GEOGRAPHY OF CANADA, GRADE 9 ACADEMIC
CGC1D
Course Overview
2012/2013
Department of Geography
1 course credit
110 hours
The Ontario Curriculum, Canadian and World Studies, 2005 (Revised)
No prerequisite
Text: Clark B., Wallace J., (2006). Making Connections- Canada's Geography, 2nd ed..
Scarborough, ON: Prentice Hall.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
“This course explores Canada’s distinct and changing character and the
geographic systems and relationships that shape it. Students will investigate the
interactions of natural and human systems within Canada, as well as Canada’s
economic, cultural, and environmental connections to other countries. Students
will use a variety of geotechnologies and inquiry and communication methods to
analyse and evaluate geographic issues and present their findings.” (Ontario
Curriculum, Grades 9 and 10: Canadian and World Studies, 2005 (Revised).
OVERALL APPROACH
In Grade 7 the boys studied Physical Geography and in Grade 8 they studied
Human Geography. In Grade 9 the boys will be studying the Physical and
Human aspects of one country and that country of course is Canada.
This course examines different themes in Canadian geography by focusing on a
variety of important issues (physical, cultural and economical) that affect the
Canadian landscape.
We begin the course with a look at the inquiry skills any good geographer needs,
like latitude and longitude, scale, GIS and map mapping. The course then shifts
to a study of Canada’s physical attributes. We will investigate Canada’s landform
regions and Canada’s diverse climate. Canada’s human geography will focus on
certain issues like immigration, and the concept of urban growth and urban
sprawl. In the Urban unit the boys will be asked to select a group member and
they will need to travel to a major intersection in Toronto and do a land use study
of that intersection. When studying Canada’s economy we will look at some of
the country’s main resources and discuss the issue of sustainable development
especially in the fishing industry. Finally we will end the year with a look at
Canada’s role in the world and its relationship with the United States. The events
of the past few years will make this an interesting conclusion to the course.
Geography of Canada
Page 1
In accordance to the Ministry of Education, at the end May and early June the
boys will write a final exam (based on the entire years work) as well as writing an
end of year activity (Intersection Study). Both of these will comprise 30% of their
final mark.
The course also has as a goal the integration of appropriate computer technology
into the curriculum. The students will use a variety of software to address
problems and tasks in the curriculum. These include word processing, GIS
(ArcMap), spreadsheets, electronic slide shows, drawing programs, on-line
library databases, and the Internet.
The following is an outline of the units of the course. Please note that an equal
amount of time is not spent on each unit nor are they necessarily covered in the
order presented here.
UNITS OF STUDY
Unit 1: Canadian Connections: An Introduction (5 hours)





What is Geography?
Mental Map of Canada
A Canadian Quiz
Area, Population, Wealth
Snapshots: Canada and the Rest of the World
Unit 2: Methods of Geographic Inquiry (10 hours)







Maps
Locating Places
Map Scale
G.I.S.
Aerial Photos
Satellite Imagery
Graphs
Unit 3: Physical Connections (25 hours)





Geologic history
Landform regions
Climate
Soil and Natural Vegetation
Canada's Ecozone
Geography of Canada
Page 2
Unit 4: Cultural Connections (25 hours)






Immigration
Rural and Urban Settlement Patterns
Population and Demographic
Urban land use
Intersection Activity
Urban problems, urban sprawl
Unit 5: Economic Connections (25 hours)










Types of industry
Fishing Industry
Farming
Forestry
Minerals
Energy Industry
Location Factors
Services
Transportation
Communications
Unit 6: Canada’s Global Connections (10 hours)




Canada and the World
Canada’s international connections
Foreign trade and aid
Relationship to the United States
Unit 7: Future Connections (10 hours)




