We all have school experiences that we still remember because of the positive impact they had in sparking our interest and fostering our passions. To make this possible for the next generation of environmental stewards, Watersheds Canada delivers Ontario-curriculum linked programming for grade 1-6 English as a learned language and new Canadian students at two inner-city Ottawa schools. This program includes video lessons, handouts and games, and a take-home native wildflower seed kit. Students learn about the importance of plants to all living things, what plants and animals need to grow, and saw how different urban conditions can threaten plants and freshwater health.
If you are a formal or informal K-12 educator interested in having an educational program delivered in-person or online, please email info@watersheds.ca
Resources
Module #1: Native Plants (grade 3-4)
VIDEOS
Native plants: main video lesson
Plant video update #1 video
Plant video update #2 video
Plant video update #3 video
LESSON PLANS & MATERIALS
Wildflower Field Guide Scavenger Hunt lesson plan PDF
-> Plant Identification Guide table PDF
-> Favourite Tree Handout PDF
-> Tree-Field-Guide-Scavenger-Hunt-lesson-plan PDF
-> Tree identification activity cards PDF
-> Wildflower identification activity cards PDF
-> Favourite Wildflower table PDF
Native Plant Poetry Lesson Plan PDF
->Native Plant Poetry handout (three adaptations) PDF
Which Native Wildflower are You – lesson plan PDF
Grow a Paper Water Lily Lesson Plan
->Grow a Paper Water Lily handout PDF
Roll a Spring Story Lesson Plan
-> Roll a Spring Story handout PDF
Journey of a Seed lesson plan PDF
Planting Native Wildflower instructions PDF
HANDOUTS
Which Native Wildflower are You handout (two adaptations)
Parts of a Plant worksheet (three adaptations) PDF
Module #2: Freshwater (grade 3-4)
VIDEO
Freshwater: main video lesson
LESSON PLANS & MATERIALS
Frog Call Lesson and Game PDF
-> Set of frog cards PDF
-> Frog identification guide (adapted from the Toronto Zoo) PDF
Plants Activity Booklet PDF
My Freshwater Diary Lesson Plan PDF
-> My Freshwater Diary handout PDF
Service Learning Project PDF
HANDOUTS
Design a Natural Shoreline PDF
Journey to Find Water PDF
Module #3: Fish and Fish Habitat (grade 1)
VIDEO
Fish habitats: main video lesson
LESSON PLANS & MATERIALS
Flying Fish Race Lesson Plan PDF
-> Relay Race station signs PDF
-> Plush Fish Name Tags PDF
Fish Habitat craft lesson PDF
Something’s Fishy Puzzle Lesson Plan PDF
-> Fish Puzzles PDF
-> Fish Puzzles cards PDF
My Favourite Fish Lesson Plan PDF
Roll to Build a Fish Lesson Plan PDF
->Roll to Build a Fish! PDF
Counting Fish Lesson Plan
-> Counting Fish worksheet (two adaptations) PDF
Yellow Perch Life Cycle Lesson Plan PDF
Teacher Information Sheet – Fish Habitat Lesson PDF
Fish Activity Book PDF
Service Learning Project PDF
HANDOUTS
Yellow Perch Life Cycle handout PDF
My Favourite Fish PDF
Fish Identification Matching handout PDF
Module #4: Fish and Fish Habitat (grade 4)
Fish Habitat Activity Book PDF
Module #5: Life Cycles (grade 2)
LESSON PLANS & MATERIALS
Life Cycles Activity Book PDF
Frog Life Cycle Activity PDF
Frog Life Cycle Lesson Plan PDF
Simon Says Move like a Turtle Lesson Plan PDF
Module #6: Biodiversity (grade 6)
Life Systems Biodiversity Activity Book PDF
Teacher Testimonials
“This is my second year using the program and my students and I love it. Aside from the high educational value of the program the fact that I receive a bin with little to no preparation need from me is incredibly useful. The hands on nature of the activities (those plush fish!) bring the learning to another level and make it engaging and accessible to a larger number of students. The length of the lessons/videos are great. Being this is the second year I have done this I was able to extend the parts that really work for my students and me. We even created a math lesson using the fish.”
“The program is a wonderful opportunity to bring nature in the classroom and is guided by experts which makes it all the more interesting for students. It is a great way to get interactive with science. The preparation was done for me and I could rest assured that the content and materials would be relevant to my students, appropriate for their learning and inclusive of all. I loved the activities the students were able to do both independently and in groups.”
“The content covered in this module was relevant to my classroom and was interesting to my students. Everything was very clear and well organized. My students really enjoyed the hands-on elements.”
“Given that most of my students are ESL and very new to Canada/Ottawa, the program was easy for them to understand and follow along. I was incredibly impressed with the flower guide and how my students were able to understand it and use it to identify different species, despite their limited knowledge/experience with species native to Ottawa and the surrounding area. I would encourage other teachers to participate in this program and would reassure them that if they have a large ESL population, the program is VERY accessible and provides the students with lots of information about habitats unique to Ottawa and the surrounding area that their students may not be as familiar with.”
Funders
This program is possible thanks to generous funding from the Ottawa Community Foundation, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, and the Living Cities Canada Fund of Green Communities Canada.
