CGR 4M
The Environment & Resource Management
Canadian & World Studies Department
Colonel By Secondary School

This course investigates the relationships existing between ecosystems and humans as they interact with the biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living). What are the existing conflicts when there is an oil spill in prime fishing grounds off the British Columbia coast? What happens when you have a vanishing population of wolves in the northern Boreal Forest region? Students will experience such relationships as we "journey" to Wetlands, the Arctic, Antarctica and Parks through our course. What role do humans play in resource management? Are we able to achieve sustainable relationships through our choices and actions? We look at case studies in Canada and the Global scene. To deliver an appropriate forum, much time is spent in the outdoors, in debates and discussion groups, interactive group activities and simulations, school projects and field trips. If you have a conscience, you need to be in this course!!


Course Outline:
This course investigates the complexity and fragility of ecosystems and the effects of human activities on them. Students will study the principles of sustainability and resource management and evaluate various approaches to achieving a more sustainable relationship between the environment, society, and the economy.

Prerequisite: Any university, university/college preparation course in Canadian and World Studies, English, or Social Sciences and the Humanities.

Strands:
—Geographic Foundations: Space and Systems
—Human-Environment Interactions
—Global Connections
—Understanding and Managing Change
—Methods of Geographic Inquiry

Assessment & Evaluation:
Assessment and evaluation are tools to aid in and develop the learning process. Students should differentiate between the two, incorporating the feedback and measure of their progress into their own strategies for success. Should any questions about either assessment or evaluation arise at any time throughout the course, it is imperative answers be sought.

Assessment and Evaluation will reflect student learning and curriculum expectations in the following categories of achievement: Knowledge & Understanding, Thinking & Inquiry, Application, and Communication.

Knowledge & Understanding:
-knowledge of facts and terms
-understanding of concepts principles and theories
-understanding of relationships between concepts

Thinking & Inquiry:
-critical thinking skills (e.g., conducting analysis, detecting point of view and bias)
-creative thinking skills (e.g., problem solving that uses multiple perspectives)
-inquiry skills (e.g., formulating questions; organising and conducting research; analysing, interpreting, and evaluating information; drawing conclusions)

Application:
-application of concepts, skills, and procedures in familiar context
-transfer of concepts, skills, and procedures to new contexts
-making logical conclusions or generalizations
-making predictions and planning courses of action
-use of technology, equipment, and materials
-making connections (e.g., between past, present, and future contexts and roles; between subjects; between subjects and the world outside the school)

Communication:
-oral communication (e.g., debates, role playing) for different audiences and purposes
-written communication (e.g., reviews, short essays, long essays, letters) for different audiences and purposes

Summative Evaluation:
The sum of student learning and skills development will be measured within the last 30 days of the course in the four categories of achievement (above). This summative evaluation will comprise 30% of the final grade for the course.

Textbook:

William A. Andrews, Investigating Terrestrial Ecosystems, Toronto: Prentice-Hall, 1986.