 Nature can be an inspiration for many things, and science and technology are no different. Take a deep dive in this series into how biomimicry is combining nature with fields like technology to help people and make the world a safer place to live.  

Infrastructure industrialization

Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Cities

Sustainable cities and communities

Biodiversity

Life on land

explain some ways in which environmental factors affected people in selected societies during this period (e.g., the importance of bodies of water in settlement and transportation; natural defences such as deserts or mountains; the impact on agriculture of annual flooding in the Fertile Crescent; deforestation in Sumer; the role of natural resources in economic development; famine caused by drought or pests; disease spread by insects; the use of local materials in artistic/artisanal production)

B1.4 Society and Community

identify and describe the distinguishing characteristics of different groups of plants and animals (e.g., invertebrates have no spinal column; insects have three basic body parts; flowering plants produce flowers and fruits), and use these characteristics to further classify various kinds of plants and animals (e.g., invertebrates – arthropods – insects; vertebrates – mammals – primates; seed plants – flowering plants – grasses)

Grade 6 Understanding Basic Concepts 3.1

Biomimicry in Robotics

Energy

Affordable and clean energy

Design and construct models to simulate how animals disperse seeds or pollinate plants (e.g., animals brushing fur against seed pods and seeds falling off in other areas, birds and bees extracting nectar from flowers and transferring pollen from one plant to another).

SCI.2.6

Use evidence and scientific reasoning to explain how characteristic animal behaviors (e.g., building nests to protect young from cold, herding to protect young from predators, attracting mates for breeding by producing special sounds and displaying colorful plumage, transferring pollen or seeds, creating conditions for seed germination and growth) and specialized plant structures (e.g., flower brightness, nectar, and odor attracting birds that transfer pollen; hard outer shells on seeds providing protection prior to germination) affect the probability of successful reproduction of both animals and plants.

SCI.7.10

Different types of plants and animals inhabit the earth. As a basis for understanding this concept: Students know how to observe and describe similarities and differences in the appearance and behavior of plants and animals (e.g., seed-bearing plants, birds, fish, insects)

SCI.K.LS.2.a

Plants and animals have predictable life cycles. As a basis for understanding this concept: Students know the sequential stages of life cycles are different for different animals, such as butterflies, frogs, and mice

SCI.2.LS.2.b

Trace the transition from tyranny and oligarchy to early democratic forms of government and back to dictatorship in ancient Greece, including the significance of the invention of the idea of citizenship (e.g., from Pericles' Funeral Oration).

SOC.6.WH.6.4.2

Describe ideas, phenomena (e.g., how butterflies eat), and text elements (e.g., setting, characters) in greater detail based on understanding of a variety of grade‐level texts and viewing of multimedia with moderate support.

ELD.PI.K.6.Ex

Demonstrate the ability to use personal discovery and invention through improvisation and choreography.

DA.7.2.2

The offspring of some plants and animals do not resemble the parents. Similarities between parents and their offspring become more apparent as their life cycle continues (i.e., caterpillars become butterflies).

SCI.K-3.7.1.B

Invention and innovation are creative methods to turn ideas into real things.

TEC.3-5.TPA1.01.09

Identify the scientific knowledge on which a technological invention or innovation is typically predicated.

TEC.6-8.M1.01.09

Describe the difference between invention and innovation.

TEC.6-8.M5.01.05

Identify ways in which living organisms interact with each other and their environment (e.g., birds nest in trees, birds eat worms).

SCI.K.8.1.2

Recognize that spin offs are products which have undergone a technology transfer process from research to public use. Research spin-offs from the space program that have affected our everyday lives (i.e., Velcro, smoke detectors, cordless tools).

SCI.8.1.2.5

Recognize that spin-offs are products which have undergone a technology transfer process from research to public use. Research and report on spin-offs from the space program that have affected our everyday lives (i.e., Velcro, smoke detectors, cordless tools).

SCI.8.4.3.2

Classify animals into major groups, such as insects, fish, reptiles, mammals, and birds.

SCI.6.SC.6.L.15.In.a

participating in a large group discussion of birds and building on the information by talking with a teacher as they watch birds outside later in the day

LA.PK.D.2.c.2

Take a nature walk to observe existing sets for children to compare (e.g., “We found 10 ants and only one butterfly on our walk today. We found a lot more ants than butterflies.”).

