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Description
The lessons in the following toolkit are designed to guide students towards an early understanding of climate change, and the impact it is having on all living things. One of the consequences of these changes is the increasing presence of climate sensitive infectious diseases within Canadian communities. Climate sensitive infectious diseases include many zoonotic, water-borne and food-borne diseases such as Lyme disease, West Nile virus, hantavirus, E. coli, giardiasis and salmonellosis.
Lesson 1: The purpose of this lesson is to demonstrate the impact of climate change on the Earth. Using two plastic bottles, students will be simulating two atmospheres. One with higher levels of carbon dioxide and one with normal air. Students will see a parallel between the experiment and how greenhouse gases are causing the temperature of the Earth to rise.
Lesson 2: This lesson is focused on how much the Canadian climate has changed over the past 20 years. Students will be using a data set of Canada’s climate changes over the past 20 years to graph the change.
Lesson 3: This lesson will highlight the impact climate change has had on different regions in Canada by examining how the habitat range of different animals has changed. Understanding the concept of habitat change will allow students to understand why many climate sensitive infectious diseases are becoming more common in Canada. The students conclude the lesson by researching a few infectious diseases that are becoming more common in Canada.
Lesson 4: This lesson highlights the impact that climate change is having on the geographic range of certain species, using the tick as an example. The activity will demonstrate how a growing habitat range of an animal increases the potential for human encounters with these animals, and can increase the risk of these animals spreading an infectious disease to humans.
Lesson 5: This lesson is based on a narrative from the perspective of an Algonquin boy who is learning about ticks and mosquitoes carrying Lyme disease and West Nile virus. The book provides practical safety tips for people looking to stay safe while enjoying the outdoors.
This resource is designed to be used in order and will take approximately five 40-minute lesson blocks to complete. By following the sequence, your students will be able to develop an understanding of how climate change works, how it impacts ecosystems, and why climate sensitive infectious diseases are a growing concern in Canada.
General Assessment
Strengths
- The lesson has students doing a multitude of different activities in different formats which lends itself well to different learning styles.
- This resource is available in both official languages
- Lessons in this toolkit are well explained and are easy to follow for teachers and students
- Printables are available of all the activities in the appendices
- This resource is accompanied with learning resources to help teachers with the lesson.
- Students will design a poster to educate their community on an infectious disease
Weaknesses
- This resource does not include adaptations for students with learning difficulties
- Evaluation tools are not provided in this resource
Recommendation of how and where to use it
The Canadian Public Health Association, in consultation with experts in health research, climate change and education, have created this toolkit to provide students with an enriching learning experience. It will allow students to develop an understanding of how climate change is influencing the spread of infectious diseases in Canada, and learn prevention strategies that will protect them from climate sensitive infectious diseases.
Relevant Curriculum Units
The following tool will allow you to explore the relevant curriculum matches for this resource. To start, select a province listed below.
- Step 1Select a province
- Alberta
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 6
- Step 3Select a subject
- Math
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Statistics: The science of collecting, analyzing, visualizing, and interpreting data can inform understanding and decision making.
- Science
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Earth Systems: Understandings of the living world, Earth, and space are deepened through investigating natural systems and their interactions.
- Living Systems: Understandings of the living world, Earth, and space are deepened through investigating natural systems and their interactions
- Students investigate climate and describe the interactions between the Sun, water, air, and land.
- Grade 7
- Step 3Select a subject
- Science
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Interactions and Ecosystems
- Grade 8
- Step 3Select a subject
- Math
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Knowledge and Employability: Statistics and Probability
- Statistics and probability
- British Columbia
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 6
- Step 3Select a subject
- Math
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Data from the results of an experiment can be used to predict the theoretical probability of an event and to compare and interpret
- Grade 7
- Step 3Select a subject
- Science
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Science 7: Earth and its climate have changed over geological time
- Science 7: Evolution by natural selection provides an explanation for the diversity and survival of living things.
- Manitoba
- New Brunswick
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 6
- Grade 7
- Step 3Select a subject
- Science
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Science 7 Earth Surface Processes: Learning and Living Sustainably
- Science 7 Earth Surface Processes: Scientific Literacy
- Grade 8
- Step 3Select a subject
- Math
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Statistics and Probability
- Newfoundland & Labrador
- Northwest Territories
- Nova Scotia
- Nunavut
- Ontario
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 6
- Step 3Select a subject
- Math
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Data
- Science & Technology
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Life Systems: Biodiversity
- Grade 7
- Step 3Select a subject
- Math
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Data
- Science & Technology
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Earth and Space Systems: Heat in the Environment
- Life Systems: Interactions in the Environment
- Grade 8
- Step 3Select a subject
- Math
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Data
- Prince Edward Island
- Quebec
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 6
- Step 3Select a subject
- Math
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Statistics and Probability
- Science & Technology
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Living Things
- Grade 7
- Step 3Select a subject
- Math
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Statistics and probability
- Science & Technology
- Step 4Relevant matches
- The Earth and Space
- The Living World
- Grade 8
- Step 3Select a subject
- Math
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Statistics and probability
- Science & Technology
- Step 4Relevant matches
- The Earth and Space
- The Living World
- Saskatchewan
- Yukon Territory
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 6
- Step 3Select a subject
- Math
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Data from the results of an experiment can be used to predict the theoretical probability of an event and to compare and interpret
- Grade 7
- Step 3Select a subject
- Science
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Science 7: Earth and its climate have changed over geological time
- Science 7: Evolution by natural selection provides an explanation for the diversity and survival of living things.
