Biodiversity in your backyard
Biodiversity in Your Backyard designed to help teachers of elementary-aged students to explore the topic of biodiversity and expand their knowledge of life science.
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Related topics
- Learn more about biodiversity, online learning, professional development, and science.
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Course description
What’s living in your backyard? What kinds of plants and animals are present? How are these species the same as --and different from — what’s living in my backyard? Why do those similarities and differences exist? Is it important to have a wide variety of species around your house?
This course will explore these types of questions. As we delve into the topic of biodiversity, we’ll go on amazing adventures—real and virtual—that will illustrate the variety of life that surrounds us. We’ll take time to stop and truly observe the magnificent plants and animals all around us, right here in North Carolina, in our own backyards, and we’ll examine the importance of biodiversity and threats to this richness of life.
This six-week course developed by the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center will expand your content knowledge specific to the life-science objectives found in the North Carolina Essential Standards for Science. While developing lesson plans won’t be a major emphasis, your classroom instruction in the life sciences will be enhanced as a result of the readings, discussions, and activities built into this course.
Grab a notebook, dig out your rain gear, and meet us in the backyard. We’ll be playing outside every week, rain or shine. We can’t wait to see what we discover!
This course will help you think systematically and critically about learning in your classroom: Why learning happens and what can be done to improve student achievement. You will learn to demonstrate knowledge of processes needed to support students in acquiring critical thinking skills and problem solving skills. Further, you will begin to evaluate and reflect upon the effectiveness of literacy instruction within your content area, as well as cultivate an awareness of appropriate methods and materials necessary to meet the needs of all students.
Course objectives
By making observations and conducting experiments in their backyards, K-5 teachers will develop understanding of the fundamental concepts underlying biodiversity.
- Discuss the importance of biodiversity.
- Discuss the value of environmental education for elementary students.
- Explain how North Carolina’s geological history has shaped its ecological zones and given rise to the habitats found within each zone.
- Use scientific tools and personal observation to gather information about the habitats found in your backyard.
- Define “ecosystem” and explain how ecosystems maintain equilibrium.
- Use “niches” to explain the ways in which habitats and species influence each other.
- Identify key factors that have led to biodiversity on Earth
- Explain how humans benefit from biodiversity.
- Discuss ways in which humans have negatively affected biodiversity.
- Discuss ways in which humans can positively affect biodiversity.
- Design an educational activity that teaches at least one key concept about biodiversity.
Course information
Standards alignment
North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards (2009)
- Goal 1: Teachers demonstrate leadership.
- Objective 1.03: Teachers lead the teaching profession.
- Goal 3: Teachers know the content they teach.
- Objective 3.01: Teachers align their instruction with the North Carolina Standard Course of Study.
- Goal 4: Teachers facilitate learning for their students.
- Objective 4.03: Teachers use a variety of instructional methods.
- Objective 4.05: Teachers help students develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
- Goal 5: Teachers reflect on their practice.
- Objective 5.01: Teachers analyze student learning.
