Education and Early Childhood Learning

There is an interrelationship of major features of the physical and human environments.

Sustainable development is influenced by the interrelationship of environmental, economic, and social factors.

Human geography influences the status of and the challenges confronting Indigenous peoples in contemporary society.

There is an interdependence of the developed and developing nations.

Human geography influences food production and distribution as well as industrialization and urbanization.

Topic 1: The Role and Concepts of Geography

1. Explain what geography is.
2. Explain how physical geography is different from human geography.
3. Identify and describe the important concepts of geography.
4. Describe the techniques used to collect, organize, analyze, and display geographic data.

Topic 2: The World’s Physical Geography

1. Describe the significant concepts related to physical geography.
2. Identify and describe the major physical features of the world and include where they are located. (Consider mountains, plains, plateaus, lowlands, bodies of water, and rivers.)
3. Identify which physical landscapes are hospitable to human settlement and which are not as hospitable, and explain why and why not.
4. Identify some generalizations that can be made about world climates and climatic regions, about world vegetation zones, and about world soils.

Topic 3: The World’s Human Geography

1. Identify and describe the significant concepts related to human geography.
2. Define the term culture, and describe some of the similarities and differences in culture that can be observed throughout the world.

Topic 4: The Developed and Developing Countries

1. Describe the difference between a nation and a country.
2. Explain how can countries be grouped.
3. Explain the advantages and disadvantages of grouping countries.
4. Explain what is meant by the terms developed and developing countries. Identify which countries belong in the “developed” category and which belong in the “developing” category, and explain why. Identify and describe some characteristics of developed and developing countries.
5. Explain how and why these countries evolved. Describe some significant issues facing these countries.
6. Explain the interrelationships between the developed and developing countries.

Topic 1: World Population Distribution

1. Describe how the world population is distributed today.
2. Explain whether migration is a solution to population redistribution.
3. Describe the role of government in seeking a balance between the size and growth rate of a country’s population and the capabilities of the economy and the environment to support that population. Explain why this role is necessary.
4. Explain the effect a poor or failing economy has on the population and the environment as compared to a vibrant economy.

Topic 2: World Population Growth

1. Explain what is meant by population growth.
2. Explain what is meant by demographic transition.
3. Explain what is meant by overpopulation.
4. Explain what conclusions can be drawn if present trends in world population growth rates continue.

Topic 3: Present Challenges

1. Explain the relationship between an increasing world population and the resource base, and between an increasing standard of living and the resource base. Describe the implications.
2. Describe and analyze the major issues facing Indigenous groups in the world today.
3. Explain the effects of an increasing population on the environment and on the economy.
4. Explain whether or not the present annual population increase and growth rate is sustainable for the future.

Topic 1: Food from the Land: Agriculture

1. Describe the primary purpose of agriculture.
2. Describe where agriculture is practised.
3. Explain why there is generally an insufficient food supply in some developing countries but an overabundance in the developed countries. Explain the implications.
4. Describe the major problems facing farmers in developed countries and in developing countries.
5. Describe the methods that have been used or that are being tried to increase agricultural food production, and their level of success.
6. Explain to what extent agricultural food production can be increased in the foreseeable future. Explain whether or not this increase would be sufficient to feed the increasing world population. Analyze whether the problem is an inability to produce sufficient food or to buy food.

Topic 2: Food from Water: Fishing and Aquaculture

1. Describe the role fishing plays in supplying food for developed and developing countries.
2. Explain what aquaculture is, and to what extent aquaculture is able to supply food for an increasing world population.

Topic 3: Food from Other Sources: Technological Development

1. Describe alternate methods for producing food. Explain to what extent these sources will be able to supply food for an increasing world population.

Topic 4: Present Challenges

1. Explain what conclusions can be drawn if present trends in food production and population growth continue.
2. Explain how the present trends in food production should be altered to implement the principles and guidelines of sustainable development.

Topic 1: World Resources: Distribution and Demands

1. Explain what a resource is, and what resources are considered essential today, and why.
2. Describe where major resources are located. Describe how they differ from each other.
3. Explain how the demand for resources affects the interdependence among countries.
4. Explain how the increased demand for resources affects the environment and the economy.
5. Explain who should manage resource development in a country.
6. Explain who should own the resources in international waters and why.
7. Explain what is meant by the term sustainable development. Explain how it is defined and how it evolved.

Topic 2: World Energy: Present Status and Future Prospects

1. Describe what energy is. Explain the relationship between energy and power.
2. Explain why energy is so important today in developed and developing countries. Explain how quality of life is affected by the amounts of energy available.
3. Identify and describe the common forms of energy used today in developed and developing countries. Explain which ones are of the greatest importance and which are of lesser importance. Describe how energy sources have changed over time.
4. Compare energy consumption between developed and developing countries, and explain the implications. Describe changes that have occurred recently.
5. Describe where the reserves of the important energy sources are. Explain the implications of this. Explain the problems associated with depending heavily on one energy source.
6. Analyze the benefits and problems associated with various forms of energy.
7. Describe alternate energy sources being researched today and the level of their success. Make predictions about the future with respect to energy.

Topic 3: Present Challenges

1. Explain what conclusions can be drawn if present trends in resource and energy development continue.
2. Explain what changes need to be made in energy production and consumption in order to implement the principles and guidelines of sustainable development.

Topic 1: Industrialization: Present Status and Effect

1. Explain what industrialization is.
2. Describe the Industrial Revolution, and analyze its effect on the world.
3. Explain what factors are necessary for industrialization to occur.
4. Explain the effect multinationals have had on industrialization.
5. Analyze how industrialization differs between developed and developing countries. Explain the implications.
6. Explain the problems and benefits associated with industrialization.

Topic 2: Urbanization: Present Status and Effect

1. Explain what urbanization is.
2. Explain what factors cause urban areas to develop, to grow, and to be limited in growth.
3. Describe the functions of urban areas.
4. Describe the problems related to urbanization.
5. Explain the historical connection between industrialization and urbanization, and the implications.

Topic 3: Present Challenges

1. Explain what conclusions can be drawn if present trends in industrialization continue, and if present trends in urbanization continue.
2. Explain how the present trends in industrialization and urbanization need to be altered to implement the principles and guidelines of sustainable development.

Topic 1: World Interdependence

1. Explain how countries are interdependent, and what has caused the interdependence. Explain the implications.
2. Explain who and what promotes increasing interdependence and why. Explain the implications.
3. Explain the advantages and disadvantages of greater interdependence.