Dead Sea drying: A new low-point for Earth By Kevin Connolly, BBC Middle East correspondent, 17 June 2016

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

Inquiry: How might human activity contribute to the state of the Dead Sea? What might be the best solution to dealing with the decrease water level of the Dead Sea?

Activity: Create a spatial journal of the area taking not consideration drainage basins, human settlement, human activity, and climate patterns. Conduct an issue analysis to evaluate perspectives. Determine a plausible solution and communicate via story map to an appropriate audience. 

Global forced displacement hits record high By: Adrian Edwards

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

Inquiry: Why are the refugees being forced to move from their homes? Why might the go to the countries/regions they go to?

Activity: Gather data on refugees and create a spatial journal and evaluate for patterns and trends. Create a story map to communicate what might be done to help reduce the number of refugees.

Canadian, U.S., mayors oppose Great Lakes water diversion request CTV News

Concepts of Thinking: Spatial Significance, Geographic Perspective

Inquiry: How might this diversion impact the Great Lakes ecosystem?

Activity: Conduct an issue analysis for the proposal. Create a spatial journal of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Water Way. Create a story map to communicate whether or not the proposal should be excepted and communicate to an appropriate audience.

Did the Liberals have to wait to call ISIS genocidal? MACLEANS magazine

Concepts of Thinking: Interrelationship, Patterns and Trends,

Inquiry: Now that the UN and Canada have called the actions of ISIS as genocidal how long before meaningful action is taken by all UN to stop this ISIS?

Activity: Create a spatial journal of ISIS territory and events to evaluate the spatial significance. Conduct an issue analysis and develop a plan that can deal with the situation. Communicate a possible solution to the situation via story map to an appropriate audience.

African youth to African leaders: “You must do more to end conflicts in Africa”

Concepts of Thinking: Interrelationships, Spatial Significance, 

Inquiry: How might Humanitarian crisis in Africa be addressed?

Activity: Create a Spatial Journal of the data from the survey and then create a Story Map to communicate a message to an appropriate audience.

About Latin America and the Caribbean

Source: UNDP

Concepts of Thinking: Spatial Significance,

Patterns and Trends, Geographic Perspective

Inquiry: How might focusing on Health, Education, and the Environment help improve peoples lives? Why might other Governments not employ the same strategy to help their people?

Activity: Conduct an issue analysis and create a spatial journal of the stakeholders. Investigate other countries and develop a plan to help other countries move forward. Communicate strategies to an appropriate audience via story map.

Security Council Press Statement on Terrorist Attack in Orlando, Florida 

• SECURITY COUNCIL
• 
  

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

Inquiry: How might spatial significance have contributed to this behaviour? How may these patterns violence have changed over time? How might people be supported to move forward and not develop such violent tendencies?

Activity: Create a spatial journal of countries that are fighting this type of hate crime. Conduct an issue analysis of the problem. Create  story map to communicate a possible solution to this problem.

Hamilton will have 633K residents by 2026, says ward boundary study By Samantha Craggs, CBC News

Concepts of Thinking: Spatial Significance, Patterns and Trends

Inquiry: How might this population growth impact the environment. What might be the best way for this population to be distributed in the area?

Activity: Create a spatial journal of population density of the Hamilton area. Evaluate the patterns and trends to make predictions to future growth. Add some environmental data and any other relevant information. Create a story map to explain the best population distribution that might impact the environment the least and communicate to the appropriate audience.

Fort McMurray, still recovering from wildfire, dealing with flooding By Mack Lamoureux, Wallis Snowdon

Concepts of Thinking: Interrelationships, Spatial Significance, 

Inquiry: How might the fire have contributed to the flood? What might the new Fort McMurray be designed to better deal with these natural disasters? 

Activity: Gather infrastructure information on Fort McMurray. Create a story map of the of a potential city plan that would be able to best deal with potential natural disasters such fire and flooding.

This mind-blowing infographic shows the incredible depth of the earth's oceans Pamela Engel

Concepts of Thinking: Spatial Significance, Interrelationships, Geographic Perspective, 

Inquiry: How might we reach the bottom of the oceans? What might the impacts be of reaching the bottom?

Activity: Use current resource maps to develop an anticipated resource map at these depths. Evaluate potential costs of reaching these resource in a T-chart (Economic/Environmental/Social) and communicate how best to proceed via story map.

Bet You Didn’t Hear Shell Spilled a Bunch of Oil in the Gulf 

• EMMA GREY ELLIS

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

Inquiry: When might oil companies be able to stop these leaks from happening? What might be the cumulative impact of these types of oil spills, under the 100,000 gallon threshold of a major spill? How accurately do these companies report such leaks?

Activity: Conduct an issue analysis and then create a spatial journal of the Gulf Mexico relating to this problem. Add data such as oil platforms, oil spills, natural habitats etc. Develop a plan that will be able to help increase the sustainability of this industry. Communicate via a story map and communicate to an appropriate audience.

