Part B: Learning Plan

This allows students to use maps in authentic learning experiences.

Students will examine and evaluate:

• The effects and impact of human habitation on the natural environment;
• How the use of resources impacts the economy of countries; and,
• The responsibility citizens have toward ecological stewardship of a country’s economy.

• What is government’s responsibility to sustain and address common good?
  • What is common good? Is it constant?
  • Does the idea of common good change depending on the culture, community?
• What is the appropriate citizenship response to the marginalization we witness daily?
  • How do we contribute to marginalization?
• What is the relationship between the natural environment and the development of society?
  • What impact does your environment and your relationship with the land have on the development of your personal beliefs and values?
  • Does your environment and where you live/sense of place affect how your cultural and social behaviours develop?
• What responsibility do you have to balance personal needs with the global community’s needs?
  • How much control do you have over the impact of your actions/decisions?
  • As a global citizen, what are your responsibilities regarding the impacts of your lifestyle as a global citizen?
• What role does empathy play in citizenship?
  • What is the power and responsibility of the individual to make a difference in the world

What are the consequences of our lifestyle choices: on our environment, on the global community, especially marginalized people; and, on our happiness?

• What is the relationship between the natural environment and the development of society?
• How does the environment and your relationship with the land impact your personal beliefs and values?
• How does the environment and your relationship with the land affect how your cultural and social behaviours develop?
• How does the environment and your relationship with the land affect how the community has developed? Where people choose to live?

Gather students’ thoughts and post for later reflection.  Students should be able to defend their thinking with examples from their experiences, either real-life or reading that they have done.

Using the local community, have students identify where people choose to live in the community.  Note the location of geographical features, i.e. presence of water bodies, rivers, lakes, high land and where people live, where businesses and industries are located.

Does your relationship with the environment impact your happiness?  What makes you happy?  Do you think Canada is happy?  Is it a good place to live?  How do you measure happiness?

Happiness Index

Students have explored the differences between concepts of wealth.  The HPI shows the differences in the ways that countries determine happiness and in some aspects, success.

The Happy Planet Index (HPI) is an index of human well-being and environmental impact.  It was introduced by the New Economics Foundation (NEF) in July 2006 and challenges current thinking about what makes people happy. It uses global data on life expectancy, well-being and the country’s ecological footprint to make its calculations. The index is weighted to give higher scores to nations with lower ecological footprints.

The HPI is based on general principles that most people want to live long and fulfilling lives, and the country which is doing the best is the one that allows its citizens to do so without infringing on the opportunity of future people and people in other countries to do the same.

http://happyplanetindex.org/about/

Have students watch the TED Talk on the Happy Planet Index.

• What were the important criteria for happiness?
• How much do those things matter to students? Have student rate criteria in terms of most important to least important
• What are students’ thoughts on the validity of the Happy Planet Index?

For all of these inquiries have students plot their findings on a large map so they can begin to see patterns.

Beginning with Canada and then within your chosen country identify:

• The location of the following physical features:
  • water bodies
  • topography
  • natural resources
  • the areas where most of the population lives

What themes are emerging for students regarding where people live?

• Where the Indigenous people live.
  • Where are their traditional homelands?
  • Are they still in their traditional homeland – why or why not?
  • Do the Indigenous people have any signed treaties or agreements regarding the land?
  • How are those treaties or agreements honoured?

As a class determine what patterns and themes are emerging.  Be sure to explain your thinking.  Why is it important to know this information?

In this inquiry, students are asked to think about the effects of the use of resources – positive and negative – on the country and on the environment.

Within the larger map identify:

• The locations of resources within the respective countries
• Determine whether resources are renewable or non-renewable resources and make connections to the wealth of the country.

Have students begin to see patterns between the presence of resources and industries and the economy or gross national product of a country.   Use material wealth measures (gross national product, gross domestic product) and non-material measures (the quality of life index, happiness index).

• What conclusions are students making about the standard of living of people in Pacific Rim and circumpolar countries?

Have students use the graphic organizer in the appendix to support their research.

For your respective country choose a predominant resource that contributes economically to the country and identify:

• The kind of industry it generates and the primary consumer.
• How it is processed/produced.

These are big concepts connected to the enduring understandings.   Teachers may choose to use student responses as Evidence of Understanding.

