Part Two: Activities
The activities in each lesson are designed to help students deepen their base of knowledge and test their understanding of the main concepts mandated in the curriculum. You can decide which (and how many) activities you’d like students to complete. There is one recommended activity per chapter that helps link the lessons forward, giving students the opportunity to build towards their final project, which is revealed next chapter.
Collaboration is Key:
Summary: In this activity, students will work to develop their collaboration skills.
Objectives: The objective of this activity is to help students improve their collaboration skills. Students will find a partner and explore different tools and resources that will aid them both in the development of their final projects.
Skills:
- Collaboration
- Marketing
- Time management
- Problem solving
- Creative thinking
- Communication
Instructions:
Part One:
- Begin by introducing the activity and explaining the objectives to the students.
- Divide the class into pairs, or have them choose a partner working on a similar project.
- Instruct students to share their idea with their partner, and collaborate on a plan that will help promote both ideas.
- Point students to the prompts provided in the activity as a guide to help them with this exercise.
- Give students time to work on their plans and offer assistance where needed.
- When plans are complete, encourage students to follow through with them, pitching their ideas to potential funders and decision-makers.
Part Two:
- Instruct students to write a press release about their final project in order to generate publicity and build support for their idea.
- Give students time to write their press releases, using the resource in the activity as a guide.
- Once the press releases are complete, encourage students to send them to the media and see if a local news outlet will cover the story being pitched or the efforts of the entire class!
Assessment: Assessment for this activity should be based on how well students collaborate, and whether they work to complement each other’s skills and seek to help both projects succeed. Assessment can also be based on the quality of the plan and press release they create.
Two-Eyed Seeing:
Summary: In this activity, students will explore the intersections of Indigenous traditional knowledge and western science.
Objective: The objective of this activity is to help students explore and compare Indigenous traditional knowledge and western science. Through this activity, students will develop critical thinking and analytical skills, and a better understanding for how different knowledge systems can work together.
Skills:
- Collaboration
- Process
- Cultural awareness
- Critical thinking
- Research
- Communication
- Scientific inquiry
Instructions:
- Begin by introducing students to the activity’s objectives and the main concepts that they will be focusing on. You can present or have students review the slideshow presentations that are included with this activity.
- As a class, select a biodiversity-focused scientific question that has been explored by both western science and Indigenous traditional knowledge (say the state of caribou populations on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains).
- Divide the class in half. One half will investigate how Indigenous traditional knowledge has worked to answer the question, while the other half will look at how western science has approached the question. Encourage students to use a variety of resources to gather information.
- After both groups have completed their research, have each side present their findings to the other. Encourage students to share any new insights or information they learned from the other group’s presentation.
- After both groups have presented, lead a class discussion that will work to answer the questions listed in the activity, weighing how Indigenous traditional knowledge and western science can or should work together. Encourage students to think critically about how these two approaches can be used together to create a more holistic understanding of biodiversity.
Assessment: Monitor group work and observe class discussions to evaluate engagement, participation, and understanding of the core concepts, and assess how students use their critical thinking skills throughout the activity.
Success vs Failure:
Summary: In this activity, students will analyze two scientific studies – one that was successful and one that wasn’t.
Objective: The objective of this activity is to help students better understand the scientific method of inquiry by exploring processes that worked and ones that didn’t. Students will evaluate two studies that focus on a similar theme or message in order to learn lessons that they can apply to their own processes of inquiry.
Skills:
- Critical thinking
- Analysis
- Creativity
- Inquiry
- Communication
- Collaboration
Instructions:
- Introduce the activity and explain the objectives.
- Instruct students to find two examples of science-focused ideas that are similar to what they’re trying to accomplish. One example should be a success; the other should be a failure.
- Tell students to investigate the processes behind each example to understand why one succeeded and one failed, answering the questions listed in Part One of the activity.
- When students have finished answering the questions, divide the class into pairs and ask that the students compare notes. This will ensure that more students learn more lessons that, in turn, can be applied to their final projects.
- Next, have students pick two podcasts from the Podcast Pool and instruct them to follow the prompts listed in Part Two of the activity.
- Finally, direct students to Part Three of the activity and encourage them to review the How to Measure Outcomes resource. This knowledge might come in handy as they work to build their final project and it will most certainly come in handy later in life.
Assessment: Assessment should be based on how well students analyze and evaluate their examples, the quality of the answers to the questions listed in Part One and Part Two of the activity, and their participation and engagement in the group work and the activity as a whole.
Process Planning: *Recommended*
Summary: In this activity, students will create a process timeline to map-out how they will bring their final project to life.
Objective: The aim of this activity is to build on the work students have completed in previous chapters and help them create an itemized timeline of tasks that need to be completed in order for their final project to succeed. Students will apply the process lessons they learned in this chapter and develop further tools that will keep them stay organized and manage their time effectively. Moreover, this activity also aims to help students measure success and reflect on whether their goal is too big or too small.
Skills:
- Critical thinking
- Self-reflection
- Process
- Measuring success
- Skill-building
- Organization
- Time management
Instructions:
- Introduce the activity and explain its purpose.
- Instruct students to follow the step-by-step instructions listed in the activity.
- Monitor the students as they build their timelines, ensuring that they follow instructions and are setting both realistic and ambitious goals.
Assessment: The completed timelines should be assessed for detail, organization, time management, goal setting and realism/ambition.
Students also have access to the Curated Library – with featured resources presented in the Further Exploration section found at the base of the lesson page – to help them with the above activities.