The unit, Biodiversity:The Spice of Life, provides activities to launch a unit, school theme, and/or to help integrate biodiversity concepts across curriculum. Activity ideas include a focus on:
The unit also includes background information suitable for both teachers and students. Although a West Coast flavour permeates the resource, all of the ideas could be adapted to fit other Canadian environments if the teacher has time to do some researching.
The following tool will allow you to explore the relevant curriculum matches for this resource. To start, select a province listed below.
Principle | Rating | Explanation |
---|---|---|
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives | Good |
|
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives:
| ||
Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions | Good |
|
Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions: Effectively addresses the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the issue(s) being explored.
| ||
Respects Complexity | Very Good |
|
Respects Complexity: The complexity of the problems/issues being discussed is respected. | ||
Acting on Learning | Good |
|
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 | Good |
|
Values Education: Students are explicitly provided with opportunities to identify, clarify and express their own beliefs/values. | ||
Empathy & Respect for Humans | Poor/Not considered |
|
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 | |
Personal Affinity with Earth: Encourages a personal affinity with -the natural world.
| ||
Locally-Focused Learning | Very Good |
|
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. |
Principle | Rating | Explanation |
---|---|---|
Open-Ended Instruction | Good |
|
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 | Satisfactory |
|
Inquiry Learning: Learning is directed by questions, problems, or challenges that students work to address.
| ||
Differentiated Instruction | Good |
|
Differentiated Instruction: Activities address a range of student learning styles, abilities and readiness.
| ||
Experiential Learning | Very Good | |
Experiential Learning: Authentic learning experiences are provided
| ||
Cooperative Learning | Poor/Not considered |
|
Cooperative Learning: Group and cooperative learning strategies are a priority.
| ||
Assessment & Evaluation | Good |
|
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 | Satisfactory |
|
Peer Teaching: Provides opportunities for students to actively present their knowledge and skills to peers and/or act as teachers and mentors.
| ||
Case Studies | Very Good |
|
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 | Good |
|
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. |