Canada Calls Out Russia For Lack Of Warning About Incoming Rocket

Concepts of Thinking: Spatial Significance, Interrelationships, Geographic Perspective

Inquiry: How can the Russian Government be accurate regarding the location of the debris re-entry? How might the Russian government respond to Canada's "Call Out" of Russia?

Activity: Create a spatial journal of the area to be impacted. Add to it human and animal information of the area. Conduct an issue analysis to develop a solution. Communicate the solution to an appropriate audience via story map.

Cambodia revives train service between Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville

Concepts of Thinking: Spatial Significance, Patterns and Trends

Inquiry: Why was the train survive interrupted? How might this revived service impact communities along the route?

Activity: Conduct an issue analysis of the situation. Create a spatial journal of the places along the way that might be impacted by this service. Create a story map outlining how this service will impact local business.

India’s Severe Drought Causing Havoc

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

Inquiry: How could these conditions have been predicted and/or prevented? How might India's drought impact other parts of the world?

Activity: Conduct an issue analysis of the problem. Create a spatial journal of the stakeholders, physical and climatic factors. Evaluate graphs and charts of climate. Develop a potential solution to the problem and communicate via story map to the appropriate audience.

GEOGRAPHY AT TARRAGON THEATRE

As the first play of Tarragon’s upcoming 2016-2017 season, The Watershed focuses on environmental protection, an issue that is very relevant to the next generation of geography students and teachers. The Watershed explores the importance of environmental activism, offering students with an alternative and immersive platform for learning about environmental science and Canadian geography.

WHAT STUDENTS WILL SEE

The Watershed follows a documentary theatre artist as she writes a play about the future of Canada’s natural resources. Annabel and her family travel across the country to find out why the Federal Government has cut the funding for the Experimental Lakes Area, a project that conducts fresh water research. Annabel’s dedication leads her to discover a political agenda that highlights the tension between capitalism and environmental advocacy. Through a series of interviews and research, Annabel begins to unravel a complex political puzzle.

THE WATERSHED AND THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM

The play will enrich student learning by supporting the Canadian and World Studies Ontario Curriculum, which aims to “prepare students with the knowledge, skills, perspectives, and practices they need to be environmentally responsible citizens”. For example, please see the following curriculum guidelines:

Kristen Thompson as Annabel, from Tarragon’s 2016/2017 season guide 

http://tarragontheatre.com/show/the-watershed

Directed by Chris Abraham, The Watershed student matinees are on 

October 5^th, 12^th, 19^th and 26^th at 1:30pm 

$12 student tickets. Bus subsidies available

Grade 9 Issues in Canadian Geography Grade 9 Academic: Unit B1. Interactions in the Physical Environment

B1.1 analyse environmental, economic, social, and/or political implications of different ideas and beliefs about the value of Canada’s natural environment, and explain how these ideas/beliefs affect the use and protection of Canada’s natural assets

B1.3 assess environmental, economic, social, and/or political consequences for Canada of changes in some of the Earth’s physical processes (e.g., warming in the North is leading to a shorter, less reliable ice season and changes in plant and animal populations [environmental])

For more information, please email anne@tarragontheatre.com

ANNE WESSELS | EDUCATION DIRECTOR PhD | TARRAGON THEATRE

30 Bridgman Avenue  | Toronto, ON, M5R 1X3  |  416 536 5018 ext. 231

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B25wwvdBV4bKRXdIVGVKdS1EVWc

Boil water advisory in effect for Gatineau CBC News

Concepts of Thinking: Interrelationships, Spatial Significance, Geographic Perspectives,

Inquiry: How might the reaction to the Hull boil water advisory be different from the
Neskantaga First Nation of nearly 20 years?

Activity: Create a spatial journal of boil water advisories in Canada. Add community and infrastructure data. Conduct an issue analysis to gain regarding access to clean water. Communicate a plan to make clean water accessible to all Canadians via story map.

Related: 

Canada violates human right to safe water, says report by international watchdog

Vice on Indigenous water crisis

Map: Every Canadian hurricane landfall since 1866
Posted by Alexandra Pope in Nature


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

Inquiry: Why might hurricanes be most prevalent in these areas? Why doesn't this pattern continue year round? How might human activities in the region modify their practice because of this pattern?

Activity: Create a spatial journal similar to this using data to plot. Add to it human activity, shipping, and mining data. Develop a strategies regarding how might people prepare for the next "big one". Create a story map to communicate the plan.

   

  

Returning Fort McMurray residents face long road to recovery By Amy Husser, CBC News

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

Inquiry: How might be the focus of Fort McMurray's redevelopment impact the future growth of the city?

Activity: Create a spatial journal of the resources currently supporting Fort McMurray. Add possible alternative/new resource opportunities, natural features, and human activity data. Evaluate the map to develop a plan for redevelopment that could better protect the city from being a boom bust, one resource, based city. Communicate the plan to the appropriate audience via story map.