Geography Culminating Task Sheet: From Topic To Question To Research

CGC 1D1 Grade 9 Geography Culminating Task

Objectives: To research an environmental issue and complete 3 components regarding the issue. You will complete a visual display (poster); develop a presentation to the class, and write a letter to the editor of a local newspaper.

Your goal is to find a topic that focuses on a Canadian Issue but that also has world implications. You should focus the topic in the form of a specific question.

Topics & Keywords:

DEMOCRACY IN THE MIDDLE EAST How does the civil unrest in the Middle East affect Canada?

TERRORISM How do terrorist events affect Canada?

Mid-Peninsula highway What are the pros and cons to Ontario of building or not building such a highway?

NUCLEAR POWER With the devastation of the Japanese tsunami and earthquake on nuclear reactors in Japan, should we be pursuing a nuclear programme for energy here?

OIL AND THE ARCTIC Problems: who owns the Arctic? Who owns the oil under the Arctic Ocean? How will Global warming and the melting of Arctic ice affect the transportation route (Northwest passage) and what problems arise from it? Should oil be drilled for under the ocean (remember the disaster in the gulf when the drilling platform exploded)?

WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION Should the production of Weapons of Mass Destruction be banned?

ENDANGERED SPECIES What measures are/or should be taken to help endangered species in Canada or Ontario? How is it linked to habitat destruction and urban sprawl?

GLOBAL WARMING (363.7382) What are some political solutions to global warming? E.g. cap and trade, carbon offsets etc. the answer to global warming? What International agreements exist that impact global warming policy or action in Canada?

DEFORESTATION How much forest should or shouldn’t be cut down to combat Deforestation? What policies, laws etc. affect logging practices? Are they sufficient? What areas suffer from deforestation? OIL SPILLS IN THE OCEANS How damaging are Oil Spills to our environment? How can they be prevented?

GENETICALLY-MODIFIED ORGANISMS Are Genetically-modified Organisms (GMO’s) in food good or bad for us? Should our food labels show when genetically-modified organisms or crops are used? How many GMO’s are Canadian and how much do they add to the economy in Canada? Should products containing GMO’s be labeled for consumers?

OIL SANDS OF ALBERTA (Tar Sands) Is the extraction of oil from the Oil Sands in Alberta good or bad for Canada? Why is the oil that comes from the oil sands called “Dirty Oil”? Should the Keystone pipeline be developed?

NORTHERN GATEWAY PIPELINE Should Canada build this pipeline from Alberta to the Pacific Coast? Why is it needed? Or should Canada pursue a pipeline to Eastern Canada to share our oil with the rest of the country rather than export it?

NAFTA/FTAA With whom has Canada recently signed Free trade agreements? Who should we add? How do they affect Canada?

ELECTRIC CARS How feasible are electric cars? What are their limitations and benefits?

BIKE LANES Should bike lanes be instituted in major cities? Pros and cons

ANTARCTIC ICE SHEET DEPLETION/WILDLIFE Why should we care about An tarctica’s Ice Sheet Depletion and wildlife issues?

ORGANIC FARMING-CANADA Is Organic farming more beneficial in comparison to conventional farming methods?

EATING LOCALLY Does eating locally produced food help the economy? The environment? Our nutrition?

ECOTOURISM Is ecotourism a better alternative than conventional tourism? Are there Canadian examples?

URBAN SPRAWL What can be done to combat urban sprawl?

WEST NILE VIRUS Is West Nile Virus a serious threat to our society?

DESERTIFICATION What can be done to combat desertification? Are there locations in Canada that are becoming desert-like through drought? How does desertification elsewhere in the world affect Canada? MAD COW DISEASE How do Canada’s problems with Mad Cow Disease compare to the rest of the world?

GARBAGE DISPOSAL (363.72) How do we solve Garbage disposal/storage issues in Canada? Is incineration an option? Should we truck waste to other locations?

INFRASTRUCTURE How is aging infrastructure in our country affecting citizens? Should it be a political priority? How should it be paid for?

LRT Should Light rail transit be pursued rather than subways in major cities?

PESTICIDE USE How has the pesticide ban affected the economy? Our health? What exemptions are there and should these be removed as well?

OZONE LAYER DEPLETION (363.7392) What can be done to reverse the Ozone Layer depletion? How will the recent thinning of the ozone layer over the Arctic affect the world and Canada?

SMOG/AIR QUALITY (URBAN) What should be done to decrease Smog/Poor air quality in Urban areas?

BIRD FLU (AVIAN FLU) Is the Bird Flu epidemic a serious threat to our society? Currently an outbreak of H7N9 in China; is it a threat? What was learned from the alst outbreak that may help deal with future outbreaks?

CANADA’S PEACEKEEPING ROLE By examining our past military and peacekeeping missions; examine whether what Canada’s role should be in the future. Where has Canada sent troops in the past and why?

SOLAR ENERGY (333.792) Can it be a conventional energy source for Canada? for the world? Is it cost effective?

