Thank You!

Thank you so much for the huge card! I'm very sad I missed the surprise cupcakes! : ( I was trying to make it back from Peterborough after our basketball game in time, but got there just as the bell was ringing.

You were an excellent class, and I will miss you too! Although, very talkative, you all produced some amazing work for Grade 9. : ) I'll be around the school supplying, so I will see you around for sure.

Thanks again! I love the card!

Enjoy your long weekend,

Miss Desbarbieux

Tuesday November 17th

The final assignment for population, "Population Pyramids Canada" should have been handed in this period.

Everyone should have read Chapter 17 (Immigration) by now.
Homework tonight: page 199, questions #1ab, 2ab, & 3.

Monday November 16th

Today you were given your final assignment for the population section of our Demographic unit. Some finished in class yesterday. You will be given a bit of time during Tuesday's class to complete.

Make sure you have the definition fill in the blanks sheet we completed as a class in your notes. It will be very helpful for the Demographic unit test later this month.

Thursday November 12th & Friday November 13th

The assignment, "Do you want to be a babysitter in Cobourg", was completed on Thursday with the supply teacher. Some of you have said you struggled with it, if you have any questions ask me. We will look at it today.

Friday, was a catchup day. All work that was to be included on the midterm reports was to be finished by the end of class.

Wednesday November 11th

The Macleans article (on birth rate) questions are due tomorrow. Most of you finished and handed this in already at the end of class.

Make sure that the following assignments have been completed and handed in for our Population unit.

-Canada and the World Population
-Population Statistics
-Bear Facts/Endangered Species newspaper articles
-Macleans article questions

If everything has been completed then no homework!

Tuesday November 10th

The class was spent working on a Birth Rate/Death Rate/Natural Increase assignment. It is due at the beginning of class tomorrow.

Don't forget the questions that go with the graphing.

Monday November 9th

Today took a bit of a step away from our unit to focus on Endangered Species.

We looked a two newspaper articles (one on Threatened Species, the other on the battle over polar bears between the Inuit and Environmentalists/the Government)

The activity for both newspaper articles is due at the beginning of class tomorrow.

Friday November 5th

No homework this week! We will continue on Monday with Population.

Good luck to Alex, Matt, and Troy, who are competing at OFSSA Cross-Country this weekend! That's an amazing accomplishment! Good luck!

Thursday November 5th

We went over the test outline, and last minute studying for the Unit 2 Part 2 test tomorrow.

Students had the chance to study in class.
Reminder that we are in Room 205 for tomorrow's class.

Unit 2 Part 2 Test Outline

Part 1: Climate
-6 factors that affect climate
-details about 2 of these factors
-maritime climate, continental climate definitions
-difference between climate and weather

Part 2: Precipitation & Weather
-2 main points of precipitation
-explain 1 type of precipitation
-weather report (from newspaper)

Part 3: Climographs
-create a climograph
-calculate annual temperature, temperature range, total precipitation, high/low temperature, continental or maritime climates

Part 4: Soil & Vegetation
-MOMA
-3 layers
-difference between leaching and calcification
-2 reasons soil is important
-Natural Vegetation definition
-Chart information for 3 vegetation regions
Types of Natural Vegetation/Temperature Characteristics/Precipitation
Characteristics/Soil Characteristics

Part 5: Ecozones
-5 components that make up an ecozone
-how many ecozones in Canada
-describe your ecozone (the 5 components) that your National Park was in

I am available in Room 309 tomorrow for any last minute questions.

See you in Room 205.

Tuesday November 3rd

We continued to look at Population. We focused on birth rates and population pyramids in today's class.

Remember to complete the Canada/World Population graphs & questions for Thursday.

Have fun at your Take Your Kid to Work Day jobs!!!

Monday November 2nd

The 1st part of the Geography Unit Test was written today in class. The 2nd part which will include the rest of the unit, will be held on Thursday November 5th. If there are any questions about content of the unit, I will be available during the 2nd part of lunch on Tuesday and Thursday.

After the test, we took a quick look at an introduction to population. We will continue with this tomorrow.

Unit 2 Test Part 1

Just wanted to remind you that the test tomorrow will just be on the first page of review.

It will cover plate tectonics, the 4 eras, the rock cycle, as well as landforms.

Most of the information to study for this part can come right from the review sheet. It has the basics of plate tectonics and the 4 different eras right on the review sheet. The rock cycle, you will need to study the little diagram outlining the cycle. The information from landforms can come right from the chart "Landform Regions Organizer".