AAAA.PK.A.a.3.d.b

Choose interesting science-related experiments that use tools during small group instruction (e.g., tie-dye butterflies using coffee filters, colored water, and droppers; provide magnifying glasses to look closely at things collected from a nature walk such as leaves, rocks, sticks, or a caterpillar).

AAAA.PK.B.a.1.d

Use every day events (e.g., weather, birds gathering at the bird feeder) to help children learn about nature.

AAAA.PK.B.a.2.b

commenting on the changes they observe as caterpillars grow, change into chrysalises, and emerge as butterflies.

AAAA.PK.B.c.1.4

Observe and describe major stages in the life cycles of plants and animals, including beans and butterflies.

SC.2.L.16.1

Classify animals into major groups (mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, arthropods, vertebrates and invertebrates, those having live births and those which lay eggs) according to their physical characteristics and behaviors.

SC.3.L.15.1

Identify the life cycle of familiar animals and compare their various stages: birth, growth and development, reproduction, and death. Understand that metamorphosis occurs in some animals (e.g., butterflies, frogs).

SCI.4.12.4.03

Understand that some animals survive winter by being fitted for an active life during winter (e.g., penguins), others by hibernation (e.g., certain bears), and others by migration (e.g., monarch butterflies).

SCI.4.12.4.12

Understand how scientists classify organisms. Identify common insects, flowers, birds, reptiles, and mammals using a dichotomous key.

SCI.7.12.7.01

Analyze the effects of a significant invention or technological innovation on the physical and cultural environment of one of the world’s regions, including: the wheel, canals and railroads.

SOC.8.16.8.99

Show awareness of the need to care for living things (e.g., water plants, feed pets, put food out for birds).

SCI.PK.12.B.2

Identify and describe the component parts of living things (e.g., birds have feathers; people have bones, blood, hair, skin) and their major functions.

SCI.K-3.12.A.1a

Develop a variety of artistic, design, technical, and soft skills through performing various assigned roles in producing and presenting media artworks (for example, invention, formal technique, production, self-initiative, problem-solving).

MA:Pr5.1.6.a

evaluate the purposes of technology tools (e.g., word processing, databases, spreadsheets, scanners, robots, personal electronic devices, Internet, email) and analyze how these impact productivity in homes, schools and jobs by: explaining how technology provides access to information and resources at home, school and the workplace

WORK.7.VS-7-CT-S-2.a

evaluate the purposes of technology tools (e.g., word processing, databases, spreadsheets, scanners, robots, personal electronic devices, Internet, email) and analyze how these impact productivity in homes, schools and jobs by: continuing the development of the on-line Individual Learning Plan (ILP) to provide a focus for academic and career planning

WORK.7.VS-7-CT-S-2.b

Develop a variety of artistic, design, technical, and soft skills through performing various assigned roles in producing media artworks, such as invention, formal technique, production, self-initiative, and problem-solving.

MEDA.6.MA:2.Pr5.1.6.a

Students will explain the purposes of technology tools (e.g., robots, cell phones, computer techniques, scanners, personal digital assistant (PDA), laptop computers) and analyze how these impact productivity in homes, schools, and jobs.

HE.6.PL-06-4.3.2

Explain some differences between animals and explain where they live. (e.g., birds in trees, frog in a pond).

SCI.PK.L.g

Discuss the different characteristics that animals have such as birds fly, lay eggs and have feathers, while cats have fur and deliver live babies.

SCI.PK.L.6

Know that some organisms are made of a collection of similar cells that cooperate (e.g., algae) while other organisms are made of cells that are different in appearance and function (e.g., corn, birds).

SCI.5.II.II.III.2

Initiate and carry out a thorough investigation of an unfamiliar situation and identify needs and opportunities for technological invention or innovation.

SCI.9-12.C.1.T1.1.a

initiate and carry out a thorough investigation of an unfamiliar situation and identify needs and opportunities for technological invention or innovation

SCI.9-12.P.1.T1.1.a

Across time, technological innovations have had both positive and negative effects on people, places, and regions. For example, the invention of writing made more complex civilizations and more advanced technologies possible.

SOC.6.1.6

initiate and carry out a thorough investigation of an unfamiliar situation and identify needs and opportunities for technological invention or innovation.

SMT.9-12.1.E1.1

SMT.9-12.5.1.1

Describe what it means to invent, and imagine an invention.

