Riparian Review - Stream Side Science. Time Frame 1 class periods of 70 minutes each Summary In this exercise, students will identify and observe biotic factors in a riparian ecosystem, which is the green strip of vegetation alongside a waterbody; they will measure the types of vegetation at the waters edge, the function of plants as ground cover and canopy cover, and observe the wildlife in the area. Materials Flagging Measuring tapes* Ocular tubes* Copies of the student worksheets (pdf) Copies of the riparian zone instruction sheets (pdf) Copies of wildlife observation instruction sheets (pdf) Wildlife checklists (pdf) (optional) Clip boards Pencils Plant guides (pdf) (optional) * For information on equipment for loan or for purchase, contact USU Water Quality Extension at (435) 797-2580 or www.extension.usu.edu/waterquality Background for Teachers Purpose To observe and list biotic factors that affect a given ecosystem.
Background Riparian areas are the transition zone between aquatic and terrestrial systems. Water Filtration Challenge Activity. Grade5 ELSI NGSS Final Draft UnitPlan. Ecology and Environmental Education. Environmental Education for California California Environmental Resources Evaluation System - CERES is an information system developed by the California Resources Agency to facilitate access to a variety of electronic data describing California's rich and diverse environments California Resources Agency -The California Resources Agency is responsible for the conservation, enhancement, and management of California's natural and cultural resources, including land, water, wildlife, parks, minerals, and historic sites.
California Energy Commission - The California Energy Commission is the state's primary energy policy and planning agency, charged with ensuring a reliable and affordable energy supply. It offers lesson materials on energy and energy conservation. National Resources for Environmental Education Environmental Protection United States National Park System: Links to U.S. Biomes and Ecosystems Eco-regions of the United States - The ecosystem geography of the United States. Ap14 envi sci scoring guidelines. Carbon Cycle ( Read ) | Biology. How could releasing this much pollution into the atmosphere not be a poor idea? Burning of fossil fuels, such as oil, releases carbon into the atmosphere. This carbon must be cycled - removed from the atmosphere - back into living organisms, or it stays in the atmosphere. Increased carbon in the atmosphere contributes to the greenhouse effect on Earth.
The Carbon Cycle Flowing water can slowly dissolve carbon in sedimentary rock. Most of this carbon ends up in the ocean. The deep ocean can store carbon for thousands of years or more. The Carbon Cycle. Why is recycling carbon important? Carbon in the Atmosphere Though carbon can be found in ocean water, rocks and sediment and other parts of the biosphere, the atmosphere may be the most recognizable reservoir of carbon. Carbon in Carbon Dioxide Carbon cycles quickly between organisms and the atmosphere. Because of human activities, there is more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere today than in the past hundreds of thousands of years. Summary. At Schools. To help reconnect today's children to the outdoors, the National Wildlife Federation assists schools in developing outdoor classrooms called Schoolyard Habitats®, where educators and students learn how to attract and support local wildlife. The National Wildlife Federation’s K-12, Nature Play, and Campus Ecology programs provide steps for creating habitat and outdoor classrooms at your place of learning, as well as showcasing how the habitat can be used for cross disciplinary learning.
Children in day care centers and preschools, nature centers, and thousands of students in grades K-12, along with parents, university students, teachers, administrators, community members, and volunteers have created unique habitat gardens and living learning laboratories nationwide. These wildlife habitats become places where students not only learn about wildlife species and ecosystems, but also outdoor classrooms where they hone their academic skills and nurture their innate curiosity and creativity. 1. Certify - Certified Wildlife Habitat. Biodiversity Teaching Materials » www.pathwaysproject.kbs.msu.edu Blog. Biodiversity: Research Professional Development Materials Assessments Scientist Leila Desotelle talks with students about stream macro-invertebrates at Kellogg Biological Station.
Target Grades: Middle School and High School (modification suggestions for each level are included) Description:Students will explore functional and taxonomic diversity in a stream ecosystem, learn about food web relationships, and learn about the ways in which abiotic and biotic factors determine what organisms are present in a community. Students will make and install leaf packs in a stream, wait for the leaf packs to be colonized by stream organisms, measure abiotic variables that could influence leaf pack colonization, retrieve the leaf packs and classify the organisms they find in both taxonomic and functional ways, and discuss how the leaf pack community is situated within a larger ecosystem. Assessments — Assessments include student tests, teacher tests, and interview protocols. Power Point Presentations.
Alien Invasion High School - Natchez Trace Parkway (U.S. National Park Service) Grade Level: Ninth Grade-Twelfth Grade Subject: Biology: Plants, Environment Duration: 2 class periods: 1 on trail, 1 in classroom Group Size: Up to 36 Setting: outdoors National/State Standards: Intro to Bio: 3b, 3dBiology 1: 3cEnvironmental Science: 2c, 2d, 2e, 2f, 3a,b,c Keywords: invasive, non-native, diversity, Bio-diversity, population, community, competition, exotic plants, plants, botany, national scenic trail, plant diversity Overview On a National Scenic Trail, students will investigate how privet, a non-native plant species, out-competes and affects native plant species diversity.
