|
|
 |
Special Places: Eco-lessons from the National Parks in Atlantic Canada
Special Places Eco-lessons Overview
Students will work in teams to
select an environment within a
specific national park and then
design an animal or plant that can
live only in that particular
environment.
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
- explain the concept of “habitat” as it relates to the needs and habits of a particular plant or animal;
- compare external features and behavioral patterns of their invented species;
- describe at least three adaptive features of plants and animals and how the invented species meet their basic needs in the natural habitats;
- illustrate the food web that exists for their new species.
Students will explore the variety of
habitats in each of the seven
national parks in Atlantic Canada
and understand what makes them
special enough to be a national
park.
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
- explain the concept of “habitat” as it relates to the needs and habits of a particular plant or animal;
- describe in what ways each national park in Atlantic Canada is unique and special;
- defend the importance of national parks in Canada;
- explain how national parks can provide different things to different people.
Students will develop a poster (Grade
4) or TV commercial (Grades 6 and
7) that celebrates the essence of a
national park in Atlantic Canada and
emphasizes the protection of the
ecological integrity of all the parks.
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
- describe each national park in Atlantic Canada with respect to its climate, physical geography and habitats;
- identify ways their media encourages people to protect and preserve the ecology of their selected park;
- critique various advertisements and commercial messages.
Students will combine science
learning outcomes with media
literacy by researching and writing
a newspaper article on a particular
resource management issue in one
of three national parks in Atlantic
Canada.
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
- explain why national parks in Atlantic Canada have individual resource management issues;
- develop research skills for scientific inquiry;
- develop communication skills for presenting their results and ideas;
- apply their understandings about the issues and interpret them through writing.
Students will work together in
conservation recovery teams to
describe an endangered species
and explain why it is endangered.
They will explore efforts taken to
ensure that species’ protection and
status improvement within the
national parks in Atlantic Canada.
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
- explain why certain species of animals and plants are endangered;
- describe efforts to study the population size of some of these species;
- explain what is being done to ensure the continued existence of these species within the national parks in Atlantic Canada.
Students will create a diagram
(mural, flow chart or other visual
display) that illustrates the flow of
energy in an ecosystem, using a
national park as the model.
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
- distinguish between and understand the following terms: consumer, producer, decomposer, herbivore, carnivore, omnivore, food chain/web, ecosystem;
- create a sketch of an ecosystem and identify the interactions that take place within that ecosystem, including both biotic and abiotic components;
- explain how energy is supplied to and how it flows through a food web;
- identify and investigate questions related to a local ecosystem such as “what types of species live in a particular ecosystem” (specific to the Extension activities);
- organize and record data collected in an investigation of an ecosystem (specific to the Extension activities).
Students will learn about Environmental Impact Assessment, Environmental Impact Statements and Cumulative Environmental Effects as they relate to the national parks in Atlantic Canada through the preparation and presentation of a community open house information session.
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
- describe and discuss various environmental impacts in light of resource management activities;
- recognize potential conflicts between resource use and the environment;
- analyze the cumulative impacts on an ecosystem and explain anticipated changes over time;
- assess human impacts on a specific environment;
- defend a certain point of view in a simulated public meeting;
- communicate questions, ideas and intentions and receive, interpret, understand, support and respond to the ideas of others.
Students will consider why there are national parks. They will reflect on their usefulness to Canadians and why they are critical to the survival of our planet. Students will be asked to investigate issues that affect the sustainability of national park ecosystems and how the concept of sustainability has brought about a change in national park management.
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
- debate issues around the protection, preservation and conservation of ecosystems in protected areas;
- explain a variety of perspectives regarding the pros and cons of setting aside land and resources as national parks.
Students will be asked to investigate issues that affect the sustainability of national park ecosystems and how the concept of sustainability has brought about a change in national park management.
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
- identify the issues affecting the sustainability of an ecosystem;
- understand how the concept of sustainability has influenced our perception of how a national park should be managed;
- communicate and convey questions, ideas and intentions and receive, understand and respond to the ideas of others with respect to environmental management.
Students will learn about Atlantic salmon in the national parks in Atlantic Canada. They will work together in teams to create a Futures Wheel on the park of their choice. Using Atlantic salmon as the key species for inquiry, students will research the park, collect information, and then work the wheel outwards to predict what the outcomes of change will be and determine how the park will have to react to address the issues they uncover.
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
- analyze the many interactions between the Atlantic salmon fisheries in Eastern Canada, as they relate to economics, recreation, ecosystem management, etc.;
- interpret management decisions in each selected park, and make proposals for how to better ensure the long-term survival of the salmon;
- explain various ways in which natural populations are kept in equilibrium and relate this equilibrium to the resource limits of an ecosystem.
Students will investigate species at risk (SAR) and spaces at risk in the context of Canadian biomes and ecological land classification focusing on Atlantic Canada’s ecoregions. They will describe ecoregions in terms of climate, physical geography, vegetation cover and location relevant to species at risk. They will research, document and make presentations about the natural history and ecology of a population, reasons for endangerment, and interventions necessary to ensure recovery.
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
- explore and compare Canadian biomes and other ecologically classed land in terms of climate, vegetation, physical geography and location;
- describe population growth and explain factors that influence population growth;
- describe and apply classification systems and nomenclatures used in the sciences;
- develop and deliver an organized and effective presentation;
- identify and investigate questions related to a local ecosystem such as “what types of species live in a particular ecosystem” (specific to the Extension activities);
- organize and record data collected in an investigation of an ecosystem (specific to the Extension activities).
|
