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Chapter Two

The Context of It All

Part One

CONTEXTUALIZING CONTEXT - For a little context on why context is important, read the story below!

Read Story Instead

Prefer reading instead? Here's the text version of your lesson.

Go!

Questions & Activities

Reflect on your lesson with short activities, or by exploring referenced articles, featured podcasts, term definitions, and more!

Go!

Featured Hot Take

We all need a little context. How to get it? Pollsters help! And few are as informed as Shachi Kurl, the Executive Director of the Angus Reid Institute. She took time away from analyzing the news – and our opinions on the news – to join us in conversation.

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

  • Does polling inform better decisions? Does it help create more empathy for those we disagree with?
  • How valuable is it to have unbiased, impartial research to better understand public opinion?
  • Do you believe polling can be unbiased? Or can the questions that drive research polls be loaded or leading, helping create answers that reinforce certain perspectives?
  • How do we create more movements that unify, rather than divide? Does it begin with story?
  • How can a better understanding of our neighbours, and our nation, inform better stories?
More on Shachi Kurl

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.

Defining Your Community

Who are your people? Why do you need them? Get to know yourself and your communities.

Define

Mapping Biodiversity

What's your natural context? Find and map the biodiversity hotspots in your community.

Map it!

Understanding Your Views

How has your upbringing shaped who you are? Why is it important to understand the context of others?

Begin

What's Your Context?

How do you think we should balance people and nature? Start brainstorming your ideas and questions. * Recommended

Brainstorm

How To Research

You get that research matters, but how to actually do it? And how can good research drive good storytelling? We have the answers!

How?

The Curated Library

Understand the context. Use the Curated Library to compare and contrast different perspectives on an issue that interests you.

Find resources

Part Three

HOW DOES THIS CLASS RELATE TO REAL-WORLD ISSUES?

Inquiry Media

Can we save every species?

Go!

Further Exploration

Latest News

Inflation and the Economy: Rate Cuts

News
Yesterday saw the Bank of Canada - our non-partisan central bank that stewards Canada's economic interests and monetary policy - cut interest rates by...
Read more

Happy National Wildlife Day!

News
National Wildlife Day is your chance to celebrate all the awesome animals that share this planet with us. From giant elk casually crashing the...
Read more

Predicting Our Year Ahead

Careers Resources
Part One: Warm Up Think of one event from the past school year — in Canada or the world — that left a strong impression...
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Resources From the Curated Library

The Critical Thinking Toolkit

The Critical Thinking Toolkit Sub-Category: Problem Solving Source: The Critical Thinking Tool Kit File Type: Book Overview: An academic look at critical thinking Web Link: https://www.wiley.com/en-ca/The+Critical+Thinking+Toolkit+-p-9780470658697

Is the Process more important than the Product?

Is the Process more important than the Product? Bias: Centre Sub-Category: Advice Source: Future West File Type: Opinion Overview: Why process is more important than the result in conservation Web Link: https://www.future-west.org/is-the-process-more-important-than-the-product/

Should we move beyond compromise when trying to solve problems?

Should we move beyond compromise when trying to solve problems? Bias: Centre Sub-Category: Problem Solving Source: TED File Type: Video Overview: Should we move beyond compromise when trying to solve problems?
More From the Curated Library

What is Context

Bias
What is it? Context refers to the circumstances, environment, background or setting that surrounds and influences a particular situation, event or communication. It's the information...
Read more

Additional Resources

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Unit completion

Chapters

Chapter One

The System of Things

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Chapter Five

Here’s How

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Chapter Nine

Own Your Hypocrisy

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Chapter Two

The Context of It All

You are here!

Chapter Six

Your Turn

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Chapter Ten

Keep Going

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Chapter Three

We Don’t Know What We Don’t Know

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Chapter Seven

Dig Deeper

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Chapter Eleven

One Last Thing

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Chapter Four

Hard Stuff is Hard

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Chapter Eight

Be Better

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Chapter Twelve

The End (of the Beginning)

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