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B. Global Inequalities: Economic Development and Quality of Life · Global Inequalities: Economic Development and Quality of Life

Be a Geographer: Investigating a Global Development Issue

B2.1 B2.2 B2.3 B2.4 B2.5 B2.6About 60 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can write an inquiry question about global development and quality of life from a geographic perspective.
  • I can gather and organize data from reliable sources, and record sources and dates.
  • I can use maps, graphs and other tools to analyse data.
  • I can evaluate evidence, draw a conclusion and communicate it to a specific audience.

Words to know

inquiry question
An open question that guides an investigation and cannot be answered with yes, no or one fact.
geographic perspective
Looking at an issue through place and space: where it happens, why there, how places are connected, and how it affects people and the environment.
primary source
Original information collected first-hand, such as a survey you run, an interview or a photograph you took.
secondary source
Information collected or interpreted by others, such as a report, article or database.
bias
A one-sided point of view that can affect what information is included or left out.
conclusion
An answer to the inquiry question, supported by evidence.

Hook: you are the geographer

Throughout this unit you used indicators, graphs, maps and case studies. Now you will put it all together and run your own investigation, just like geographers who work for the UN, governments, NGOs and universities.

A compass, a clipboard, a measuring tape, a magnifying glass and a camera on a wooden table beside a river.
Tools of a geographer in the field. In your inquiry, you'll gather and organize evidence, then draw your own conclusions. AI-generated image

The geographic inquiry process

  1. Formulate questions. Write an open inquiry question.
  2. Gather and organize. Find data from reliable sources and organize it in tables, notes or organizers.
  3. Analyse maps and data. Make and read choropleth maps, scatter graphs, population pyramids and other graphs.
  4. Interpret and analyse. Look for patterns, trends, relationships and different perspectives.
  5. Evaluate and conclude. Decide what the evidence shows, how strong it is, and what is still unknown.
  6. Communicate. Share your results in a format that fits your audience, using correct vocabulary.
1. Formulatequestions2. Gather andorganize3. Make mapsand graphs4. Interpretand analyse5. Evaluateand conclude6. CommunicateGeographicinquiry
The six steps of a geographic inquiry. It is a cycle: what you find often leads to a new question.
Weak questionStrong inquiry question
What is Mali's life expectancy?Why is life expectancy lower in the Sahel than in North Africa, and what programs are making a difference?
Is fair trade good?How effective is fair trade cocoa at improving the incomes of farmers in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire?
Do girls go to school?How does access to safe water near home affect girls' school attendance in rural communities?
Are there water advisories?What factors have helped some First Nations communities in Ontario lift long-term drinking water advisories?
Strong questions are open, focused on a place and an issue, and need evidence to answer.
Too broadPoverty in AfricaPick an issueGirls' school attendancePick a placeRural communities in one countryAdd a "how" or "why"How does nearby safe water affect it?Strong, focused inquiry question
Narrowing a topic into a strong inquiry question: choose an issue, a place, and ask how or why.

Reliable sources for this unit

  • UNDP Human Development Reports (HDI)
  • World Bank Open Data (GDP per capita, life expectancy, literacy)
  • WHO and UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (water and sanitation)
  • UNESCO Institute for Statistics (education)
  • Statistics Canada and Indigenous Services Canada (Canada)
  • Gapminder (free animated graphs of world data)

For every source, record the author or organization, title, date and link. Ask: Who made this, and why? Is it up to date? Could it be biased? A charity's webpage may be accurate but is also trying to raise money, so check its facts against data sources.

Worked example

Let's plan an inquiry

Plan an inquiry about safe water and girls' education.

