class; produce a map showing the locations of natural resources and raw materials needed by an industry);
* use appropriate vocabulary (e.g., economy; traditional, command, market, and mixed economies; supply and demand; production; goods; services; consumer; market; distribution; imports; exports; land; entrepreneurial; capital; primary, secondary, and tertiary industries) to describe their inquiries and observations.
Map, Globe and Graphic Skills
* use thematic maps to identify economic patterns (e.g., the location of industries in relation to sources of raw materials, markets, and transportation; the proportional flow of trade between countries; sources of labour).
Application
* compare the economies of some top trading nations and explain the reasons for their success, taking into account factors such as industries, access to resources, and access to markets;
* investigate and explain the advantages and disadvantages of Canada's involvement in major trade associations/agreements (e.g., North American Free Trade Agreement [NAFTA], World Trade Organization [WTO]);
* investigate and describe how a new or existing industry affects the economy of a region.
Student Name:

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