Can Middle East tourism ever recover?

The Islamic world’s mystery and riches once attracted droves of western holidaymakers. But terrorism has devastated the industry in Egypt and Tunisia – and even countries untouched by conflict. Is there any way back? Kevin Rushby

Concepts of Thinking: Geographic Perspective, Patterns and Trends,

Activity idea: have students investigate the different stakeholders of the issue, their values, beliefs and locations (create a map) and then come up with possible impacts and solutions to the situation.

More than 100 jade hunters killed in landslide at Myanmar mine

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

Inquiry question: Why would workers live in such hunts, near the tailings from the mining? How are the profits of Jade mining distributed? How could the workers get access to these profits?

How Canadian Geographic editors see Canada

Posted by Alexandra Pope in Mapping on Friday, November 20, 2015

Concepts of Thinking: Spatial Significance

Activity idea: Have students create a story map of how they see Canada.

Flex satellite will map Earth's plant glow

By Jonathan AmosBBC Science CorrespondentThe European Space Agency is going to build a spacecraft to map the red glow emitted by Earth's plants (STEM, including Geography, in action)

Concepts of Thinking: Spatial Significance, Patterns and Trends, Geographic Perspective
Inquiry questions: How will this mapping technique impact farming practice around the world? How could these maps be accessible to the people who need the information? What might be the impact on the local social, political, environmental, and economical situations?

Transgender woman found dead in all-male prison

This article is ideal for a World Issues class discussion. This is a sensitive topic so be aware of the readiness of your students to discuss such a subject.

Concepts of Thinking: Geographic Perspective, Spatial Significance

Inquiry question: What might have led to this women to having her human rights over looked? How can the public insure this does not happen in Canada?

Top 10 budget beach hotels and B&Bs on Mexico’s Pacific coast

Christine Delsol

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

Inquiry questions:  Why might tourist be drawn to the Pacific coast of Mexico? How does this influx of tourist impact the local community; social, economical, environmental, political? 

Activity Idea: Use spatial technology to map out the location of the Pacific coast resorts. Research budget hotel location on the Gulf coast and place them on the same map. Add some other data that may impact the movement of tourist and decide where a new resort would be best situated.

Extension idea:

The world's best 

beach hotels and accommodation on a budget

Use ArcGIS Online to create a spatial journal of Beach Resorts on a budget. Evaluate and draw conclusion on the spatial significance and interrelationships of a budget beach resort.

Syrian Refuges Crisis, coming to Canada?

To put things in perspective regarding the Syrian Refugee Crisis and what the Canadian Government would like to do.

Concepts of Thinking: Patterns and Trends, Spatial Significance

Inquiry question: What might the impacts be on the existing security infrastructure? How is it be determined where in Canada these new comers might be relocated?











image source: unknown

Source: http://www.torontopearson.com/en/gtaa/statistics/

The Ontario Mining Association, a not-for-profit organization, is hosting the 8th annual SYTYKM video contest for high school students. The contest challenges students to tell imaginative stories about the benefits of mining to society with 2- to 3-minute videos or a 15-second commercial. The contest, running from November 1, 2015 to April 4, 2016, offers $45,000 in cash and prizes to students and schools. Top videos earn from $2,500 to $5,000. Early bird entries are eligible for an additional $500. Any school that produces more than three videos can win $2,000. Teachers’ Choice Award voters are eligible for a $1,000 prize draw. The awards gala is on June 1, 2016, at the Royal Ontario Museum. For more contest information, visit www.oma.on.ca/en/contestpages/index.asp.

Teachers of communications technology, media arts, Aboriginal studies, physical geography, and Earth and environmental science will find this contest of interest.

I would like to provide each of your secondary schools with a package of information to promote the contest and support students and teachers wishing to participate. The package includes an invitation/registration form for teachers to attend a free professional development workshop in media production at TIFF Bell Lightbox (November 23rd), poster, infographic and cover letter introducing the contest. A teacher partner at East York Collegiate in Toronto has also granted permission to distribute a geography assignment that she created to integrate the contest into “Issues in Canadian Geography”. Please find attached an electronic copy of the package for your review.

I would appreciate your support in electronic distribution to geography department heads and curriculum consultants.‎

Laura Clinton

SO YOU THINK YOU KNOW MINING High School Video Contest Education Consultant Ontario Mining Association

T: 289-387-2256

E: lclinton@oma.on.ca

W: oma.on.ca

Farmers bear brunt of South Africa’s severe drought: 'All we can do is pray

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

Inquiry Question: Why is this extreme weather event happening in South Africa? How will the weather event impact local communities? What can be done to help reduce the impact of this extreme weather event? 