ARTS.VA:Cn11.2.K.a

Explain how and why civilizations, societies and regions have used, modified and adapted to their environments (e.g. invention of tools, domestication of plants and animals, farming techniques and creation of dwellings).

SOC.NCES.6.G.1.4

Evaluate primary and secondary sources in terms of their authenticity and manipulation through the omission, suppression, or invention of facts.

SOC.NCES.TPAH.H.3.4

identifying innovations or inventions that have impacted interaction between people (e.g., the invention of the telephone allowed people to talk to each other at a distance).

SOC.K-2.HP 4 (K-2)-2.a

proving whether innovation and invention have been beneficial or detrimental to society.

SOC.9-12.HP 4 (9-12)-2.b

Students demonstrate an understanding of the need for technology by: understanding that technology is any process or invention that affects society (e.g. impact of the tractor on farming, indoor plumbing)

TEC.3-4.ET1.2 3-4.2a

Wetlands form the transition zone between dry land and bodies of water such as rivers, lakes, or bays. Both tidal and non-tidal wetlands perform important water-quality functions, including regulating runoff by storing flood waters; reducing erosion by slowing down run-off; maintaining water quality by filtering sediments, trapping nutrients, and breaking down pollutants; and recharging groundwater. Wetlands also provide food and shelter for wildlife and fish and nesting and resting areas for migratory birds (6.8 b).

SCI.6.6.8.EU.1.7

Wildlife migration patterns (e.g., Monarch butterflies)

SOC.9-12.WG.4.D 2.b

Compare, with your child, how different animals obtain food and water (e.g., a squirrel hunts for nuts; many birds and insects find nectar in flowers, which contain food and water; people may grow food in gardens or shop for food in stores).

AAAA.K.6.3.E

Encourage your child to sketch or make a representation of life cycles (birds, plants, moths, etc.).

AAAA.1.6.3.C

Identify common information about a topic within and between texts (e.g., all birds in the text build their nests on the ground).

READ.K.2.3.1.b

Sort words by various attributes (e.g., robins, parrots, and ducks are all birds).

READ.1.2.3.2.a

Provides feedback pertinent to the listening or observation situation (Science: “I didn’t know that’s how butterflies drink nectar.”).

COM.2.1.1.2.e

Describes visual information (e.g., Dance: describes context using analogy and metaphor, such as "the dancers were like birds floating," or demonstrates with movement).

COM.3.1.1.2.f

Identify observable characteristics of living organisms (e.g., spiders have eight legs; birds have feathers; plants have roots, stems, leaves, seeds, flowers).

SCI.K.1.1.6.a

Ask questions about objects, organisms, and events in their environment.

SCI.K-1.2.K-1 INQA.1

Follow up a question by looking for an answer through students’ own activities (e.g., making observations or trying things out) rather than only asking an adult to answer the question.

SCI.K-1.2.K-1 INQA.2

Observe patterns and relationships in the natural world, and record observations in a table or picture graph.

SCI.K-1.2.K-1 INQA.3

Given a child’s toy that is a model of an object found in the real world, explain how it is like and unlike the object it represents.

SCI.K-1.2.K-1 INQB.1

Describe patterns of data recorded, using tallies, tables, picture graphs, or bar-type graphs.

SCI.K-1.2.K-1 INQC.1

Participate in a discussion of how the recorded data (evidence) might help to explain the observations.

SCI.K-1.2.K-1 INQC.2

Report observations of simple investigations, using drawings and simple sentences.

SCI.K-1.2.K-1 INQD.1

Listen to and use observations (evidence) made by other students.

SCI.K-1.2.K-1 INQD.2

State verbally or in writing a need to repeat observations (evidence) to be certain the results are more reliable.

SCI.K-1.2.K-1 INQE.1

Record observations (evidence) honestly and accurately.

SCI.K-1.2.K-1 INQF.1

Identify the external parts of different plants and animals (e.g., legs on an insect, flowers, stems, and roots on many plants, feathers on birds, scales on fish, eyes and ears on many animals).

SCI.K-1.4.K-1 LS1B.1

Compare how different animals obtain food and water (e.g., a squirrel hunts for nuts, a pet dog eats prepared food and drinks water from a bowl or puddle, many birds and insects find nectar in flowers, which contain food and water, people may grow food in gardens and many shop for food in stores and get water from the tap).

