B2. Inquiry: Responses to Global Issues
Specific Expectations
B2.1
formulate questions to guide investigations into global issues of political, social, economic, and/or environmental importance (e.g., child labour, dwindling oil supplies, ownership of and access to fresh water, climate change, food shortages, refugees, or natural disasters), their impact on the global community, and responses to the issues
- What was Canada’s role in a recent relief effort in another part of the world? Was this effort sufficient to meet the needs of the distressed population?
- What impact does Canada’s consumption of coffee or chocolate have on the people and environment of the producer countries?
- How have the Canadian government and the Canadian people reacted to the melting of Arctic ice fields?
B2.2
gather and organize information on global issues of political, social, economic, and/or environmental importance, including their impact and responses to them, using a variety of resources and various technologies (e.g., use spatial technologies, satellite images, and/or online image banks as part of their investigation into the diminishing of ocean reef life; gather accounts by Inuit and northern First Nations witnesses to the effects of climate change; find annual precipitation rates for a region to study the relationship between drought and famine; locate data about products that Canadians import from countries that use child labour or other cheap labour; use interactive websites to find data and information about health issues facing specific countries or regions)
- If you were studying the impact of climate change in the North, why would it be useful to listen to an Elder speak about the changes in the migration patterns of animals?
- How could you use photographs in your inquiry into climate change?
- Where might you look for data on changes in temperature and precipitation?
- Where would you find reliable data on the number of refugees in a region? Why might figures from the UN differ from those provided by the country from which the refugees originate?
B2.3
analyse and construct different types of maps, both print and digital, as part of their investigations into global issues, their impact, and responses to them (e.g., locate on a digital map or in a print atlas the region affected by a conflict that has given rise to refugee camps; use interactive atlases to track the spread of a disease; use issue-based or demographic maps to examine correlations between quality of life indicators; create a flow map that shows the starting point for some products that enter Canada)
- How might you use thematic maps as part of your study of literacy and poverty rates in countries where Canadian development NGOs are active?
- What types of information would you need to plot on a map to examine whether arid countries that export agricultural products to Canada are being affected by desertification?
B2.4
interpret and analyse information and data relevant to their investigations, using a variety of tools (e.g., use an online mapping program to help them determine the relationship between Canadian aid and quality of life; analyse climate graphs to help them determine the effects of declining precipitation in a region or country; use a graphic organizer or a graph constructed on the computer to compare the number of Canadians who gave aid to Haiti after the 2010 earthquake with those who gave aid to Japan after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami)
- What does this double bar graph reveal about the relationship between this NGO’s activities and access to clean water in various countries in this region?
- What did you find out about the amount of money that was raised in response to the Haitian and Japanese earthquakes?
- What do your quality-of-life maps suggest about why some countries tend to receive more aid than others?
B2.5
evaluate evidence and draw conclusions about global issues of political, social, economic, and/or environmental importance, their impact on the global community, and responses to the issues
- What impact did the 2010 earthquake have on Haiti? What actions have the people in Haiti taken to rebuild their country? What type of aid did the country receive after the disaster? Has the aid resulted in improvements in the lives of the Haitian people? What else do you think could be done?
- What impact has climate change had on desertification in Africa? What other factors might contribute to desertification in this region? In what ways does the aid directed at this region attempt to address this issue? What else do you think needs to be done?
B2.6
communicate the results of their inquiries, using appropriate vocabulary (e.g., non-governmental organization, intergovernmental organization, accord, international convention, aid, relief efforts) and formats (e.g., a plan of action for a fundraising project in their school; a report for their school newsletter about why people should buy fair trade products; a song, rap, or poem written from the perspective of a person in a refugee camp or a child labourer; an infographic that shows how much money Canadians contributed in the past year to various global causes; a map that shows the impact of climate change in an agricultural region)