Social Studies

Compare selected communities from around the world, including their own community, in terms of the lifestyles of people in those communities and some ways in which the people meet their needs (e.g., in northern Europe, people have homes that are heated and insulated, while in the Caribbean, houses do not need to be insulated and may have rooms that are open to the outdoors)

Describe some of the ways in which two or more distinct communities have adapted to their location, climate, and physical features (e.g., in Arctic Canada, where it is cold, people wear warm clothes made with fur and hide or insulated with down or fleece)

Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of sustainability in people’s interrelationship with their natural environment and of some of the consequences of sustainable and/or non-sustainable actions (e.g., if people in dry regions do not use their water carefully, they may run out) 

Gather and organize information and data about some communities’ locations, climate, and physical features, and the ways of life of people in these communities, including at least one contemporary First Nation, Métis, or Inuit community (e.g., find photographs in magazines or on the Internet that provide information on people’s food, shelter, and/or clothing) 

Analyse and construct simple maps to determine and illustrate patterns in the interrelationship between the location of some communities and human activities in those communities (e.g., use different colours on a map to illustrate climatic changes as one moves north and south from the equator) 

Describe some major connections between features of the natural environment of a region and the type of land use and/or the type of community that is established in that region (e.g., ports on lakes or major rivers)

Describe some major connections between features of the natural environment and the type of employment that is available in a region, with reference to two or more municipal regions, including First Nations communities and/or Métis regions, in Ontario (e.g., in the District Municipality of Muskoka, which is known for its lakes, beaches, and many islands, some of the employment opportunities are seasonal jobs in the recreation industry)

 Identify and describe some of the main patterns in population distribution and land use in two or more municipal regions in Ontario, including First Nations communities and/or Métis regions, using mapping and globe skills (e.g., read city maps to extract information on how much land is used for residential, transportation, and recreational purposes) 

Gather and organize a variety of data and information on the environmental effects of different land and/or resource use and measures taken to reduce the negative impact of that use (e.g., photographs, oral histories, resource books, magazines, online articles; information from regional conservation authorities or provincial and national park websites)