The activities in this resource will help you introduce students to biodiversity concepts, plan and hold their own bioblitz in the schoolyard, encourage greater understanding and appreciation of local plants and animals, and introduce different scientific career opportunities to students.
The information and activities in this kit are organized and easy to use. The resource consists of six lessons with ten activities. Each section focuses on a different step of planning and holding a bioblitz, and activities cater to various learning styles. You can choose the activities that fit best with your curriculum or complete all the activities in the kit for the whole bioblitz experience.
Students will:
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 |
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Consideration of Alternative Perspectives | Very Good | Students conduct a bioblitz to learn first hand about the biodiversity in their area which helps them to protect a species at risk, manage resources and land that are used by living things and monitor climate change and its effects on biodiversity. Students gain a deeper understanding of the organisms in their region. |
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives:
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Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions | Satisfactory | The resource examines the environmental dimension of the issue. Students learn about the biodiversity in their area by conducting a bioblitz that can reveal valuable information about the biodiversity in their area. |
Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions: Effectively addresses the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the issue(s) being explored.
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Respects Complexity | Very Good | The bioblitz encourages students to harness their curiosity about the local environment by examining changes to the ecosystem and gain a greater understanding and appreciation of local plants and animals. Conducting a bioblitz helps students understand the biodiversity in their area and helps them protect species at risk, manage resources and land that are used by living things, and monitor climate change and its effects on biodiversity. |
Respects Complexity: The complexity of the problems/issues being discussed is respected. | ||
Acting on Learning | Very Good | Students conduct a bioblitz in their schoolyard. They observe organisms in their schoolyard and record their observations. Students synthesize this information to get an idea of the “big picture” biodiversity in their schoolyard. |
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
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Values Education | Good | The event will foster an appreciation for nature, encourage community involvement in protecting the natural environment, and provide students with opportunities to obtain a better understanding of the biodiversity in their region. |
Values Education: Students are explicitly provided with opportunities to identify, clarify and express their own beliefs/values. | ||
Empathy & Respect for Humans | Poor/Not considered | Not considered in this resource |
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 | Very Good | The bioblitz helps students understand the biodiversity in an area, helps students protect species at risk, manage resources and land that are used by living things, and monitor climate change and its effects on biodiversity. |
Personal Affinity with Earth: Encourages a personal affinity with -the natural world.
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Locally-Focused Learning | Very Good | The bioblitz learning experience takes place in the schoolyard. The Bioblitz is a great way to get students involved in fun, outdoor, educational activity while contributing to knowledge about local biodiversity in a way that can inform conservation decisions. |
Locally-Focused Learning: Includes learning experiences that take advantage of issues/elements within the local community.
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Past, Present & Future | Good | Students discuss how the information collected during a bioblitz can be used in the present and in the future. |
Past, Present & Future: Promotes an understanding of the past, a sense of the present, and a positive vision for the future. |
Principle | Rating | Explanation |
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Open-Ended Instruction | Very Good | The information and activities in this resource are organized for teachers to easily use. Each section focuses on a different step of planning and holding a bioblitz, and activities cater to a variety of different learning styles. You can pick and choose the activities that fit best with your curriculum, or you can complete all the activities in the kit for the full bioblitz experience. Students discover and learn about the plants and animals itheir schoolyard. |
Open-Ended Instruction
: Lessons are structured so that multiple/complex answers are possible; students are not steered toward one 'right' answer. | ||
Integrated Learning | Good |
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Integrated Learning: Learning brings together content and skills from more than one subject area
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Inquiry Learning | Very Good | This resource encourages students to take the lead in their learning experience. Planning, conducting and debriefing components of the bioblitz offer a quality guided-inquiry experience. |
Inquiry Learning: Learning is directed by questions, problems, or challenges that students work to address.
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Differentiated Instruction | Very Good | Each section focuses on a different step of planning and holding a bioblitz, and activities cater to a variety of different learning styles. Teachers can pick and choose the activities that fit best with your curriculum |
Differentiated Instruction: Activities address a range of student learning styles, abilities and readiness.
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Experiential Learning | Very Good | Teachers plan and hold their own bioblitz in the schoolyard and encourage students to get a greater understanding and appreciation of local plants and animals in their schoolyard. |
Experiential Learning: Authentic learning experiences are provided
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Cooperative Learning | Good | Some group and discussion work is suggested in some of the activities. |
Cooperative Learning: Group and cooperative learning strategies are a priority.
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Assessment & Evaluation | Poor/Not considered | There are no tools or suggestions for the assessment of learning. |
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 | Students could share their findings with the community but this is not suggested in the resource. |
Peer Teaching: Provides opportunities for students to actively present their knowledge and skills to peers and/or act as teachers and mentors.
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Case Studies | Poor/Not considered | |
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 | Students may use the information collected during the bioblitz to extend their learning about the biodiversity of their region. |
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. |