There is not too much that will be on it tomorrow, this is the easier, simpler part of the test, so just make sure you look over the above information and know it!

Hope you all had a great Hallowe'en. I will be in Room 309 after my lunch duty (so, from 11:20 on), for extra help. Stop by if needed.

Friday October 30th

Today was spent working on the 2nd part of the Unit Test Review. We finished off the study notes as a class, and then students were given time to study quietly. Students struggled with working quietly and using their study time effectively. It was a great opportunity to get some studying in, so less would have to be done on the weekend, but many did not take advantage of this chance. Everyone was given a copy of the study notes we complied as a class (the second part is also posted below this entry)

The test is going to be divided into 2 parts now. The first part on Monday, will focus on Plate Tectonics (including eras, rock cycle) and Landforms. The second part on Tuesday will be on Climate, Soil/Vegetation, and Ecozones.

Test Review Part 2

SOIL-definition

MOMA
Minerals
Organic Materials
Moisture
Air

Layers
1st Layer: Topsoil
2nd Layer: Subsoil
3rd Layer: Parent Material

Leaching and Calcification
-difference between the two
Leaching: removal of minerals from soil by water as it moves downward through the soil. Occurs in wet climates
Calcification: process in dry climates where water carrying dissolvable minerals moves upward through the soil. At the surface, water evaporates, leaving the minerals behind

Why is soil (“dirt”) important?
*chart from “The Scoop on Dirt”*

Vegetation
-definition of natural vegetation
-regions

ECOZONES

LANDFORMS + CLIMATE + HUMAN ACTIVITY + SOIL & VEGETATION = ECOZONE

-15 different ecozones in Canada

-Need to know the details of the ecozone from your National Parks project

Mark updates went home today. A parent signature is required for Monday.

Have a safe and happy Hallowe'en!!!

Wednesday October 28th & Thursday October 29th

I was away sick Wednesday, so an introduction activity to Demographics was assigned. This is the first part of our new (third) unit. Students completed a textbook activity that looked at Demographics. It is due Thursday.

Thursday, we began our review for our second Unit Test. We went through each topic as a class and created a set of study notes. The first part of the study notes is copied below:


UNIT TWO: PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
TEST REVIEW

PLATE TECTONICS
-all the continents of the world were together...called PANGAEA (“all land”)
-the theory of continental drift was proposed
-South American & Africa fit together
-found similar fossils on different continents
-similar mountains
-ice sheets
-plates are constantly moving

Eras
-Precambrian Era, Paleozic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic

Precambrian Era (4600-570 million yrs ago)
-Canadian Shield only part of Canada that existed
-first single & multi-celled organisms

Paleozoic Era (570-245 million yrs ago)
-first insects, plants, animals
-large part of North America were covered by shallow seas
-Appalachians were formed

Mesozoic Era (245-66 million yrs ago)
-age of reptiles (i.e. dinosaurs), first birds, mammals, flowering plants
-formation of the Rocky Mountains

Cenozoic (66 million years ago to present)
-human beings develop, age of mammals, modern forms of life evolve
-ice sheets covered most of North American at the start, continents take their present form

Rock Cycle
-types of rocks
-igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic, magma (definitions)
-rock cycle (diagram)

LANDFORMS
The Canadian Shield
The Lowlands
-The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence
-The Hudson Bay-Arctic
-The Interior Plains
The Highlands
-Western Cordillera
-Appalachian Mountains
-Innuitian Mountains
*Landforms Organizer (chart from notes)

CLIMATE
-definition of climate, weather (the difference between the two)

Factors Affecting Climate (handout fill in the blanks)
-Latitude
-further away from the equator, the cooler it is
-sun’s rays are further spread out
-Air Masses
-in Canada winds mostly blows west to east
-Elevation
-wet, warm air mass will go up one side of the mountain and become dry and cool on the other side
-Nearness to Water
-lakes and oceans change their temperature more slowly than the land around them
-Ocean Currents
-bring warm or cold air nearer to the shore
-Labrador Current (cold) and the Gulf Stream Current (warm)
-Relief
-the shape of the landform may work with any of the other climate factors to create a wet or dry, cool or warm climate

Continental Climate & Maritime Climate (definitions)

Precipitation
1. Air cool as it rises
2. As air cools, water vapour condenses more than it evaporates

Types of Precipitation (handout)
-Convectional
-Relief
-Cyclonic
(definitions, details)

Weather
-reading weather reports from newspaper

Climographs
-create a graph
-read a graph

-average annual temperature
(add 12 months together and divide by 12)
-temperature range
(subtract highest temperature from the lowest temperature)
-total precipitation
(Maritime = <1000mm)
(Continental = <1000mm)

Tuesday October 27th

Students were given their updated marks. If there were any missing assignments, students have until the end of the week to complete them for marks. On Friday, a mark sheet will be sent home requiring a parent's signature.

