Introduction
Aim
Rationale
Audience
Prerequisites
Subject-Matter
Goals and Objectives
Instructional Plan
Materials
Assessment and Evaluation
Appendices
Resources
Glossary
The aim is to provide resources teachers for teachers to use to studying the ecosytem of aquatic life, owl, and earthworm as well as incorporating the world wide web. The aim is to help students realize the intrarelationship of aqautic life, owls, and earthworms in exciting and meaningful activities as well as intergrate technology.
Students need to understand the relationships between plants and animals and
the effects that humans and/or environmental changes have on specific ecostystems.
1. To give students direct exposure to following;
a. earthworms
b. owls
c. pond life
2. Environmental impact of
a. earthworms on the earth and their use in decomposition of organic matter.
b. owls in their environment
c. plants and animals in a pond
3. Have students publish a creative story about earthworms on the web.
4. Have students perform a web based activity incorporating the ecosystems of the owls, earthworm, and aquatic life.
Fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students is the attended audience.
Students need to understand the differences between living and nonliving things.
Students need to have the ability to classify plants and animals.
Ability to make observations, record observations, interpret results, and analyze conclusions.
Ability to read theometer
Ability to do simple searches on the Internet
This is a cross curricular unit covering science, math, language arts, geography, and reading.
I. Owls ecosystem
Activity one:
Question: "What do you think the owl's ecosystem looks like?"
Take a look at some types of owls (web activity). Students will find owl information, web sites, and information coloring sheets.
Activity two:
What do owls eat? Students will take at some links that will show the skeletal structure of animals that owls eat.
Activity three:
Dissection of the owl pellets and recording of data.
Activity four:
Complete owl pellet dissection worksheet form (assessment).
II. Aquatic habitats (Actual laboratory exercises)
Activity one:
Creating an aquatic habitat . Students will measure gravel/sand, and introduce shelters and place plants into tank into model aquatic habitat.
Activity two:
Students will introduce two types of animals- tubifex worms and snails.
Activity three:
Students will introduce Gambusia fish into aquatic habitat.
Activity four:
Students will get an introduction to the mosquito life cycle, learn about biological control, and introduce mosquito larvae and pupae into aquatic habitat.
Note: All activities involve students making labeled drawings, predictions, observations onto a submitted form.
III. Earthworms
Preactivity:
Before beginning the earthworm activities, the teacher should bring earthworms into the class. Have student's create their own observation sheet. List the items they should be looking for as they observe the earthworm: color, size, shape, segments, length, and any unusual markings.
Activity 1:
Students use the web to answer earthworm questions and create their own.
Activity 2:
Students find the pulse rate of the earthworm at various temperatures. This is an in class lab experiment.
Activity 3:
Students read a web page article on earthworms and complete an assessment. A fun puzzle is included as well.
Activity 4:
Students write a creative story about an earworm. Teacher picks a winner or winners to publish the story on the web.
Activity 5:
Cumulation activity: students will complete a web based activity that finds the proper ecosystem for an earthworm, owls, and aquatic life.
Materials for each activity listed are on the homepages: owl, aquatic habitats, and earthworms.
Assessments and evaluations for activities are listed on the homepages: owl, aquatic habitats, and earthworms.
Resources:
Owl related links:
http://www.kidwings.com/teacher/owlpellets/
Aquatic habitats:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/coloring/oceanlife.shtml
http://www.mosquito.org/mosquito.html
Earthworm:
http://www.nysite.com/nature/fauna/earthworm.htm
Glossary