Exploring the wetlands
by Janelle M. Legro
Grade level: 3, 4
Subject(s): science, language arts, reading comprehension, art
Skills: identifying, classifying, investigating, problem solving, communicating
Estimated Time Allotment: Reading story: 20-25 minutes, concept web: 20-30 minutes, wetland mural: 45 minutes-1 hour
Pre-activity
Rationale
By studying the animal habitats, students will gain an understanding of why animals live in different places and how they adapt in order to survive. These activities will allow children to become aware of and appreciate the beauty and diversity of the animal kingdom.
Objectives
Students will be able to define the
word "habitat," and write three basic needs included in
an animal habitat such as food, shelter, water and space.
Students, after completing the
wetland mural, will be able to list three animals that live in
the wetland habitat.
Upon completion of the lesson
activities, the students will be able to list three adaptations
for a specific animal and explain their importance to that
animal’s survival.
Materials
 | poster board tape |
| markers/crayons Velcro tabs |
| pre-made wetland mural on poster board |
| animal puppet (optional) |
| pre-made KWL (prior knowledge, what they want to know, what they learned) chart |
| pre-made wetlands concept map |
| environmental magazines (examples: Ranger Rick, National Geographic) |
| scissors |
Anticipatory set
On the day that the lesson will begin, the teacher will have pictures of the wetland environment hanging around the room and animals that live in that habitat. It is also an option to have a variety of stuffed animals that live in the wetland placed around room. The teacher will ask the students questions such as, "Do you know what these animals are?" "Do you know what they all have in common?" and "What do you know about the environment that these animals live in?" "What are some characteristics you see?" The purpose of these questions and classroom setting is to spark interest among the students.
Teacher's role
To prepare for this lesson, the teacher will choose an effective children’s book with a habitat theme to read to the class as an additional "attention getter." An example book would be HOPS HOME: A Book About Animal Habitats, which is a book that introduces the wetland habitat using the example of a crane. The teacher will need to have a sufficient collection of environmental magazines so that each child will have the opportunity to work on the activities presented in the lesson. These should be older magazines or duplicates, as the children will be cutting pictures out of them. The teacher will also need to make a basic wetland mural to hang on the wall, which the students will complete as a part of the lesson.
Students' role
Hands-on activities and collaborative learning are two main components of student participation in this lesson. The students will cut out pictures from magazines and place them on the wetland mural, as part of a hands-on activity. Collaborative learning will be utilized during brainstorming activities.
Procedure
To begin, the entire class will gather on the floor in front of the chalkboard. The teacher will remind the students that they will be going on a field trip to the Museum of Natural History tomorrow. She or he will explain that their activities for the day will revolve around the wetland habitat, which they will see at the museum the next day. After the pre-visit activities, the students should be encouraged to write down questions which come to mind that they may want to ask the "tour guide." These questions will also be used for the second part of the KWL process and will be put on the KWL board in the classroom.
Next, explain to the students that they will have a story read to them. Have them keep in mind that they will need to be listening for the answers to questions such as, "What is a habitat?" (a home, surroundings), "What is included in a habitat?" (food, water, shelter, space), and "What animals live in the habitat (wetland) described in the book?" (beaver, frog, blue heron).
The chosen book to read to the class is entitled HOPS HOME: A Book About Animal Habitats. Introduce the book to the students by explaining to them how this book will help them understand the concept of "habitat," which is an animal’s home and neighborhood. The teacher will read the book (using an animal puppet such as a frog, whenever appropriate in the story). After the book is read, be sure the students can answer the questions mentioned above. The teacher will write new vocabulary words such as migration, adaptation, and habitat on the board. Discuss the simple definitions because these words may be used the next day at the museum.
Note: A bathroom break may be needed at this time.
After a short break, have the students sit back down. Tell them that all animals need a place to live. In the book, frogs and beavers lived in a pond habitat. This habitat is called a wetland habitat. Ask the students what they know about wetland habitats. The teacher will write down everything the students say on a concept web, which will be pre-made on a piece of poster board, with wetland habitat as the focus. (This is also the "K=Know" in the KWL process.)
Once the students have finished brainstorming what they know about wetlands, each will begin to look through environmental magazines for 3-4 animal or plant pictures that they will cut out. The teacher will hang the pre-made, laminated basic wetland mural up on the board while the students are doing this. This mural has only the basic wetland scenery such as a swamp and a few trees. There will be Velcro tabs to secure the cutouts.
