Grade 7 Social Studies- Homework Summary

GRADE 7- Themes of Geographic Inquiry

MAJOR PROJECT

(worth 30% of Term 1's Geography grade)

DUE DATE: Wednesday October 12^th, 2004

For you final project you have a choice of one of the following:

1. Create a brochure/information pamphlet to teach young people what they should do to be safe during a specific natural disaster (eg. tornado, hurricane, earthquake, etc.).

2. Design and build a working model that demonstrates how a specific natural disaster occurs and the types of damage it can cause. This investigation should follow the same scientific format as the wind speed experiment, including;

purpose

hypothesis (what do you predict will be the outcome?)

materials

procedure (step by step, numbered)

observations (labelled diagram)

conclusions (what did you learn?)

3. Build your own webpage dedicated to the history of a particular type of natural disaster through time (eg. "Robyn’s Virtual Tornado Tour!"). This should include pictures, history, maps, explanations of how the disaster occurs and the damage it can do.

The first thing you will do for this project is to decide on which type of disaster most interests you. Now you need to decide which product you would like to produce- a brochure, model or webpage.

CHOSEN DISASTER: ______________________________________________

FINAL PRODUCT WILL BE: ________________________________________

I WILL DO MY RESEARCH: __________ by myself OR ________ with a partner

GRADE 7 TERM ONE PROJECT RUBRIC

Natural Disasters of the World

KNOWLEDGE/ SKILLS	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
Understanding Concepts	The student: * shows understanding of few of the concepts/terms presented in this unit (ie. the five themes of geographic inquiry) * rarely supports their findings with complete explanations.	* shows understanding of some of the concepts/terms presented in this unit (ie. the five themes of geographic inquiry) * sometimes supports their findings with complete explanations.	* shows understanding of most of the concepts/terms presented in this unit (ie. the five themes of geographic inquiry) * usually supports their findings with complete explanations.	* shows understanding of all/almost all of the concepts/terms presented in this unit (ie. the five themes of geographic inquiry) * always/almost always supports their findings with complete explanations.
Inquiry and Research Skills	The student: * is unable to research without assistance * shows no apparent growth in skills over the course of the unit	* is able to research with some assistance * shows some growth in skills over the course of the unit	* is able to research with little assistance * shows general growth in skills over the course of the unit	* is able to research independently * shows significant growth in skills over the course of the unit.
Communication of Required Knowledge	The student: * includes only a few of the required elements with little/no additional research * produces written work, graphs and maps with little clarity and precision * rarely uses topic specific terminology correctly	* includes most of the required elements with little/no additional research * produces written work, graphs and maps with some clarity and precision * sometimes uses topic-specific terminology correctly	* includes all of the required elements with some additional research * produces written work, graphs and maps with general clarity and precision * generally uses topic-specific terminology correctly	* includes all of the required elements with extensive additional research * produces written work, graphs and maps with consistent clarity and precision * consistently uses topic-specific terminology correctly
Applying Concepts and Skills in Various Contexts:	The student: * applies few concepts regarding the "place" and "environment" themes in the context of their natural disaster research	* applies most concepts regarding the "place" and "environment" themes in the context of their natural disaster research	*applies all/almost all concepts regarding the "place" and "environment" themes in the context of their natural disaster research	* applies all concepts regarding the "place" and "environment" themes in the context of their natural disaster research