Don+Mills+MS

=**Don Mills MS -** **//Global Issues in Context// **=

Summary

The students will draw from their pre-existing knowledge of the art of storytelling from our work with short stories done earlier in the year. We will use the text book and the GIC database and other internet resources to explore aspects of Natural Resources as it relates to the grade 7 Geography curriculum. I want the students to be able to demonstrate that they understand the issues surrounding the ways in which people acquire and use natural resources. They will also need to be able to demonstrate their understanding through their written. visual, media work. They will thereby meet Language, Media Literacy, and Visual Arts expectations. Expectations from these various subject areas will be assessed. We will start with a big picture about Natural Resources.

Curriculum Expectations: Students explore the many ways that people acquire and use natural resources,and the environmental impact of these actions.They discover how factors such as demand and accessibility determine the importance of resources.They also examine various ways in which human activity affects the sustainability of natural resources.
 * **// Overall Expectations //** ||
 * * describe how humans acquire, manage, and use natural resources, and identify factors that affect the importance of those resources; ||
 * * use a variety of resources and tools to gather, process, and communicate geographic information about the distribution, use, and importance of natural resource ||
 * * describe positive and negative ways in which human activity can affect resource sustainability and the health of the environment.

These are geography expectations for grade 7. Expectations for Language, Media Literacy, and Visual Arts will also be addressed through the completion of this assignment. ||

Activities

We will begin by looking through the section in our textbook that deals with Natural Resources. Skimming and scanning Unit 3 should give us a good overview of what we are to cover in this unit. I will ask the students to focus on the expectations they need to meet for this unit.

The final product will be a picture story book. The format can be either digital or traditional paper bound. The story should address a open ended, higher order thinking skills question that the students generate through looking at the text and browsing through the GIC database.

Earlier in the year we looked at the structure of stories and created storyboards for video work related to stories we wrote. We will briefly review this as a class. Molly Bang's book will be used as a source for information regarding how images can be used to enhance and reinforce the message in the story. We will also look closely at a Youtube video that explores the Little Red Riding Hood story. I would like the final product the students produce to be similar to this in terms of having a simple story that can be further explored for more detail.

We may take a look at a 'Choose Your Own Adventure' type story as well. This type of story does lend itself to differing outcomes dependent upon how we use the Natural Resources at our disposal.

After being introduced to how the GIC works I will ask the students to browse through the database and narrow their topic to a particular aspect of Natural Resources. They should do this with consideration of the topics covered in their textbook and the expectations for this unit. Once they have narrowed their topic they will need to read at least 3 magazine/journal/newspaper articles, a reference link, a current news item, and watch a video (I want them to explore all that the database has to offer).

They should properly record the sources of their information using the Citation feature of GIC.

They must also select at least two other sources of information apart from GIC and their textbook.

After having read/viewed the source material and making notes (using SMART Ideas or other graphic notemaking software, or just making jot notes), the students will need to decide what information will be used to inform and enrich their story.

Then they need to write the story, illustrate it, and provide the detailed additional information in the format of their choosing.

Resources

Bang, Molly. Picture this: how pictures work. New York: Sea Star Books, 2000. ISBN: 1587170299


Slagsmålsklubben - Sponsored by destiny []

Assessment/Rubric Working on these...

Integration

This unit will allow the students to meet expectations in Geography, Reading, Writing, Oral/Visual Communication, Media Literacy, and Visual Arts.