EAST & WEST COAST FISHERIES What is the state of East or West Coast fisheries and stocks? What measures were and are being taken by governments to revive them? How has the fishing industry and economy been affected? Is aquaculture a viable option?

FOREST FIRES & BENEFITS What are the benefits and drawbacks to forest fires? When should they be allowed to burn?

BULK WATER EXPORT (333.91) Should Canada allow bulk water export to the United States from the Great Lakes? Why is freshwater considered to be one of the major issues affecting the world?

COAL POWER Should energy attained from Coal Power be banned? What is the impact of such a decision?

DRINKING WATER How do we ensure that Canadians will have safe drinking water in the future? What have we and should we learn from tainted water problems in B.C. and Walkerton, ON? What protections exist for people to ensure water is safe? How safe is well water in our area?

METROLINX AND HAMILTON’S RAPID TRANSIT PLAN How can Metrolinx better serve Hamilton’s transportation needs? Would Hamilton be better served by the B-line from McMaster to Stoney

EMERGENCY PLANNING FOR CANADIAN COMMUNITIES Are we prepared for a natural or human-made catastrophe?

OCCUPY Movement What is it all about? How will it affect Canada?

WIND POWER – Niagara and Prince Edward County Could wind power be a viable source of electrical energy in Ontario? If so, where should it go and why do people get so upset at the prospect of the turbines being installed?

PAN AM Games Are the games worth the cost?

KEYSTONE PIPELINE How does the American decision over the Keystone pipeline affect Canada’s energy industry?

GREAT LAKES Has the environmental condition of the Great Lakes improved or declined? What are the effects of water quality, water levels on Canada? Ontario? What laws and policies affect and protect the Great Lakes?

NATIVE PEOPLE How do conditions on native reserves affect native peoples? Are they improving or declining? E.g. housing, water quality, education? ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS How did the Canadian Government’s OMNIBUS bill affect environmental policies in the country? Bill C-45 Geography Culminating Task Sheet: From Topic to Question to Research

TOPIC:

Issues relating to it:

Possible questions:

Keywords Search Tools – Geography Culminating Task

Find a source using each of the following strategies:

Find a print source in the library… Use the iPac computer or find the on-line catalogue in Desk Tools

Book or Encyclopedia http://10.155.3.34/ipac20/ipac.jsp?profile=506#focus

Use the note-making sheet for book Write down the call number and title and see if checked in. source or the sheet for reference source (depends on whether the source is edited or not) Use an on-line encyclopedia Virtual Library ACCESS Use the note-making sheet for a reference source Virtual Library http://www.hwdsb.on.ca/llrc/?page_id=1884

ID: secondary Password: library

Find Grolier in the encyclopedias here under the pull-down menu.

Try Databases: In the Virtual Library: Canadian Sources Virtual Library http://www.hwdsb.on.ca/llrc/?page_id=1884 Use a Journal resource sheet from the following link or use one of the ID: secondary copies available in the trays to Password: library record the main points from this source. From the pull down menu for databases

Canadian Points of View Reference Centre is a full-text database designed to provide students with a series of essays that present multiple sides of a current issue. The database provides information on 100 key topics of interest to Canadian researchers World Issues Try Questia www.questia.com

UserID: FC email password: Ancaster Use a Journal resource sheet from the following link or use one of the It has great sources including ebooks, journal articles, magazines, copies available in the trays to newspapers as well as an encyclopedia! record the main points from this source. Global Issues

Free trial: http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/miss81777? db=GIC

Password: glenforest

Environmental Issues

Use a Journal resource sheet from the following link or use one of the copies available in the trays to record the main points from this source. Health and Wellness

Science-related topics

Academic and Peer-reviewed Scholarly articles

General search databases

MasterFile Elite General Web Sites Try http://www.instagrok.com (use Chrome or Firefox)

And http://sweetsearch.com

Atlas Canada http://atlas.gc.ca/site/english/index.html

Aerial Landscapes http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/earth-sciences/products-services/mapping- product/aerial-landscapes/6264

geoscape Canada http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/earth-sciences/products-services/mapping- product/geoscape/6032

AVOID PLAGIARISM…Citing:  Remember…all good researchers cite any ideas they borrow from other sources.  Use MLA Style for citing in this project.  Make sure you keep track of all resources you may want to cite or reference. We have blank Bibliography sheets you can use to keep track of the important information as you research. Just ask at the counter.  Use a note sheet for every major resource you use.  All the detail you need to complete a correct Works Cited is on the school’s website.

http://schools.hwdsb.on.ca/ancasterhigh/library-2/

Click on the Library Tab at the top and look for the MLA Info and Style button.

Try on-line Citation help software: Go to KnightCite http://www.calvin.edu/library/knightcite/index.php or Citation machine http://citationmachine.net/ for on-line tools that help you to cite properly using MLA Style. For more information on citing using MLA, go to the Library Website and click on Citation Help in the left menu.

SUMMARY NOTES TOPIC: ______

Brief description of the topic

Main point Source

Main point

Main Point Main Point