Learning outcome

This project aims for students to foster an appreciation for nature and the interconnectedness of life. By the end of it, participants will be able to:

• Identify local species: found within their designated one-square-meter area.

• Understand biodiversity and recognise that even a small area can be home to a diverse range of life forms.

• Observe and document as students closely examine their square meter, record their findings, and create accurate drawings or sketches of the living organisms they encounter.

• Recognise interconnectedness as they discover how different species in the ecosystem are interconnected and rely on each other for survival.

• Discuss ecosystem services as they learn about the ecological roles of the species they discover, including pollinators, decomposers, and producers, and discuss the importance of these roles in maintaining a healthy ecosystem.

• Compare biodiversity, fostering an understanding of how biodiversity can vary across different environments.

• Identify threats to biodiversity, discussing potential threats to the biodiversity of their area, such as habitat destruction or pollution, and consider ways to mitigate these threats.

• Appreciate nature's beauty: through their drawings and observations, students will develop a deeper appreciation for the beauty and uniqueness of the natural world.

• Encourage conservation: Students will reflect on the importance of conserving biodiversity and consider ways in which they can contribute to the protection of local ecosystems.

• Foster environmental stewardship: by actively engaging with their environment and documenting the life within it, students will develop a sense of responsibility as environmental stewards, helping to protect and preserve biodiversity.

Lesson plan

This lesson aims to inspire students to connect with the natural world, appreciate its diversity, and take an active role in conserving and protecting the environment. The lesson encourages hands-on learning, critical thinking, and a deeper understanding of the intricate web of life in their local ecosystem.

• Concepts of biodiversity explained to learners. For young students biodiversity can be explained as the diversityof life on earth. 

It's like having a big, colourful collection of different living things.  Imagine you have a big box of crayons, and each crayon is a different colour. 

This is a bit like how we have lots of different animals, plants, and insects all around us. Now, let's break down biodiversity into three parts:

Diversity of species: Think of species as different types of living things. We have lions, tigers, bears, flowers, trees, and so much more. Biodiversity is about having many different types of these living things. Just like you have many different crayon colours, we have many different species on earth.

Diversity within species: Even within one type of living things, like dogs, there are many different breeds, sizes, and colours. That's because there's diversity within a species. It's like having different shades of blue in your crayon box. Biodiversity also means having lots of variety within each type of living things.

Diversity of ecosystems: An ecosystem is a special place where all living things, like plants, animals, and insects, live and interact with each other. Some ecosystems are like forests, while others are like deserts or oceans. Biodiversity also means having different kinds of ecosystems all around the world.

• Discuss why is biodiversity important
  Healthy ecosystems: Each living thing has a job in its ecosystem, like bees pollinating flowers or trees giving us oxygen. When we have many different living things, ecosystems stay healthy and balanced. Explain the difference between habitat and ecosystems and what bicultural diversity is.
  Food and medicine: Some living things give us food to eat, like fruits and vegetables, and others provide medicines that help us when we're sick.
  Beautiful world: All the different colours and shapes of plants, animals, and landscapes make our world beautiful and interesting.
  Adaptation: When conditions change, like when it gets hotter or colder, having many different living things helps some of them survive and adapt to those changes.

• Explain to students the importance of the micro and macro world
  Microorganisms are like little helpers that do big jobs. They're all around us, in the soil, water, and even inside our bodies. Some of them break down dead leaves and garbage, just like nature's recycling crew. Others help plants grow by giving them important nutrients. Some microorganisms in our bodies help us stay healthy. They help us digest food, fight off bad germs, and make vitamins we need. Without them, we wouldn't be as strong and healthy.
  
  The macro world and the micro world rely on each other for balance. Microorganisms help keep the environment clean and healthy for the big creatures. When they break down dead things, they return important nutrients to the soil and water. This helps plants grow, which then feeds the animals. Imagine a food chain, like a line of animals eating each other. Microorganisms are at the very beginning of the chain, and they provide food for tiny animals. These tiny animals become food for bigger animals, and so on. It's like a big dinner party, and everyone has a role to play.
  Healthy ecosystems: When you put the big and tiny pieces together, you get a healthy ecosystem. Ecosystems are like neighbourhoods where everyone has a job. Without microorganisms, the neighbourhood wouldn't work properly.
  
  So, even though we can't see them without special tools, microorganisms and big creatures are all part of the amazing earth puzzle. They work together to keep our planet beautiful, healthy, and in balance. Just like every piece of a puzzle matters, every living thing, big or tiny, matters to life on earth!

• Experiments with binoculars/ microscopes/ magnifying glasses to discover the micro world.
  Teachers explain the difference between micro and macro photography when a magnification ratio is applied to a subject. Micro photography uses a magnification ratio of 20:1 or higher, with the subject is magnified so that it appears 20 times larger than real-life. In macro photography, the ratio is 20:1 or lower.

