B2. Inquiry: Interrelationships and Their Impact
Specific Expectations
B2.1
formulate questions to guide investigations into some aspects of the interrelationship between people and the natural and built features of their community, with a focus on some of the short- and long-term effects of this interrelationship (e.g., brainstorm with their peers to formulate simple questions related to the effects of not using garbage cans or not cleaning up after their dogs on the playground, of a community tree-planting event, of the building of a new road or big-box store on what was once green space, or of shutting down a local store)
- What are some of the good things about the natural features in our neighbourhood? How can we be more responsible and take better care of them?
- How are the ways in which we interact with the natural environment different from the ways we interact with human-built features?
- How can various people in our community support us in our investigation? Who could we ask?
- What are some ways in which people have had an impact on the natural features in the community?
- What happens when a new subdivision or mall goes up where there used to be trees or field grasses?
- What happens if the water is not safe to drink, wash, or swim in?
B2.2
gather and organize information on the interrelationship between people and the natural and built features of their community, and on the effects of this interrelationship, using sources that they have located themselves or that have been provided to them (e.g., use a tally sheet to monitor the use of garbage cans and recycling containers around the school; use a digital camera to record the amount of garbage on the ground in the park; organize satellite images that show changes in natural or built features in their community; interview a person who works in the park; listen to people speak and teach about various Fall Harvest festivals and activities)
- How could we gather data on the messiest places in the schoolyard?
- How can we use satellite images of the First Nation community to help us create maps and locate familiar features that we use?
- How could we use photos to see where trees have been planted or trees have been cut down?
- “I talked to the woman who works in the park. She told me that they put in special plants that butterflies like. I hope I see more butterflies next summer.”
- “We could take photos to help us identify which trees around the schoolyard are healthy and which are not.”
- “A person from the community told us how the lakes and the forest in our area are important to everything in our community.”
B2.3
analyse maps, and construct simple maps using appropriate elements, as part of their investigations into the interrelationship between people and significant natural and built features in their community (e.g., show the location of parks, bodies of water, or shopping districts, using symbols or photographs, a legend, directions, and colour; label a map with Indigenous place names)
- How might you use a map to give a new friend directions to where you live or to the after-school program from the school building?
- How could we find out where all the parks are in our neighbourhood? How could we show all the different structures that are in a park?
- “I pasted photos on my map of the park to show where the trees, pond, and swings are.”
- “We need to have different colours and symbols because we need to show what’s different and what’s the same on our map.”
B2.4
interpret and analyse information and data relevant to their investigations, using a variety of tools (e.g., plot their data on a pictograph or chart to determine ways in which an area in their community has changed; compare their own photographs or drawings of the way an area looks now to old photographs to determine changes)
- Let’s look at these old and new pictures of this area of town. What do you see that’s different? Are there more trees? Fewer trees? Are there more buildings? Are they the same kinds of buildings? What tool could you use to record the changes?
- How have the waterways changed in our area? How were they used in the past? How are they used today? How can you record the changes?
- When we listen to stories by members of our community, what do their stories tell us about how our community has changed over time?
- Why were new roads added in our community? How can you use a T-chart to show how the natural environment changed before and after the roads were added?
- “My family goes to the big new grocery store. On our walk I saw empty stores on Main Street. The small grocery store is gone.”
- “There’s a parking lot here now. In the old picture, there were trees and a little park. I wonder if there is a way for parking lots to be built without cutting down so many trees.”
- “I listened to an Elder tell me about the horses that used to run free in the woods of northern Ontario. The Anishinaabe used the horses to help them check trap lines and move goods and for transportation.”
- “I talked to a Métis Senator. She told me where the old community was and why we moved.”
B2.5
evaluate evidence and draw conclusions about some aspects of the interrelationship between people and natural and built features of their local community, and some of the effects of this interrelationship
- Why did they replace the cement around the pond in the park with grasses and reeds? What difference did that make? Do you think it was important to do? Why or why not?
- “More people go to the park near the library. It’s easy to get to and there’s lots to do. Sometimes people in the park throw garbage on the ground. It looks messy, and sometimes it can hurt children or animals. They need more garbage cans so people don’t litter.”
- “Some of the beaches are closed because the water is polluted and we can get sick from swimming in it. People need to stop dumping garbage and chemicals into the water.”
B2.6
communicate the results of their inquiries using appropriate vocabulary (e.g., location, map, symbol, distance, legend, direction, scale, community) and formats (e.g., a cooperatively produced book of photos from a field study; song lyrics, a rap, a dance, or a poem about the benefits of a community garden; a poster illustrating the benefits of planting trees; a map showing the natural and built features of their neighbourhood; role play illustrating responsible and respectful treatment of the environment)
- “We created a poster and a diorama showing how everything in our neighborhood, like the natural environment and the built features, works together with humans and nature.”
- “We wrote a song about taking care of the Earth and how it provides us with our food, medicines, water, and materials to make our homes.”