CIDA: Where should Canadians help out?

Students will study the geographic areas and sectors where Canadians have contributed foreign aid over the past few years. They will analyze statistics to decide where they think Canada’s foreign aid should be directed in the future.

Grade Level

Grades 9 - 12

Time Required

150 minutes

Curriculum Connection

Ontario, Grade 9 Canadian Geography

Analyze connections between Canada and other countries

Communicate the results of geographic inquiries, using appropriate terms and concepts and a variety of forms and techniques

Additional Resources, Materials and Equipment Required

White/black board

Chalk or white board markers

Paper

Pencil/pen

  • Canadian Geographic –A developing World map – 2013 edition

Appendix A: Photographs (attached)

Appendix B: Student Worksheet (attached)

Appendix C: Fact Sheet (attached)

Appendix D: Student Activity: Where should Canada help out? (attached)

Main Objective

Students will develop an understanding of Canada’s in identifying global areas of need and providing Official Developmental Assistance (ODA) to these regions.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

  • identify Canada’s role in international development;
  • identify the main priorities that guide Canada’s Official Developmental Assistance (ODA) internationally;
  • analyze statistical data from the Canadian Geographic –A developing World map – 2011 edition to decide where they think Canada’s aid should be focused in the future.

Lesson

Introduction

/ 1) Portrait of daily life activity
Begin the lesson by showing the students two photographs as part of a ‘minds on’ activity. (Appendix A) Engage students in a Socratic activity where they are required to think about the events in the daily life of people who live in developing countries.
Ask students what they know about the contributions Canada makes to address the issues faced by people in developing countries.
Assign the task of completing Portrait of daily life (Appendix B).
Once the students have completed their worksheet, lead a class discussion where students share their analysis of the images.

Lesson

Development

/

2) Think, Pair, Share Brainstorm

Instruct the class to consider the reasons why Canada should help with issues affecting developing countries around the world.
(Suggestion: Write the question on the board and write down student ideas throughout the brainstorming activity.)
3) Fact sheet
Distribute the Fact sheet (Appendix C)and review the information, areas of focus, and key terms to ensure that students understand the key ideas and concepts.
4) TASK: Where should Canada help out?
Direct students to the Canadian Geographic –A developing World map – 2013 editionand ask them to explain some of the key sources of information that are included on the map.
Distribute the activity Where should Canada help out?(Appendix D)and explain that students will use the information on the map to complete the graphic organizer.

Conclusion

/ Direct students to answer the question: Where should Canada focus their efforts based on the data that has been collected?
Circulate and support students as they complete their culminating written response.
Once the students have completed their paragraph the teacher may ask them to share their ideas with the class.

Lesson Extension

Mandatory – Students will complete any unfinished work at home and will be given links to additional information on Canada’s international development case studies for further investigation.

Optional – Students may examine, in greater detail, specific cases of Canada’s current involvement in different countries around the world.

Assessment of Student Learning

Rubrics may be used for ‘A Portrait of Daily Life’ to assess student observation and inferences and the completion of the chart and written response. Also, anecdotal assessment can be done for the Think, Pair, Share portion of the lesson.

Link to Canadian National Standards for Geography

Essential Element #1: The World in Spatial Terms

  • Map, globe and atlas use

Geographic Skill #4: Analyzing geographic information

  • Make inferences and draw conclusions from maps and other geographic representations.

Appendix A: Photographs

Photo 1: Water

Source:

ec.gc.ca/eau-water/default.asp?lang=En&n=EB0D48DA-1

Photo 2: Canadian Teacher

Source: teachers.ab.ca/Publications/ATA%20News/Volume-45-2010-11/Number11/Pages/CIDAwillnolongerfundCTFsProjectOverseas.aspx

Appendix B: Student Worksheet

Appendix C:

FACTSHEET

Canada has three main priorities for international development:

1)Increasing food security

2)Securing the future of children and youth

3)Stimulating sustainable economic growth

Crosscutting these three main priorities are the themes of environmental stability and sustainable solutions.

Canada is involved in many areas around the world including countries in the Americas, Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. There has been meaningful progress in many of the countries in which they are involved.(For more specific information refer to (Source: Retrieved May 14, 2011, from )

The Canadian Atlas Online – Canada and Overseas Development states that:

  • Canadadisbursed $3.57 billion in ODA (Official Development Assistance) during the 2009 – 2010
  • Recently, Canada has narrowed its focus of activities and reduced the number of countries of concentration.
  • New emphasis on developing countries within the western hemisphere, including Bolivia, Columbia, Haiti, Honduras, Peru and 14 countries in the Caribbean.
  • Five Asian countries made it on the list: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan and Vietnam.
  • Several African countries had their aid cut and seven sub-Saharan countries were declared priorities: Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Mozambique, Senegal, Sudan and Tanzania.
  • One eastern European country, Ukraine was selected
  • In the Middle East, Canada declared the Palestinian territories of West Bank and Gaza to be priorities.

Key Terms

Human Development Index (HDI): an index that includes measures of health, education, and wealth to indicate a country’s level of human development

Gross Domestic Product (GDP): total value of the goods and services produced within a country per person, excluding transactions with other countries

Official Development Assistance (ODA): government provided foreign aid

Clark, B., Wallace, J. K., & Earle, K. (2006). Making connections: Canada's geography. (2nd ed.). Toronto: Pearson Education.

Bilateral Aid: Bilateral aid is help given by one country to another. With bilateral aid, only two countries are involved (Canadian Council for Geographic Education – grade 7, page 11, World Map – Developing World – Nova Scotia)

Multinational Development Assistance: Contributions to international partnerships brought together under the United Nations and other international institutions (Pg 3 of Deliverable A)

Appendix D:

Student Activity- Where should Canada help out?

Students will study the geographic areas and sectors where Canada has contributed aid over the past few years. Then, using the statistics on the Canadian GeographicA developing World map – 2011 edition, students will decide where they think Canada's aid should be focused in the future.

Student Activity:

Use the Human Developmental Index and Canada’s three main priorities for international development to complete the graphic organizer below to identify areas of need for Official Development Assistance (ODA).

Geographic Area: /

HDI Ranking

(high, medium, low, classification not available) / Increasing Food Security
(Poverty and Hunger, Population) / Securing the future of children and youth
(Education, Health, HIV/AIDS) / Stimulating sustainable economic growth
(Environment)
Americas:
North America
Latin America
Caribbean
North Africa and Middle East
Sub-Saharan Africa

Eastern

Europe

Asia:

Central/Eastern Europe and Central Asia
East Asia and Pacific
South Asia

Based on the data in your completed graphic organizer, explain in a well-written paragraph where Canada should provide international aid in the future? Why?

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