Grade 4 – Life Systems

Lesson Summary: Students will choose a traditional First Nations, Métis or Inuit story about an animal and create a

public service announcement (PSA) to demonstrate how to protect the habitat of the animal in the story.

Curriculum Expectations: These expectations are intended to highlight the many ways in which this lesson could support

the curriculum. It is neither expected nor necessary for teachers to address all of these expectations at once. Teachers

are encouraged to select the most relevant expectations based on their unique context and intentions for the lesson.

Science & Technology

Mathematics

Language - Writing

Overall Expectations

A2. use coding in investigations and to

model concepts, and assess the impact

of coding and of emerging

technologies on everyday life and in

STEM-related fields

A3. demonstrate an understanding of

the practical applications of science

and technology, and of contributions

to science and technology from people

with diverse lived experiences

B1. assess impacts of human activities

on habitats and communities, and

analyse actions for minimizing negative

impacts and enhancing positive ones

B2. demonstrate an understanding of

habitats and communities and of

interrelationships among the

organisms that live in them

Specific Expectations

A2.1 write and execute code in

investigations and when modelling

concepts, with a focus on producing

different types of output for a variety

of purposes

A2.2 identify and describe impacts of

coding and of emerging technologies

on everyday life, including skilled

trades

A3.3 analyse contributions to science

and technology from various

communities

B1.1 assess positive and negative

impacts of human activities on habitats

and communities, while taking

different perspectives into account

B1.2 analyse the impact of the

depletion or extinction of a species on

its habitat and community, and

describe possible actions to prevent

such depletions or extinctions

B2.1 describe habitats as areas that

provide organisms, including plants

and animals, with the necessities of

life, and identify ways in which a local

habitat provides these necessities

Overall Expectations

C3. solve problems and create

computational representations of

mathematical situations using

coding concepts and skills

Specific Expectations

C3.1 solve problems and

create computational

representations of mathematical

situations by writing and executing

code, including code that

involves sequential, concurrent,

repeating, and nested events

C3.2 read and alter existing code,

including code that involves

sequential, concurrent, repeating,

and nested events, and describe

how changes to the code affect

the outcomes

Overall Expectations

1. Generate, gather, and organize

ideas and information to write for an

intended purpose and audience

2. draft and revise their writing, using

a variety of informational, literary,

and graphic forms and stylistic

elements appropriate for the purpose

and audience

Specific Expectations

1.1 identify the topic, purpose,

audience, and form for writing

1.2 generate ideas about a potential

topic, using a variety of strategies and

resources

1.3 gather information to support

ideas for writing in a variety of ways

and/or from a variety of sources

1.4 sort ideas and information for

their writing in a variety of ways

2.1 write short texts using a variety of

forms

2.3 use words and phrases that will

help convey their meaning as

specifically as possible

2.4 vary sentence structures and

maintain continuity by using joining

words (e.g., and, or) to combine

simple sentences and using words

that indicate time and sequence to

link sentences

3.4 use punctuation to help

communicate their intended

meaning, with a focus on the use of:

quotation marks to indicate direct

speech; commas to mark

grammatical boundaries within

sentences; capital letters and final

punctuation to mark the beginning

and end of sentences

3.8 produce pieces of published work

to meet identified criteria based on

the expectations related to content,

organization, style, use of

conventions, and use of presentation

strategies

Breaking Down the Coding Expectations in Science & Technology:

In the Grade 4 Science & Technology curriculum, there are 2 coding related expectations:

A2.1 write and execute code in investigations and when modelling concepts, with a focus on producing

different types of output for a variety of purposes

A2.2 identify and describe impacts of coding and of emerging technologies on everyday life, including skilled

trades

To paraphrase these expectations and express them in plainer language, students are being asked to:

● write code to demonstrate a science-related concept, focusing on producing output, which is any information

given by the computer to the user

● show how coding impacts our lives

Both expectations will be addressed through the project.

Learning Goals: We are learning to write code to create a Public Service Announcement (PSA) about an animal important

in a traditional First Nations, Métis or Inuit story to demonstrate how to protect the habitat of the animal in the story.

Success Criteria:

1. I can use a variety of event blocks and movement blocks

2. I can use sprite costumes to create animation effects

3. I can use a range of looks blocks to communicate information in my code

4. I can show how the habitat of the animal in Indigenous stories can be protected

STEM Profile:

Steven Nitah is an Indigenous community member who has worn many hats

during his long career. Steven has been very passionate about nature

conservation in Canada, especially his community of Łutsël K’e Dene First

Nation in the Northwest Territories, where he was the former Chief.

As the Chief, he created the Ni Hatni Dene Guardians program, which positions

his community as stewards and protectors of the Thaidene Nëné land in the

Northwest Territories. Besides this, Steven was also a former government

leader in the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly.

To support his community Steven and his team negotiated with the Federal

Government and the Government of the Northwest Territories to create the

Thaidene Nëne Indigenous Protected Area that hosts a National Park Reserve

and Territorial Protected and Wildlife Conserved Areas. This area is home to

many animals such as caribou, lynx, black bear, arctic fox, and several migratory

birds, like ducks and songbirds.

Like Steven, we will be using our knowledge to help others understand how to

protect animal habitats.

Minds On:

1. In the sample project provided, the animal being protected is a turtle. This would be connected to the Anishinaabe

story of how the turtle got its shell. This story about protecting the turtle (Mishekae) is a foundation for learning

how to conserve turtle habitats. You may wish to use this written version of the story or to watch this video from

the Royal Saskatchewan Museum, in which the story is told by Indigenous Elder, Hazel Dixon.

Please note that this is not the only option for classes to explore as there are many other stories from which to

choose. Please use your professional judgement to decide what is best for your students.

2. Students will have different experience levels when it comes to coding.

a. If students have never experienced coding before, please watch the “What is Coding?” video.

b. If students have experienced coding before, have a quick discussion in which students share