Grade Level
- Grades 6 to 8
- Can be modified for Grades 9 to 12 by adding additional factors, for example,
climate, demographics, economic indicators and topography.
Time Required
60 to 120 minutes depending on grade, preparation, equipment and computer
skills
Curriculum Connection
Atlantic Provinces Education Foundation Curriculum for
Social Studies
- Grade 6 (Canada) – Newfoundland and Labrador
- Grade 7 (North America) – Newfoundland and Labrador
- Grade 8 (World Cultural Regions) – Newfoundland
and Labrador
- Grade 9 (Atlantic Canada in the Global
Community) – Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia,
Prince Edward Island, and Grade 8, New Brunswick
(Note: This lesson has been constructed using Newfoundland and Labrador references, but can be changed to fit any province or territory by changing the selection of places.)
Link to Canadian National Geography Standards
Essential Element #1 – The World in Spatial Terms
Grades 6 to 8 Standard
- distribution of major human and physical features at
country and global scales
- map types (political, navigational, thematic)
Grades 9 to 12 Standard
- map, globe, and atlas use (observing and analyzing relationships)
- expanding locational technology
Essential Element #5 – Environment and Society
- limits and opportunities of the physical environment for human activities
Geographic Skill #1 – Asking Geographic Questions
- identify geographic issues, define geographic problems and pose geographic questions
- plan how to answer geographic questions
Geographic Skill #2 – Acquiring Geographic Information
- use a variety of research skills to locate and collect geographic data
- use maps to collect and /or compile geographic information
Geographic Skill #3 – Organizing Geographic Information
- prepare various forms of maps as a means of organizing geographic information
- prepare various forms of diagrams, tables and charts to organize and display geographic information
Geographic Skill #4 – Analyzing Geographic Information
- interpret information obtained from maps, aerial photographs, satellite-produced images and geographic information systems
Geographic Skill #5 – Answering Geographic Information
- develop and present combinations of geographic information to answer geographic questions
- make generalizations and assess their validity
Atlas of Canada Resources
Go to the Atlas of Canada Web site found at: atlas.gc.ca
The following parts of the Web site will be accessed by students
during the lesson:
- Explore Our Maps
- Advanced Search (search for the location of a place on a map, option)
Additional Resources
- computer lab with Internet access and printer
- reference print atlases
- provincial and territorial road maps
- student worksheet –The Extreme Place Race: A Lesson
in Survival
- student organizer sheet
- student assessment
sheet
Main Objective
The goal of this lesson is to develop student geographic and computer skills in a site and situation analysis of a variety of diverse locations using available information. Students will use the resources of the Atlas of Canada Web site and other print maps to determine a complex variety of factors that may influence why and how people live where they do.
Learning Outcomes
The following outcomes from the Atlantic Provinces Education Foundation Curriculum for Social Studies will be addressed:
General Curriculum Outcomes
-
Students will be expected to demonstrate an understanding
of the interdependent relationship among individuals,
societies, and the environment-locally, nationally, and
globally – and the implications of a sustainable future.
- People, Place and the Environment
-
Students will be expected to demonstrate an understanding
of the interaction among people, places and the environment.
- Communication requires that students listen to, read,
interpret, translate and express ideas and information.
- Inquiry requires that students formulate and clarify
questions, investigate problems, analyze relevant information
and develop rational conclusions supported by evidence.
- Participation requires that students act both independently
and collaboratively in order to solve problems, make
decisions, and negotiate and enact plans for action in
ways that respect and value the customs, beliefs and
practices of others.
Key Stage Outcomes (end of Grade 9)
- Compare the ways cultures meet human needs and wants.
- Explain the complexity that arises from the interdependent
nature of relationships among individuals, nations, human
organizations, and natural systems.
- People, Place and the Environment
- Ask complex geographic questions; acquire, organize,
and analyze geographic information; and answer geographic
questions.
- Use geographic tools, technologies, and representations
to interpret, pose, and answer questions about natural
and human systems.
- Use location, distance, scale, direction,
density, shape and size to describe and explain the location
and distribution patterns of physical and human phenomena.
- Use multiple criteria to identify and define types
of regions.
- Analyze the influences of human and physical
systems on the development of distinctive characteristics
of place.
- Analyze ways in which social, political, economic,
and cultural systems develop in response to the physical
environment.
Specific Curriculum Outcomes
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
- access the Atlas of Canada
- navigate the Atlas of Canada
- use the Explore Our Maps section to print a special use map
- use the Advanced Search to locate specified places
- use the zoom tool to enlarge map
- use the drop-down menu to examine thematic maps associated with the specified place
- construct a comparison matrix
- practice legend and scale skills
- supplement the online information with material from print sources
- compare different regions, analyze
their findings, make informed conclusions, and discuss
with fellow students
Note: This activity is more effective if done in pairs or groups of three.
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