THE M SS ON

THE M SS ON
IN YOUR SCHOOL
HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL
TEACHER’S
GUIDE
Presented by the Sedna Foundation
THE MISSION
IN YOUR SCHOOL
HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL
From 2012 to 2015, the schooner Sedna IV and its crew will sail around the world as part
of the 1000 Days for the Planet expedition to celebrate life in all its diversity and to instill a
sense of responsibility for protecting it. The expedition’s primary goal is to show people the
incredible beauty and magnificence of the species living on earth and to chronicle the state
of the biosphere. It will also strive to raise public awareness of the threat posed by the loss
of biodiversity our planet is currently experiencing and to encourage each of us to play an
active role in protecting it. As Jean Lemire, the leader of this amazing project says: “We
hope that the Sedna Foundation can make a difference and encourage people to adopt
habits that are more beneficial to the environment. Our plan is for the Sedna Foundation to
celebrate the earth.”
The Mission in Your School educational program is part of this plan. It is designed to be
an original teaching tool that will help schools better understand major global environmental issues and encourage them to take measures to protect and maintain the balance of
biodiversity on earth.
Note: This is a dynamic document. To access any resource mentioned in the guide, simply
move your mouse over it.
OBJECTIVES
OVERALL OBJECTIVE
Raise students’ awareness of various environmental issues related to the balance of
biodiversity.
TARGET AUDIENCE
Elementary and high school classes in Québec and elsewhere.
EDUCATIONAL AIM
Have students take concrete measures in their communities to protect the balance of
biodiversity.
EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES
By the end of the project, students will be able to:
• provide a detailed explanation of an environmental issue related to their own
community and to different regions around the world;
• find solutions to improve an environmental situation related to this issue
in their community;
• adopt a more environmentally responsible attitude in their daily activities;
• explore new subjects related to nature.
TABLE OF COMPETENCIES
BROAD AREAS OF LEARNING
Environmental Awareness and Consumer Rights and Responsibilities
SUBJECT-SPECIFIC COMPETENCIES
Science and technology
Subject-specific competencies:
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Understands natural phenomena
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Participates in exchanging scientific and technological information
KNOWLEDGE
The Living World
Diversity of life forms:
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Habitat
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Ecological niche
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Species
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Population
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Taxonomy
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Genes and chromosomes
Life-sustaining processes:
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Characteristics of living things
ENVIRONMENT
SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY
LIVING WORLD
SIGN UPGATHER
INFORMATION
PLAN DISCUSS
TAKE ACTION
SHARE REMAIN
PROACTIVE
ABSTRACT
This activity revolves around an online discussion between the students and a member of the Sedna
IV crew. To this end, students prepare five questions for the scientific communicator aboard the ship
and carry out an action to protect biodiversity in their own community. Upon completion of the environmental action, they achieve the rank of Virtual Sailor, and they have an opportunity to become a
“featured class.”
IMPLEMENTATION
The project has 7 steps:
1. Sign up
2. Gather information
3. Plan
4. Have discussion with crewmember of Sedna IV
5. Take action
6. Share
7. Remain proactive
Note: Steps 4 and 5 do not necessarily have to happen one after the other.
R
N
STEP 1: SIGN UP
The teacher signs up the class for the project by completing the online registration form at
www.Radio-Canada.ca/sedna
STEP 2: GATHER INFORMATION
The class learns concepts related to biodiversity and explores the local environment to discover the
different species that live there. It then learns about environmental issues that threaten the balance of
biodiversity and find a local environmental problem that it would like to tackle.
Suggested tasks:
Speak with the students and have them discuss what they know about the Sedna IV and the 1000
Days for the Planet mission.
• Visit the Adventure section of the 1000 Days for the Planet website.
Talk to the class about biodiversity and answer several questions to get a sense of their knowledge of the
subject.
• View the official video of the International Year of Biodiversity (2010).
• Visit the Biodiversity section of the 1000 Days for the Planet website.
• Visit the Canadian Biodiversity Web Site.
• Questions :
1. What is biodiversity?
2. Why is it in the news?
3. We often hear that biodiversity is threatened. What are the threats to biodiversity?
4. If biodiversity is threatened, who do you think is responsible for protecting it?
Discuss some global environmental issues.
• Visit the webpage on the major factors threatening Canadian species.
Take the students into the local environment (schoolyard, nearby park, field, street, lake, river, etc.) to
explore and discover its different living species.
• Read the fact sheets on environmental issues.
• Have the class agree on an environmental issue it wants to tackle.
TOOLBOX
Internet ressources:
• 1000 Days for the Planet, Adventure section
• Official video of the International Year of Biodiversity (2010)
• 1000 Days for the Planet, Biodiversity section
• Canadian Biodiversity Web Site
• Factors threatening Canadian species
• Fact sheets on environmental problems
STEP 3: PLAN
The class develops and plans a concrete action to carry out in the community related to the environmental issue
and local problem it has chosen.
