Science Lesson One | Nature Labs

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Chapter One

The System of Things

Part One

Why does biodiversity matter?

Continue Chapter One

Biodiversity is life and your life should include the rest of this story (which can be found below).

Hot Takes

Dr. David Cooper

What is biodiversity and why does it matter? It’s the very building block of life and without it, we don’t exist. And few understand...

Laura Kennedy

Fisheries and aquaculture. Wildlife management and agriculture. Bird migration and airports. The pine beetle infestation. These are just some of the issues biologist Laura...

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 smaller groups) about why biodiversity matters to you.
Option Three: Select a concept from the story you are not very familiar with, do some research (again: use the Curated Library) and then describe what you’ve learned in small groups.

Did this story leave you with a question?

Ask a scientist, get an answer!

The best questions will be answered by Environment and Climate Change Canada’s scientists on video just for you! Make sure you include your name and school.

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.

Begin the trickery

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!

Pinteresting

Create a Pinterest board where you can post ideas and questions that come up during the course. It's like note-taking, but fun!

Niche Lab

Explore the concept of ecological niches by examining different types of birds! Learn from the teachings of biologist Verne Lehmberg.

Discuss

Have a conversation with your classmates to help each other better understand what you'll be learning in this class. * Recommended

Part Three

HOW DOES THIS CLASS RELATE TO REAL-WORLD ISSUES?

Inquiry Media

Does one individual matter?

Does one individual matter?

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.

Nature Labs · Rt. Hn. Kim Campbell

More on Rt. Hon. Kim Campbell

Do you agree that our democracy is fragile? And, if it is, how can we contribute to its health?
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 help advance good policy backed by rigorous science?
If you could propose one new policy, what would it be and how would you build support for your idea?
How can science help?

Further Exploration

Latest News

Happy Canada Day!

News

On this Canada Day, we celebrate a country defined by its vast beauty, quiet strength, and deep sense of community. From the rugged coastlines...

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Mount Robson Field Trip

News

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...

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The Year That Was (Sept. 2024 – May 2025)

Careers Resources

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...

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Learning from Podcasts

Brainstorming Threats to Biodiversity

How to Skim Academic Journals & Texts

Economic value of biodiversity

Resources From the Curated Library

How trees secretly talk to each other in the forest

How trees secretly talk to each other in the forest Sub-Category: Interesting Source: National Geographic File Type: Video Overview: How trees talk Web...

Scientists repurpose stargazing tools to protect endangered species

Scientists repurpose stargazing tools to protect endangered species Sub-Category: Interesting Source: Mother Nature Network File Type: Article Overview: Scientists are using stargazing...

More From the Curated Library

What is Systems Change

How To

Systems change is a process that seeks to reconstruct or evolve an entire system, impacting everyone and everything connected to it. Systems change often...

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What is Design Thinking

Critical 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...

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Terms

Science Resources

It’s important to build a base of knowledge for this class. First, let’s start with a few questions: What do you know about biodiversity? What...

Read more

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Unit completion

Chapters

Chapter One

The System of Things

Chapter Five

Here’s How

Chapter Nine

Own Your Hypocrisy

Chapter Two

The Context of It All

Chapter Six

Your Turn

Chapter Ten

Keep Going

Chapter Three

We Don’t Know What We Don’t Know

Chapter Seven

Dig Deeper

Chapter Eleven

One Last Thing

Chapter Four

Hard Stuff is Hard

Chapter Eight

Be Better

Chapter Twelve

The End (of the Beginning)

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