Ecosystem explorers

by Becky Sturdy, Tina Weber, and Jody Gantenbein

Grade level: 5, 6

Rationale

It is important for students to examine a variety of ecosystems, placing an emphasis on climate, habitat, and adaptations within those ecosystems. By studying ecosystems, students will have a greater understanding and appreciation for other parts of the world in addition to their local environment. The UWSP Museum of Natural History is a great place for children to be exposed to a variety of habitats from around the globe.

Objectives

Previous learning experiences

The students will already have been exposed to the concept of ecosystems, the definition that ecosystems involve living and non-living things, and that the globe has specific regions that have individual ecosystems. The students will have discussed the aspect of different species of wildlife in specific ecosystems.

Pre-activity

Materials

Map of the world, CD’s of regional sounds, paper & pencils, file folders, ecosystem file holder.

Procedures

Regions.  The teacher will have created a bulletin board map at the front of the room. She/he will ask the students to identify regions on the map. Regions would be defined as areas that have specific climates, animal species and vegetation. The students would answer with regions such as desert, forests, frozen tundra, or tropical rain forests.

Ask the students how it would feel to live at the North Pole, a desert, or a tropical rainforest. The students would describe the regions in contexts of climate and the teacher would probe the student’s knowledge of animals specific to that region.

Adaptations.  Give the students an example of a regional adaptation: The teacher gives the example of deer. The brown coloring of the coat adds to camouflage in the woods and the white tail lends itself to announce danger to other deer. Another example could be ducks. Webbed feet help the duck to swim faster, the feathers on the duck are waterproof to protect the duck and it has the feather down for insulation. Ask the students to define the word "adaptations". Brainstorm some ideas on the board of some specific adaptations for regional animals: bear, beaver, bats.

Habitats.  The teacher will introduce the idea of habitats: That habitats are different from ecosystems and what adaptations animals make in order to survive in specific habitats.

Sounds.  The students will then listen to sounds from specific regions. The teacher will play CDs from the desert (sounds of wind, coyotes…), rainforests (birds, rain…), forests (tree rustlings, owls…) The students will close their eyes and listen to the regional sounds and list what they hear. While the teacher points to regions on the bulletin board map, the students will connect the CD sounds of animals and vegetation to specific regions. The class will collaborate to list all the sounds heard for each designated area.

Assessment

The teacher will have the students start an individual ecosystem file. One sheet of paper will be devoted to each region/ecosystem. The students will list the sounds heard from each region and the animal’s adaptations specific to each region. At the end of class, the teacher will collect these files and place them in an ecosystem file box for the students to use as a reference later.

In preparation

Inform the students that we will be taking a field trip to the UWSP Museum of Natural History . Ask the students if any of them have ever been there before? What, if anything do you think we will see there? Explain to the students that we will be going in the morning and have activities at the museum that center around what we learned today.

Go over the rules of a field trip: We have the same rules as in a classroom. Respect ourselves, everyone else, our own and other peoples property. Hand out the permission slip and assign the date that it needs to be returned by and ask the students to have their parents fill in the area of volunteer/chaperone if they are able to go with us.

Three days before the trip, the teacher should send the letter of confirmation home, letting the chaperones know their responsibilities and the itinerary. He/she should also enclose the lesson plan for them to look at in order to assist the students at the museum.

Confirm the reservation for the backup room at the University Center for the children to have their lunch in case there is bad weather.

On-site activity

Materials

Habitat hunt worksheet, pens or pencils, clip boards.

Procedure

After the brief introduction by the museum staff, the teacher explains to the students that they will take a brief tour of the entire museum. Students should take note of the different habitats on display. Encourage students to read exhibit labels of things they find interesting, listen to the sound recordings, and touch those things that are all right to touch. Tell the children to return to the meeting room no later than 10:05 A.M. and explain that if time permits they may go back to those areas that they might have missed. Tell the children they may not leave the museum without a chaperone. While the students tour the museum, teacher and chaperones need to spread out throughout the museum, so that all areas are being supervised.