• Level of economic contribution.
  • e. a primary, secondary, or tertiary contributor to the country’s wealth or gross national product
• How it is distributed to or sold to international connections.
• The economic effects that using/producing/processing/selling that resource brings to the country.
• The social effects that using/producing/processing/selling that resource brings to the country.
• The environmental effects that using/producing/processing/selling that resource brings to the country.

• How sustainable is the continued production/processing of that resource?
• What changes would students propose to increase the level of sustainability?
• What kind of an environmental steward is the researched country? Justify your thinking.

After the groups have made their presentations, as a class, determine what patterns and themes are emerging.  Chart both positive and negative effects.  Develop some summary statements that show how the use of resources within that county has impacted the country.

• What are the impacts of supporting my lifestyle on the global community?
• What responsibility do you have to balance personal needs with the global community’s needs?
• What role does empathy play in citizenship?

• What would students say are the consequences of the choices made by the use and development of the resource(s)?
• How would students describe the “standard of living” in the various countries?
• What would students say has been the impact on the common good of the country of the development of the resource?
• Are the economic choices sustainable? Explain your thinking.

Poll the students to see if they have used any of the products identified in the resources inquiry?  If so these resources/products are part of the globalization impacts from which students benefit.  As Lifelong Learning Citizens students were asked to consider the impact of their choice of lifestyle on other countries.

Students are invited to think about the effects of providing goods to Canadian citizens from the perspective of the countries providing the goods.

• How might students in the country of origin be impacted by providing these goods for students in Canada?
• Would students in the countries of origin view the effects of globalization the same way? Explain your thinking.
• What would be/might be the impact on the common good in the country of origin?

• Has student thinking changed?
• What information caused the change in thinking?

What have been the consequences of our lifestyle choices?  How sustainable are these consequences?

Using the jigsaw strategy assign groups of students the following areas to find information to the following questions:

What is climate change? 

• Have students develop a definition and give examples of climate change.

What countries are impacted by climate change?

• Identify countries within the Pacific Rim and Northern Circumpolar countries that are impacted by climate change.
• Identify the impact and what the country has done to address the situation

What are the global effects of climate change?

• Trace examples of current effects of climate change on the movement of peoples (e.g., melting of the polar icecap and greater accessibility to the North-West Passage and the oil underneath)
• Hypothesize about the potential effects of climate change on the movement of peoples in the future.

Within Canada and the researched countries identify: 

• Areas where changes in the environment have resulted in the relocation of people within that country, e.g.
  • over harvesting of salmon fishery,
  • increased incidence of severe weather,
  • influence of logging industry on the natural world and ecosystems,
  • effects of deforestation and coral removal, and efforts to reclaim shorelines and restore the natural barriers.
• Whether the cause was natural or caused by humans.
• The consequences for indigenous peoples who inhabit those regions.

Read the response by Indigenous Peoples

“Free, Prior and Informed Consent Information – response by United Nations of Indigenous Peoples” (see appendix)

• Why was there a need for this response?
• What have been the results of this action?
• What is the appropriate citizenship response to this marginalization?

What impact do Saskatchewan industries have on the environment?  Global Community?  Are they sustainable for the environment?

• Have students research what Saskatchewan resources are sustainable and unsustainable and create a class list.
• Have the students come up with a list of industries that they have in their province that require sustainable or unsustainable resources and create a class list.
  • Determine the social and environmental effects the industry may have. (pollution, economy, jobs, sustainable or not, alternate ideas, wildlife)

Extension 2

Alternate means of determining Successful Countries

Does your relationship with the environment impact your happiness?  What makes you happy?  Do you think Canada is happy?  Is it a good place to live?  How do you measure happiness?

• What are students’ thoughts on the validity of the Happy Planet Index?

• What were Happy Planet Index’s important criteria for happiness?
• How much do those things matter to students? Have student rate criteria in terms of most important to least important
• What are students’ thoughts on the validity of the Happy Planet Index?

• What is the relationship between our environment and the development of society?
• What are the consequences of our lifestyle choices: on our environment, on the global community, especially marginalized people; and, on our happiness?
• How sustainable are our practices?
• What is the appropriate response of a global citizen to our current practices?

Have students propose how they will demonstrate their response to these overarching understandings or essential questions.

• The Happiness Index challenges people and world leaders to think differently about the ways in which we measure happiness. What do you think of the ideas proposed in the happiness index? How would the world be different if the Happiness Index was the way success was measured?
• What kind of an environmental steward are you? What evidence do you have to support your thinking?
• Respond to any of the essential questions.