Geography

In this unit you will investigate where people live and why, and how human settlement and the environment affect each other. You will describe the world pattern of population distribution and calculate population density; identify clustered, linear and scattered settlement patterns, including Métis river lots, St. Lawrence long lots and Inuit coastal communities; explain how water, landforms, climate, soil, resources and hazards influence where people settle, using site and situation; analyse how the physical environment shaped settlement in Egypt, Japan, Brazil, Hong Kong and Canada's Arctic; describe current trends such as urbanization, megacities, moving to smaller towns, urban sprawl and land reclamation; examine land-use issues and how governments, residents, environmental groups and First Nations, Métis and Inuit respond; describe how settlement affects water, air, soil, land and wildlife; analyse how sea-level rise, storms, earthquakes, wildfires, permafrost thaw and drought may affect future settlements; describe sustainable practices and design a sustainable community of the future; read and construct choropleth maps; and carry out a geographic inquiry about a settlement issue.

Remember from Grade 7: you studied the world's physical patterns (landforms, water, climate and vegetation) and natural resources, met thematic maps such as choropleth maps, and used the geographic inquiry process. Grade 8 applies all of this to human settlement. Pretend towns and pretend data (Riverton, Hillcrest, Maple Bend, Lakeland County, Pinecrest County) are clearly marked; all maps and diagrams are schematic and not to scale. Every lesson has a hands-on activity, plenty of practice and a short quiz.

Curriculum expectations covered: A1.1, A1.2, A1.3, A2.1, A2.2, A2.3, A2.4, A2.5, A2.6, A3.1, A3.2, A3.3, A3.4, A3.5, A3.6, A3.7 (The Ontario Curriculum, Social Studies, Grades 1 to 6; History and Geography, Grades 7 and 8, Geography Grade 8, Strand A).

In this unit you will investigate why quality of life is so different from place to place, and what people are doing about it. You will learn how geographers measure development with indicators such as GDP per capita, life expectancy, infant mortality, literacy and the Human Development Index, and compare more developed and less developed countries using data with sources. You will build scatter graphs and population pyramids, learn about economic systems and the four economic sectors, and explore the factors that help or hold back development. You will map how wealth is distributed around the world and within Canada, including the gaps that many First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities face and the actions they are leading. You will analyse how factors like water, health, education and income are connected, study case studies (Norway, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Bangladesh), assess the groups, programs and media that work to improve lives, and finish by running your own geographic inquiry. Throughout, you will practise describing places with evidence and respect.