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BC Physical Geography 12

Whadya' do in Geog 12?  Why take the course?  We examine how the earth works -- in the air, on the ground, under the ground, and among living things. We examine how humans adapt to and change or alter the physical environments around them. We ask questions about what's going on here and what it all means... what's our connection to the world around us? This is a course that helps students become more place-conscious and aware of how their surrounding were shaped and shape us in return.

Course Outline and Expectations

new Course Introduction and Outline for September 2016
kane huron
Mount Robson, British Columbia http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mount_Robson_Park-British_Columbia-Canada.JPG

Unit 1 The Study of Geography

1A What is Geography? - Themes and Perspectives
1B Geographic Thinking

1C Maps and Map Skills, Round 1
1D The Earth our Home and Planet
1E Regions and Peoples
1F Pressures on our Planet
Projects, Tests, Field Trips, etc.​

Unit 2 Earth's Structures and Spheres

2A Geology
2B Plate Tectonics, Faults and Folds
2C Earthquakes and Volcanoes
2D Atmospheric Circulation
2E Weather and Climate
2F Ecosystems, Biomes, and Soil
Projects, Tests, Field Trips, etc.

Unit 3 Forces that Shape the Land

3A Weathering Processes
3B Mass Wastage and Natural Disasters
3C River Landscapes
3D Glacial Landscapes
3E Deserts, Caves, and Groundwater
3F Coastal Landforms
Projects, Tests, Field Trips, etc.

Unit 4 Human-Environment Dynamic

4A Cultural Adaption to Space and Resources
4B Early Economic Systems and Patterns
4C Global Agriculture
4D Global Industry
4E Urbanization and Life of a City
4F Forestry in BC
Projects, Tests, Field Trips, etc.

Themes of Geography Photo Essay

Location (Absolute and Relative)
Nature of Place (Physical and Human Characteristics)
Human-Environment Interactions
Regions (Formal, Informal or Vernacular, Functional)
Movement (people, goods, things, ideas)

Course Expectations

Your teacher does not have many rules... mostly it is expected that students will operate with a few principles in mind:
  • mutual respect -- treat the students, teacher, and learning space with dignity, safety, and calmness 
  • self-reliance -- take responsibility for your actions, attendance, work habits, expected work & progress 
  • balance -- there is a season (and time in class) for everything: teacher, student, together, alone, tech, no-tech, food , no-food
  • curiosity -- ask thoughtful questions of your self, teacher, and classmates, and ask for help when you need it 
In exchange, your teacher will strive to make the class time as positive and productive as possible, minimize homework, and keep the focus on critical thinking, meaningful connections (including personal ones), and strong learning about our topics. You are invited to be active participants in how this course and classroom experience unfolds. 

Big Ideas for Geography 12

  • Incorporating data from a variety of sources allows us to better understand our globally connected world.
  • Natural processes have an impact on the landscape and human settlement.
  • Human activities and resource use affect the environment.
  • Interactions between human activities and the atmosphere affect local and global weather and climate.
  • Tectonic plates are in constant motion and their interactions produce earthquakes, volcanoes, and characteristic landforms on the Earth’s surface.
  • Weathering and erosion processes shape landscapes through the interaction of the geosphere and hydrosphere

Webriver Blog

This blog -- http://webriver.blogspot.ca -- is for online assignments and discussion in Social Studies and Geography. We will use this sometimes for our class.

How does Geog 12 connect with life after high school?

University programs in geography, arts, and sciences. Careers in urban planning, civil engineering, digital mapping, environmental consulting, forestry, geology & soil science, education, coding (e.g. location-based data), archaeology, and travel & tourism industry.

Course "Competencies"

  • Use geographic inquiry processes and skills to: ask questions; gather, interpret, and analyze data and ideas from a variety of sources; and communicate findings and decisions (evidence and interpretation)
  • Develop geographic thinking and literacy through frames of understanding such as the use of the five themes of geography (evidence and interpretation; geographical importance)
  • Assess the significance of places by identifying the physical and/or human features that characterize places (sense of place)
  • Assess the interpretations of geographic evidence after investigating points of contention, reliability of sources, and adequacy of evidence (evidence and interpretation)
  • Draw conclusions about the variation and distribution of geographic phenomena over time and space (patterns and trends)
  • Evaluate how particular geographic actions or events affect human practices or outcomes (geographical value judgments)
  • Evaluate the features or aspects of geographic phenomena or locations to explain what makes them worthy of attention or recognition (geographical importance)
  • Identify and assess how human and environmental factors and events influence each other (interactions and associations) 
  • Make reasoned ethical judgments about controversial actions in the past and/or present, and whether we have a responsibility to respond (geographical value judgments) 
  • Develop mapping skills such as reading topographic maps, using GIS tools, interpreting satellite imagery and photos

