The Teacher's Guide is divided into six chapters, each focusing on the ideas and content presented in the six chapters of Global Change and Canadians. It also contains a series of Appendices of selected activities developed into lesson plans, a Glossary of Terms, a list of provincial contact persons and organizations, and a resources listing.

What is in each Section?

In each chapter of the Teacher's Guide you will find:

• a summary of the major concepts from Global Change and Canadians;
• some of the learning outcomes that occur when the concepts presented in the Teacher's Guide are addressed;
• a series of suggested activities or ideas that focus on the concepts presented in Global Change and Canadians; and
• a guide for assessing students' abilities relative to the concepts of the chapter. These are not prescriptive assessment procedures. It is expected that each education professional will adapt these to the assessment procedures recommended in his/her province and school district, as well as to the ability level of the students.

The Teacher's Guide was developed for high school and adult teachers across Canada, but many of the activities are adaptable to lower grade levels. It was also developed to be useful to teachers who are novice environmental educators.

Curriculum Integration

There are many suggestions for learning activities in the Teacher's Guide, and they address a variety of curriculum areas. Although much of the Global Change and Canadians content relates to biology, chemistry, geography and history, the activities noted in the Teacher's Guide also require students to draw upon their artistic and communication skills. Therefore, when developing a curriculum for Global Change and Canadians, educators will have the opportunity to integrate activities from a variety of educational disciplines into the learning experiences of their students.

To facilitate the identification of relevant activities for teachers of specific areas of study, an Index of Activities by Curriculum Area was developed (see p viii). Note that many of the activities are cross-referenced with other curriculum areas. Furthermore, many of the activities can be adapted to other areas of study.

The Teacher as Curriculum Designer

USING GLOBAL CHANGE AND CANADIANS AND THE TEACHER'S GUIDE

The Teacher's Guide is not meant to be a prescriptive or comprehensive curriculum plan. It does, however, provide teachers with a number of activities from which to choose when designing or augmenting a plan which fits the level of the students, their curriculum focus and their schedules. For example, an educator wishing to design a curriculum unit to introduce students to the overall concepts of global change would make use of Global Change and Canadians as the "textbook" or reference manual for students to read. Comprehension of the subject matter would be augmented by choosing one or more activities from the Teacher's Guide for the students to apply their knowledge.

Another way of using the Teacher's Guide is by consulting the Index of Activities by Curriculum Area on p. viii. This index provides, at a glance, relevant activities for curriculum areas. Teachers will draw on this facility when adapting or inserting an activity into an established curriculum plan.

Sidebar
Note the progression from the individual, to the national and to the international advocacy level.

A SAMPLE CURRICULUM PLAN

Educators who wish to present a broad overview of global environmental change issues to their students can select from the following activities in the Teacher's Guide.

1.0 Personal Timeline Page 2
1.2 Earth Timeline 3
1.5 Identify Elements of Global Change 4
1.7 Ecosystem in a Jar 4
2.1 Snapshots: A Historical Perspective 9
2.4 Our Economy 10
3.4 Exponential Growth 16
3.9 Environmental Connections 20
3.12 Air and Water-Are They Free? 22
4.1 The Greenhouse Effect 28
4.5 Global Warming-A Good Thing? 29
4.8 Stratospheric Ozone Depletion 30
4.13 How Acidic Is the Rain? 31
4.16 Alternative Fuels 32
4.19 Life in the Soil 33
4.22 Biodiversity and Global Change 34
4.23 Rainforests, Tropical and Temperate 34
4.26 Water Research 36
4.31 Wetland Habitats 37
4.35 Waste in Our Oceans 39
5.1 Think Globally-Act Locally 42
5.3 Raise Your Profile 43
6.0 Canadian Responses to Global Change 47
6.1 Round Table Simulation 47

Assessment Criteria

The assessment criteria outlined in this Teacher's Guide focus on ways to realistically assess student performance and understanding. This form of assessment is termed "authentic assessment" and includes ways of gathering information about what students have done, how well they accomplished their tasks and their level of understanding of the subject matter.

Authentic assessment criteria are determined by the activities in which the students are engaged. Specific tests on the terms and concepts presented in Global Change and Canadians are not included in the assessment criteria of this guide partly due to the nature of the suggested activities, but also because individual educators are better able to create meaningful assessment or testing procedures based on the concepts they choose to present in their curriculum plans, the academic level of their student groups, and the activities they choose from this guide.

Authentic assessment criteria are listed with each chapter of the Teacher's Guide. As a rule, assessment criteria should be clearly defined for students before they begin to work. There are many ways to gather assessment data from students. Some suggestions include:

1. FOLDER CREATION

2. JOURNAL REPORTING

3. PERSONAL JOURNAL-KEEPING

4. RESEARCH ASSIGNMENTS AND PRESENTATIONS

Additional Teaching Notes

The activities are meant to challenge students in determining the facts, as well as their sources, behind global change issues:
For example,

• What is the economic truth about recycling?
• Does tuna fishing really kill dolphins?
• Will a particular boycott program actually help solve the problem?

Students should approach these issues as investigative journalists: going below the surface, seeking up-to-date information, questioning hearsay and stereotyping, and detecting the bias in the message and the messenger.

1. Teachers must challenge students to become creative thinkers who move beyond simplistic answers. Above all, invite students to develop positive approaches: instead of becoming immersed in pessimism and gloom, or awash in cynicism, lead them to find and advocate a positive, alternative approach.

2. Depending on the situation, it may not be appropriate, affordable, or wise for the teacher to develop the activity as suggested in the Teacher's Guide. For example, if it is too expensive or time-consuming for a class field trip, delegate a few students to obtain the same information after hours and report back to class.

3. Another way of reducing costs associated with experiential learning such as field trips or personal interviews, is to encourage student use of electronic mail. Not only will they gain an insight into the power of this medium but it will afford them opportunities to access recent information and to share class experiences with "electronic pen-pals" in other countries or provinces, in a cost-effective way.

4. Issues such as poverty of lesser developed nations, overpopulation, and environmental degradation as caused by various industries and technologies are controversial. It is important for the teacher to act as a guide for students to think critically about these issues, rather than to advocate a particular point of view. This requires fostering a classroom atmosphere in which students are free to express ideas and opinions, even when they may risk their personal popularity.