Teacher Resources

Ontario Curriculum-Based Experiential Education for Grades 1-12

Toronto and Region Conservation (TRCA) has been a leader in environmental education and has been delivering innovative learning programs since 1954. Our team of Educators has compiled a list of resources that can be used in the classroom. Whether your goal is to enhance a trip to one of our Field Centres or simply teach an in-class lesson on Climate Change, these resources can help.

Activities for the Kortright Centre for Conservation Programs

Preparing your students for their Kortright Centre visit:

The 20-Minute Energy Check - A Pre-visit Activity to Conservation of Energy (1.6 MB)
At the Kortright Centre for Conservation, your class will learn about current renewable energy technology and ways we can all reduce our energy consumption. In this activity, students will prepare for the Kortright program by investigating how and where they use energy at home.
Clean Water, Naturally! - A Pre-visit Activity to Wetland Study (1.5 MB)
At the Kortright Centre for Conservation, your class will learn about wetlands and their importance. In this activity, students will create a simulation wetland in order to better understand how wetlands act as natural filtration systems.
Geocaching 101 - A Pre-visit Activity to GPS or Geocaching (1.3 MB)
In this brief introduction to Geocaching, students learn the basics of this outdoor, recreational activity. They will also have an opportunity to use an online tool to investigate areas around the Kortright Centre for Conservation, their school and their home for the location of hidden geocaches.

Reinforcing your students' new knowledge after their Kortright Centre visit:

Life Cycle Flip-books - A Post-visit Activity to Growth and Change in Plants (1.9 MB)
At the Kortright Centre for Conservation, your class learned about plant development by observing a variety of plants in nature. In this activity, students will explore plant life cycles through an artistic lens by creating flip-books that animate the different stages of plant growth.
Habitat Realtors - A Post-visit Activity to Habitats and Communities (1.8 MB)
At the Kortright Centre for Conservation, your class learned about the interactions between species and the importance of biodiversity. In this activity, students will assume the role of "Habitat Realtors" and create "listings" that target the needs of species discussed during their field trip.
Creature Collector Cards - A Post-visit Activity to Pond Study, Stream Study or Biodiversity (2.1 MB)
At the Kortright Centre for Conservation, your class visited a variety of habitats and catalogued some of the species found there. In this activity, your class will develop "collectible cards" (like trading cards) depicting, classifying and describing some creatures encountered during the program.
Species Mind Maps - A Post-visit Activity to Interactions in the Environment (2.3 MB)
At the Kortright Centre for Conservation, your class learned about the inter-relationships between and among biotic and abiotic elements. In this activity, students use what they learned from their visit and create a mind map to share with others their understanding in a visual way.
How Sustainable Is My Home - A Post-visit Activity to Climate Change (1.8 MB)
At the Kortright Centre for Conservation, your class visited the Archetype Sustainable House which demonstrates how building construction and design can address climate change. In this activity, your class will create a survey to help them evaluate how sustainable their own homes are.

Activities for Albion Hills, Claremont and Lake St. George Field Centre Programs

Preparing your students for their Field Centre visit:

Never Eat Shredded Wheat - A Pre-visit Activity to Orienteering Programs (2.5 MB)
This series of introductory compass activities is designed to provide students with the vocabulary and hands-on experience needed to use a compass effectively. It serves as a great way to prepare students for participation in a variety of field centre programs that involve orienteering.
Geocaching 101 - A Pre-visit Activity to Introduction to GPS or Geocaching (1.3 MB)
In this brief introduction to Geocaching, students learn the basics of this outdoor, recreational activity. They will also have an opportunity to use an online tool to investigate areas around Lake St. George Field Centre, their school and their home for the location of hidden geocaches.
Clean Water Naturally - A Pre-visit Activity to Watersheds, Wetlands or Pond Study (1.5 MB)
At the field centre, your class will learn about wetlands and their importance. In this activity, students will create a simulation wetland in order to better understand how wetlands act as natural filtration systems.

