Life Systems
Grade 7: Life Systems
Interaction in the Environment
For PDSB Educators: if you are looking to reach out to the Peel Field Centres for further ways to connect your learning to the environment visit the PDSB Field Centre Share Point site.
Nature Journaling: I Notice..., I Wonder...?, It Reminds me of...
Nature Journaling is an incredible tool for students to investigate the relationships between abiotic and biotic elements in the environment. Their nature journal allows them to write/draw their observations helping to cement the concepts being taught.
At this age all three prompts "I notice..., I wonder...?, and "It reminds me of..." become very intuitive. However the statement "I wonder..." becomes very important at this age all the way up to 18 years as students deepen their understanding of the world around them. Encourage students to begin writing using single words, simple sentences, lists, point form, paragraphs and even poetry. Please note that spelling is not a focus in the nature journal. At this age you may start to see art fears - please ensure you are re-iterating it is not about a pretty picture. It is about their observations. Please see the link feedback at the bottom of this lesson for tips on this. Using words, pictures and numbers allows the students multiple tools to document their observations. With permission Bethan Burton has allowed us to link to her website as she has written a blog post for Teaching nature journaling at all ages.
Here are some more ideas to get you started.
Engage the fives senses (whenever possible)
Make leaf prints ( paint the leaf and press the print into the journal)
Make leaf rubbings
Trace the items they are looking at
Add leaves into the journal using tape
Count the birds/squirrels/insects etc.
Measure as much of the phenomena as the students can using non standard and standard units of measurement.
Here is a downloadable lesson from John (Jack) Muir Laws and Emilie Lygren book: How to Teach Nature Journaling. All resources shared with permission. "I Notice..., I Wonder...?, It Reminds me of..."
GIVING FEEDBACK here is a fantastic resource from Jack and Emilie
NOTE: You are encourage to spend time in the outdoors Nature Journaling. However, you can also bring nature inside, look out your wonder window, have a refrigerator Safari or even observe a house plant or pet.
Design a Habitat
This activity requires the student to do some online research. They can use E-books through PDSB BYOD or other sources.
Watch the video "How Wolves Change Rivers" By: Sustainable Human found on the left. Then use the video as a learning tool to complete this activity. This habitat design may be an ongoing project.
The environment is made up of both biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) components that combine to make up an ecosystem. In every ecosystem there are different combinations of factors that support life for different species.
All species require habitats, the places that provide the four essential elements of survival - food, water, shelter and space. Most often, the habitats for several species overlap. Habitats are sensitive to change. They can be altered by factors such as fire, weather change, parasites, invasive species and humans.
Research the following vocabulary/topics:
Food chain
Food web
Predator/Prey
Trophic levels - Carnivore, Omnivore, Herbivore, Decomposer
Succession
Sustainability
Limiting factors in an ecosystem
Biology
Community
Population
Choose an animal to study. Write down a food chain that includes your animal.
Is it a herbivore, omnivore, carnivore or decomposer?
Write down a food web that is designed around your food chain
What are the biotic and abiotic components that your species needs to survive or may be within your food web?
Draw the ideal habitat for your animal. This must include biotic and abiotic components and all the things that your animal needs.
Include the herbivores, omnivores, carnivores and decomposers as part of the habitat. You must also include producers and consumers. On your design drawing or in another space keep a list of all things you are including in the habitat.
HINT: do not worry about drawing exact plants or animals. You can start by drawing a space, adding in land features and then make up symbols for plants or animals. Make sure to add a legend so people looking at your habitat know what each symbol represents. Or if you have magazines that people are finished with look through them for pictures that you can cut out and use.
NOTE: This can be used with the Nature Journaling activity at the top of the page.
The Fisher Story
You will need to use the PDSB BYOD Library or other sources to help with this activity.
Watch the Fisher Story. This video is from Issac Murdoch and the Lessons From the Earth and Beyond website which is designed to help us understand and discuss the importance of Indigenous knowledge.
1) What are some positive characteristics and features of the animals in this story?
Choose and research an animal that best represents your personality and compare 3 traits you feel are similar to you (body shape, personality, behaviour, features, adaptations, etc.). Make sure you have researched the actual animal and do not base your knowledge on what you have seen in media
How does this bird/mammal/amphibian/reptile/plant/tree help the earth?
2) Choose an ecosystem of your liking (land, water, wetland, forest, space, garden, etc.)
Choose at least three characteristics/adaptations that you feel would help a creature in your chosen ecosystem have the best chance of survival. For example, in a water ecosystem the creature could breathe underwater or be able to hold their breath for extended periods of time, but also breath on land if needed - you choose what you feel would be more beneficial. Perhaps it is a new creature with different abilities to help it survive.
What do you believe this creature has within itself to benefit the earth? Not the people of earth, but the actual earth.
3) Consider this thought, if all creatures had the same characteristics or attributes would the earth survive? In reflection of the animal you created, what are the ways, positive or negative, it would impact the earth and, in turn, our society?
If your animal was taken out of your ecosystem and moved to another planet what would be the effects on Turtle Island (North America)?
What would your creature need in order to survive on another planet?