BEAN Education Materials

From time to time BEAN may develop materials on particular topics or for particular events. Please check back here, or under What's New, for additional programming.

NEW! International Year of Forests 2011 lesson plan

Celebrate the International Year of Forests with Focus on Forests and BEAN! This lesson plan is curriculum linked, and it features three great activities that you can do to celebrate International Biodiversity Day on May 22nd. Click below to access the English or French versions.

Click here for the ENGLISH version

Click here for the FRENCH version

                         Developed in partnership with the Ontario Forestry Association

Pulling for Biodiversity -- Managing Invasive Species in Ontario

This unit is designed to:

• introduce the concept of invasive species,
• explain in an interactive and engaging manner why they are so destructive to native biodiversity, ecosystems and our economy, and
• identify what resource managers and ordinary citizens can do about them.

It focuses on two major invasive species in Ontario: Garlic Mustard and Rusty Crayfish. Developed for upper-level Primary and Intermediate students for International Biodiversity Day, 2009.

The Big Picture…on Biodiversity and Climate Change

The Big Picture program has been developed for Grade 9 and 10 Academic and Applied Science students in Ontario, and in particular for students taking the Climate Change Unit in Grade 10. 

Program elements include:

• Exploring and sharing how students and others value, use and impact local ecosystems
• Examining connections between biodiversity, climate change, and human health and well-being
• Enjoying a local ecosystem in a low-impact manner
• Taking seasonally appropriate action to mitigate against impacts

The program is designed to be used in a natural area, and is best modified to fit a particular site by teachers in partnership with on-site educators.  Teachers with a good grounding in ecology and biodiversity may be able to adapt the program on their own.  Many of the resources can also be used independently to get a better grounding in the issues related to biodiversity and climate change.