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Description
Students design an individual mosaic square that depicts what biodiversity means to them. All of the squares are then assembled to create one collaborative piece that raises awareness about the importance of protecting biodiversity.
The lesson begins with a discussion of biodiversity and the students work to create a consensus on a definition of the term. Afterwards they begin to create their mosaic piece. All of the individual pieces are assembled and displayed in a prominent place. The follow up discussion centers on the ideas that biodiversity does not just mean animals but all components of the ecosystem and why that is important.
Extension activities are included.
General Assessment
What skills does this resource explicitly teach?
The resource's goal is to raise awareness rather than explicitly teaching skills.
Strengths
- Novel idea to engage the students
- Good quantity of background information
- The resource is easy to use and contains all necessary materials
Weaknesses
- There are no assessment tools included
- There are no strategies included for struggling learners
Recommendation of how and where to use it
This lesson plan would fit very well in a collaborative effort between Visual Arts and Science classes. It helps to achieve the outcomes related to biodiversity, interactions in the environment and ecosystems while encouraging artistic/design creativity.
Relevant Curriculum Units
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- Alberta
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- Grade 5
- Grade 6
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- Science
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- Living Systems: Understandings of the living world, Earth, and space are deepened through investigating natural systems and their interactions
- Visual Art
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- Visual Arts
- Grade 7
- Grade 8
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- Freshwater and Saltwater Systems
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- Visual Art: Drawings
- Grade 9
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- Science
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- Biological Diversity
- Knowledge and Employability Science: Biological Diversity (Social and Environmental Contexts Emphasis)
- Knowledge and Employability Science: Environmental Chemistry (Social and Environmental Contexts Emphasis)
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- Visual Arts: Drawings
- British Columbia
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- Grade 5
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- Arts
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- Arts Education: Artists experiment in a variety of ways to discover new possibilities and perspectives.
- Arts Education: Dance, drama, music and visual arts are each unique languages for creating and communicating.
- Arts Education: Works of art influence and are influenced by the world around us.
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- Arts Education: Dance, drama, music, and visual arts are each unique languages for creating and communicating.
- Arts Education: Engaging in creative expression and experiences expands people’s sense of identity and community.
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- Arts
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- Arts Education: Dance, drama, music, and visual arts are each unique languages for creating and communicating
- Arts Education: Engaging in the arts develops people’s ability to understand and express complex ideas
- Arts Education: Through art making, one’s sense of identity and community continually evolves.
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- Arts
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- Arts Education: Artists often challenge the status quo and open us to new perspectives and experiences.
- Arts Education: Dance, drama, music, and visual arts are each unique languages for creating and communicating.
- Arts Education: Individual and collective expression can be achieved through the arts.
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- Arts
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- Arts Education: Creative arts experiences can build community and nurture relationships with others.
- Arts Education: Dance, drama, music, and visual arts each use their own unique sensory language for creating and communicating.
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- Grade 5
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- Visual Art
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- Science 7 Earth Surface Processes: Learning and Living Sustainably
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- Visual Art
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- Visual Art
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- Create
- Newfoundland & Labrador
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- Grade 5
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- Arts
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- Arts: Creating, Making, and Presenting
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- Diversity of Life
- Visual Art
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- Art: Creating, Making, and Presenting
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- Creating, Making and Presenting
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- Northwest Territories
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- Arts Education: Artists experiment in a variety of ways to discover new possibilities and perspectives.
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- Arts:Visual Art
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- Arts Education 6: Visual Arts
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- Life Systems: Diversity of Living Things
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- Arts Education 9: Visual arts
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- Arts Education: Dance, drama, music, and visual arts each use their own unique sensory language for creating and communicating.
- Science
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- Biological Diversity
- Nova Scotia
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- Science 6: Diversity of Life
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- Biological Diversity
- Knowledge and Employability Science: Biological Diversity (Social and Environmental Contexts Emphasis)
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- Ontario
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- Grade 5
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- Arts: Visual Arts
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- Arts: Visual Arts
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- Arts
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- Integrated Arts (Open): Creating and Presenting
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- :Biology: Sustainable Ecosystems
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- Prince Edward Island
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- Grade 5
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- Visual Art
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- Visual Arts: Creating and Presenting
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- Diversity of Life
- Visual Art
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- Visual Arts: Creating and Presenting
- Grade 7
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- Science
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- Interactions Within Ecosystems
- Visual Art
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- Visual Arts: Drawing Unit
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- Visual Art
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- Visual Arts: Drawing Unit
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- Visual Art
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- Visual Arts: Drawing Unit
- Quebec
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- Grade 5
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- Arts
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- Arts: Visual Arts: To produce individual works in the visual arts
- Science & Technology
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- Living Things
- Grade 6
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- Arts
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- Arts: Visual Arts: To produce individual works in the visual arts
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- Living Things
- Grade 7
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- Arts
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- Arts: Visual Arts: Creates media images
- Arts: Visual Arts: Creates personal images
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- The Living World
- Grade 8
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- Arts
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- Arts: Visual Arts: Creates media images
- Science & Technology
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- The Living World
- Grade 9
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- Science & Technology
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- Applied Science & Technology: The Living World
- Science and Technology: The Living World
- Visual Art
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- Visual Arts: Creates media images
- Saskatchewan
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- Grade 5
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- Arts
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- Arts Education 5: Creative/Productive
- Grade 6
- Grade 7
- Grade 8
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- Arts
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Arts Education 8: Creative Productive
- Arts Education: Dance, drama, music, and visual arts are each unique languages for creating and communicating.
- Grade 9
- Step 3Select a subject
- Arts
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Arts Education 9: Creative/Productive
- Yukon Territory
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 5
- Step 3Select a subject
- Arts
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Arts Education: Artists experiment in a variety of ways to discover new possibilities and perspectives.