Once the students finish cutting out their pictures, a helper in the room will laminate them. A piece of Velcro tab will then be placed on the backside. All of the pictures will be placed in a pile. The students will each choose one picture (not necessarily the one they cut out) and place it somewhere on the mural. Once the pictures are placed, the class can discuss the different places the animals in the mural can live. Show a poster of a wetland so the students can see additional animals that live in wetlands.
The last activity that the class will complete before the field trip is make pretend cameras. They will take these on the trip with them so they can take "pictures" of what they see. These will also be used as their name tags. The teacher will show an example of a "pretend" camera. To begin the activity, each child will need a 5X7 unruled index card, scissors, and markers. Each child will draw a camera face on one side of the card. Then, they will draw a large circle in the middle of the card. They will then draw a one-inch slot above the circle and cut it out. This is the view finder. Draw a small circle in the upper left corner. This is where you push the button to take the picture. Once this is completed, give the students a marker to write their names on the front side of the camera and decorate it. Collect the cameras and attach a long piece of yarn to the cameras so it can be worn around the child’s neck.
A discussion of what the children might want to take pictures of will follow the assembly of the camera. Some ideas may be of the beaver or crane that is at the museum.
Assessment
At the end of the day, review with the students the words they learned such as habitat and adaptation. Then have them give examples of the animals they might see in the wetland habitat.
Closure
Remind the students the information they learned today will help them be prepared for their museum visit the next day. Go over the general rules for the field trip such as keep hands off the displays, stay with the group, and be on their best behaviors.
(Send a note home with each child reminding the parents about the field trip.)
Considerations
These activities can be done over the course of a week or in about a 3 hour time span.
On-site activity: Scavenger hunt
Objectives
Students will be able to identify
various wetland animals and take pictures of them for their
post-activity.
Students will be able to write at
least two things each wetland animal eats.
Students will describe the habitat of
each wetland animal they identified.
Materials
Scavenger hunt worksheet, pen/pencil, camera/nametag (already made during the pre-activity),clipboards
Preparation for the field trip – checklist
*** The teacher needs to contact all chaperones attending the field trip and meet with them approximately one hour before the students arrive at school on the day of the trip. The purpose of this meeting is to familiarize the chaperones with today’s itinerary, safety guidelines and rules, the teacher’s discipline plan, and their roles in the activities.
On the bus to the museum
Prior to the fieldtrip, the teacher talked to the bus driver about directions, arrival/departure times, and parking. Before boarding the bus, the teacher needs to check his/her checklist to make sure everything is completed and organized. When on the bus, the teacher and students may sing songs or talk about any museum experiences.
At the museum
The students and teacher will quietly find the room used for storing their belongings. The teacher will talk with the museum staff and review the agenda for the day. The students will work with their assigned partners to complete the scavenger hunt worksheets. The chaperones and teacher will be scattered equally among the students while walking throughout the museum. If there are enough chaperones, one may be assigned to circulate to be on bathroom duty.
Procedure
The students will use their scavenger hunt worksheet to identify wetland animals. They will then write at least two foods each animal eats and describe where each animal lives. The students will then take pictures of these interesting wetland creatures. They will make a "clicking" sound as they take pictures.
On the bus ride home
The students will thank the museum staff and gather all of their belongings. The teacher and students will discuss all of the interesting creatures they saw at the museum.
At school (same day)
The class will discuss their museum field trip. The students will share their likes/dislikes of the trip. They will talk about their scavenger hunt worksheet, comparing what they identified to others in the class. The teacher will close with a brief agenda of tomorrow’s post-activities.
| Name:_____________________________ Museum of Natural History Scavenger Hunt Guide Directions: In groups of two, walk through the museum and find interesting wetland animals. Write down at least 2 foods the animal eats and describe the habitat it lives in. Examples of a few wetland animals have been given for you. 1. Beaver: Foods I eat are _________________________________________________. Describe my habitat: _____________________________________________. 2. Sandhill crane: Foods I eat are __________________________________________________. Describe my habitat: _____________________________________________. 3._______________: Foods I eat are:_________________________________________________. Describe my habitat: _____________________________________________. 4. ______________: Foods I eat are _________________________________________________. Describe my habitat: _____________________________________________. |
Post activity: More wetland fun
Grade Level: 3-4
Subject(s): art, communication, science
Skills: listening, problem solving, communicating, discussing, identifying, application
Estimated time allotment: Develop pictures and present: 1 hour; Wetland
experiment: 45 minutes; Listening activity: 15 minutes; Complete "L": 15 minutes
Rationale
As the students have learned and seen at the museum, animals that live in the wetland are a unique part of the delicate web that binds plants, animals and humans together. By completing the following activities, students will further examine and become more knowledgeable about the wetland community and its importance to humans and wildlife.
