Overview

The Great Bear Rainforest Education and Awareness Trust (GBREAT) website honours the commitment of the Province of British Columbia to promote education and awareness about the largest intact temperate rainforest in the world—one of the richest areas of biodiversity on the planet—and home to the Spirit Bear, found nowhere else on Earth.

The Challenge

To develop learning resources aligned with B.C.’s new K-12 curriculum, while also meeting GBREAT’s goal of fostering a deeper public recognition and appreciation of the unique nature of the Great Bear Rainforest and the innovative approach to its management.

The Approach

Open School BC worked with B.C.-certified educators to develop a series of activity plans for grades 7 to 9. The activity plans and companion resources examine themes such as geography, community and biodiversity within the Great Bear Rainforest region. A custom website was built to house the educational materials and related multimedia, including a photo gallery, videos and interactive maps of the area.

The Outcome

The GBREAT website is an engaging and attractive resource for teachers and members of the general public alike. Visitors can explore topics such as biodiversity, stewardship and conservation, environmental restoration and sustainability, Indigenous knowledge, climate change and resource depletion—all within the context of one of the most spectacular regions in the world.

The GBREAT educational website includes:

• 11 downloadable and editable activity plans designed for use with grades 7-9 students
• Nine “backgrounder” documents providing information about First Nations history related to the Great Bear Rainforest region
• Over 25 supplementary resources—mostly teacher guides—developed by other organizations with ties to teaching and learning about the Great Bear Rainforest
• Maps of the region, three of which are interactive
• Over 30 curated videos with rich information and stunning imagery from the Great Bear Rainforest
• An image gallery with dozens of photos of wildlife from the region

Stay tuned for additional activity plans designed for use with students in grades 10 to 12!