Suggested tasks:
Find a concrete action to carry out in the local environment that will contribute to maintaining the balance of biodiversity. The action should bring about some sort of change and ideally should take place
outdoors (schoolyard, neighbourhood, local park, etc.).
• Consult the educational activity bank.
Plan the action the class will undertake and write up a summary.
• Complete the form (“Summary” section) in your portfolio.
Also plan a publicity segment in which the class raises awareness among other people at the school,
in the neighbourhood, or in the town of the environmental problem they are tackling, publicizes their
action toward solving it, and encourages others to take action too.
TOOLBOX
Ressources :
• Form (“Summary” section)
STEP 4: HAVE DISCUSSION WITH CREW MEMBER
OF SEDNA IV
The students prepare five questions they would like to ask the scientific communicator from A Space
for Life (comprising the Biodôme, the Insectarium, the Botanical Garden, and the Montreal Planetarium) aboard the Sedna IV.
Suggested tasks:
Read the most recent log entry to find out the latest news from the Sedna IV.
Discuss which subjects to bring up when the class talks live to the scientific communicator. See the
FAQ to help prepare the questions asked by the class. Examples of question topics include information
about the animal being filmed, the environmental problem that such and such animal experiences, life
aboard the ship, and nature’s surprises.
Draw up five questions, one of which should deal with the environmental issue you have chosen, and
send them to the education program manager by completing the form in your portfolio.
Read the document Preparing for your virtual meeting with the Sedna IV (PDF). Remember to contact the school board’s IT department to properly prepare for the meeting.
Check your email regularly to find out the date and time of the virtual meeting with the Sedna IV.
(Note: the education program manager will contact you to plan this meeting with you. Basically, meetings are assigned on a first come, first served basis.)
Prepare students for the meeting as soon as the education program manager confirms your virtual
meeting.
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TOOLBOX
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Documents :
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• Preparing for your virtual meeting with the Sedna IV
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• FAQ on the 1000 Days for the Planet website
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Resource person:
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• Education program manager:
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Lucie Rivest: [email protected]
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STEP 5: TAKE ACTION
The class carries out the environmental action it has planned. Along the way, the students should
document the various steps of their activity so they are able to describe it in the final report. They
should also take at least one photograph, either of the class or of the activity itself, that they can attach to the final report.
Suggested tasks:
Do the action planned by the students.
Take notes and photos to be able to complete the final report.
STEP 6: SHARE
Once the environmental action has been completed, the class should prepare its final report and send it to
the Sedna IV team. Students will then receive their Virtual Sailor certificate, and the class may be selected
as a “featured class.”
Suggested tasks:
Fill out the form (“Final report” section) to share your action with other classes that are also working
to protect biodiversity. The report should describe the results of your action and include any other
relevant information.
Attach a photo of the class. Fill out the consent form (“Consent” section) to allow the class photo to
appear on the 1000 Days for the Planet website.
Send the report and attachments by clicking SEND.
STEP 7: REMAIN PROACTIVE
Classes that wish to increase the reach of their environmental action can take part in Adopt a
Threatened Species, another educational project presented by 1000 Days for the Planet. You could
also invite other classes in the school or area to take part in the project and carry out an action to
protect the environment, either through The Mission in Your School or through Adopt a Threatened
Species.
Classes are also invited to visit the 1000 Days for the Planet exhibition at the Biodiversity Centre,
located near the Montréal Botanical Garden. The centre will also be home to the Sedna IV Base Camp,
where visitors can meet scientific communicators who have been aboard the Sedna IV and discuss the
beauty and fragility of nature on earth with them.
RECOGNITION
Every class that sends a completed report to the 1000 Days for the Planet team will receive a Virtual
Sailor certificate signed by Jean Lemire. In the weeks following reception of the report, the class will
also appear in the 1000 Days for the Planet EDUCATION section and could be selected as a “featured
class.”
To contact us :
[email protected]
TOOLBOX
List of links in the guide
• Official video of the International Year of Biodiversity (2010)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1VYmpTikgw&feature=relmfu
• 1000 Days for the Planet, Adventure section
www.1000days.ca/adventure
• 1000 jours pour la planète, Biodiversity section
www.1000days.ca/biodiversity
• Canadian Biodiversity Web Site
http://canadianbiodiversity.mcgill.ca/english
• Factors threatening Canadian species
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/endangered-animals
• Fact sheets on environmental problems
www.1000days.ca/biodiversity
• Preparing for your virtual meeting with the Sedna IV
www.1000days.ca/teacher/virtualmeeting.pdf
• FAQ on the 1000 Days for the Planet website
www.1000days.ca/teacher/faq
This teacher’s guide was produced by
in partnership with
in the context of