•  Learners make discoveries of about things around them by trying both macro and micro vision.

• Look at maps that tell stories and visualise the character of a place. Discussions on how these kinds of maps can be used (planning, conservation, public awareness, and habitat creation- provides a biodiversity baseline before change).

• Habitat mapping. Learners look at different ways to map the natural environment to understand the biodiversity and the ecology of an area. Teachers explain the process of creating a habitat map of a local area:
  1) The purpose of the map defined. What do you want to know more about inn your surrounding environment? Do you want to increase levels of biodiversity in the area? Are you looking to protect a particular species or preserve an area of natural beauty?
  2) Preparation and research. Review existing information on the area, including historical maps, aerial photographs, satellite images etc. Explore the history of the area. Determine the size of the area to be mapped. Determine the level of detail/ information needed/ targeted species.
  3) Fieldwork how much time will you spend? How many visits? What tools are needed? Paper, pencils, camera, microscope, magnifying glass, sketchbooks etc. What health and safety needs to be considered?
  4) Translating the data. Determine the colour code and the key. Collate research and field notes into a map. Consider multiple drafts.
  5) Interpreting data. Consider how creating and viewing maps changes your perspective of the surrounding environment. What might be missing? How could you approach this with another medium?  

• Learners go outdoors to do collective mapping. Teachers selects an open space where there is diversity so the students can create a collective map of biodiversity. Mark out a 10 step by 5 step rectangles to align with A4 paper dimensions. It is good to lay down a coloured string to mark the edges of each rectangle. Make sure that there is one rectangle for each student

• Learners take notes for 30 minutes. They identify flora, fauna, fungi and human made structures. Use paper, pencils, and microscopes/ magnifying glass to discover more. Students that are standing next to each other or opposite each other decide how they are going to connect in the mapping phase.

• 30 minutes with access to different mediums where students translate their notes on to an A4 paper. Students arrange their papers according to where they were standing. Discuss diversity within a species. Did what looked like a piece of grass contain more than one species? What are the main differences between the papers?

• Select an area in the neighbourhood of the school. Introduce the idea of sensory mapping to the students. (This idea is adapted from the essay Work Outs/Tune Ups/Turn by Linda Weintraub)
  
  

• Sight
  Take a moment to be still; can you identify the following colours?

The three most predominant

The darkest

The most vivid

The most transparent

Now stare into the distance for at least two minutes. What is the furthest thing you can see? What is beyond that point? 

If you stare for another two minutes or so, can you extend your vision, increasing the scope or detail of what you see? 

Make a note of what you see. You will use this data to create your larger maps. When back inside, students make sketches from their discoveries.

• Touch
  When you arrive at the next location, take a moment to walk a six-foot by six-foot area, can you identify the following?
  The smoothest thing
  The most brittle
  The slipperiest
  The roughest
  Something hollow
  We usually touch with our hands and our fingers. Is there another part of your body that feels compelled to or can make contact with these things? How does that change your experience of them? Make a note of what you touch. You will use this data to create your larger maps. When back inside, students make sketches from their discoveries.

• Sound
  Take a moment to be quiet, can you identify the following sounds?
  the loudest
  the furthest away
  a human sound
  a non-human sound
  What do your own movements or noises add to this soundscape? Is there something else you can intentionally add?

Now take a moment to record two minutes of the soundscape with your phone or recorder. When you return to an indoor space, we will listen to the recordings. 

Does the location change your experience of the sounds you recorded? Make a note of what you hear. You will use this data to create your larger maps.

When back inside, students play their sound recordings all at the same time.

• Smell
  Take a moment to breathe deeply, what can you smell?
  Is it strong or faint?
  Is it related to humans, a plant or an animal, or to the elements?
  Is it related to the season or the weather?
  Does it enhance or detract from your experience of being in this space? After this concentrated focus on your sense of smell, notice your breathing. 

What is the rhythm? Is your breathing deep or shallow? Take two minutes to attend to your breath. Make a note of what you smell.
You will use this data to create your larger maps. When back inside, students write down descriptions from their discoveries.

• Rhythm
  Take a moment to be still. Notice the movement around you.
  What is the quickest movement?
  What movement is barely perceptible?
  What is moving by its own volition?
  What is being moved by something else?
  Now, focus your attention on the movement of another entity (an insect, a bird, a leaf, a cloud). Is there a rhythm or pattern to the movement? Can you draw it? Can you replicate that movement with your own body or a part of your body?
  Make a note of your discoveries. You will use this data to create your larger maps.
  When back inside, students make movements and sketches from their discoveries.

• Collective sensory map making. Students use their notes and sketches to create one large map. When all the maps have been put up you should play all the recordings at the same time.