Geography 12 Links

BC Provincial Exams Website
Information on Geography 12 exam and others. Good place for students to figure out what the provincial exam will look like.
Atlapedia: Canada 
A concise description of Canada (including its geography) in Atlapedia Online. 
Ask an Expert: Canadian Geography 
CLN's "Ask an Expert" page has about 100 links to specialists in the field who can serve as a valuable source of curricular expertise for both students and teachers.
BC Ministry of Environment, Lands and ParksInformation on the air, land and water of BC is provided. Topics include: air quality, car emissions & preventing pollution, climate change, smoke control, parks, crown land, wildlife, managing waste, water & land & habitat stewardship, managing pesticides, watershed management, water licenses and fisheries.
Canada Centre for Inland Waters 
The focus of CCIW is on water research, generating new knowledge that is critical for the effective management of Canada's freshwater and marine resources. Their servers host information from: National Water Research Institute (our freshwater ecosystems), Great Lakes Information Management Resource (source of information and references about the Great Lakes), Bayfield Institute (fisheries research, fisheries and habitat management), and more. 
Canadian Communities Atlas Project 
This web page provides information to prospective participants in an Internet project whereby Canadian students (Grades 4-12) build an online Atlas Site of their community (physical, economic, human, cultural and historic geography). Project organizers provide thematic topics for student to research their community and this research is then entered into HTML templates to become part of the online Atlas. Students can participate as a class, a school, or even as a district. 
Canadian Geographic Online 
Current and back issues of this Canadian journal.Careers in Geography 
Although not a Canadian document, this pamphlet from Texas and the National Geographic Society will apply to Canadian students. It has information on "Why Study Geography?", "Geography and Careers" and "The Variety of Geographic Fields." 
City.Net: Canada 
Links to information about Canada, for example cities, provinces, or regions. 
Gary's Geographical Gnome 
A massive meta-list of links to topics related to geography or earth science aimed for high school students and teachers. Links are briefly annotated and organized under headings such as: Physical Environment, Human Environment, Environmental Concerns and Resource Page, and Mapping and Satellite Imaging. 
Geography 12 Home Page
 
Teachers from SD#43 (Coquitlam) created this meta-list of links to resources which support the BC Geography 12 course. Links are organized in a variety of ways, for example you can access resources that have direct ties to specific areas of the course outline. 
GeoWorld: WWW Education Geography Sites
 
A massive metalist with a Canadian focus. 
How Far Is It? 
"This service uses the University of Michigan Geographic Name Server and a supplementary database of world cities to find the latitude and longitude of two places, and then calculates the distance between them (as the crow flies). It also provides a map showing the two places, using the Xerox PARC Map Server." 
National Atlas on SchoolNet 
This Canadian Atlas has a wide variety of geographical resources. Browse through the site from the main menu (above) or link directly to some of their resources with particular K-12 appeal (below). 
Ask the Harkster 
Ask an Expert in Canadian Geography.
Canadian Issues 
Web pages developed around various Canadian issues, some of which are geographical in nature.
Defacto: Geographical Facts about Canada 
A Canadian factbook.
Geographical Names 
A searchable database on Canadian names.
Interactive Geography Quiz
Test your knowledge of Canadian Geography.
Make a Map 
Create customized maps from Canadian geographic information.
Maps of All Kinds 
Select from a variety of Canadian maps.
Natural Resources, Canada 
This is the federal government's web site for The Department of Natural Resources. NRCan has a mandate to promote the sustainable development and responsible use of Canada's mineral, energy, metal, and forestry resources. Click above to go to NRCan's home page for general information on NRCan (e.g., access to their libraries, stats on natural resources). Click below to go directly to some of their sector web pages. 
Canadian Forest Service
Geological Survey of Canada
Statistics Canada: Canadian Statistics A wealth of raw data on Canada. Check out in particular the pages on the "Canadian Dimensions: The Land" 
Tables and Graphs based on Canadian Statistics
Tables and charts of Canadian geographical data taken from Stats Canada. At the bottom of the page, you can click a button to go "Back to Teaching and Learning about Canada". This is a meta-list of links to resources on Canada that might be useful for Social Studies classes. Geography is one element under which links are organized.

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