Noelle Nestman, Tayler Cowen Unit Plan ESCI 310 Fall Semester 2016

Habitats and Communities

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Lesson Number and Title: Lesson 16 - Habitats Under Threat

Subject: Science

Grade: 4

Time: 1 class

Learning Objective and Lesson Purpose:

Learning Objective: Students will investigate how human decisions have had a major
impact on wildlife, habitats, and how it has affected the human race.
Lesson Purpose: The students will have the opportunity to focus on a First Nations
outcome by understanding how the First Nations people were dependent on bison as a
food source and how humans interfered with the bisons habitat, which resulted in a loss
of bison and the impact it had on the First Nations people.
Outcomes & Indicators:
-HHC4.3 Assess the effects of natural and human activities on habitats and communities,
and propose actions to maintain or restore habitats.
C. C. Categorize human activities by the effects they have or may have on habitats and
communities.
D. D. Assess intended and unintended consequences of natural and human-caused changes
to specific habitats.
E. E. Relate habitat loss to the endangerment and extinction of plants and animals within
habitats and communities in Saskatchewan and elsewhere.
Content Background:
-First Nations dependent on bison as a food source
-The destructions of habitat and bison from human interference
Processes Developed:
Planning planning a bison habitat
Designing designing that habitat
Adaptive Dimensions:
Pair strong students with not-so strong students
Provide a picture of a buffalo and have other pictures/facts available if students do
not have enough prior knowledge on the buffalo and its habitat
For visually impaired students, have a partner describe what is being drawn
Cross Curricular Competencies (CCCs) and STSE Connections:
Developing Identity and Interdependence
K-12 Goal: Understand and value social, economic, and environmental
interdependence and sustainability
Analyze how ones thinking, choices, and behaviours affect living and non-living
things, now and in the future
STSE Connections: This lessons investigates how humans have had an impact on the
environment and First Nations Worldview and Way of Knowing (use of environment).

Noelle Nestman, Tayler Cowen Unit Plan ESCI 310 Fall Semester 2016

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Interdisciplinary Connections:
- Social studies First Nations and Metis content
- Mathematics counting squares
- Arts education drawing and colouring
Prerequisite Learnings:
- What a buffalo habitat might look like, what they would eat, etc.
Materials / Equipment / Safety:
- Large graph paper
- Colouring tools
- The Learning Circle book for reading on page 34
- Computer/Projector for Youtube video
Advanced Preparation:
-Gather materials needed

Lesson
Procedure

Migration Management adapted from The Learning Circle Ages 8 to

11 from the Treaty Ed Kit (page 34) or can be found online at
http://www.etfo.ca/Resources/ForTeachers/Documents/The%20Learning
%20Circle%20-%20Classroom%20Activities%20on%20First%20Nations%20in
%20Canada.pdf

ENGAGEMEN
T

Classroom discussion:
I will begin by asking the class:
What is the most important food resource for First Nations people?
What else were the bison used for?
Short video on buffalo and the First Nations people:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aKqjrgz92w
Short reading on page 34 about the importance of buffalo.

EXPLORATIO
N

Students will be divided into groups and given a large piece of graph
paper and drawing materials. Each group will be asked to draw a mural
of a habitat that a buffalo would use.
In the mural, students will include:
- A small village in the corner of the graph paper (If the graph paper is
200 squares, the village should represent five squares)
-Appropriate food and water sources for the buffalo, shelter, and place to
raise their young.
-Many buffalo roaming the habitat

Noelle Nestman, Tayler Cowen Unit Plan ESCI 310 Fall Semester 2016

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EXPLANATION Then as a class, tell students that the village is going to expand
considerably in the next five years.
Read each line to the class. After you read the sentence, tell the students
how many squares to cover with a dark shade of pencil crayon or marker.

The village becomes a city with tall buildings and other structures
(Colour 50 squares)
Near the city, an airport (10 squares and 10 more for the flight
paths of the planes)

Rivers polluted by sewage and/or waste from pulp mills (10

squares)

Power lines (15 squares)

A major highway that runs east-west through the city (20 squares)

Clear-cut forestry (10 squares)

An increase in hunters at each food source drawn (2 squares at

each source)

People poaching eggs (1 square at each water source)

The new development should cover about 75 percent of the buffalos

habitat (on a 200 square graph paper).
ELABORATIO
N
EVALUATION

Class discussion:
What do you notice about your picture after the village was built?
Are there many buffalo left? Why or why not?
What has this activity taught you in terms of human impact on our
environment?
What other animals could have been affected by the new
development in the buffalos habitat?
- Deer, geese, caribou, elk, fish
How were the First Nations affected by the decline of the buffalo
and the other animals in the area?

Extensions /Modifications:
- This activity can be adapted to other migrating species important to First Nations, such
deer affected by construction of a new highway, caribou affected by a pipeline or salmon
affected by the construction of a new dam.
- This activity could also be done individually rather than as a group

Noelle Nestman, Tayler Cowen Unit Plan ESCI 310 Fall Semester 2016
- Each group could focus on a different animal and animal habitat
Assessment
:

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Evaluate the classs understanding by asking the questions and hearing

their responses.