Objectives
Students will list two reasons why
wetlands are important to animals and humans.
Students will identify three
characteristics of a wetland.
Materials
| 8 bricks |
| colored construction paper |
| 8 large sponges (4 x 7 x 2 inches) |
| variety of creative materials |
| 8 bread pans |
| binding machine (for album) |
| 8 milk jugs filled with tap water |
| cassette – Beethoven Songbirds: Wild Bird Series |
| cassette player |
| 8 small plastic baggies containing 2 tsp. of soil in each |
| 8 – 1 cup measuring cups |
Procedure
Anticipatory set
These activities are going to be used in order to conclude our unit on wetlands.
Completing the following activities will help the students further develop their knowledge of wetland communities while also enhancing the children’s environmental sensitivity.
Teacher's role
To prepare for the wetland experiment, the teacher will need to gather the following items: 8 bread pans, 8 large sponges, 8 – 1 cup measuring cups, 8 milk jugs filled with tap water, and 8 baggies filled with 2 teaspoons of soil. In addition, the teacher will need to photocopy the appropriate number of copies of the "wetland experiment" activity sheet.
To complete the "L" portion of the KWL board, the teacher will need to fill in the board under the "L" section with the students responses to what they learned at the Natural History Museum, or since the wetland unit began.
Throughout all of the post lesson activities, the teacher will take on the role as a model and as a facilitator. The teacher needs to be there to walk around the classroom, observe, encourage creative thinking, and intervene when necessary. This role will enable the children to feel like the teacher is interested in their projects and accomplishments, while at the same time, merely guiding the students to work on their own.
Student role
Hands-on activities and collaborative learning are two main components of student participation in this lesson. Small group teamwork will be utilized as the children complete the wetland experiment. Students will participate in hands-on projects when developing their pictures. In addition, listening skills and creative thinking will be enhanced during the "What is a wetland" activity.
1. *Wetland experiment
Begin by giving the students brief background information on this activity which is located on the "wetland experiment" instruction sheet. Once that is completed, divide the students into groups of three (or four). Every group is now considered a "team" which means that each student equally participates in the activity. The teacher will discuss how cranes are animal species that live in the wetland habitat, as they learned earlier. Since cranes are sometimes called indicator species of the environment because they are so large and demand such extensive territories for nesting, this activity will focus around them. Next, explain to the kids that in this activity we are going to create a model of how a wetland works. Explain the experiment procedures before the materials are handed out to the teams. After directions have been given, each team will receive one bread pan, one large sponge, a baggie containing two teaspoons of soil, one-cup measuring cup, one brick and one milk jug filled with tap water. Ask the students questions before starting the experiment. A sample question could be: "How is a wetland like a sponge?" If needed, give students hints such as: "What characteristics does a sponge have?" Have the teams brainstorm for different solutions to the questions. * The answer will not be given until after the experiment is completed. This is the thought to remember throughout the activity.
As the teacher models the activity in front of the room, the students will follow the correct steps. The process goes as follows:
To review this activity, all of the teams can compare the results to what they thought would happen. What actually happens in this experiment is that the sponge absorbs the water and slowly releases it, whereas the brick is unable to absorb the water and it runs off at a faster pace.
Note: A bathroom break may be needed at this time.
Background
Cranes are sometimes called indicator species of the environment because they are so large and demand such extensive territories for nesting. If the cranes are doing well in a certain area, it indicates that their wetland community is also doing well. Not only are wetland areas important to cranes and other wildlife, but they are also important to human life. Wetlands collect water from surrounding areas and slowly release it into streams, lakes, and oceans. During this slow travel, through the wetland, many pollutants and sediments settle out or decompose. The water that reaches the rivers and streams is then much cleaner. If drainage ditches are built through a wetland, excess water races through them, flooding downstream property, and polluting lakes and streams very quickly.
*Adapted from: Copyright 1994 - ICF
2. Develop and present pictures
To begin this activity, explain to the students that they are going to "develop" their favorite picture(s) that they recently took at the UWSP museum. Have them think back to that favorite animal, exhibit, or scene. Each child will then create that picture on a piece of colored construction paper. Provide the students with a variety of creative art materials such as noodles, rice, glitter, yarn, crayons, markers, colored pencils, and whatever else is available that may be useful. By using a variety of resources for this project, and having open-ended instructions, the goal is to enable the children’s imaginations and creativity to run wild.
