Sustainability Camp Curriculum

BIODIVERSITY

Time:    Full Block, 4 hrs (Parts 1 and 2 can be separated)
Place:   Part 1:  Tofino Botanical Gardens, classroom and outdoors (2 hrs)
Part 2:   Mackenzie beach, outdoors (2 hrs)

Overview

This block is focused on introducing and defining the idea of biodiversity and understanding the importance of maintaining diversity through conservation of existing habitat and natural resources.

Part 1 will explore the meaning of biodiversity – referring to diversity within a species, within populations of a species, within different species within an ecosystem and between ecosystems throughout the world. Focus is on the unique biodiversity of the Clayoquot Sound region (eg. temperate rainforest, ancient old-growth forests and intertidal ecosystems). In Part 2 students will explore the concept of conservation and how we can be stewards to the environment.

Prescribed Learning Outcomes

1. Grade 7 Science: Identify diversity within ecosystems; Assess the requirements for sustaining diverse ecosystems; Evaluate human impacts on local ecosystems.
2. Grade 6 and 7 Physical Education: Participate safely in activities in a natural or alternative setting; an outdoor experience; Follow rules, routines and procedures of safety in a variety of activities; Select and assume responsibility for assigned roles while participating in a physical activity.
3. Grade 6 and 7 Social Studies: Identify and clarify a problem, issue or inquiry.

Objectives

1. Students will understand the concept of “biodiversity”, and its importance to a healthy ecosystem. Students will be shown the implications of losing biodiversity (ie. Change in the functioning of an ecosystem or the collapse of an ecosystem).
2. Students will be able to distinguish between diversity within a species, within populations of a species, within different species within an ecosystem and between ecosystems around the world.
3. Students will understand how to appropriately behave in the interest of conservation of resources.
4. Students will be introduced to the four intertidal zones; spray zone, high-tide zone, mid-tide zone, and low-tide zone and the common intertidal species and their adaptations.
5. To outline safety issues in the intertidal zones.

Materials

Part 1 – Biodiversity Powerpoint Presentation

1. PowerPoint presentation available in Instructor Documents folder: “Biodiversity.ppt”
2. journals
3. pens and pencils

Part 2 –  Intertidal Investigators

1. students wear rubber boots and rain-gear!
2. magnifying glasses

PART 1 – Biodiversity PowerPoint Presentation (~1/2 hr)

(if technology is not available, then writing key points on chart is just as effective)
Procedure

1. Seat the students in the classroom and distribute journals and pencils for note-taking.
2. Introduce the concept of biodiversity by showing an example of a diverse forest (ie. Many different tree species) and a forest that is not diverse (only one tree species) and before telling the students that one is diverse and the other is not, ask if they can see any differences between the two images.
3. Define biodiversity and a concept that has many definitions such as diversity within a species, within populations within a species, within species within an ecosystem and within ecosystems around the world. Provide examples of each. Encourage the class to take notes on the definitions.
4. Brainstorm with the class on examples of diversity n the Clayoquot Sound. Imagine what would happen if diversity did not exist.

Who am I? (~1/2 hr)

Procedure
1. Place the name and picture of an animal on the back of each student and have them find out what animal they are only by asking yes or no questions.

Web of Life (~45 min)

Procedure
1. Using the name and picture of an animal already assigned to each student from the “Who am I?” game have the students sit in a circle and starting at one animal and passing to an animal that is connected to the starting animal in the food chain. This will illustrate food chain dynamics as well as the interconnectedness of organisms in an ecosystem.
2. When the web is formed, the leader introduces certain environmental stresses which illustrates the interconnectedness of different species.

Discussion Questions:
1) Why is biodiversity important? (Eg. economics, ecosystem function, beauty, intrinsic worth).

2) How can we maintain biodiversity? (eg. Learning about organisms and the unique roles they play in the ecosystem, learning about food chain dynamics, identifying important organisms of environments and conserving organisms and their habitats through stewardship and changing our habits of destructive use.

3) What is an important organism in the Clayoquot Sound? How can we help to conserve this organism? Encourage kids to write this down in their journals.

Take a break!
Allow students 15 minutes to prepare for the beach field trip, have a snack, gather equipment etc.
  

PART 2 – Inter-tidal Explorers (2 hrs)

Procedure
1. Before heading out to the beach an inter-tidal check-list can be handed out and pasted into journals to aid in keeping track of the organisms that are found (if it’s rainy consider leaving the journals in the classroom and them going through the checklists afterwards to avoid the journals getting too soggy).

2. Walk down to the beach (15 mins from Tofino Botanical Gardens).

3. Once at the beach ask the kids to split into groups (at least one supervisor to supervise each group) and search the beach wrack for interesting items for 10-15 minutes. After the 10-15 minutes are up ask the groups to bring the items back to a  designated meeting place. Draw a circle in the sand and organize the items inside according groups (ie. Plant, animal, human garbage).

4. Go through the items and identify them as best as possible and mention their roles in the ecosystem. In the case of any garbage explain any negative effects that it can have on the ecosystem (eg. Animals mistaking it for food).

5. Incorporate the theme of conservation by going through all the ways that humans can negatively impact this ecosystem and then how we can act in ways which will not harm the plants, animals or habitat and therefore conserve the diversity.

6. Ask the kids to participate in conservation by being stewards for the inter-tidal ecosystem by passing along the information we talked about and the ideas for ways to conserve this unique habitat to others the next time they are at the beach.