Through a joint project of the Ontario Association of Geographic and Environmental Education (OAGEE) and Learning for a Sustainable Future (LSF), a team of geographers from YRDSB and a facilitator from OAGEE were assembled to create resources that would help students to examine the ministry-mandated concepts in Grade 9 geography from a sustainability perspective û “wellbeing for all, forever”. The overall goal of this project is for students to develop a sense of place; if you don’t know or care about your place, you can’t take care of it. Wendell Berry famously said 'If you don’t know where you are, you don’t know who you are' (www.theartofgeography.com). To guide the project, the team considered ‘big ideas’ that Grade 9 students should consider throughout the course if we are to encourage the students to be responsible citizens and geographic inquirers.

Electronic reproduction.

Acknowledgments -- General overview of the project -- Ontario Curriculum Expectations -- Planning the Semester -- What is Fair? Module -- Activity 1: What is Fair? -- Sense of place Module -- Place Activity 1: Defining Place -- Place Activity 2: Introductory Sense of Place Questions -- Place Activity 3: Town/Local Area Walk and Map -- Lens Foundation Module -- Lens Activity 1: Do We See the World Through a Particular Lens? -- Lens Activity 2: Examining Alternate Lenses -- Interactions in the physical environment Module û STRAND B: Interactions in the Physical Environment Activity 1: Sensory Scavenger Hunt and Interconnections Hike -- Interactions in the Physical Environment Activity 2: Interconnections of Features Mind Map Activity -- Interactions in Canada’s Physical Environment - Activity #3 - Wordle -- Interactions in the Physical Environment: Investigating Canada’s Physical Regions through National Parks -- Managing Canada's resources and industries Module û STRAND C: Managing Canada’s Resources and Industries Activity 1: The Marshmallow Person Resource Game -- Managing Canada’s Resources Activity 2: Examining Human Use of a Natural Resource—Focus on Water -- Managing Canada’s Resources Activity 3: Examining Human Use of a Natural Resource—Water as a Commodity -- Managing Canada’s Resources Activity 4: The Lorax -- Managing Canada’s Resources û Summative Activity Natural Resource Geo-Graphic Novel -- Changing populations unit Module û STRAND D: Changing Populations Activity 1: Analysing Commercials -- Changing Populations Activity 2: A Look at the Lives of Real Canadian Immigrants -- Changing Populations Activity 3: Meeting the Needs of Immigrants -- Changing Populations Activity 4: Put Yourself in an Immigrant’s Shoes -- Changing Populations Activity 5: Refugees in Canada -- Changing Populations Activity 6: Refugees in Canada: Where are they coming from? -- Changing Populations Activity 7: Culminating Task/Summative Assessment Opportunity -- Liveable communities unit Module û STRAND E: Liveable Communities Activity 1: Where does our Food Come From? -- Liveable Communities Activity 2: Isn’t Local Food Wonderful? Or is It? -- Liveable Communities Activity 3: Urban Sprawl vs Farmland + Extension -- Appendix A: Listening and facilitation skills activities -- Appendix B: annotated maps.