Curriculum Links

Curriculum Links: Wild in the City

By participating in the Wild in the City, students have an opportunity to (specific connections are shown in bold):

Overall Expectations
- 1. assess human impacts on biodiversity, and identify ways of preserving biodiversity;
- 3. demonstrate an understanding of biodiversity, its contributions to the stability of natural systems, and its benefits to humans.

(1.1) analyse a local issue related to biodiversity (activity 3)
(1.2) assess the benefits that human societies derive from biodiversity (activity 2 and 3)
(2.1) follow established safety procedures for outdoor activities and field work (All day)
(2.3) use scientific inquiry/research skills to compare the characteristics of organisms within the plant or animal kingdoms (activity 3 and 4)
(2.4) use appropriate science and technology vocabulary (e.g. vocabulary used during program: biodiversity, natural community, characteristics) in oral (all activities, all day) and written communication (All day)
(3.2) 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 (All day)
(3.4) describe ways in which biodiversity within and among communities is important for maintaining the resilience of these communities (All day)
(3.7) explain how invasive species (e.g., common plantain) reduce biodiversity in local environments (Activity 2 and 3)

- 1. assess the impacts of human activities and technologies on the environment, and evaluate ways of controlling these impacts;
- 2. investigate interactions within the environment, and identify factors that affect the balance between different components of an ecosystem;
- 3. Demonstrate an understanding of interactions between and among biotic and abiotic elements in the environment.
(3.1) demonstrate an understanding of an ecosystem (e.g., a log, a pond, a forest) as a system of interactions between living organisms and their environment
(3.2) identify biotic and abiotic elements in an ecosystem, and describe the interactions between them
(3.3) describe the roles and interactions of producers, consumers, and decomposers within an ecosystem
(3.4) describe the transfer of energy in a food chain and explain the effects of the elimination of any part of the chain
(3.8) describe ways in which human activities and technologies alter balances and interactions in the environment

demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between estimated and precise measurements, and determine and justify when each kind is appropriate (Activity 1)

construct a rectangle, a square, a triangle, and a parallelogram, using a variety of tools (specifically a rope square - Post Visit Activity)

collect data by conducting a survey (Post Visit Activity)
collect and organize discrete or continuous primary data (Post Visit Activity)
determine, through investigation, how well a set of data represents a population,on the basis of the method that was used to collect the data (Post Visit Activity)

read, interpret, and draw conclusions from primary data (Post Visit Activity)
demonstrate an understanding of mean (e.g., mean differs from median and mode because it is a value that “balances” a set of data – like the centre point or fulcrum in a lever), and use the mean to compare two sets of related data, with and without the use of technology (Post Visit Activity)

Feel free to use these comments when completing reports.

During the Wild in the City Program at TUSC, *name* participated in a variety of outdoor investigation activities in several habitats. As a result, *he/she/they* was able to identify a number of different species and discuss in some detail the effect that invasive species can have on a habitat. *name* also came to a deeper understanding of biodiversity and the role people play as environmental stewards.