Grade 9 Social Studies
11 units matched to the Ontario Curriculum.
Overall expectations
- A1 Geographic Inquiry: Use the geographic inquiry process and the concepts of geographic thinking when investigating issues relating to Canadian geography
- A2 Developing Transferable Skills: Apply in everyday contexts skills, including geospatial technology skills, developed through the investigation of Canadian geography, and identify some careers, including those in the skilled trades, in which a background in geography might be an asset
- B1 Characteristics of Canada’s Natural Environment and the Impact of Physical Processes: Describe various characteristics of the natural environment and the spatial distribution of physical features in Canada, and analyze the role of physical processes, phenomena, and events in shaping them
- B2 Interactions between the Natural Environment and Human Activities: Analyze interrelationships between physical processes, phenomena, and events and the ways in which various communities in Canada respond to and interact with them
- C1 Natural Resources and Industries in Canada: Analyze characteristics of natural resources and industries in Canada, and factors that affect the accessibility and use of natural resources and the location of industries
- C2 Sustainability and Economic Development: Analyze issues related to the sustainable development of resources and industries in Canada
- D1 Demographic Patterns and Trends: Analyze key patterns and trends in demographics and population movement and settlement, and factors that affect these patterns and trends, nationally and for various populations in Canada
- D2 Population Issues: Analyze selected national and global population issues and their implications for Canada and for various people who live in Canada
- E1 Land Use in Communities: Analyze characteristics and impacts of land use in various communities in Canada, including urban communities, and factors affecting land use and land-use planning
- E2 Sustainability of Human Systems and Communities: Analyze issues relating to, and strategies for improving, the sustainability of human systems and communities in Canada
Units
Unit 1
Geographer's Toolkit
Asking factual and debatable questions, primary and secondary sources, judging whether a source or an AI-made image can be trusted, the four geographic thinking concepts, map scale, latitude, time zones, GIS and GPS, and careers that use geography.
Expectation: A1.1, A1.2, A1.3, A1.4, A1.5, A1.6, A2.1, A2.2, A2.3, A2.4 · the geographic inquiry process, geographic thinking concepts, maps and geospatial technology, assessing sources, and geography careers
Unit 2
Canada's Landform Regions
The Canadian Shield, Interior Plains, Western Cordillera, Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Lowlands, Appalachian Region, Hudson Bay Lowlands and Arctic Lands, how glaciers and plate movement shaped them, and how landscapes appear in Canadian symbols.
Expectation: B1.1, B1.2, B1.5 · Canada's physical regions and landforms, how they formed, and how physical features contribute to Canadian identity
Unit 3
Weather, Climate & Landscape
Weathering, erosion and deposition, glaciation, plate tectonics, what shapes climate (ocean, mountains, latitude, elevation), patterns of hazards such as tornadoes and floods, and global systems such as the jet stream and El Niño.
Expectation: B1.2, B1.3, B1.4 · geological, hydrological and climatic processes, and patterns and trends in weather and global physical systems
Unit 4
People & the Natural World
How landscapes support work and communities, how paving, draining wetlands and building dams change natural systems, hazards such as floods, wildfires and earthquakes, and local ways to adapt to and reduce climate change.
Expectation: B2.1, B2.2, B2.3, B2.4 · how physical features support communities, how human activities change physical processes, natural hazards and risks, and climate change adaptation and mitigation
Unit 5
Canada's Resources
Types of natural resources, where key resources such as potash, oil, minerals, forests, fish and hydroelectric power are found and why, and ways of extracting them, including clean-energy methods such as wind, solar and nuclear.
Expectation: C1.1, C1.2, C1.3 · renewable, non-renewable and flow resources, how they are distributed, and how they are extracted, harvested and used
Unit 6
Industries & Jobs
Primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary industries, why companies choose certain locations, how Canadian industries connect to other countries, and careers in the marine, resource and tourism sectors.
Expectation: C1.4, C1.5, C1.6, C1.7 · knowledge-based and other industries, location factors, the importance of industries and trade, and careers
Unit 7
Using Resources Wisely
What sustainable development means, quotas and reclamation, the circular economy, how governments, industries, advocacy groups and individuals influence resource use, and the life cycle of everyday products such as a phone.
Expectation: C2.1, C2.2, C2.3, C2.4, C2.5 · sustainable development of resources and industries, strategies by governments and industries, and the life cycle of everyday products
Unit 8
Canada's People
Population density, birth rate, natural increase and net migration, population pyramids, why Canadians settle where they do, quality of life indicators, and comparing Canada's settlement patterns with other places.
Expectation: D1.1, D1.2, D1.3, D1.4, D1.5 · demographic characteristics and trends, quality of life, migration and immigration, and patterns of settlement
Unit 9
A Changing Population
How an aging population, small-town decline and city growth affect people, government strategies on immigration and families, the 'rule of 70', and how people in Canada respond to global population issues.
Expectation: D2.1, D2.2, D2.3, D2.4 · effects of population change, strategies to address Canada's changing population, and global population issues
Unit 10
How Land Is Used
Residential, commercial, industrial, institutional and open-space land uses, official plans and zoning, why floodplains need care, the Greenbelt, urban sprawl compared with compact growth, and ways to control sprawl.
Expectation: E1.1, E1.2, E1.3, E1.4 · land uses in communities, the influence of the environment and economic, social and political forces, and urban sprawl and compact growth
Unit 11
Liveable Communities
Food miles, food waste and food costs in remote communities, sustainable transportation such as transit, rail and cycling, how government policies and personal choices affect energy use, and community programs that support sustainability.
Expectation: E2.1, E2.2, E2.3, E2.4 · sustainability of the food system, transportation and energy, and the social, environmental and economic sustainability of communities
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