- Arts Education: Dance, drama, music and visual arts are each unique languages for creating and communicating.
- Arts Education: Works of art influence and are influenced by the world around us.
- Grade 6
- Step 3Select a subject
- Arts
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Arts Education: Dance, drama, music, and visual arts are each unique languages for creating and communicating.
- Arts Education: Engaging in creative expression and experiences expands people’s sense of identity and community.
- Grade 7
- Step 3Select a subject
- Arts
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Arts Education: Dance, drama, music, and visual arts are each unique languages for creating and communicating
- Arts Education: Engaging in the arts develops people’s ability to understand and express complex ideas
- Arts Education: Through art making, one’s sense of identity and community continually evolves.
- Grade 8
- Step 3Select a subject
- Arts
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Arts Education: Artists often challenge the status quo and open us to new perspectives and experiences.
- Arts Education: Dance, drama, music, and visual arts are each unique languages for creating and communicating.
- Arts Education: Individual and collective expression can be achieved through the arts.
- Grade 9
- Step 3Select a subject
- Arts
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Arts Education: Creative arts experiences can build community and nurture relationships with others.
- Arts Education: Dance, drama, music, and visual arts each use their own unique sensory language for creating and communicating.
Themes Addressed
Ecosystems (2)
- Biodiversity
- Interdependence
Land Use & Natural Resources (1)
- Forests
Water (1)
- Marine Environments
Sustainability Education Principles
| Principle | Rating | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Consideration of Alternative Perspectives | Good | The resource is very open ended and allows the students the freedom to interpret the discussions held and information presented. There isn't necessarily an issue to take an informed position on but rather an important topic to learn about and then express their thoughts artistically. |
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives:
| ||
| Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions | Good | In the discussions that are held, the teacher will need to ensure that the environmental, social and economic dimensions of the issue are covered in order to realistically portray the importance of biodiversity in our world. |
| Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions: Effectively addresses the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the issue(s) being explored.
| ||
| Respects Complexity | Good | |
| Respects Complexity: The complexity of the problems/issues being discussed is respected. | ||
| Acting on Learning | Good | The completed mosaic should be displayed in a prominent area of the school in order to encourage important discussions with other students. |
| Acting on Learning: Learning moves from understanding issues to working towards positive change — in personal lifestyle, in school, in the community, or for the planet
| ||
| Values Education | Very Good | With the creation of a mosaic piece, the students are able to demonstrate their beliefs and values via the artistic work. |
| Values Education: Students are explicitly provided with opportunities to identify, clarify and express their own beliefs/values. | ||
| Empathy & Respect for Humans | Poor/Not considered | This is not the focus of this lesson. |
| Empathy & Respect for Humans: Empathy and respect are fostered for diverse groups of humans (including different genders, ethnic groups, sexual preferences, etc.). | ||
| Personal Affinity with Earth | Good | The reflection on biodiversity and the creation of the mosaic will allow for this type of connection. |
| Personal Affinity with Earth: Encourages a personal affinity with -the natural world.
| ||
| Locally-Focused Learning | Satisfactory | |
| Locally-Focused Learning: Includes learning experiences that take advantage of issues/elements within the local community.
| ||
| Past, Present & Future | Good | |
| Past, Present & Future: Promotes an understanding of the past, a sense of the present, and a positive vision for the future. | ||
Pedagogical Approaches
| Principle | Rating | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Open-Ended Instruction | Very Good | The lesson structure allows for students to discuss the concept of biodiversity and express their personal understanding of it through artistic expression. |
| Open-Ended Instruction
: Lessons are structured so that multiple/complex answers are possible; students are not steered toward one 'right' answer. | ||
| Integrated Learning | Very Good |
|
| Integrated Learning: Learning brings together content and skills from more than one subject area
| ||
| Inquiry Learning | Poor/Not considered | The resource is not structured in this manner. |
| Inquiry Learning: Learning is directed by questions, problems, or challenges that students work to address.
| ||
| Differentiated Instruction | Satisfactory | There are no strategies included for learners with difficulties. |
| Differentiated Instruction: Activities address a range of student learning styles, abilities and readiness.
| ||
| Experiential Learning | Poor/Not considered | The resource is not structured in this manner. |
| Experiential Learning: Authentic learning experiences are provided
| ||
| Cooperative Learning | Satisfactory | While students work individually to create their tiles/pieces, the completed mosaic is a combined class effort. |
| Cooperative Learning: Group and cooperative learning strategies are a priority.
| ||
| Assessment & Evaluation | Poor/Not considered | Although there is a section in the document that is titled "Discussion and Assessment" there are no tools included that can be used for the assessment of learning. Rather, the document suggests having a discussion with the students. |
| Assessment & Evaluation: Tools are provided that help students and teachers to capture formative and summative information about students' learning and performance. These tools may include reflection questions, checklists, rubrics, etc. | ||
| Peer Teaching | Poor/Not considered | The resource is not structured in this manner. This aspect could be added by having the students present their mosaic piece to the class and explain why they chose the elements they did. |
| Peer Teaching: Provides opportunities for students to actively present their knowledge and skills to peers and/or act as teachers and mentors.
| ||
| Case Studies | Poor/Not considered | This is not relevant to the lesson plan. |
| Case Studies: Relevant case studies are included. Case studies are thorough descriptions of real events from real situations that students use to explore concepts in an authentic context. | ||
| Locus of Control | Very Good | The students are provided with minimal direction on how to proceed with their mosaic piece thus allowing them to choose all elements of their design. |
| Locus of Control: Meaningful opportunities are provided for students to choose elements of program content, the medium in which they wish to work, and/or to go deeper into a chosen issue. | ||