Objective(s) Enduring Understanding: Invasive species can out-compete native species and affect plant species diversity. Essential Question: What are the effects of invasive non-native plants? The students will: 1) Learn how population dynamics are affected by the introduction of a non-native plant species 2) Develop observation skills 3) Use prediction and inference to develop conclusions. Background Materials 1.) 2.) Invasive Species Game Lesson. Earth Awareness Lesson Plan: What's Your Cause? | BrainPOP Educators. Grade: 03 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.7 Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.8 Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories. Grade: 04 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.7 Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.8 Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; take notes and categorize information, and provide a list of sources.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. Grade: 05 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.7 Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.8 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.9 Grade: 06 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.7 Grade: 07. Invasive Species Lesson Plan: The Invasion Game. In this lesson plan which is adaptable for students in grades 3-12, students will explore the effects of invasive species. They will participate in a game simulation in which they must stop carp (a non-native species) from progressing through the waterways to Lake Michigan. Preparation and Game Background Information for the Teacher: Invasion!!
Is a free online game created by a Carnegie Mellon University Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) student project called “Bridges,” sponsored by the MacArthur Foundation. The game has two parts. The second and primary portion of the game is a simulation where the player is introduced to the complex global dilemma of managing invasive species. Ideas for Building Background Knowledge Prior to Game Play: – BrainPOP has a number of movie topic pages that can help students make connections to what they already know and prepare them for game play. . – Have students explore the effects of invasive species through a hands-on investigation.
Invasive Species Unit - Mr. Smit: Life Sciences For SHS. 1 2. Environmental Monitoring - Hands on the Land. Where is your watershed? What can macroinvertebrates tell us about how clean your water is? This water quality monitoring database tool is for field educators who need a place to store their data. PrintEmail Join educators and researchers to study lichens as an indicator of general atmospheric health.
Learn how to start a lichen monitoring project in your area. Students are learning that there is more to snow than good snowballs by measuring the snowpack and its effect on plants, animals and people. This July 2015 volunteers can help us study some of the most familiar and important pollinators in the eastern US by volunteering along the Bumble Bee Megatransect. Teaching Resources. A National Network of Field Classrooms - Hands on the Land.
Resource list | LTER Education Library. Schoolyard LTER Program | Harvard Forest. In the Harvard Forest Schoolyard LTER program, teachers learn about and initiate ecology research in their classrooms and schoolyards. More than 3,500 students each year learn to collect data on important long-term ecological issues and processes. Student data are then shared on the Harvard Forest website. The Harvard Forest is part of a national network of sites that support K-12 teachers and students in hands-on ecological research. Research Projects. Students participate in authentic, field-based research projects that address important, current environmental issues.Professional Development Workshops and Online Resources. Teachers are given direct access to Harvard Forest ecologists.Schoolyard LTER Database. Download and graph data online.
Ecology.
Bird Biology. Click on the article title below to read. How Do Birds Survive Winter? : Get some winter survival tips and tricks from the birds.Bald Birds: Why are you may see “bald” birds ? Learn more about the molting process, which can occur after a long migration.Window Crash: Learn how you can help save birds from deadly window strikes.Birds Across Changing Seasons: No matter the season, give the content you’re teaching a “bird’s eye view.”American Robins: Signs of Spring? : Find out how American Robins really spend the winter.Do Birds Sleep? :Where do birds go at night? School Gardens for the Birds: Teach about everything from ecological interactions to healthy eating habits to environmental awareness by creating a school garden.For the… Squirrels?
Educators Guide to Nest Boxes: Explore the ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ for installing, watching, and maintaining a nest box. Some Animals Are More Equal than Others: Keystone Species and Trophic Cascades | HHMI BioInteractive. Teacher Resources - Teachers. Keystone species. The sea star Pisaster ochraceus, the original keystone species, feeds preferentially on mussels on northeast Pacific rocky shores. By doing so, the predatory sea star prevents mussels from taking over the entire shore and allows less competitive species to persist, thus enhancing local species diversity.
(Source: Multi-Agency Rocky Intertidal Network) A keystone species is a species that exerts an impact on its community that is both strong and disproportionate to its abundance. The keystone analogy refers to the architectural element at the apex of an arch that locks the other pieces into position, and is used colloquially to refer to the supporting element of a larger structure.
The sea otter Enhydra lutris can be considered a keystone predator because its voracious feeding on herbivorous sea urchins allows kelps to flourish along the rocky coast, along with an entire ecosystem associated with these large marine plants. Further Reading Citation (2011). Biodiversity. 10thingsforbiodiversity. Earth Day Every Day - Home. Nature Works Everywhere. Creating Chains and Webs to Model Ecological Relationships | HHMI BioInteractive. Ecology Lab | The Habitable Planet. All Landscapes.