Reinforcing your students' new knowledge after their Field Centre visit:

Biomagnification - A Post-visit Activity to the Lake Ecology Program (2.6 MB)
At the field centre, your class learned about the complex food webs that are present in lakes. In this activity, students will investigate and simulate the effects of the bioaccumulation and biomagnification of toxins and heavy metals as they move through the food chain.
Ecofootprint Challenge Re-visit - A Post-visit Activity to the Ecofootprint Challenge Programs (1.2 MB)
In this activity, students re-visit the Ecofootprint Challenge introduced at the field centre. By re-measuring their ecofootprint and comparing their "day 30" results to "day 1" results, students are able to determine their success in lowering their ecological impact.
How BIG is your Splash? - A Post-visit Activity to Stream Study, Pond Study, Lake Study or Watersheds (2.2 MB)
At the field centre, your class learned about watersheds and the importance of water conservation. In this activity, your class will complete a water footprint exercise that will help students develop a better understanding of how they can reduce their personal water use.
School Water Audit - A Post-visit Activity to Watersheds or Water-related Programs (2.9 MB)
At the field centre, your class learned about watersheds and the importance of water conservation. In this activity, your class will complete a school water audit in order to highlight where and how your school community is using water. The findings will help to identify actions that can be taken.
Creature Collector Cards - A Post-visit Activity to Stream Study, Pond Study, Lake Study or Biodiversity Hikes (2.2 MB)
At the field centre, your class visited a variety of habitats and catalogued some of the species found there. In this activity, your class will develop a set of "collectible cards" (like trading cards) depicting, classifying and describing some of the creatures encountered during the program.
Survival Comic Book - A Post-visit Activity to Wilderness Survival Skills (5.7 MB)
In this lesson, students create an educational comic book by making use of knowledge gained from the Wilderness Survival Survival program. The lesson includes development of a storyline, a story board and characters, as well as peer review of their draft work.

From Ripples to Waves

Focusing on virtual water (or embedded water) and the connections between water use and energy consumption, this resource has been designed to spark new conversations with students that explore the social, economic and environmental issues that are central to the global water crisis.

From Ripples to Waves Introduction (1.5 MB)
An Introduction To Virtual Water
This PowerPoint presentation was designed for classroom use and can be used in conjunction with TRCA’s “From Ripples to Waves” lesson plans. All information contained in this document was drawn from the Water Footprint Network website.

Lessons:

Decoding Water Messages (1.9 MB)
A Global Perspective on Water & Energy Connections (1.9 MB)
Liquid Flow Makes Electric Glow (1.9 MB)
No Power No Shower (2 MB)
The Puddle On Your Plate (1.6 MB)
Wat'er You Wearing (2.7MB)

Worksheets:

How Big Is Your Splash (570 KB)
School Water Audit (3.7 MB)

Environment Canada
http://www.ec.gc.ca/education/default.asp?lang=En&n=D3D10112-1

Pre- & Post-Visit Activities for Black Creek Pioneer Village Education Programs
http://blackcreek.ca/groups-and-education/pre-and-post-visit-activities.dot

Pre- & Post-Lesson Plan for the Winged Migration Program at Tommy Thompson Park
As part of the Winged Migration program at Tommy Thompson Park, it is recommended that classes complete the following lessons to familiarize students with some of the birds they might see and some of the concepts they will learn during their field trip. The lessons can be easily integrated into Science, Language Arts, Social Studies and Physical Education programs.
Pre-Lesson Plan | Post-Lesson Plan

Teach Green in Peel

A searchable database designed to help Peel teachers find locally-relevant resources and programs to engage students in environmental learning.

Waste-Free Lunch Flyers
Planning to launch a waste-free lunch program at your school? As with any initiative that requires significant support from your school's parent community - clear communication is essential. These flyers explain the benefits of packinga waste-free lunch, are available in 9 languages, and can serve as a central communication tool for your campaign.

Waste-Free Lunch Flyer (English) (1,344k)