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Chapter One
The System of Things
Part One
Why does research and storytelling matter?
Continue Chapter One
Research the importance of research and story (by continuing the story below)!
Hot Takes
Libby Garg
When you grow up working on a dairy farm in rural British Columbia, you gain an appreciation for two things: the value of nature...
Ian Brown
Every great story begins with curiosity: just ask Ian Brown. As one of Canada’s leading writers and storytellers, Ian has been satisfying his curiosity...
Reflection Activity
- Option One: Write down three questions you have about this story and try to find the answers. Hint: the Curated Library might be a helpful tool for your research.
- Option Two: Deliver a one minute speech (to your class or in small groups) about why storytelling matters to you.
- Option Three: Select a concept from this story that's new to you. Learn more about the topic using the Curated Library and then describe what you’ve learned to your peers in small groups.
Part Two
THE FOLLOWING ACTIVITIES WILL HELP YOU BETTER UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPTS YOU NEED TO LEARN IN THIS CLASS. YOUR TEACHER WILL SELECT WHICH ACTIVITIES YOU NEED TO COMPLETE BELOW.
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
HOW DOES THIS CLASS RELATE TO REAL-WORLD ISSUES?
Inquiry Media

Can we save every species?
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.
- 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?
Further Exploration
Latest News
Mount Robson Field Trip
It's our final week of live content on Nature Labs, as we want you to focus on your final projects and exams. To celebrate...
The Year That Was (Sept. 2024 – May 2025)
And what a year it's been. The news cycle never slowed. Your classes have never been more relevant or more important given our ever-changing...
It’s International Day for Biological Diversity!
https://youtu.be/RpCakh_scqQ
Today we are taking you on a field trip in Southern Alberta to celebrate - stay tuned for updates from the field on our...
What is Systems Change
Systems change is a process that seeks to reconstruct or evolve an entire system, impacting everyone and everything connected to it. Systems change often...
What is Design Thinking
Design thinking is a problem-solving methodology that focuses on needs and experiences to generate creative solutions. It is a human-centred approach to innovation that...
Terms
It’s important to build a base of knowledge for this class. First, let’s start with a few questions:
How do you define storytelling? Why does...
Resources From the Curated Library
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
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