SCI.K-1.4.K-1 LS1E.1

Identify the characteristics of a habitat that enable the habitat to support the growth of many different plants and animals (e.g., have trees to provide nesting places for birds and squirrels, pond water for tadpoles and frogs, blackberry bushes for rabbits to hide in).

SCI.K-1.4.K-1 LS2B.1

List two or more things that humans do that might harm plants and animals in a given habitat (e.g., throwing litter in a pond might cause difficulty for water birds and fish to find food or might poison the plants and animals that live there).

SCI.K-1.4.K-1 LS2C.1

Identify ways that similar parts can play different roles in different systems (e.g., birds may use their beaks to crack seeds while other birds use their beaks to catch fish).

SCI.2-3.1.2-3 SYSE.1

Identifies, examines, classifies, and uses the patterns and types of balance found in natural organisms (such as butterflies and insects) and in man-made environments to create works of art.

VIS.3.1.1.7.c

explain and use the classical rhetorical canons of invention, organization, style, memory, and delivery;

LA.9-12.PSI-III.1.B

select and limit topics for speeches considering his/her own interests, timeliness, and the importance of the topic;

LA.9-12.PSI-III.3.B

LA.9-12.PSI-III.3.C

investigate and record some of the unique stages that insects such as grasshoppers and butterflies undergo during their life cycle.

SCI.2.10.C

investigate and explain how internal structures of organisms have adaptations that allow specific functions such as gills in fish, hollow bones in birds, or xylem in plants;

SCI.7.12.A

identify symbols such as state and national birds and flowers and Uncle Sam; and

SOC.2.11.C

identify selected symbols such as state and national birds and flowers and patriotic symbols such as the U.S. and Texas flags and Uncle Sam; and

SOC.2.14.C

distinguish among adaptation, imitation, innovation, and invention.

ARCH.12.20.D

use dance as a language to represent ideas from diverse literature sources, with a focus on time and energy (e.g., interpret stories, poems, and texts from other subject areas through dance; respond to a story about insects by depicting the sustained lifting and pulling actions of ants versus the sustained floating actions of butterflies)

Grade 3.A1.2

describe the evolution of dance and performance as different groups of people have responded to external factors such as migration, a new environment, and/or contact with other groups or cultures (e.g., the evolution of Maritime Acadian folk dances into Louisiana Cajun dances such as fais do do and the Mardi Gras dance Krewes; the origins and development of French and Scottish jigs; the evolution of the Métis jig out of imitations of wildlife movements [prairie wild birds] and the intricate footwork of Native dancing and European jigs)

Grade 7 A3.1

analyse some historical, cultural, and
technological influences on style, genre, and
innovation in music (e.g., the impact of the
invention of the piano or the electric guitar)

Grade 7 C3.2

identify and describe ways in which cho - reographers and performers use or have used dance to address social and environmental issues (e.g., identify issues raised in Danny Grossman’s 1981 work Endangered Species and discuss their relevance to society today; describe how Isabel Croxatto’s Revolution of the Butterflies highlights the urgent need to protect and restore the environment)

Grade 9 Contexts and Influences C2.2

analyse the environmental impacts of various resource extraction activities (e.g., ecological impacts of clear-cutting and forest monocultures; habitat disruption from pipeline construction, and potential impacts of pipeline leakage on watersheds and climate; ecosystem destruction, impacts on fish, changes in sediment transport patterns, and increases in greenhouse gas emissions from damming of waterways; impact of wind farms on migratory birds; air and water pollution and destruction of natural landscapes resulting from mining), and assess options for making these activities more sustainable

C2.2 Development of Natural Resources

describe different types of pollution (e.g., in water: thermal pollution, biological and chemical substances that deplete oxygen, bacteria, nutrients, heavy metals and toxic chemicals; in air: particulates, ground-level ozone, heavy metals and toxic chemicals, ozone-depleting substances, acidifying gases, carbon monoxide, greenhouse gases; noise pollution; electromagnetic radiation pollution; light pollution) and their impacts (e.g., water pollutants: health effects in fish and fish-eating birds, animals, and humans; eutrophication; air pollutants: cardiorespiratory stress in humans, acidification of lakes, ozone layer depletion, climate change; light pollution: fatalities among migratory birds, detrimental confusion among sea turtle hatchlings), and explain processes that affect the severity of some of these impacts (e.g., bioaccumulation and biomagnification, acid buffering)

