Bruce County s BIG Picture Overview Students will learn the importance of this planet we call Earth. Through different topics such as plate tectonics, glacial periods, climate change and endangered species, students will engage in strong conversations and debates. Students will see how Bruce County came to be and what has happened to the area from over 500 million years ago to date and into the future. Students will also get the opportunity to see how fossils are formed and create one of their own. Curriculum Expectations Grade Four Assess the social and environmental costs and benefits of using objects in the built environment that are made from rocks and minerals Use a variety of criteria to classify common rocks and minerals according to their characteristics Use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including hardness, colour, lustre, and texture, in oral and written communication Describe how igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks are formed Grade Six Analyse a local issue related to biodiversity, propose action that can be taken to preserve biodiversity, and act on the proposal
Use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including classification, biodiversity, natural community, interrelationships, vertebrate, invertebrate, stability, characteristics, and organism, in oral and written communication Identify and describe the distinguishing characteristics of different groups of plants and animals Demonstrate an understanding of biodiversity as the variety of life on earth, including variety within each species of plant and animal, among species of plants and animals in communities, and among communities and the physical landscapes that support them Describe ways in which biodiversity within species is important for maintaining the resilience of those species Describe ways in which biodiversity within and among communities is important for maintaining the resilience of these communities Describe interrelationships within species Grade Seven Use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including heat, temperature, conduction, convection, and radiation in oral and written communication Explain how heat is transmitted through radiation, and describe the effects of radiation from the sun on different kinds of surfaces Describe the role of radiation in heating and cooling the earth, and explain how greenhouse gases affect the transmission of radiated heat through the atmosphere Identify common sources of greenhouse gases Social Studies Geography Identify the location and describe the physical characteristics of various landforms Describe some key natural processes and human activities that create and change landforms Describe some key natural processes and human activities that create and change water bodies and systems Describe some key natural processes and other factors, including human activities that create and change climate patterns Grade Eight
Use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including water table, aquifer, polar icecap, and salinity, in oral and written communication Identify the various states of water on the earth s surface, their distribution, relative amounts, and circulation, and the conditions under which they exist Identify factors that affect the size of glaciers and polar ice-caps, and describe the effects of these changes on local and global water systems Explain changes in atmospheric conditions caused by the presence of bodies of water Social Studies Geography Analyse some of the ways in which the physical environment has influences settlement patterns in different countries and/or regions around the world Analyse how processes related to the physical environment may affect human settlement in the future Describe various ways in which human settlement has affected the environment Analyse some interrelationships among factors that can contribute to quality of life Grade Nine Issues in Canadian Geography Formulate different types of questions to guide investigations into issues in Canadian geography Analyse environmental, economic, social, and/or political implications of different ideas and beliefs about the value of Canada s natural environment, and explain how these ideas/beliefs affect the use and protection of Canada s natural assets Assess environmental, economic, social and/or political consequences for Canada of changes in some of the Earth s physical processes Explain how human activities can alter physical processes and contribute to occurrences of natural events and phenomena Explain how geological, hydrological, and climatic processes formed and continue to shape Canada s landscape Describe patterns of population settlement in Canada and assess the importance of various factors in determining population size, distribution and density (e.g., landforms and climate) Explain how the natural environment may influence land-use patterns within the built environment
Specific Expectations Students will: Have a better understanding of how Bruce County developed over 500 million years. The effect humans have on our current environment/location. Have a better understanding of climate change and what it is doing/could do in the future. How plate tectonics and types of rock work in creating land forms on the earth. Program Overview (timing) Introduction 10 minutes Activity #1: Fossil Creation 20 minutes Students will get the opportunity to create their own fossils. They will get a brief overview of how fossils are created and then given the opportunity to pick something from nature to fossilize. Seeing as the fossils do need time to dry, this is done first to allow for the students to take their fossil home at the end of the program. Activity #2: Museum Tour 1 hour Students will be lead through the exhibits pertaining to the subject. This includes looking at fossils from hundreds of millions of years ago, glacial formation, plate tectonics/rock movement, and ending in climate change. Discussion will be encouraged and at this time the topic which is stressed in the curriculum will be emphasized. Activity #3: Discussion of the Future 20 minutes Brief discussion on what they learned and what they think is important in sustaining our environment into the future. This is a great way to either have a refresher on the topics learned in class or an introduction into the topic that will be discussed following the Museum visit. Activity #4: Getting the Fossil/Conclusion 10 minutes Students will finish their fossil and carefully take them home.
Bruce County s BIG Picture Educational Program Rubric Criteria Level One Level Two Level Three Level Four Participation Student rarely participates in the Student sometimes participates in the Student participates in the Student plays an active role in the Fossil Creation Group Dynamics Vocabulary and terms (from Museum and class) Student doesn t participate Conflicts in the group disrupt the working environment Student uses no appropriate vocabulary in their discussion Student does not understand the concept of fossil creation and participates in activity Group is able to complete the discussion with minimal support from teacher Student uses little appropriate vocabulary Student is able to relay information on fossil creation and participates in activity Group uses skills to communicate and collaborate efficiently Student uses descriptive and appropriate vocabulary Student fully understands information and participates strongly in activity Group is able to complete the discussion by using skills to communicate and collaborate with other students in a highly effective manner Student uses appropriate, effective and descriptive vocabulary Comments:
Bruce County s BIG Picture Educational Program Follow-Up 1. Research landforms and rocks within your own town and/or on your own property. 2. Research endangered species and create a project on the importance of biodiversity and why we should maintain our current number of species on Earth. Or research a specific endangered species and what is causing it to be threatened. 3. Write a newspaper article on global warming and what we can do to prevent global climate change (it s the small things that count!). 4. Do outreach in your own town and/or school on how to help prevent climate change. This could be based on walking/riding a bike to school, proper disposal of household products, or giving information sessions on how global warming works. 5. Research why people came to Bruce County in relation to the landforms present in the area.