Canada's Forests and Wetlands: Vol. 6 - Our Natural Water Filters 9-12

Secondary

Description

Canada’s Forest & Wetlands: Our Natural Water Filters, Volume 6 is a K to 12 teaching kit that explores the role our forests play in sustaining freshwater resources.  The final five of the eight lessons in the kit are appropriate for use in high school. 

The resource begins with a brief introduction to the ecological relationship between forests and freshwater.  In addition to providing teachers and students some key facts and figures, an extensive list of teaching resources is included.   In the lessons that follow students use this background information as context to explore the larger issue of sustainable forest development as they complete a range of activities including role play, simulation and research.  Each lesson consists of a set induction, student activities, reproducible worksheets and suggestions for extended learning.  The resource also contains a glossary. 

Lesson four simulates a town hall meeting to demonstrate the social, economic and environmental dimensions to forest development.  Students are assigned roles of the various stakeholders who will be affected by a planned highway project that will result in the loss of much of the town’s forested area.   Each student must prepare an appropriate point of view based on the perspective of the stakeholder he/she is representing and present it during the class’s town hall meeting.  Following the presentations, a decision on whether or not to proceed with the project is made by the class. 

In lesson five, students explore the impact of individual choices and actions on the environment. Using examples of existing codes that govern human interaction with the environment and their understanding of forest ecology, students come up with a set of rules and actions to protect our forest that they present to others as a Forest Code of Conduct. 

Lesson six addresses the importance of sustainable forest development.  Students read and analyze the acceptance speech of Wangari Maathai whose Greenbelt Movement resulted in the planting of over 30 million trees in Africa and earned her the 2004 Nobel Prize for Peace.   By looking for the reasons why planting trees could earn a Nobel Prize, students explore the connection between sustainable forestry, sustainable freshwater and quality of life.   

In lesson seven students participate in a simulation that examines strengths and weaknessnes surrounding different sources of water.   Pupils take on the role of field engineers to research and make recommendations on where to locate a newly-planned community based on the preferred source of its water. 

In the final lesson students are guided through an action project designed to inform others about the importance of forests in relation to freshwater conservation.  Each student researches a specific topic relating to forests and water, reviews the key elements of successful short story composition and presents their findings in story/picture book form.  The books are then read to groups of younger students.

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