UNICEF Humanitarian Action for Children 2015

Concepts of Thinking: Interrelationships, Geographic Perspective

Inquiry Questions: From a graphic perspective, why was this situation aloud to develop?  How can countries of the world contribute to rectifying this situation?

Concept of Thinking: Spatial Significance,
Patterns and Trends

Inquiry Questions: What is the spatial significance of the countries in crisis? How might this pattern of countries in crisis change over time?

Gather and Organize: what other information that might be needed to solve this situation



Activity Idea: Create a spatial journal (digital or black-line master) using the charts in the report to create layers. Look for patterns and trends of countries and the amount of funds provided. Create a layer to indicate the reason why the children are in crisis eg. conflict, environmental, political, economic, or a combination. Add in other information i.e. population size, GDP etc to determine if there is any correlation to the funding. How does the type of crisis or the spatial significance impact the funding?

Digital Cartography [121]

This website has several interactive maps on Refugees. The home page will give access to hundreds of interactive maps on a wide variety of topics. This is an ideal tool for Spatial Significance and Patterns and Trends. The other Geographic Concepts of Thinking can be drawn out as well. 

Many Inquiry questions can be developed from the wide variety of maps.

 Activity idea: Have students pick one of the interactive maps and use it to discus the topic.

NASA Examines Global Impacts of the 2015 El Niño Credits: NASA

 

Concepts of Thinking: Interrelationships, Spatial Significance, Patterns and Trends

Inquiry Questions: How does El Nino impact the interrelationship between humans and the environment? How does spatial significance contribute to the impacts of El Nino? How might patterns and trends of this environmental event be used to reduce its impacts?

Activity idea: Have students gather and organize data on El Nino to develop ideas into how to reduce its impacts on vulnerable communities around the world.

African demography

The young continent

With fertility rates falling more slowly than anywhere else, Africa faces a population explosion Dec 12th 2015 | MERTULE MARIAM, ETHIOPIA |

Concepts of Thinking: Patterns and Trends, Spatial Significance, Geographic Perspective

Inquiry Questions:  How might the population change impact the geographic perspective? How is the spatial significance of Africa impacting the population trends? How might the patterns and trends of the population of the continent of Africa impact different societies? How might population growth rate compare in different parts of the continent? What is spatial significant about the regions that are growing fast, regions that are growing slowly? 

Six graphics that explain climate change

Concepts of Thinking: Interrelationships, Patterns and Trends, Spatial Significance, Geographic Perspective

Inquiry Questions: What is the problem with Climate Change (What Is Where?)? What is the spatial significance of locations impacted the most by Climate Change (What Is Where?)? Why is Climate Change happening (Why Care?)? From a geographic perspective, what are the effects of Climate Change in my community? Looking at patterns and trends, what will the future look like as a result of Climate Change? What are possible solutions to the Climate Change problem ?

Typhoon Nona paralyses central Philippines

Concepts of Thinking: Interrelationships, Spatial Significance, Patterns and Trends

Inquiry Questions: How does spatial significance contribute to the power and destruction of the Typhoon? How could buildings be built to withstand such Typhoons (Interrelationships)? How can people prepare for Typhoons to help reduce the risk/damage?

Activity Idea: Have students use ArcGIS Online  or black-line master to create a spatial journal of the Typhoons that have hit this area over the past 10 years. Are there an Patterns that can be observed? How can you account for this pattern?

Tom Tobler (MetDesk) Wednesday 16 December 201521.30 GMT

Hyeon Soo Lim: Canadian pastor given life sentence in North Korea

Staff and agencies in Pyongyang

Wednesday 16 December 201504.23 GMT

Concepts of Thinking: Geographic Perspective, Interrelationship
Inquiry Questions: Why might someone be imprisoned for conducting business, something that they had been doing legitimately for a long time? What might be a consequence of the Canadian Government getting involved? How could such action be justified in Canada? What other information might be need to solve this problem?

Related material: Pastor Hyeon Soo Lim believes he wasn't executed or tortured in North Korea because of Canadian citizenship

Canada's Most Expensive Places To Buy A Home Illustrated In 1 Infographic

The Huffington Post Canada  |  By Jesse Ferreras

Posted: 12/11/2015 9:05 am EST Updated: 12/11/2015 1:59 pm EST

                                                                                               

Concepts of Thing: Spatial Significance, Patterns and Trends 

Inquiry Questions: What spatial significance might account for such a variation in housing prices in Canada? How might housing price change in the future if current trends continue?  Are there any factors that might contribute to a change ion patterns and trends observed?

dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com

Concepts of Thinking: Geographic Perspective, Spatial Significance, Patterns and Trends
Have students evaluate the different stakeholders to determine the Geographic Perspective on the issue. Have students analyse the Patterns and Trends of the Climate Change to make prediction regarding the Paris Accord 2015.

Population Matters

 http://www.populationmatters.org/

This website can be a good resource for the World Issues course as it incorporates the Geographic Concepts of Thinking. Students could easily map out locations relating to an issue to start to determine Spatial Significance, look at Patterns and Trends, evaluate the Geographic Perspective, and outline Interrelationships of an issue.

In post-OPEC world, companies look outside Alberta to greener pastures

Concepts of Thinking: Geographic Perspective, Spatial Significance, Patterns and Trends

Inquiry question: How might geographic perspective impact Alberta oil consumption? How will view of Alberta oil impact its pattern of production and distribution of oil? How might the Alberta government protect it's economic interests from current global oil consumption patterns and trends?

Claudia Cattaneo | December 9, 2015 2:28 PM ET

Why Boat Refugees Don't Fly! - Factpod #16

Concepts of Thinking: Spatial Significance, Geographic Perspective, Patterns and Trends

Ideal for the World Issues Course.
Inquiry Question: How can the EU directive 2001/51/EC? Where does the responsibility lie regarding the deaths of refugees that result from water crossings? Why hasn't there been a drop in refugees attempting to flee the crisis by crossing dangerous water ways?

Published on Apr 22, 2015

This shows you why the refugees crossing the mediterranean by boat, can't just fly to Europe

Where Are the Syrian Refugees? - Factpod #17

Concepts of Thinking: Spatial Significance, Geographic Perspective, Patterns and Trends

Ideal for the World Issues course.
Inquiry Questions: What might governments do to allow increased Syrian refugees into the EU and other parts of the World?








Gapminder Foundation

Published on Jun 9, 2015

After the tragic crisis in Syria, more than half of all Syrians have left their homes. Where are they?

Pre-Columbian sites in Latin America: readers’ tips Guardian readers

Readers recommend ancient cities, imposing temples and caves from Mayan, Inca and even earlier cultures

Concepts of Thinking: Spatial Significance, Patterns and Trends

Activity idea: create a spatial journal to locate each of the attraction and determine the spatial significance of each site. Are there any patterns that can be observed? How might a patterned be determined?

 Hands on … Cueva de las Manos, Patagonia. Photograph: Getty

Changing Climate Change: Solutions

The Documentary,Changing Climate Change

Tackling climate change is a global issue and in the run up to the UN climate change conference in Paris most of the world's countries have put forward proposals to do their bit.

Concepts of Thinking: Interrelationships, Spatial Significance

Inquiry Question: What might other solutions look like in other parts of the world?

Source: BBC World Service, posted Nov. 30th.