Chapter One
The System of Things
Part One
Why Nature?
We use nature as a metaphor to help explain your class lesson. Why?
Read Story Instead
Prefer reading instead? Here's the text version of your lesson.
Questions & Activities
Reflect on your lesson with short activities, or by exploring referenced articles, featured podcasts, term definitions, and more!
Featured Hot Take
Are the big, complex systems in our society important? Can they evolve? Absolutely! Just ask Rt. Hon. Kim Campbell, Canada’s first – and so far only – female prime minister.
We’re featuring this podcast across all five Nature Labs subjects. You might not like every course you take in school, but they are all related. By listening to this podcast, hopefully you’ll better understand why.
Reflection
- Do you agree that our democracy is fragile? And, if it is, how can we contribute to its health?
- Should more of us consider running for office, or is it fair to say that politics isn’t for everyone?
- Is voting during an election all that's required to be a good citizen, or is more required of us?
- Are too many of us ceding important decisions to a small group of political power brokers?
- How can we each help advance good policy? How can research and storytelling help?
- If you could use storytelling to advance one new policy, what would it be and how would you build support for your idea?
Part Two
Truth vs Lie
What do you know? Try to trick your classmates in a friendly game of two truths and a lie.
Know the Terms
What terms and concepts will you discover in this unit? Learn and practice, and practice again!
Jeopardy!
The classic game, with a twist. Apply what you have learned so far and compete to win!
Part Three
Inquiry Media

Can we save every species?
Canada at a Crossroads
NEW: Inquiry Media Series
This five-part story will be featured across each of the first five chapters of Nature Labs and will ask students to explore the question of how Canada can protect our economy and sovereignty while still addressing the other challenges of our time, including biodiversity, the climate, and reconciliation. (Chapter Two coming Nov. 1st)
Further Exploration
Latest News
New Lesson Alert: ‘Canada at a Crossroads’
Podcasts for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
What is Systems Change
What is Design Thinking
Terms
Resources From the Curated Library
Critical Thinkers: The Ties That Bind Orwell and Churchill
The age of not even half-talking: If the first question about a meeting is...
Additional Resources
- Nature Research
- National Research Council of Canada
- UN Biodiversity
- Nature Labs
- Principles of Learning of First Peoples
- SciToons: Research
- PHILOnotes: Research Gaps
- Sarah Clark: Online Research Tips
- Nature Research
- fRI Research
- The Conference Board of Canada
- Library Archives of Canada
- The Library of Parliament: Research