“Although Canada’s natural environment is often touted as a unifying symbol of national identity, for many of the country’s fi rst and second generation Canadians, Ca- nadian nature can be a wild and frighten- ing place”.
For example, Syrian students who had been living in refugee camps, leaving the warm, safe classroom to jump in puddles and play in the mud may be confronting. For younger students, our future
change agents, being comfortable outside and experiencing the socio-emotional benefi ts of nature-based learning fi rst hand is essential. As climate change threatens many beloved natural spaces whether close by (e.g., Key Findings: The National Capital Commission’s Climate Change Adaptation Initiative) or faraway (e.g., mountain pine beetle outbreak in the Yukon), we will want all of their voices around the table, talking, planning, and acting when habitats are in danger.
MATERIALS: Nature journals and writing tools
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS: • How do we connect with nature?
• What are the socio-emotional benefi ts of connecting with nature?
• How does connecting with nature differ from being outside during recess?
• What impact do human choices have on the natural environment?
• How might we reduce the impact of hu- man behaviour on the natural environ- ment?
• What would be lost if wild, natural spaces disappeared?
LESSON PLAN FRAMEWORK Access to Clean Water Template Sample
CONNECT:
• Connect with students and their interests and experiences
• Connect students with each other • Connect students with community (experts, resources)
STEPS:
1. Community circle: How do we connect with nature? Read “The Listening Walk” by Paul Showers or another book which encourages students to focus their noticing
3. Take your well-being pulse: How do you feel after connecting with nature? What are the socio-emotional benefi ts of connecting with nature? Some students may feel calm, happy while others may feel uncomfortable with the quiet. This is a great opportunity to co-regulate alongside students who may feel anxious when spending time outside.
*Be sure to provide clear exploration guide- lines (e.g., how far they may explore, the signal to return to homebase, etc.).
on the sounds they hear on the schoolyard (e.g., “The Other Way to Listen” by Byrd Baylor).
2. Guided walk: What sounds do you hear on the schoolyard? Invite students to follow along on a predetermined path around the school yard, stopping and focusing on sounds from both the built and natural environment. During the active mediation, it is important for students to remain quiet during this activity so that everyone might hear the symphony of sounds outdoors. In the book “The Listening Walk” the main character says: “On a listening walk, I do not talk.”
EXPLORE + EMPOWER:
• Explore a variety of resources avail- able to you
• Empower students to make meaning of the big idea
STEPS:
4. Connecting to nature using the senses: What do you see, hear, smell on the schoolyard? As a whole group, prompt students to notice their surroundings. Offer a prompt to support students who may spend less time in nature or who are uncomfortable with the ambiguity of open ended questions: e.g., “Find 3 things you hear, 2 things you see, 1 thing you smell.”
5. Partner up: What do you see when you look down? When you look upwards? Us- ing empty picture frames allows students to use their observation skills with a clear focus. Children who do not spend a lot of time outside may see “nothing.” The frames serve as a tool to focus their noticing.
ELEMENTARY TEACHERS’ FEDERATION OF ONTARIO 41
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