Yolanda U. Trapp
Introduction:
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Have you ever heard the expression "Balance of Nature?" What does it mean? In nature, Balance is a process or a happening. It is a combination of many things. It is everything that happens to keep the number of individuals of species constant. Balance is the key for the survival of living things in their environment. If this balance if upset for even one species, many things can happen. Much of what happens can be harmful to other living things in the Environment.
People in Science:
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Rachel Carson (1907-1964) was a Wildlife Biologist who wrote a book: Silent Spring. In this book she made people realize the harm being done to living things by chemical poison in insect sprays. She made people aware that these poisons had found their way into the plants and animals that people were eating. As a result of her book, much more care is now being shown in the use of chemical insect killer. Insecticides can have harmful effects on birds, plants, animals, and humans. If bird are harmed, they will be unable to scatter seeds or to kill harmful insects. Plants and animals affected by these poisons can cause sickness in humans who eat them.
The Role of People:
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What can people do to restore the balance of nature? Do we have a program of conservation we could practice with the students and our community? One of the main objectives of this unit is to increase our knowledge about how much people play an important role in conservation of organisms and their habitats.
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According to the Okanagan people of the Pacific Northwest, and the Abenaki, the Sioux and the Anishinabe, we have a role on this Earth, a mission: "To maintain the natural balance, to take care of our Mother, to be keepers of the Earth".
The Teacher's Role:
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This curriculum unit has been developed for kindergarten to fourth grade students. Goals and objectives have been adapted according to the needs of the children, under the expectation that older students will be able to absorb and comprehend more complex material, and to accomplish this ultimate goal: Connecting learning to the child's individual world. Science Literacy will be required with an emphasis on the critical thinking skills. But, how? I asked, How can I effectively teach this unit? How can I see the goals and objectives for today's school children? Fortunately children already possess the most important attributes a scientist needs: natural curiosity and wonder about the world around them. I decided then, to guide the students in a program that may develop their innate curiosity with very simple activities described in a separated section. Integrating several mini-themes related to specific areas of the Curriculum using the web method or a map allowing the freedom to teach in a flexible way that may let the children learn at their own pace and in their own style. They could work as a whole class, individually, or in cooperative groups. And even more important, we all could have Fun while doing it.