How can we contribute to healthy habitats?
What’s it all about?
Students join youth host, Isabelle, and Boris Worm on an expedition in the Gulf of the Saint Lawrence and Malpeque Bay to explore and identify special habitats. Together, they join DFO scientists, community members and indigenous communities who are using different methods of collecting data (pelagic and shoreline surveys, underwater transects, species observation and analysis, community and traditional knowledge) to find out more about the relationships between marine species and their habitats, and how we can better protect them.
Estimated media time - 110m
Watch the trailer
Potential topics / Big ideas
Habitat management and protection
Spatial diversity of natural and human environments and communities, on a local and regional scale
Scientific exploration
Species identification
Technology as a tool to improve marine research, collaborate, gather and analyze information
Patterns and trends (e.g., habitats and species interactions)
Data collection and analysis
Stability and change (e.g., changes to habitats and resulting impacts)
Stakeholder perspectives (e.g., scientists, community members, aquaculture farmers)
Mi’kmaw relationship to the environment
Mi’kmaw concept of Etuaptmumk (Two-Eyed Seeing)
Competencies
Lines of inquiry
Healthy Habitat contains four lines of inquiry, each with a focus question. This guide describes all of the media in each line of inquiry by title, type, content and accompanying activity. We have provided estimated times for each activity.
Note. As an inquiry-based learning platform, Ocean School is designed to allow students to choose their own path according to their crew’s (group) decisions. If you would like the students to follow a prescribed path, you will need to tell them where to go.
For more information, read about our approach to Inquiry based learning.
Take Action
The Take Action is the culminating activity in every module. Learners are asked to reflect about what they’ve learned and how they can put their learning into action. This activity is designed to support sustained inquiry, leadership and collaboration.
The Take Action is framed with a “call to action” from the youth host who poses the overarching module question and asks students to take action to answer it. In this case: How can we contribute to healthy habitats?
Below we have described the call to action and a handful ideas of actions or products.
Call to Action
How can we contribute to healthy habitats?
1m
When you visit the ocean, you’re a guest in every aquatic animal’s home! What helpful actions can you take, to become the very best guest that you can possibly be? Let us know how YOU made waves!
Activity
Take action planner: A template is provided with the call to action and questions to scaffold the planning of an action. Preview the planner here.
Ideas for actions and products
Get outside! Identify habitats that are threatened in the local area. Investigate and help to restore the habitat!
Create a product to share learning and build awareness among others -Infographics, podcasts, digital stories, social media campaign
Create a role play
Become a citizen scientist
DEEP DIGS
What factors are essential for healthy marine habitats?
In this line of inquiry: Off-the-hook habitats, The Odyssey begins, Stirring the zone, Whale City, Cadet to Captain
EXPLORE THE UNEXPLORED
How can we better understand what a species needs for a healthy habitat?
In this line of inquiry: I brake for sponges, The ROPOS must dive, The ROPOS returns, Fly ROPOS, We can always go deeper
LIFE IN THE BALANCE
What are the relationships between marine species and their habitats?
In this line of inquiry: The oyster and the eelgrass, All around the oyster farm, Ulva overload, Bay watch, The "o-fish-ial " count
Inquiry tools
How can we boost our inquiry skills?
An inquiry tool is a piece of media that explicitly targets inquiry skills building. Ocean School is designed to facilitate and build inquiry skills, such as asking great questions. Each of the inquiry tools has an accompanying educator guide with a lesson plan.