Biodiversity, Food and Farming for a Healthy Planet

Elementary

Description

This resource provides a complete package for teachers to educate students about agriculture and how human activities have profound impacts on the ecosystems and biodiversity of our planet.

Each lesson is organized with an introductory description, curriculum links, a list of materials needed, vocabulary list, detailed teaching instructions, learning objectives, assessment/evaluation ideas and extension activities.

What is Biological Diversity? - Students brainstorm examples of food chains and participate in a food web discussion. They play a round of “musical chairs” using drawings of different parts of a food web. They learn how the extinction of species affects others in a food web.

What Does Biodiversity Have to Do With the Food We Eat? - Students keep a daily food log for three days and link the food they eat to biodiversity. They identify reasons why genetic and species diversity is important for agriculture and for people.

How Do Farmers Grow Food Around the World? – Students investigate the origin of different foods they eat and indicate the country on a map. They gather information on a type of food of their choice and present their findings to the class. They plant bean seeds according to different growing methods: organic, monoculture, etc. and compare the various growing methods.

Can Farming Affect Biodiversity? Students participate in a detective mission game in which they visit a farm and observe differences in ecosystems, plants and animals. They use simple observation techniques to collect biodiversity field data. They present their findings.

So What Do You Think? So How Do You Feel? Students create a diagram in which they express their personal reflection on agriculture and biodiversity and how it’s connected to things they care about. They present their posters to the class and brainstorm a list of action projects they can complete to teach others about biodiversity.

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General Assessment

Themes Addressed

Relevant Curriculum Units