All classes this week are to be used for review. I have provided students with an extensive amount of material they can use to work through in preparing for the final exam. I will be absent due to meetings for two classes but students can access me during lunch and after school most days except Thursday. Students should focus on topics and questions they have difficulty with during review time. Final exam is on Friday, June 17 during the morning session. Stduents were given an outline of the fianl during last Friday's class.

Today we essentially finished the new material for the year. We viewed a PowerPoint and took notes on various form of energy - most of them renewable. Students should knew how each source of energy works and 1-2 advantages and disadvantages of each type. Tomorrow an outline of test and we begin our review.

I encourage students to bring questions to class they want clarified and be ready to work on their review. Final exam is Friday, June 17 in the morning. Prepare and do your best!!

Today students were presented with a video that looked at various jobs in the oil industry. It is a good video and certainly points out the various options available to young people. It is based on Newfoundland and is fairly interesting. It also highlighted some of the information we have been discussing.

The final 15 minuets we began the last set of notes on this topic we will take this year. This will concluded in Thursday's class and on Friday we will; go over an outline of the test and begin our review.

Students should make good use of the review classes and bring topics and questions to class that they wish to have clarified.

We are completing the final 3-4 classes before we begin review for the final exam. Highlighted the key concepts that students should be aware of in respect to energy. Remainder of class we concluded our first power point in respect to the oil industry, especially the offshore.

Continued to cover the energy topic. Looking at why Canada is such a large consumer of energy and has such a reliance on oil products. Using a PowerPoint to cover this material and students should be taking good notes from this. On Wednesday students will have a worksheet on various types of alternative energy sources and renewable sources. 9 classes left and students should make sure they stay abreast of all work. Last three classes will be for review.

Stduents need to read Chapyter 11 (pages 207-241 in the text).

We spent the first 10-15 minutes summarising the key points students should be aware of in respect to the fishery.

We then started the last topic we will be covering this year in the course. This is the understandings related to energy. In particular we will be focusing primarily on oil and hydroelectricity because of their importance to Newfoundland & Labrador. We started covering the reasons for energy consumption and why Canada is a major user of energy as compared to other nations around the world. We also looked at the fluctuation in the price of oil since the late 1940s. We will be exploring this topic further in coming classes and students should really try to gain an appreciation of the importance of petroleum products in their lives.

Although the text is older students have to read pages 207 - 241. Despite some of the information being dated many of the concepts and definitions are still relevant and have not changed. Renewable resources are still renewable resources......

Today we worked on an 4 page in-class assignment related to the fishery. Students had the entire class to work on the questions. It is due on Wednesday. Also last week's assignment which has been handed back to some students will not be accepted after Wednesday. We are nearing the end of the year and marks are being entered for final calculations.

Getting to the end of our short section on the fishery. Students had to hand their work on a worksheet on Thursday and have been given another they will be working on next class (Monday) which will be due next Wednesday. We have emphasized why the fishery collapsed and there was moratorium in 1992. Students should know those reasons and be able to determine which they see as the most important and why? W e have also used musical selections to help illustrate the various emotions and feelings of people towards the fishery and the collapse that has occurred.

Continued our work with the fishery today. To set the scene a little more we first watched a music video "Where are the Fishing Boats?" by the Split Peas that sort of sums up where the fishery is at this point in Newfoundland. Students were then given the remainder fo the class to complete their worksheet on the fishery which is due tomorrow, Tuesday, May 10.

Yesterday we spent the class discussing the Federal election. Students are expected to have some basic knowledge about what occurred in the election such as what party won? who is the Prime Minster? leaedr of the Oppositon? is it a minority or majority government and why? how did all the parties do? who won in our district and in the seven Newfoundland districts? Alsop students should have some idea of where parties were stronger or weaker in the country as a whole. The website www.cbc.ca provides some really good resources for this and is easily accessed.

Today we started to look at the fishery. Students were given an introductory paragraph and an overview of the fishery in Newfoundland over the past 500 plus years with an emphasis on the cod moratorium declared in 1992. Students were then given a worksheet to complete. This will be required to be handed in on Wednesday, May 11, 2011.

Today we finished notes on how various factors such as transportation, income, services, industry etc, are addressed in the core and periphery. This is straightforward but important concept and should be noted by students. We then began a short interesting project that I am having stduents complete prior to Easter and should provide a nice reprieve from normal class work. They are to design a mall according to certain guidelines. They are given a sheet of graph paper and directions as to how much space to devote to each store (page 339). This has to be completed prior to Easter. Any students who do not have their city assignment handed in are to do so before Easter. See me if there are difficulties with this.

The first item today was looking at the site and situation factors as they apply to the town of Bishop's Falls. Students should make a special note of that topic. After that we completed some notes and had a good discussion about threshold population, low-order products, middle order products, and high-order products and how they impact whether a particular business can be established in a certain location. We worked through an example (Figure 15.13 page 318) in class and students will complete a short exercise on this next class.

