Tolerance: Symbiosis in Nature
Age9-11
ValueDemocratic & Societal
LocationSchool
Recommended group size10-20
Recommended time / Minutes60-90
| Topic | Tolerance |
| Overview | During this activities the children will learn more about symbiotic relationships in nature and understand the importance of diversity |
| Learning objectives | • Learn about symbiosis in the plant and animal world • Understand why tolerance is important for a harmonious symbiosis • Embrace diversity |
| Skills developed | • Understanding the value of being different • Encourage tolerance in our daily actions |
| Method | Observation / Explanation / Dialogue |
| Materials | Pictures of unconventional friends in nature, paper and pen |
| Guidelines | Step 1:The facilitator shows the children different resources* of unconventional friends in nature (e.g., pollinators and flowers, animals, sea creatures, etc.) and asks the children to describe them and classify them in 3 groups : “together”, “helping each other”, “against each other” (20 minutes).Step 2:The facilitator introduces the term “symbiosis” and asks the children to guess what it means. Afterwards, they explain what are the 3 major symbiotic relationships in nature (mutualism, parasitism, commensalism) (30 minutes).Step 3:The facilitator asks the children to imagine applying these 3 types of relationships on people and asks them to write an example (e.g., I help X with their Maths homework and in return X helped me with my Literacy homework à mutualism) (20 minutes).Step 4:The facilitator collects the papers, picks one randomly and discusses it with the children, focusing on the value of tolerance and mutual respect (30 minutes).* See Additional Materials listed below** This activity has been adapted from this OER created by Sanayya Sohail. |
| TipsAdditional materialsHow to apply online?What to do at home? | Tips:This activity can take place outdoors when working with small groups.Additional material:Resources for lesson planning: https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/mighty-mutualisms-the-nature-of-plant-pollinator-13235427/ https://www.plt.org/educator-tips/mutualistic-relationships-plants-insects https://www-tc.pbs.org/wnet/nature/files/2008/12/symbiotic-strategies.pdf Symbiotic relationships resources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EscV2lAzJb4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AM3ARs9MMg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yhPeVD5Tm4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjZyC_fry9sHow to apply it online?Same method can be used online.What to do at home?Same method can be used at home. |
| Author | M. V. Kokota (CSI) |
| Download | Download |