Water: The Basic Resource
Global Warming
Environmental Sustainability
Ecological Footprint
For a more complete examination of this course, please go to:
http://occ.crescentschool.org/geography/geography.asp or
The Green Room
Geography of Canada
Page 3
Assessment and Evaluation:
Assessment is an ongoing process. It is the gathering of information (data) using
a variety of tools and strategies such as tests, assignments and activities.
Assessment can be DIAGNOSTIC. This type of assessment occurs at the
beginning of a unit. It is used to see how much is known prior to delivering new
content.
Assessment can be FORMATIVE. This is assessment that is ongoing; these are
activities and tasks which students explore, test and practice new learning.
These can take the form of homework (questions and answers), small quizzes,
binder checks, homework checks. Although these do not count directly toward
your mark, they may influence your final mark and your parent/teacher
interviews. Formative assessment prepares the student for the next type of
assessment that IS graded and DOES count. It is in the best interest of the
student to do all of the formative as best they can.
Throughout the course the students will be guided to develop specific learning
skills and work habits: Responsibility, Organization, Independent Work,
Collaboration, Initiative and Self Regulation (Growing Success, 2010).
The next type of Assessment is called SUMMATIVE. This is assessment that
occurs at the end of a unit or a piece of work. It allows students to demonstrate
the new learning. Summative assessment can be more complex and lengthy
than formative. They can take the form of tests, assignments, projects etc.
Evaluation is the process of bringing all of the above together and assigning a
value to represent the quality of a student’s work. Evaluation is about making
judgments on how the student has done. It is taking the results of the summative
assessment and taking into account the formative assessment as well and
coming up with a grade and/or comments and/or letter grade.
A variety of techniques are used to arrive at a ‘final mark’ for each student. This
variety will be based on the four categories from the Ontario Ministry of
Education’s ‘Achievement Chart’. Rubrics will be used (wherever possible) to
communicate these expectations to the students. These include:




unit tests - (types of questions include multiple choice, true/false, short
answer, fill in the blanks, matching, interpretation of maps, graphs and
images, and essays.
final exam
Assignments, Activities and Case Studies
Student Projects or Presentations (eg. electronic slide shows)
Geography of Canada
Page 4
The final percentage grade will be derived as in the table below. In summary:

70% is based on evaluations undertaken throughout the course and
represents the student's most consistent level of achievement with special
attention directed to most recent performance – Summative Assessment.
Each of the above techniques (tests, activities, assignments etc.) will
evaluate the students based on the learning categories (KICA) below.
Some or all will be used as appropriate and will reflect the Achievement
Chart:
Knowledge & Understanding
Thinking & Inquiry
Communication
Application
o
Knowledge & Understanding:
-knowledge of facts and terms
-understanding of concepts principles and theories
-understanding of relationships between concepts
o Thinking & Inquiry:
-critical thinking skills (e.g., conducting analysis, detecting point of
view and bias)
-creative thinking skills (e.g., problem solving that uses multiple
perspectives)
-inquiry skills (e.g., formulating questions; organising and
conducting research; analysing, interpreting, and evaluating
information; drawing conclusions)
o Communication:
-oral communication (e.g., debates, role playing) for different
audiences and purposes
-written communication (e.g., reviews, short essays, long essays,
letters) for different audiences and purposes
o Application:
-application of concepts, skills, and procedures in familiar context
-transfer of concepts, skills, and procedures to new contexts
-making logical conclusions or generalizations
-making predictions and planning courses of action
Geography of Canada
Page 5
-use of technology, equipment, and materials
-making connections (e.g., between past, present, and future
contexts and roles; between subjects; between subjects and the
world outside the school)

30% is based on the final assessment (exam and/or activity) and will
follow the learning categories (KICA) as well.
The students are evaluated in a number of different ways and no one item carries
a lot of "weight". Each chapter of the course involves at least one test and one
activity/case study as well as some assignments
BREAKDOWN OF COURSE EVALUATION
Students are evaluated in a number of ways throughout the year. These include
assignments, tests, small group projects and exams. The mark is cumulative
throughout the year.
Knowledge/Understanding
Thinking/Inquiry
Communication
Application
Final assessment (Exam – 20, Summative Assignment – 10)
17.5%
17.5%
17.5%
17.5%
30%
Total
100%
Please check the document “Evaluation and Assessment in Geography” This document is linked
on the main Geography page in the Green Room
Late Policy - Making the Grade and Taking Responsibility
All assignments that are submitted for evaluation will be assigned a DUE DATE.
If you are not going to meet a due date for an assignment you must negotiate an
extension and a deadline before class on the due date. The date negotiated for
the deadline will normally be between one and three days after the original due
date. You will be asked to sign a form indicating that you have asked for an
extension. If you do not negotiate for an extension and do not hand in your work
by the class on the original due date, you will receive a 0 for that assignment. If
you do not submit your assignment by the class on the negotiated deadline, you
will receive a 0 for that assignment. If you negotiate more than three
assignments, your mentor and parents/guardians will be notified.
It is in the best interest of the student to submit assignments on the assigned
date.
Geography of Canada
Page 6
Geography of Canada
Page 7