Today we went over the work students had been assigned last week. Want to make sure that students understand the importance of site and situation in the establishment of a settlement. It was emphasized that students need to know the difference between the two terms and how they can be applied to different locations. Students should make sure they know this topic well as there will be several references to this both on the final and possibly on the public exam in Grade 12. Remember Timbuktu!!!!!!!!!

Today students had a presentation by Joel Hynes with the Level II and III students on drug and substance abuse. It was quite thought provoking. We only had class for 20 minutes during which time we discussed the presentation. Students are to complete the work assigned during the Wednesday class for class on Monday. Page 313 - Activity next to Figure 15.7 Page 314 - Go through the factors identified in Figure 15.8 and apply them to Figure 15.9 on the same page. read page 317 and complete # 16 and 18 on page 318.

Gave students their marks today and will get the test back on Thursday. We will spend a short period now addressing some additional issues related to population. Today we started to discuss site and situation as factors in the establishment of towns and cities. After introducing the terms we went through a number of examples in a PowerPoint which illustrated the impact of site and situation on various locations around the world such as New York, London, cape Town, Istanbul, Alexandria, Quebec City and so on. Students should consider and understand how site and situation impact the settlement of Bishop's Falls and Grand Falls - Windsor. I am away for a meeting tomorrow but there will be assigned work for students to complete.

Test tomorrow, Friday on population. Students were given a review outline on Tuesday and we did quite a thorough review today in class. Students have had four periods completing a project on two cities and it is due on Monday. A lot of students are finished and have emailed the completed project to me davidhamlyn@ncsd.ca. Late assignments lose marks and those not completed obviously cannot be credited. This is great a opportunity to earn good marks on an interesting piece of work.

There will be a test on population on Friday, April 1, 2011 during the 4th period of the day( right after lunch). We had a review of some items with students today as we could not access the computer lab. We will have one more class period working on the projects in the computer lab before the project is due. As well there will be one more class for review. The test will address population items and apart from having to know specific terms and ideas they will need to be able to interpret population data and relate it to issues that affect countries and the world such as: declining birth rates increased migration urbanization "greying of the population" and so on

Students continued to work on their in-class assignments where they are doing profiles of two cities. Will give one more class period for this assignment - on Friday. Projects due on Monday, march 28, 2010. There will be a test on Wednesday, March 30 as of now. By Monday we will verify the date.

I am impressed with most of the projects and looking forward to the finished projects. parents should make sure they have a look at the finished products as well as they will be quite informative.

Today students began work on an assignment they will have three classes to work on and complete. The assignment requires them to complete profiles of two cities; one Canadian City and another city anywhere in the world. Both are cities of their choice. The assignment is due on Friday, March 25th and can be e-mailed to me at davidhamlyn@ncsd.ca. Students are encouraged to use a PowerPoint format as well. Initial work completed by most students shows that a lot of students are going to do good work. All students are encouraged to give their best effort. This assignment will be worth significant credit.

Students are reminded that work that I do not get handed in can and will not receive credit. While most students are quite good in handing in work there are some for which this is a major issue that will obviously affect achievement.

Today we spent 20 minutes looking at the world population clock which also had various other examples such as births/deaths per day, number of vehicles built this year, people dying from malnutrition etc. It leaves quite an impact and I think in many students it may have left them with some thoughts. They are encouraged to use web sites like this for reviewing and studying population related issues. We ended the class with some discussion and brainstorming around what types of things we can do in Canada to address the issue of a shrinking population. We pointed out that without migration, Canada's population would be, or soon approaching, the point where we would have zero growth. That has implications for the country and they were asked to consider things that could be done to encourage a larger birth rate and increased immigration into the country.

Today we addressed immigration into Canada. Students were given notes on the changes that have occurred in respect to the source countries of immigrants and how by 2031 it is expected that a significant population of our population will be either born as a visible minority or have at least one parent who was born as a visible minority. At the end of class we discussed reasons why immigrants might choose to come to Canada.

The next two classes will have students complete activities that require them to create graphs that show how Canadian immigration has changed over the past one hundred years.

Students worked on #10 -12 pages 250-252. Will have to have this completed by Monday's class. Homes will be contacted if not completed and students will have to stay for extra class to complete.

Today we spent the class discussion and taking notes on the various aspects of migration - immigration, emigration and net migration. We also analysed a table which showed the interprovincial migration that has occurred in Canada over the past 30 years. Students were also given questions #10, 11, and 12(pages 250 -252) to start work on. We will also work on these in the next class.

Students should have a good grasp of serveal aspects of population at this point including how to calculate birth rate and death rate and to make comparisons based on graphs displaying that type of information. Also keep aware of what is occurring in Libya and check out the gas prices tomorrow!!! They may be up over 5 cents a litre.

For the last two classes we continue to work through our understanding of population and the varied aspects of that topic. Although fairly straightforward I keep emphasising that they must make sure they fully understand all the concepts and not take things for granted. Prior to today's class students worked on a population pyramid assignment that should be handed in by this time. It is crucial that students understand both how to construct and interpret a population pyramid.