  1. 1. Question: How does access to safe water near home affect girls' school attendance in rural sub-Saharan Africa? (geographic: a region, a pattern, an interrelationship).
  2. 2. Gather: WHO and UNICEF data on water access by country; UNESCO data on girls' school attendance; a WaterAid or UNICEF report with examples; a news article interviewing students. Record each source and date.
  3. 3. Maps and graphs: a choropleth map of % with basic water access; a scatter graph of water access (x) and girls' secondary school attendance (y) for 15 countries.
  4. 4. Interpret: describe the relationship; look for outliers; compare perspectives (students, parents, governments, NGOs).
  5. 5. Conclude: for example, Countries with more water access tend to have higher attendance for girls, and case studies show time spent collecting water is one cause. But poverty, distance to schools and safety also matter, so water is one important factor among several.
  6. 6. Communicate: for a Grade 6 class, make an illustrated infographic; for a city councillor, write a one-page brief with a recommendation.

A complete plan moves from an open question, through sourced data and analysis, to a careful conclusion shared with a specific audience.

Make your conclusion careful

Use phrases like the evidence suggests, tends to, one important factor, and more research is needed on…. Mention the limits of your data (old, incomplete, averages). This shows strong geographic thinking.

Just for fun

Asking a librarian for "a book" is a weak inquiry question. Asking for "a book about how nearby wells changed girls' school attendance in one rural region" is a strong one. The librarian will be amazed, and possibly a little suspicious that you are this organized.

Hands-on activity

Your own mini-inquiry

You need: a device for research (with a grown-up), paper or a slide program, and about two to three hours over several days.

  1. Choose an issue from this unit (water, girls' education, child labour, fair trade, debt, HIV/AIDS, housing in the North, a drinking water advisory, media campaigns).
  2. Write an inquiry question and check it against the table above.
  3. Find at least four sources, including at least two data sources. Record source details.
  4. Make one map and one graph (by hand or digitally).
  5. Write a conclusion of 5 to 8 sentences, including limits.
  6. Choose an audience and format: an infographic, a photo essay, a short podcast, a newspaper article, or a GIS story map. Share it with your family.

Look for: an open, focused question; four recorded sources; a labelled map and graph with titles, legends and sources; a careful conclusion; respectful language; and a format that suits the audience.

Your turn

1

What makes an inquiry question strong?

2

Improve this question: "Is child labour bad?"

3

Name two reliable sources of global development data.

4

What four details should you record for every source?

5

Which graph would best show the relationship between water access and girls' attendance?

6

Why should you mention limits in your conclusion?

7

Give two formats for communicating results and an audience for each.

More practice: warm-up

1

What is the first step of the inquiry process?

2

Is a survey you run yourself a primary or secondary source?

3

Is a World Bank database a primary or secondary source?

4

What is bias?

5

What should every map include?

More practice: on your own

1

Why is it good to include the perspectives of people affected by an issue?

2

You find two sources with different literacy rates for the same country. What should you do?

3

What makes a question geographic?

4

Why might an NGO's website be useful but need checking?

5

Write a careful conclusion sentence about this finding: in 20 countries, higher GDP per capita is linked to longer life expectancy.

Challenge

1

Write an inquiry question that connects two lessons in this unit (for example, population pyramids and economic sectors).

2

Your data show a strong relationship, but you only found sources from NGOs that work on the issue. How would you strengthen your evidence?

3

You are presenting to a Member of Parliament. How would your communication differ from a presentation to Grade 4 students?

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

Which is the strongest inquiry question?

2.

Which is a primary source?

3.

Why should you record the date of each source?

4.

Which tool best shows how a variable differs across countries on a map?

5.

Which conclusion is most careful?

6.

Communicating results to a specific audience means…

For parents and teachers

What this lesson is about: the full geographic inquiry process (B2.1 to B2.6) applied to an issue of global development and quality of life.

How to help at home:

  • Help your child break the project into steps across several days.
  • Supervise online research and help judge source reliability.
  • Be the audience: ask questions after the presentation.

Common difficulties:

  • Questions that are too broad ("poverty in Africa") or too narrow (one fact). Help narrow to a place and an issue.
  • Forgetting to record sources as they go.
  • Conclusions that claim too much. Encourage "suggests" and "tends to".