Carolinian Canada has an amazing diversity of habitats and unique spaces waiting to be explored. By learning more about the biodiversity and uniqueness of the area, it is hoped that new found knowledge will empower change, create connections and inspire action in people. The objective of this module is to provide opportunities for students to explore and learn more about SAR found in the Carolinian zone. It will introduce students to SAR and the Carolinian Life Zone and help provide the foundation for learning in other modules. Specifically, lessons in this module will create opportunities for teachers and students to explore and gain knowledge on the flora and fauna of SAR in the Carolinian zone.
Download Module 1 here.
Lesson 1: Travel Locally
In order for students to discover more about the Carolinian Life Zone in which they live, they will conduct a research project and present their findings in the form of a travel brochure. From examining several existing travel brochures, students will create their own travel brochure to educate others on the significance and importance of this unique geographic region.
Lesson 2: Wanted ALIVE
In this activity, students will create a WANTED poster for their geographic area to help aid the public in reporting sightings of SAR. Currently, the Carolinian Canada Coalition (CCC) has two WANTED posters for Essex and Norfolk counties which ask for the public’s help in reporting Species at Risk in their area. Using the existing posters as a guide, students will work in groups to create a poster for their county. Posters will be forwarded to CCC staff for possible distribution.
Lesson 3: Biodiversity Experiment
In this lesson, students will investigate the concept of biodiversity by exploring three separate outdoor areas such as their schoolyard, their backyard and a local natural area. By establishing research “plots” within each of the study areas, students will study species biodiversity, or the variety of plants and animals in a particular habitat. They will compare their findings and determine which open space is the most biologically diverse and analyze the reasons for their findings.