At 10:05 A.M. meet back in the museum auditorium. The teacher should get back by 9:55A.M. in case some students go through the museum faster than the rest of the group. Make sure all the students have returned. Explain to them that they will be working in groups of three or four to learn more about a particular habitat and the types of animals that live there. Hand out a worksheet and clipboard to each student. Tell the students the habitat they will become experts on and ask them to circle it on their worksheet. They should work together to answer the questions on the handout. Once they have finished filling out the worksheet, they may explore any areas of the museum they missed the first time through as long as they do not disturb the students working in those areas. Everyone should meet back in the auditorium at 10:35A.M..

Make sure all students have returned. For closure of the visit to the museum, ask a few students to share something that they learned about the habitat they studied or their favorite part of the museum.

Assessment

The teacher should walk around and check on the progress of the groups as they fill out their worksheet. The teacher will collect the worksheets to see that the students show an understanding of the habitat and the adaptations of the animals living there. The teacher will later return the worksheet for the students to use during the post visit activity.

Post-activity

Materials

Bulletin board sized map of the world; journals and pencils; Ten cards to be placed on the bulletin board (Northern forest, forest, pond and wetland, grassland and wetland, muskeg tundra,tundra, desert, lake, tropical rainforest, and African savannah); Computers and various books of the students choice in the library; Additional blank cards for students to fill in on their own; Wildlife/National Geographic magazines; Ecosystem file box

Procedure

The teacher will have a large map of the world on a bulletin board. As the students enter the classroom from the trip, the teacher will ask them to take out their journals and write a quick entry. The teacher will write a question for them that they can write about or they can choose to write about some thing that fascinated them at the museum. One question that can be used is, "How would you adapt to living in the habitat you observed?"

The teacher will then brainstorm with the students about what kind of adaptations they saw. (long fur, claws, feathers, beaks, etc.) The teacher will list them on the board as the students say them.

The students will then get into the same groups they were in at the museum to receive their corresponding card with northern forest, forest, pond and wetland, grassland and wetland, muskeg tundra, tundra, desert, lake, tropical rainforest, or African savannah on it. The teacher will then explain to the students that they are to research what regions in our world that would contain the animals, habitats, and climates that they saw. If they decide they need more than one card then paper should be available for them to make an additional card. They may use the library and the Internet (National Geographic website) as references for their information, pictures of animals in magazines from the teacher or off the Internet, and any additional books that you may have in the classroom.

Using the information they have gathered from the Internet, museum, library, and other resources, each group will present what they discovered about their habitat to the rest of the class. The presentation should include the habitat that was explored, adaptations, vegetation, the continent most likely to contain the ecosystem, and animals in their habitat. The students may place the card(s) with their habitat name on the map of the world bulletin board.

For closure, the teacher will ask the students what they enjoyed most about the trip to the museum. He/she will also ask them what kind of adaptations we, as humans, would have to make in order to live in each of the groups habitats. Do the adaptations for us seem similar to the adaptations that the animals in the habitats already have? What are some adaptations we, living in Wisconsin, would have to make in order to live in Florida on the Gulf of Mexico? Would our habitat and climate change very much? How so?

Assessment

To assess the students learning, the teacher should carefully observe the students' presentations and pose questions to check for understanding. (To rainforest group: "Why is it that there are no white tailed deer in your habitat? How does the vegetation at the bottom of the rainforest compensate for the limited sunlight?) The teacher should also check to be sure that the presentations include all that was stated above. A typed rubric for each habitat group may be helpful in this.

Extensions

1. Students who finish early with their research can make a large, decorated card to thank the UWSP museum staff for the opportunity to see the museum. The card can be sent around to sign after the presentations are complete.
2. Students may write a poem about a specific animal, habitat, or their museum experience to share with the rest of the class or the teacher.
3. Students can make a diorama at home of their habitat or another habitat to bring into class and display. This may even be able to go on the bulletin board somehow.
4. Students can do further research on one particular animal from a habitat at the museum and share with the rest of the class the information they discovered. This could include the specific reasons behind specific adaptations (Beavers have glands that secrete oil which they then wipe on themselves to waterproof their fur, etc.).