Project Title: Spatial Skills Strategies – Using The Geographic Definition
This project:
- explains the geographic definition or understanding referred to in the 2013 Revised Curriculum;
- supports the development of spatial thinking (language of location) and program planning and,
- addresses the tools and strategies that teachers are using with their students to determine “What is where?, Why there? and Why care?”
Guiding Questions:
Before viewing:
- What is your understanding of Geography?
After viewing:
- What surprised you about the discussion?
- Would you respond to the chair activity in a similar way?
- Is there a tendency to focus on “what” and reduce the investigation about “where”?
- What is the language used to describe the where in anything?
- How do we in everyday life identify where?
- What are the tools and strategies that we use to help identify and describe the “where’?
Considering the geographic definition – What is where?
This video examines how we understand geography or the geographical aspects of Social Studies.
Guiding Questions:
After Viewing
- What does the term location mean to you?
- How are relative location and absolute location different?
- What is the language used to describe location in your strand?
Using the Language of location
This video examines how we describe location.
(See the overview page for your strand and the Map Globe, and Graphing Skills – A Continuum, Page 191 of the 2013 Revised SSHG Curriculum)
Is the language of location exclusive to geographical thought?
How do we describe language in everyday life.
Guiding Questions:
Before Viewing
- What opportunities are available to you to explore your school and community?
After Viewing
- What language and terminology would you use to describe the tree?
Observations and Location
This video presents a discussion of location and observations that students can make during field studies in their local community
What language would you use to describe the location? (relative and absolute)
You have now connected the “what” with the “where”
Can we steer our discussion of location to relate to the “why there” of the tree?
What might be some of the conversation starters to continue this investigation? (spatial significance)
Guiding Questions:
Before Viewing
- What is your understanding of Geography?
After Viewing
- How does this understanding help to clarify your understanding of doing geography or geographic focused social studies?
Describing the Geographic Definition
This video examines a definition or concept that we can use to guide the teaching of Geography or Social Studies.
Resources to support teaching/learning using the Geographic Definition
Geographic Definition Grades 1-6 Using the Geographic Definition-language/skills
How can you use the language of the geographic definition and location (relative and absolute) in your teachings?
Guiding Questions
Before viewing
- What do you consider Geography to be?
- “everything takes place in a where”
- where within your lesson could you see using Images to support the geographic understanding ?
- Observe the various words and phrases to describe the “where” in a visual.
After Viewing
- Are there any other words that you may use to describe both the “what” and the “where”?
- Discuss the key learning concepts, tools and strategies that you use to address the geographic focused strands in Social Studies or Geography.
- Could you this approach to support and local, Canadian or global issue?
Using Images- What is where?
This video focuses on the use of images to investigate geographic questions. (What is where?)
Guiding Questions
Before Viewing
- Consider how we relate focus questions or wonders to the knowledge built through geographic Inquiry?
- These wonders can guide the inquiry.
After Viewing
- What language and evidence can you use during the inquiry of “why there” ?
- This investigation may include interrelationships and or patterns and trends.
Using Images- Why there?
This video focuses on the use of images to investigate geographic questions. (Why there?)
After Viewing
- How does the “Why care” relate to personal and citizenship values?
- How does it connect the continuum from local to Global?
- How does it connect to individual student engagement?
Using Images – Why care?
This video focuses on the use of images to investigate geographic questions. (Why there?)
Guiding Questions
Before Viewing
- What is your understanding of geography?
- How does the phrase “everything takes place in a where” relate to our investigations?
- Identify 3 “whats” on the map? How would you describe the where?
- Discuss the unique concepts, learning tools and strategies that you use to address the geographic focused strands in Social Studies or Geography. (See the Reference Page listed below)
- What are the specific understandings that maps and mapping tools bring to a geographic discussion?
- What are the common characteristics of all maps?
- How does this help to support the language of “where” (location)?
After Viewing
- What are the tools and criteria needed to represent a location that is true to its Attributes “what” and it’s location “where”? (See the Reference Page listed below)
Using Maps What is where?
Using Maps
This video models how maps can be used and the related spatial skills that students can explore and develop. (What is where?)
Guiding Questions
After Viewing:
- How does an understanding and an ability to use the language of location (relative or absolute)
- support an understanding of the sense or uniqueness of an place or Issue(why there) ?
- How does this geographic understanding help us to be a more informed local to global individual (why care)?
- How does the geographic understanding help us to be more engaged with a range of issues?
- How is the geographical understanding transferable to real life activities and issues? (see the overview page for grade/strand to find authentic investigations for your students- local or global)
Using Maps – Why there? Why care?
This video models how maps can be used and the related spatial skills that students can explore and develop. (Why there and why care?)
Guiding Questions
Before Viewing
- Discuss how students monitor their learning in your classroom. How is “where” involved in the inquiry process?
After viewing
- What types of knowledge building approaches are used in your classroom?
- How can this process be done in a low-tech form? What role does this process pla in regards to assessment?
Demonstrating Geographic Inquiry to determine “what” using digital technologies to build knowledge
This video examines how students can build on their understanding during a geographic inquiry.