Next, if the students are willing, have them give a brief, informal presentation to the class explaining his/her picture. * The students will not be graded on the quality of the picture, but the teacher will be looking for an indication that the child gained new knowledge about the wetland exhibit or animals at the museum. We want to see if the trip was effective in relaying new material to the students.
* Once the short presentations have been given, the teacher will collect the pictures and bind all of them together to create a photo album entitled "Our Class Trip to the Museum of Natural History." This will be available for parents to view at parent/teacher conferences.
3. Complete KWL board
The students can all come sit around the KWL board. Ask the children for ideas on what they learned at the museum or since the wetland unit began. As the children respond, the teacher will write the ideas under the "L" (Learned) section of the board. The teacher should try to make sure that each child contributes ideas to the KWL board. After completing the KWL board, the students will be able to see by the list at the beginning of the unit (K) compared to the list now (L), how much more knowledge they have gained from this unit. Ask the students if all of their questions (W) have been answered since they were listed and we went to the museum. ** This board is also a great visual representation of the increase in knowledge and awareness that the students have developed on the topic of wetlands.
4. What is a wetland" activity
To close the day, ask the students to close their eyes, put on their listening ears on, and put their hands in their lap. Tell them to sit quietly and relax while listening to the music and you. Start the cassette (or CD) "Beethoven Songbirds: Wild Bird Series." The music of Beethoven, often inspired by nature, blends with the voices of songbirds in this selection. Let it play for a few minutes allowing the students to relax and listen to the chirping birds and the rustling of the wind. Stop the tape and begin reading "What is a Wetland?" (below). Remind the students to keep their eyes closed. Ask them to picture themselves in the story as the selection is read.
When the story is complete, ask the students questions such as, "How did you feel during the story?" or "What did you picture yourself as (an animal, yourself)?" Encourage the students to share their thoughts about the wetland adventure.
| What is
a Wetland? Imagine yourself paddling in a canoe along the edge of a pond. It is sunset. Your best friend is in the front of the canoe watching for any signs of life. You hear splashing! As you round the corner, you see a raccoon near the waters edge. It is trying to open a clam it has just found. You drift on silently… a chorus of bullfrogs stop in on mid-song, alarmed at your approach. Tiny water bugs skim the surface of the pond, circling each other in a playful game. A delicate damselfly settles on the side of your canoe, quietly hitching a ride. When you find the perfect spot to beach your canoe, you hop out and decide to explore. The grasses and cattails grow so tall that you can barely see over them. Walking along, the mud under your feet seems determined to steal your shoes! Your friend discovers a little lump nearby. A perfect lookout tower! You climb up and take a sweeping glance at the pond in front of you. Something moves a few hundred yards out in front. What could it be? Looking through the binoculars, you see some kind of bird. It is about three feet tall, has a very long neck, and a long spear-like beak. Its feathers look brownish gray and it has a bright red patch on its forehead. Your heart beats wildly! It is a crane! You quickly jump down from the stump and let your friend have a look. Never before have you seen such a big bird in the wild. While your friend looks at the beautiful bird, you settle back, close your eyes, and listen. You can hear the wind blowing through the tall grasses and cattails. The steady hum of insects fills the air. How many tiny creatures does it take to make a noise? The sun slowly fades behind the trees at the far end of the pond. You can catch a glimpse of a bat flying silently overhead. It’s time to head for home. On the way back to the canoe, you notice deer tracks in the mud. You take a deep breath. Maybe you’ll get to see one. You wait for a few minutes. No luck. Your friend quietly slips into the canoe. Holding on to the back of the canoe, you give a final push with your feet and you hop into the back seat. You have found the magic! You have squished through the muddy soil, walked among the tall reeds and grasses, and seen many beautiful animals. You have just heard your first adventure in a wetland! What a magical place! |
Considerations
These activities can be completed in the afternoon the day of the field trip, or they can be done individually during the course of a week. If an afternoon is reserved however, it may be applicable to leave an extra 20-30 minutes for necessary breaks.
Assessment
Upon completion of the above activities, ask the students to write a short paragraph dealing with wetlands. To get the students on track, let them know that they may choose to use the new vocabulary on the bulletin board, which we discussed prior to the trip.
Assignment
| Pretend you are an animal whose habitat is a wetland. Describe your habitat and name some friends (other animals) that live by you in your habitat. Name a few plants you see in your habitat as well. How does your habitat act like a sponge? Do you like your environment? |
| Draw a picture of yourself as an animal in a wetland habitat with your animal friends and plants. Think back to the mural and the museum. What did you see? |