Today we worked through and provided notes on the various aspects of population growth. Some of the material in this respect is found on pages 246 - 247 in the textbook, Students should understand 1) natural increase, 2) immigration, 3) birth rate, 4) death rate and be able to construct a continuous line graph to illustrate data such as birth and death rates. We will complete our work on this in the next class.

We also spent a bit of today's class discussing the events that are unfolding in Libya and other countries in and around North Africa. What is happening there is serious and has significant impacts on our life (just look at gas prices). It is important that students appreciate that what is unfolding is serious and unsettling but it is very much history in the making and they should have an appreciation of that. I would encourage students to bring questions and comments on those events to class.

yesterday's class involved looking first at the "greying of the Canadian population" and the impact that has on our society in terms of jobs, services, lifestyles, economics and a lot of other areas. Students should have some appreciation of how the fact that 1 out of 4 Canadians will be 65 years of age or older by 2030 will have a major impact on our society. After that part of class they were given a worksheet that gets them to work with population pyramids. One part of the activity has them construct a population pyramid. They will be completing this during next class.

Have a good weekend.

Today we looked at population growth across Canada. We explained how to describe population pyramids as being either stable, stationary, expansive, or declining. Students must understand understand those terms as well as to be able to explain natural population growth, natural population decrease, birth rate, death rate and migration. Over the next week we will be using those terms repeatedly. The assignments that students have been working on are due on Tuesday, February 15. Students have had two classes to complete them and the rest has to be completed for homework. A good site to find some great examples of this material is http://www.statcan.gc.ca/kits-trousses/animat/edu06a_0000-eng.htm

We also raised the concept of the "greying of the population." Students will need to understand that concept completely and we will be working with that next class.

The impact of population on all aspects of our lives is so important and the key is understanding the basic concepts.

Discussed population and the distinction between various terms including:
- industrial inertia
- population density
- industrial heartland
- hinterland

Students were then given an assignment they will work on the next few days in class that deals with the population distribution and settlement patterns in Canada.

Mid Terms are complete! Gave back the mid term and went over with students today. Overall pleased with the results and pointed out to students who had difficulty how they should address that difficulty.

Introduced the next unit today with students which will be addressing issues related to population and looking at the settlement patterns in Canada based on where people are located. In the text students can look at pages 252 -260 in the text.

Mid Term Exam
Wednesday, January 26 in the afternoon.

For the remainder of this week students will be given an opportunity to review for the mid term. Students should apply themselves well as this test does account for an important piece of their year evaluation. Students have been given a guide and if they have kept themselves organized for the year they should have a good chance at success. For classes we are reviewing I encourage students to bring topics to class they are having difficultly with. That way we are addressing areas in which they have concern.

The test will consist of the following:

Section A 50 Multiple Choice
Section B Canadian Provinces/Territories and capital cities
Section C Know how to diagram the Rock Cycle
Section D Contour Maps
Section E Topographic Maps
Section F Climographs
Section G Landform Regions
Section H Questions In this section students will have one major question that focuses on the advantages/disadvantages of Canada's geography. All students will have to do that question. Of the remaining 4 questions they will have to complete three questions.

Obviously some of the sections will take more time than other sections so students should should not get caught up on a section. They should move on and come back to sections they have difficulty with after they have completed the rest of the exam.

Today we completed an overview of soil/vegetation regions, climate regions and ecosystems. Similarities were pointed out and took students through the handouts provided on the regions. At end of class each student given a location to create a divergent bar graph on (Question # 5 on page 75) Will complete next day.

Today we finished most all of the notes relating to the characteristics of soil - water, air, minerals, and organic matter. In addition students were given worksheets where they could record information related to a soil profile. We have a few more brief notes and then students will required to complete a chart that outlines the various soil and vegetation regions of Canada.

Also of note is that as of Friday the Geography class will now be divided into two classes instead of one class. We have been fortunate in that the school has been able to access an additional .5 unit that will be used to have two Geography classes and also provide support for students at the intermediate level. Ms. Natasha Gale Chatman has been hired for the remainder of the school year in that capacity. Class lists will be posted tomorrow identifying the classes students will be in as of Friday.

Happy New Year!

We have had two classes in the new year and we are now looking at activities and issues related to how Canadians use resources on the land. Today we started with an overview and then notes were provided on how the characteristics of soil. This will build to the point where students should be able to relate that the soil a region has affects vegetation and consequently how people live in an area.

In addition we have finished watching the movie "Day After Tomorrow" which looks at the effect of drastic climate change. Despite taking an extreme approach the movie does point out the issues that global warming and climate change can present. Students should be able to relate this to issues we are now experiencing with floods in Australia, blizzards in Europe, The wind and rain prior to Christmas and the overall warm winter we are experiencing - Is our climate changing? That is an issue they should be able to relate to.

Stduents should also read in the next few days Chapter 5 in theiur textbook. Pages 68 - 79.