Monday October 26th

The National Parks Research Projects were extremely well done! Everything from the Ecozone write-ups to the brochures were excellent! Well done!

Today, we looked at the various types of vegetation regions in Canada. As a class we came up with a note to summarize the main features of each vegetation regions. The note is as follows:

VEGETATION REGIONS IN CANADA

TUNDRA
-most northerly vegetation region
-located above the tree line
-most have permafrost
-the top metre of permafrost is known as the active layer (thaws during the short summer)
-small shrubs, mosses, lichens...things that grow close to the ground (grows quickly)
-lack of vegetation limits the variety of wildlife and population of each species

BOREAL AND TAIGA FOREST
-largest vegetation region in Canada
-located south of the tundra
-coniferous trees grow south of tree line because there is a longer growing season and more precipitation than in the tundra
-vegetation includes coniferous trees, evergreens
-topsoil is a greyish colour, high acidity
-rainfall and snowfall wash away many soluble minerals
-cold temperature, short growing seasons

MIXED FOREST
-south of the boreal forest in eastern Canada
-mixed forest of coniferous and deciduous trees
-excellent for lumbering industry
-transition zone between the boreal forest to the north and the deciduous forest to the south
-trees can survive warm summers and cool winters
-soils in this region are suitable for farming

DECIDUOUS FOREST
-found in southwestern Ontario; northern portion of the region from northeastern United States
-small parts of this forest left because of clearing for farming and urban development
-summers are long and hot, winters relatively mild, lots of precipitation...ideal conditions for hardwood trees
-soil similar to the mixed forest but has more humus and less acidic
-topsoil is a dark brown...some of most fertile soil in Canada

GRASSLANDS
-located southern part of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta
-climate is too dry for most species of trees to survive
-grass is suited to the dry climate
-deep intertwined root system of the grass forms a sod mat

Three sub-regions of the Grasslands
1. Short-grass Prairie
-southern Alberta and Saskatchewan
2. Long-grass Prairie
-richest soil in Canada...produces some of the best grains in the world
3. Parkland
-transition zone of long-grass prairie

CORDILLERIAN VEGETATION
-temperature is warmer in the valleys than high in the mountains
-rainfall on the west side of a mountain is more likely to be heavier than the east side
-as altitude increases, vegetation changes
-logging industry
-soils of all types...soil characteristics can completely change in a small distance

WEST COAST FOREST
-along the west coast of Canada
-excellent growing conditions are made by heavy rainfall and mild climate of the costal region
-trees can be more than 1m in diameter and over 50m high (common)
-some of the old-growth forests become focus for environmental groups
-lush vegetation makes a great plant material to make humus but high rainfall leaches minerals deep into the soil

The National Parks Research Projects were extremely well done! Each student put a lot of care and effort into their first major assignment. Great work, everyone! Make sure you bring your projects back to class tomorrow. I will be going over the project individually with each student to look at corrections and room for improvement.

Friday October 23rd

Today, we analyzed different climographs. Students looked at various things about precipitation and temperature.

The unit test has been rescheduled for Monday November 2nd.

Thursday October 22nd

We ventured back to climate & weather today. After watching 2 quick video clips about weather, we discussed the use of climate graphs.

As a class, we completed a climate graph, showing both temperature and precipitation. We then used the graph constructed to analyse and answer questions.

In partners, students completed an assignment on Climate Graphs. They worked on a graphing, and then the analysis of the graph data.

REMEMBER...National Parks Research Project is due TOMORROW!!!
Don't forget to include:
-map
-ecozone write-up
-research organizer
-brochure

Any questions, you can always e-mail me tonight at kelsey_desbarbieux@kprdsb.ca. :)

Wednesday October 21st

We went back to look at Climate again, this time focusing on reading Climographs. Calculations were made about average temperature, temperature range, total precipitation, season of maximum percipitation, and continental or maritime climates. Students completed the activity on pages 140-143 of their textbooks.

