Course Outline: CGC1D

The following document is the course outline for the CGC1D course offered by Christian Virtual School. It contains the course description, unit outline, teaching & learning strategies, and the curriculum expectations addressed. This outline can also be viewed as a PDF using the download link provided.

Issues in Canadian Geography, Grade 9, Academic

Course Code: CGC1D 

Grade: 9 

Course Type: Academic 

Credit Value: 1.0 

Prerequisite(s): None 

Curriculum Document: Canadian and World Studies, Revised (2018) 

Developed By: Sarah McKercher

Department: Canadian and World Studies

Development Date: September 2020

Most Recent Revision Date: September 2020

Teacher(s):

Mark graduated from Lakehead University in 2010, with a Bachelor of Kinesiology (Honours) and a Bachelor of Education degree.  

After graduating, Mark began his teaching career with science, health and physical education, and communication technology in a remote, Indigenous community of Bearskin Lake, Ontario. Working in the north gave him his first experiences with online education. In continuing with online education, Mark became a special education coordinator for 13 Northern communities and continued to write and develop courses over the 5 years. He then returned to his hometown as a Vice-Principal and then Principal for an accredited private school. Using these experiences, Mark is now working for the public-school board as an intermediate teacher to help ready students for the secondary level. In addition, he continues to teach both online and through his summers at a youth jail to help rehabilitate students who face motivational and life challenges as well as coaching soccer, basketball, and baseball. 

In his spare time, Mark continues his love for learning by taking additional courses online, learning new songs on the guitar, or learning to cook a new dish! He has a good sense of humour and physically active through golf, tennis, travelling, camping, and hiking! He says, “I hope to help students and colleagues free themselves of their concerns and fear of learning new things and bring out their best self as the effect we have on each other, is the most valuable currency there is; with online mediums and platforms such as CVS, we can do just that. I look forward to developing relationships and building online presence with the CVS School community to learn, grow and support each other!” 

Course Description:

This course examines interrelationships within and between Canada’s natural and human systems and how these systems interconnect with those in other parts of the world. Students will explore environmental, economic, and social geographic issues relating to topics such as transportation options, energy choices, and urban development. Students will apply the concepts of geographic thinking and the geographic inquiry process, including spatial technologies, to investigate various geographic issues and to develop possible approaches for making Canada a more sustainable place in which to live.

Overall Curriculum Expectations

Geographic Inquiry and Skill Development

  1. Geographic Inquiry: use the geographic inquiry process and the concepts of geographic thinking when investigating issues relating to Canadian geography;
  2. Developing Transferable Skills: apply in everyday contexts skills, including spatial technology skills, developed through the investigation of Canadian geography, and identify some careers in which a background in geography might be an asset

      Interactions in the Physical Environment

      1. The Physical Environment and Human Activities: analyse various interactions between physical processes, phenomena, and events and human activities in Canada;
      2. Interrelationships between Physical Systems, Processes, and Events: analyse characteristics of various physical processes, phenomena, and events affecting Canada and their interrelationship with global physical systems;
      3. The Characteristics of Canada’s Natural Environment: describe various characteristics of the natural environment and the spatial distribution of physical features in Canada, and explain the role of physical processes, phenomena, and events in shaping them;

              Managing Canada's Resources and Industries

              1. The Sustainability of Resources: analyse impacts of resource policy, resource management, and consumer choices on resource sustainability in Canada;
              2. The Development of Resources: analyse issues related to the distribution, availability, and development of natural resources in Canada from a geographic perspective;
              3. Industries and Economic Development: assess the relative importance of different industrial sectors to the Canadian economy and Canada’s place in the global economy, and analyse factors that influence the location of industries in these sectors;

                    Changing Populations

                    1. Population Issues: analyse selected national and global population issues and their implications for Canada;
                    2. Immigration and Cultural Diversity: describe the diversity of Canada’s population, and assess some social, economic, political, and environmental implications of immigration and diversity for Canada;
                    3. Demographic Patterns and Trends: analyse patterns of population settlement and various demographic characteristics of the Canadian population;

                      Livable Communities

                      1. The Sustainability of Human Systems: analyse issues relating to the sustainability of human systems in Canada;
                      2. Impacts of Urban Growth: analyse impacts of urban growth in Canada;
                      3. Characteristics of Land Use in Canada: analyse characteristics of land use in various Canadian communities, and explain how some factors influence land-use patterns;

                        Resources Required:

                        This course is entirely online and does not require nor rely on any textbook. The materials required for the course are:

                        • Access to various web resources for guided research activities,
                        • A calculator (online or handheld),
                        • Writing or colouring tools and paper,
                        • Access to voice recording or video recording tools (camera, cell phone, etc.),
                        • Access to a webcam,
                        • Up-to-date operating system,
                        • Up-to-date browser.

                        Teaching and Learning Strategies:

                        The Canadian and world studies courses will prepare students for a life of responsible citizenship in which they think critically about events, developments and issues in their daily lives. In the geography courses, the goal is to help students develop a sense of place. At their own pace, students will work towards:

                        • developing an understanding of the characteristics and spatial diversity of natural and human environments and communities, on a local to a global scale;
                        • analysing the connections within and between natural and human environments and communities;
                        • developing spatial skills through the use of spatial technologies and the interpretation, analysis, and construction of various types of maps, globes, and graphs;
                        • being responsible stewards of the Earth by developing an appreciation and respect for both natural and human environments and communities.

                        Assessment and Evaluation Strategies of Student Performance:

                        Every student attending Christian Virtual School is unique. We believe each student must have the opportunities to achieve success according to their own interests, abilities, and goals. Like the Ministry of Education, we have defined high expectations and standards for graduation, while introducing a range of options that allow students to learn in ways that suit them best and enable them to earn their diplomas. Christian Virtual School’s Assessment, Evaluation, and Reporting Policy is based on seven fundamental principles, as outlined in the Growing Success: Assessment, Evaluation, and Reporting in Ontario Schools document.

                        When these seven principles are fully understood and observed by all teachers, they guide the collection of meaningful information that helps inform instructional decisions, promote student engagement, and improve student learning. At Christian Virtual School, teachers use practices and procedures that:

                        1. are fair, transparent, and equitable for all students;
                        2. support all students, including those with special education needs, those who are learning English, and those who are First Nation, Métis, or Inuit;
                        3. are carefully planned to relate to the curriculum expectations and learning goals and, as much as possible, to the interests, learning styles and preferences, needs, and experiences of all students;
                        4. are communicated clearly to students and parents or guardians at the beginning of the school year or course and at other appropriate points throughout the school year or course;
                        5. are ongoing, varied in nature, and administered over a period of time to provide multiple opportunities for students to demonstrate the full range of their learning;
                        6. provide ongoing descriptive feedback that is clear, specific, meaningful, and timely to support improved learning and achievement; and
                        7. develop students’ self-assessment skills to enable them to access their own learning, set specific goals, and plan next steps for their learning.

                        For more information on our assessment and evaluation strategies, refer to Section 6, Student Achievement, in the Course Calendar.

                        Program Planning Considerations: