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 in Chapter Six.

Skills Quiz:

Summary: In this activity, students will explore their interests and skills, and see how they relate to this class.

Objective: Students excel when they’re interested in the material and the lessons feel relevant to their lives. The objective of this activity is to help students identify their passions and skills in order to do just that. Part One asks students to complete a skills quiz to determine what they do well. Part Two asks students to analyze their skills and reflect on how they might master new ones. Part Three explores student passions and interests. Part Four helps students understand what kind of person they are – how they might link their skills and interests. By the end of the activity, students will better understand what they bring to this class and how to focus their work around what they like and what they’re good at.

Skills:

• Self-awareness
• Goal setting
• Problem solving
• Research skills
• Creativity
• Critical thinking

Instructions:

1. Begin the activity by explaining the importance of skill-building and why skill development can help students achieve success in life and work. Briefly go over the three types of skills – transferable, personal and knowledge-based – using the information provided in the activity.
2. Direct students to Part One of the activity – the online skills quiz – and give them time to complete it. After they finish, encourage students to reflect on their results and identify their top skills.
3. Ask students to answer the questions provided in Part Two of the activity, either individually or in small groups. Encourage them to reflect on their own strengths and seek feedback from others to gain a better understanding of their skills.
4. In Part Three of the activity, have students reflect on their passions and interests, and encourage them to use this information, along with their skills, to inform or focus their work in the class.
5. In Part Four, have students identify their personality type and determine what careers might best fit with it. Having done that, ask students to then reflect on how this class fits with their personality type and how skills built in this class might help them in the future.
6. After completing the activity, facilitate a group discussion on the importance of identifying and building skills, and why linking skills with interests in this class will help students find meaning and success. Encourage students to share their reflections and any insights gained from the activity.

Assessment: This activity doesn’t lend itself easily to formal assessment, but teachers can evaluate student engagement and participation in the activity.

Solving the Riddle:

Summary: In this activity, students will focus on their curiosities in order to expand their knowledge base.

Objective: The objective of this activity is to help students better understand what they don’t know they don’t know by encouraging them to explore concepts and ideas that previously weren’t on their radar. They will build on the brainstorming activity they completed in Chapter Two and use various tools such as linked resources, the Curated Library, virtual field trips and other information hubs to enhance their understanding of confusing or complex topics.

Skills:

• Critical thinking
• Research skills
• Collaboration
• Communication
• Curiosity

Instructions:

1. Begin the activity by reminding students of the brainstorming activity they completed in the previous chapter. Instruct them to review the questions they generated and ask students to think more deeply and critically about what they may have missed.
2. Provide students with a list of activities to further explore topics they know little about, or that feel overwhelming or impenetrable. These activities might include:
   • Browsing the Curated Library
   • Doing more research on their questions and ideas at a physical library
   • Listening to podcasts
   • Going on a virtual field trip to find inspiration
   • Listening to and learning from traditional knowledge
3. Remind students to take notes on what they learn. Ask them to write down any new questions or ideas that surface and require further exploration, adding these points to their brainstorming boards.
4. After completing the activity, encourage students to share what they learned and what new questions they uncovered. Underscore the importance of asking questions, and the impact it can have on understanding and learning.

Assessment: Assess student participation in the activity, and evaluate their ability to think critically and use various resources to enhance their understanding of what they don’t know.

Get Inspired:

Summary: In this activity, students will look to nature for artistic inspiration and work to find their preferred style.

Objective: The objective of this activity is to help students get a better feel for the elements and principles of design, as well as different mediums and moods, by finding inspiration in nature. By further developing their creative toolkit, students will have a better sense of who they are, what artistic style feels right to them and how they can best tell a nature-focused visual story.

Skills:

• Observation
• Visual storytelling
• Exploration
• Research and analysis
• Critical thinking
• Communication

Instructions:

Part One

1. Begin the activity by instructing students to get outside and explore nature in their neighbourhood. Make sure to emphasize safety precautions and encourage them to be respectful of their surroundings.
2. Ask students to focus their sketches or photography on capturing natural textures, colours, shapes, lines, and other elements and principles of design.
3. Instruct students to use the elements of design they captured in nature to inform a list of different moods that can be created using those textures, colours, shapes, etc.
4. Ask students to reflect on the medium they are drawn to and why. Encourage them to think about the best qualities of the medium and how their skills complement it.
5. Instruct students to identify a few artists who use this medium in an impactful and innovative way. Ask them to analyze what these artists are doing differently and how they are able to convey an idea, emotion, story or message.
6. Encourage students to visualize a way of using this medium to inspire people in their community to create a better balance between people and nature. Ask them to explain their idea briefly.

Part Two

1. Gather the students and have a group discussion, asking that they debate the effectiveness of different mediums. Encourage them to share which mediums they prefer and why.
2. Continuing the discussion, ask students to reflect on the type of message that is more effective in visual storytelling – one that is explicit or one that is more subtle in nature. Ask them to find examples of the two visual storytelling approaches before starting the discussion.
3. Before wrapping up the class discussion, encourage students to reflect on whether art or  story should be judged on its own merit or if a work is more successful when it has a message. Encourage them to provide reasons for their stance.

Part Three

Designing a Poster for a Local Natural Area

Grade Level: 9–12 (Visual Arts)
Time Required: 2–3 class periods (adjustable)
Theme: Art + Place-Based Learning + Environmental Awareness

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Research and visually represent a local natural area or park.

• Apply principles of design (composition, balance, typography, color theory).

• Communicate a nature or community-focused message through poster art.

• Reflect on the role of art in promoting awareness, stewardship, and connection to place.

Curriculum Connections

• Visual Arts: Elements and principles of design, media exploration, visual communication, personal and cultural context in art.

• Social Studies/Geography (cross-curricular): Local landscapes, history, ecological significance.

• Environmental Science (optional): Human connections to ecosystems, conservation, stewardship.

Materials Needed

• Poster paper or digital design software (Canva, Photoshop, Illustrator, Procreate, etc.)

• Drawing/painting supplies (pencils, markers, paints, brushes, collage materials).

• Access to internet/library resources for research.

• Projector/slides of professional examples of environmental posters.

Lesson Sequence

Day 1: Introduction & Research

1. Hook (10 min): Show examples of famous national park posters. Discuss: How do these posters inspire people? What design elements make them effective?

2. Brainstorm (10–15 min): Students share natural areas they know. It could be local parks, trails, rivers, wetlands, green spaces, conservation areas.

3. Research (30 min): Students choose one area and gather quick facts: location, ecological significance, cultural history, flora/fauna, recreational value.

Day 2: Design & Creation

1. Mini-Lesson (15 min): Review principles of poster design: hierarchy, typography, balance, colour.

2. Sketching (20 min): Students create 2–3 thumbnail sketches for their poster layout (image + text).

3. Begin Final Poster (30–40 min): Students start creating their poster (digital or physical).

Day 3: Completion & Reflection

1. Studio Time (40–50 min): Students complete posters. Teacher circulates, offering feedback.

2. Gallery Walk (20 min): Students display posters around the classroom. Peers leave sticky-note comments on effectiveness (visual appeal, message clarity, emotional impact).

3. Reflection (10 min): Students write a short artist’s statement:

   • Why they chose this natural area.

   • What message they hoped to convey.

   • What design choices they used to strengthen their message.

Assessment Criteria

• Research & Concept (20%): Accuracy and depth of knowledge about the natural area.

• Design Elements (40%): Effective use of composition, colour, typography, and imagery.

• Creativity & Effort (20%): Originality and thoughtful execution.

• Reflection & Communication (20%): Clarity in artist’s statement and gallery walk discussion.

Extensions & Variations

• Community Connection: Display posters in the school hallway, community centre, or local library.

• Digital Option: Have students create Instagram-style “digital posters” and share them in an online class gallery.

• Cross-Curricular Tie-in: Collaborate with an Environmental Science or Geography teacher so students include ecological facts directly in their posters.

• Advanced Option: Students create a series (e.g., 3 mini-posters) highlighting different aspects: wildlife, recreation, conservation messages.

Assessment:

• Students can submit their artwork for evaluation based on the criteria discussed in the lesson. The criteria may include the use of elements of design, the use of medium, the ability to create a specific mood and the impact of the artwork.
• Students can reflect on their learning by writing a short essay or creating a presentation that highlights their learning process, the skills they developed and the challenges they faced.
• Students can evaluate each other’s work by using a rubric that assesses specific criteria such as creativity, originality, use of medium and impact.
• Students can be assessed based on their participation and engagement in class discussions.
• Throughout the lesson, the teacher can give formative assessments to check for understanding and provide feedback to students.

Bridge the Gap: *Recommended*

Summary: In this activity, students will collaborate to research the answers to questions they generated in the previous chapter.

Objectives: The objective of this activity is to help students understand the importance of filling gaps in their knowledge while working to answer the burning questions they generated in the previous chapter. Students will learn to collaborate with their peers, managing time and working more effectively. By the end of this activity, students will use their research to broaden their knowledge base in this course, while also creating a foundation to build their final project.

Skills:

• Critical thinking
• Communication
• Research
• Problem solving
• Collaboration
• Self-reflection

Instructions:

1. Remind students of the brainstorming activity they completed last chapter and possibly expanded on this chapter (as part of an earlier activity). Inform them that this activity will focus on answering their questions in order to fill their gaps in knowledge, while creating a foundation of information students will use to inform their final project.
2. Before starting the activity, explain to students why it’s important to bridge the gaps in their knowledge and what tools exist to help them. Use the information provided in the activity to help you make the point.
3. Group students together who brainstormed questions focused on similar themes (economics, reconciliation, ecosystems, endangered species, etc).
4. Instruct students to pool all of their questions (combining or deleting questions that are repetitive) and then group the questions into categories (scientific findings, media coverage, community perspectives, laws and policies, etc).
5. Have the groups assign question categories to each member, making sure that everyone is responsible for answering roughly the same number of questions.
6. Instruct students to research the answers to their assigned category of questions, compiling what they learn into organized bullet points, properly sourced. Tell students whether this activity will be completed in-class or as part of a homework assignment.
7. When the research process is complete, have the groups gather in class to share their information and pool their knowledge. Encourage students to review the sourced material that their peers collected, asking for clarifications or requesting more information if the group feels an answer is incomplete.

Assessment: Assess student engagement and participation in the activity, and how well they collaborated with their peers. Additionally, evaluate students based on the quality of their research and how well they fill their gaps in knowledge.

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.