The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9-12 - Ministère de l'éducation ...

PREFACE
This resource guide supersedes The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9–12: Environmental
Education – Scope and Sequence of Expectations, 2009.
Environmental education is defined as:
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education about the environment, for the environment, and in the environment that promotes an
understanding of, rich and active experience in, and an appreciation for the dynamic interactions of:
• The Earth’s physical and biological systems
• The dependency of our social and economic systems on these natural systems
• The scientific and human dimensions of environmental issues
• The positive and negative consequences, both intended and unintended, of the
interactions between human-created and natural systems.
(Shaping Our Schools, Shaping Our Future, p. 6)
The document Acting Today, Shaping Tomorrow: A Policy Framework for Environmental
Education in Ontario Schools, released in February 2009, provides a guide for the
implementation of environmental education in boards and schools across the province. One of
the goals of this policy framework is as follows:
By the end of Grade 12, students will acquire knowledge, skills, and perspectives that
foster understanding of their fundamental connections to each other, to the world around
them, and to all living things.
(Acting Today, Shaping Tomorrow, p. 11)
The policy framework emphasizes the necessity of ensuring that young people become
environmentally active and responsible citizens. Students need to have the knowledge and skills
that will enable them to understand and deal with complex issues that affect the environment
now and in the future. For example, students need to develop skills in problem solving, inquiry,
decision making, action planning, higher-level thinking, systems thinking, and critical literacy.
They also need to be able to identify issues and perspectives, carry out research, and
communicate their ideas in meaningful ways.
To help achieve this goal, the Ministry of Education is working to embed environmental
education expectations and opportunities in all grades and in all subjects of the Ontario
curriculum, as appropriate, as part of the ongoing curriculum review process. Scope and
Sequence resource documents were prepared in 2008 to assist teachers in bringing environmental
education into the classroom in each discipline in Grades 1 to 8 and Grades 9 to 12. The Scope
and Sequence documents will be updated regularly to reflect changes in the curriculum
documents that are in effect in that school year.
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