D2.2 Impacts of Pollution

describe some key developments in science and/or technology during this period (e.g., the domestication of fire; the invention of the wheel; stone and iron tools; irrigation systems in Egypt or Mesopotamia; urban sanitation systems in the Indus Valley; developments in mathematics or astronomy in Greece, Mesoamerica, or India; Mayan or Roman calendars; development in military technology), and assess their impact (e.g., on agriculture, warfare, transportation, cultural production, trade)

B4.4 Culture and Heritage

use parts of speech correctly to communicate their intended meaning clearly, with a focus on the use of: common, proper, and abstract nouns (e.g., courage, hope); collective nouns (e.g., flock of birds); adjectives, including comparative adjectives (e.g., bigger, more expensive) ; the helping verb have; adverbs modifying verbs (e.g., when, where, how); comparative adverbs (e.g., faster, slower)

Grade 5.3.5

describe how showing care and respect for all living things helps to maintain a healthy environment (e.g., leaving all living things in their natural environment; feeding birds during cold winter months; helping to plant and care for plants in the gardens that attract birds and butterflies; caring for the school and the schoolyard as an environment)

Grade 1 Understanding Basic Concepts 3.5

assess ways in which daily and seasonal changes have an impact on society and the environment (e.g., In winter, some people suffer from seasonal disorders because there is less light from the sun than in summer. When the weather gets cold, people turn on heat in their homes; when the weather gets hotter they turn on fans, air conditioners, and pool heaters and pumps, all of which means that more energy is being used. At night in winter, when people get home from work and school, they all turn on appliances at around the same time [peak hours], which puts a strain on the power supplies. In summer, people increase their use of water to wash their cars and water their lawns and gardens; unless there is plenty of rain, this usage of water puts a strain on water supplies. In winter, it is harder for birds that do not migrate and animals that do not hibernate to find food and water. Some plants die when summer is over; others undergo changes, such as losing their leaves and going dormant until spring. The Anishinaabe people tell their stories only in the winter when there is snow on the ground.)

Grade 1  Relating Science and Technology
to Society and the Environment 1.2

use scientific inquiry/research skills (see page 15), including generating questions and knowledge acquired from previous investigations, to identify daily and/or seasonal changes and their effects (e.g., the sun shines during the day, and the moon and stars are visible at night; leaves change colour in the fall; there are fewer birds in winter; dogs’ fur gets thicker in winter; trees and flowers bloom in spring

Grade 1  Developing Investigation and
Communication Skills 2.4

investigate the life cycle of a variety of animals (e.g., butterflies, frogs, chickens), using a variety of methods and resources (e.g., observation of live animals in the classroom and in the schoolyard; books, videos/DVDs, CD-ROMs, and/or the Internet)

Grade 2 Developing Investigation and
Communication Skills 2.3

describe an adaptation as a characteristic body part, shape, or behaviour that helps a plant or animal survive in its environment (e.g., some birds migrate to a warmer climate for the winter; the design of a whale’s flipper allows the whale to turn, steer, and balance; the cecropia moth has the pattern of a snake’s head on its wings: the hypothesis is that this is to frighten its predators away)

Grade 2 Understanding Basic Concepts 3.2

identify ways in which animals are helpful to, and ways in which they meet the needs of, living things, including humans, to explain why humans should protect animals and the places where they live (e.g., bats control mosquito populations; birds and wildlife provide pleasurable viewing experiences; the buffalo provided some Aboriginal people with everything they needed to survive: food, shelter, clothing, tools,
ornamentation, and weapons; horses can be used
for labour; cats and dogs provide companionship
for humans; animals, including humans, disperse
plant seeds)

Grade 2 Understanding Basic Concepts 3.3

describe interrelationships within species (e.g., wolves travel in packs to defend their territory, raise their cubs, and hunt large prey), between species (e.g., the brightly-coloured anemone fish protects its eggs by laying them among the poisonous tentacles of the sea anemone, and in return the fish’s bright colours attract prey for the anemone to eat; birds and bees take sustenance from plants and carry pollen between
plants), and between species and their environment (e.g., algae and water lilies compete
for sunlight in a pond), and explain how these
interrelationships sustain biodiversity