Simon Allison in Heidelberg

Related: Hailstorms hit drought-stricken South Africa

Explore & Remember Those Around You

Free app

Concepts of Thinking: Spatial Significance, Geographic Perspective

Inquiry questions: How could the spatial significance impact an individuals story?

"Welcome to RinkWatch, where backyard skating meets environmental science!"  And Geography

Concept of Thinking: Spatial Significance, Patterns and Trends

Activity idea: Watch and keep track (spatial journal) of weather situations across Canada and where rinks are opening and for how long they are open. 

Inquiry questions: How might climate change impact rinks in Canada? What could this impact look like?

Did you know that the TDSB has a rich and growing Adult Education program? This article, from The Toronto Star, highlights some of the adult students who participated in the first-ever continuing education soccer tournament on November 5, 2015 at Downsview’s famous Hanger.

Students shine at first ever TDSB Adult High School Soccer Tournament

Concepts of Thinking: Geographic Perspective and Spatial Significance.

Activity idea: This article would be an ideal piece to use with your students to access not only Geographic concepts of thinking, but also spatial skills.

Create a spatial journal to explore the different circumstances that allowed the students to end up studying in the TDSB.

Dead or alive: culture is kicking in Pátzcuaro, Mexico Erica Buist

Concepts of Thinking: Geographic Perspective, Spatial Significane

Activity: Have students create a Story Map of the location discussing the spatial significance of each place.

Afghan woman stoned to death for alleged adultery Sune Engel Rasmussen

Warning to teachers: This reading may be very triggering to students who have experienced this at the community or home level. Please allow your students to prepare themselves emotionally for the difficult subject matter.

 Concepts of thinking: Geographic Perspective

Inquiry question: What happens in Canada when a person is suspected of committing adultery?  Create a T-chart to compare the Canadian perspective with the perspective from the reading

Further Inquiry: Does the penalty reflect the crime? Could a man be sentenced in the same manner?

Activity: Investigate the different perspectives of the issue by evaluating their values and beliefs. Discuss in groups the different perspectives to come up with a solution to the problem.

Patagonia’s controversial new national park Graeme Green 

Concepts of thinking: Spatial significance, Geographic perspective, Interrelationship

Inquiry question: What might some of the impacts be on local community based on the interrelationships with this park?

Why is this area spatially significant?

How might the geographic perspectives impact the land use of the new park?

He Took a Camera to a Remote Area In Greenland. And What He Recorded Is Simply Terrifying. 

Concepts of Thinking: Patterns and Trends, Interrelationships

Activity idea: Find Greenland’s air and water temperature data to analyse the impact on the event and make predictions of patterns and trends of Greenland Glaciers. What role might people have played in this event?

Who backs whom in the Syrian conflict

Concepts of Thinking: Geographic Perspective, Spatial Significance

Inquiry question: How does spatial significance influence stakeholder support?

Activity idea: Do an issue analysis: Stakeholders position, their values, and beliefs. Develop a potential solution based on the issue analysis.

The Guardian

'Enough is enough': UN and Red Cross issue warning for states to end conflict

As wars rage in Libya, Syria and Yemen, Ban Ki-moon and Peter Maurer call for states to help refugees, rein in armed groups and end heavy weapon use in populated areas

 A young Yemeni peers through a gap in a makeshift tent at a displaced person’s camp in the country’s Amran province. Photograph: Yahya Arhab/EPA

Concepts of Thinking: Geographic Perspective

Inquiry questions:

Why are some stakeholders in the conflict ignoring international law?

Why might other stakeholders not feel they are able to uphold international law?

How might this conflict end?

As Indonesia's Annual Fires Rage, Plenty Of Blame But No Responsibility NOVEMBER 01, 2015  ANTHONY-KUHN NPR

Indonesian men fight a fire, one of many in Sumatra. Indonesia's government blames both big palm oil companies and small freeholders for the fires, but others say corrupt politicians also are to blame.

Abdul Qodir/AFP/Getty Images

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

Inquiry: Where did the fires start? What is where?

Why do these fires occur yearly? Why there?

How are these fires impacting local and global populations? Why care?

How might the occurrence of these fires be prevented? Why care?

Activity: Map out the location of the palm oil plantations. Answer What is where? Why there? why care? Add to the that map the destination locations of palm oil products. Answer What is where? Why there? Why care?

Can students come up with a potential solution to the yearly occurrence while taking into account the different stakeholders?