Themes Addressed
Air, Atmosphere & Climate (1)
- Climate Change
Ecosystems (1)
- Invasive Species
Human Health & Environment (1)
- Environmental Contaminants & Health Hazards
Sustainability Education Principles
| Principle | Rating | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Consideration of Alternative Perspectives | Very Good | Students will be introduced to the effects of climate change. One of the consequences of these changes is the increasing presence of climate sensitive infectious diseases within Canadian communities. Students will participate in open discussions and will have the chance to form their own opinion and take informed positions on the subject. |
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives:
| ||
| Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions | Good | This resource uses a wide variety of learning activities. In these activities, students will get to look at how these dimensions interplay in the issue of climate change and its effects on sensitive infectious diseases within Canadian communities. |
| Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions: Effectively addresses the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the issue(s) being explored.
| ||
| Respects Complexity | Very Good | |
| Respects Complexity: The complexity of the problems/issues being discussed is respected. | ||
| Acting on Learning | Satisfactory | After completing the lessons, students will be asked to consolidate their learning in the form of a poster to share with their communities on the risk of climate change and its effects on infectious diseases within Canada. |
| Acting on Learning: Learning moves from understanding issues to working towards positive change — in personal lifestyle, in school, in the community, or for the planet
| ||
| Values Education | Very Good | Students’ opinions and beliefs are at the center of this resource. Students have many opportunities to express themselves and there is no right answer. |
| Values Education: Students are explicitly provided with opportunities to identify, clarify and express their own beliefs/values. | ||
| Empathy & Respect for Humans | Poor/Not considered | This is not a focus of this resource. |
| Empathy & Respect for Humans: Empathy and respect are fostered for diverse groups of humans (including different genders, ethnic groups, sexual preferences, etc.). | ||
| Personal Affinity with Earth | Good | By completing this resource, students will be able to develop an understanding of how climate change works, how it impacts ecosystems, and why climate sensitive infectious diseases are a growing concern in Canada therefore fostering concern for the natural world. An activity in lesson 4 that will help students understand the impact that climate change is having on the geographic range of certain species, using the tick as an example can be completed outdoors. |
| Personal Affinity with Earth: Encourages a personal affinity with -the natural world.
| ||
| Locally-Focused Learning | Good | The resource focuses on Canadian data that is entirely related to the lives of the learners. In addition, students will share their opinion throughout the resource in the form of discussions and reflexion questions. |
| Locally-Focused Learning: Includes learning experiences that take advantage of issues/elements within the local community.
| ||
| Past, Present & Future | Very Good | |
| Past, Present & Future: Promotes an understanding of the past, a sense of the present, and a positive vision for the future. | ||
Pedagogical Approaches
| Principle | Rating | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Open-Ended Instruction | Very Good | This toolkit consists of five lessons, arranged in a sequence that encourages students to ask questions and develop their knowledge on the topic before integrating it in a poster project. Throughout this resource, students are asked to share their opinion and beliefs on the subject. |
| Open-Ended Instruction
: Lessons are structured so that multiple/complex answers are possible; students are not steered toward one 'right' answer. | ||
| Integrated Learning | Good | While this toolkit is mainly addressing Science outcomes, many of the lessons will provide opportunities for cross curricular learning, borrowing on skills from Science, Math, Language, Geography, Physical Education, Health, and Art. The lessons as they are will fit into the goals and curriculum expectations of all provinces and territories in Canada. |
| Integrated Learning: Learning brings together content and skills from more than one subject area
| ||
| Inquiry Learning | Satisfactory | |
| Inquiry Learning: Learning is directed by questions, problems, or challenges that students work to address.
| ||
| Differentiated Instruction | Good | This resource has a multitude of different activities for students to do and therefore addresses well the needs of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners. However, strategies for learners with difficulties are not provided. |
| Differentiated Instruction: Activities address a range of student learning styles, abilities and readiness.
| ||
| Experiential Learning | Satisfactory | Students will simulate two atmospheres in order to see a parallel between the experiment and how greenhouse gases are causing the temperature of the Earth to rise. As well, students will do an activity where they will demonstrate how a growing habitat range of an animal increases the potential for human encounters with these animals, and can increase the risk of these animals spreading an infectious disease to humans. |
| Experiential Learning: Authentic learning experiences are provided
| ||
| Cooperative Learning | Satisfactory | Students will need to collaborate to complete the activities. |
| Cooperative Learning: Group and cooperative learning strategies are a priority.
| ||
| Assessment & Evaluation | Poor/Not considered | Assessment tools are not provided in this resource, but teachers could use the reflection discussions/questions to evaluate students learning on the subject. They could also use the final poster as an evaluation. |
| Assessment & Evaluation: Tools are provided that help students and teachers to capture formative and summative information about students' learning and performance. These tools may include reflection questions, checklists, rubrics, etc. | ||
| Peer Teaching | Good | Students will create a poster to examine how climate change has contributed to an increase in the occurrence of certain diseases and identify essential information that should be shared with their friends, family and community. |
| Peer Teaching: Provides opportunities for students to actively present their knowledge and skills to peers and/or act as teachers and mentors.
| ||
| Case Studies | Good | Students will use real Canadian data when exploring this resource. |
| Case Studies: Relevant case studies are included. Case studies are thorough descriptions of real events from real situations that students use to explore concepts in an authentic context. | ||
| Locus of Control | Good | |
| Locus of Control: Meaningful opportunities are provided for students to choose elements of program content, the medium in which they wish to work, and/or to go deeper into a chosen issue. | ||