We then discussed the different vegetation regions in Canada and the characteristics that they have. Together, the class came up with a note summarizing the vegetation regions:

We will be wrapping up this unit on Physical Geography tomorrow. Friday will be a review of everything we have covered in preparation for the unit test on Monday October 26th.

REMINDER!!!: National Parks project is due on Friday.

Monday October 19th & Tuesday October 20th

Computer time for the National Parks Research Project were given both Monday and Tuesday.

All components of the project (map, ecozone write-up, research organizer, brochure, and bibiliography) are all due Friday October 23rd. Students have had plenty of class time to work on the project and most are just finishing up small details.

Friday October 16th

Today was spent in the computer lab working on the National Parks project.

Everyone worked really well! We'll continue working on Monday.

Have a great weekend~

Thursday October 15th

We continued looking at Ecozones, focusing on the 15 that are in Canada. Maps were coloured to show the location of the ecozones throughout the country.

After looking at the various ecozones, we looked at the Top 10 National Parks in Canada. Pictures from various parks were shown. Surprisingly, a lot of the students in the class had already visited many of the parks across Canada!

A National Parks project was handed out. We will be working in the library on this project Friday and Monday. The project overview is as follows...

CGC 1D1
National Parks Project

Your job is to choose and research a Canadian National Park. There are various components that make up this assignment. Pay close attention to instructions! You will have full class periods on Friday October 16th and Monday October 19th to work on this project. The assignment will be due on Wednesday October 21st.

Part A: Map of Canada (10 marks)
*colour and label both your National Park and the ecozone it is located in.
*remember to include the requirements of a map (title, direction, legend)

Part B: Ecozone Characteristics (25 marks)
*a one page typed write-up explaining the five characteristics of the ecozone your National Park is located in. Be sure to also tell the province it is located it as well as explain why this ecozone is important to your park.

Part C: National Parks Research Organizer (25 marks)
*complete the accompanying organizer

Part D: Travel Brochure (50 marks)
*complete a brochure/pamphlet on your National Park.
*It should include the following things:
(the requirements were all completed in your research organizer)
-overview/history
-admission prices
-camping information (including descriptions and prices)
-things to do and attractions (including descriptions and prices)
-directions
-contact information (including phone numbers)
-pictures

Part E: Bibliography (5 marks)
*include a bibliography for all the resources you used
*follow the instructions from class

TOTAL: 115 marks
Good Luck!

Please remember to bring the green sheets for the project to class tomorrow.

Wednesday October 14th

We discussed and took up the questions that accompanied the article "The Scoop on Dirt" that was read and completed yesterday.

The definition of an ecozone was then briefly introduced. Ecozones will be our focus for Thursday.

Students then completed an assignment that looked at Soil and Vegetation. It focused on Chapter 13 of their textbook. If not finished by the end of class, it is homework for tomorrow.

Tuesday October 13th

I hope you all had a great long weekend!

We looked briefly at the Climate regions of Canada and the effects of maritime and continental climates.

As a class we looked at the worksheet, "Let It Snow" and saw the connections between precepitation, temperature, and location.

Individually, students read the article "The Scoop on Dirt" and are to answer the accompanying questions for homework. Remember, it is due at the start of class tomorrow.

Friday October 9th

It was great to meet so many of your parents at Parents' Night last night!

Today, we continued looking at climate and weather. Tables worked together to find the matching definitions for the climate words. We then began an activity about snow and its relation to place and temperature. Students have to pull the information they have learned all week to solve the problem. We will be continuing this activity on Tuesday.

There is no homework for the long weekend, but you are encouraged to read ahead on Chapter 13 in preparation for Tuesday.

Have a great Thanksgiving!!!

*First three people to comment on this post to show me they have checked the blog win a prize!*

Thursday October 8th

Today we continued working on climate and moved into discussing weather. We had a game to see what we already knew about weather. Congratulations to Brayden, Hunter, Kristi, and Shane for winning! : )

After, groups looked at the newspaper's weather report and analyzed their findings.

Welcome!

Welcome to Grade 9 Academic Geography!

Student evaluation will consist of the following:
Daily Work -50%
Major Tests -10%
Major Assignments -10%
Final Exam -15%
Final Project -15%

This website will be used as a resource for both students and parents to keep up to date with what is going on in our Geography class. Homework, assignments, and general information will be posted here on a daily basis.

Should you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me through e-mail at kelsey_desbarbieux@kprdsb.ca or by phone at (905) 372-2191.

I am looking forward to having a great semester!