Endangered Environment

Transcription

1 Endangered Environment Intended for Grade: Third Subject: Science Description: This activity investigates how human actions can influence the environment and the organisms that live in it. Objective: The student will be able to assess an environmental scene by identifying sources of pollution, predicting their effects on the natural environment, and developing plans of action to correct the problem. Mississippi Frameworks addressed: Science Framework 1a: Identify major causes of endangerment and extinction. Science Framework 1b: Distinguish between harmful and helpful human actions on the environment. Science Framework 1c: Describe methods to prevent pollution of the environment. National Standards addressed: Content Standard C: Life Science Content Standard F: Science in Personal and Social Perspectives Materials: Crime Scene Description Sheets Crime Scene Photos Crime Scene Workup Environmental Crime Scene Investigators Badges 4-6x9 manila envelopes 4 manila folders Masking tape Teacher s Guide to Crime Scenes NSF North Mississippi GK-8 1

2 Background: Our natural environment is one that is of utmost importance. An environment is anything that surrounds you that affects your growth and development. This could include the air, other living things, non-living things, and your location on Earth. For example, while sitting in my school desk, other desks, students, walls, carpet, etc. would be a part of my environment. When we refer to a natural environment we imply the area outdoors that has no human influence. So while on the playground my environment would consist of the jungle gym, swings and students, but my natural environment would consist of trees, grass, flowers, rocks, dirt, and insects. Our natural environment is of great importance because it is a limited setting. With the impact of humans, there is more development and less preservation of our natural environments. We must learn what effects our actions can have on our environment. It is the natural environment that can show us the health of our ecosystem (the environment and organisms that live in it). If the natural environment is healthy, the organisms living in it will be healthy. If the natural environment is lacking or unhealthy, the ecosystem will be less productive. One of the major causes of change to a natural environment is pollution. There are many different types of pollution with air, water, noise, and land pollution being the major forms. Air pollution can be caused by motor vehicle exhaust, industrial processes, forest fires, and construction. Water pollution can be caused by fertilizer runoff, waste dumping, and oil spills. Noise pollution can be caused by road, air, rail, construction, and domestic (e.g. music) noise. Land pollution can be caused by waste disposal, mining, agriculture, and construction. All of these pollution arenas change the dynamics of the original environment and, in many cases, we will be unable to ever regain that ecosystem again. Even small changes in a natural environment can greatly alter the entire ecosystem. For example, spilling oil into a body of water will not only alter the quality of the water but will also kill many of the plants and animals living in that body of water thereby altering the food chain. Another example is the development of a new home. To prepare for the development, land must be cleared. This removal of trees and bushes will eliminate the habitats of the birds and squirrels that lived there. The construction of the house will necessitate the development of lumber which will require more tree harvesting, and use of machinery which will emit exhaust and loud NSF North Mississippi GK-8 2

3 noises. All of these alterations to the natural environment scare off any organisms that were currently living there and make the area undesirable to potential habitants. With the chain reaction effect that our actions can have, we must learn to preserve our natural environment. Preventing pollution is the best way to protect our environments. People of all ages have the ability to aid in this goal. First, try to walk or ride a bike whenever possible. Driving a car emits exhaust that leads to air pollution. If driving is necessary make it a goal to carpool with others going to the same destination. Another way to prevent pollution is to recycle as much of your household waste as possible. In America, one human will generate four pounds of garbage a day! If we can pull out items that can be recycled or composted, less will go to the slowly degrading landfills. A compost of household fruit and vegetable wastes can be made in any home or yard. For recycling, Oxford, MS has a program that will recycle newspaper, cardboard, plastic, aluminum, steel and any type of mixed papers. There are also special drop off locations for printer cartridges, batteries, motor oil, scrap metal and plastic bags. Another great way to preserve our natural environment is to plant trees. Trees not only provide aesthetic appeal to an area but they also help eliminate air pollution. Trees are also beneficial because the shade that they provide can lower building air conditioning costs by 30-50%. The city of Oxford is involved in a tree planting endeavor. In 2006 the city put together a Master Tree Plan which is a proposal to introduce trees to major city areas such as North and South Lamar, Van Buren Avenue, Jackson Avenue, University Avenue, and the Kroger parking lot. If we do not begin to practice these Earth friendly habits, we will be hurting our environment and the animals that live in it. Many animals will die due to the harmful actions of humans. We label the status of animal species populations as being either stable, threatened, endangered, or extinct based on their current population numbers. A stable population is one that has a thriving number of individuals. A threatened population is one that is experiencing many losses of life, and whose population numbers are dropping. Species that are endangered have extremely low population numbers and if drastic measures are not taken to protect that animal, it will become extinct. An animal species that has become extinct means that there are no more of that species living and there will never be any more of that species. Currently there are 37 animal and 4 plant species on the endangered list in Mississippi. These species are on the verge of extinction. It is our time to NSF North Mississippi GK-8 3

4 do whatever we can to protect these species and prevent any new species from being added to the extinction list. Procedure: Prior to Activity 1. Create an Environmental Crime Scene Investigators Badge for each student by typing their name on the templates and cutting out each badge. Use a rolled piece of masking tape for the students to attach the badge. 2. Print one copy of each Crime Scene Description and corresponding Crime Scene Photos. Print four copies of the Crime Scene Workup. 3. Cut out the Crime Scene Photos and place the three photos for each scene in one envelope. Label the envelope CONFIDENTIAL. 4. Place the Crime Scene Description, corresponding Crime Scene Photos envelope and one Crime Scene Workup into a manila folder for each scene. Label the folder CONFIDENTIAL. Activity 1. Ask the students if they know what an environment is. 2. Give the students an official definition of an environment and then have them identify objects in their current environment. 3. Next ask the students what a natural environment is. 4. Give the students an official definition of a natural environment and then have them identify objects in the natural environment around them. 5. Explain to the students the importance of a natural environment. Focus on the idea that the health of the environment will determine the health of the organisms that live in it, and that any change in an environment can have effects on everything in or around it. 6. Tell the students that pollution is the major source of change in an environment. NSF North Mississippi GK-8 4

5 7. Describe the four types of pollution (air, water, land, noise). Write these types on the board and have the students brainstorm about examples of each. 8. Now ask how these types of pollution may affect the organisms that live in that area. Stimulate discussion on housing development, oil spills, littering, runoff, traffic, etc. 9. Define the stages that organism populations may face due to pollution or human interactions: stable, threatened, endangered, extinct. 10. Have the students brainstorm on ways that they could eliminate pollution. 11. Tell the students that now they are going to be Environmental Crime Scene Investigators (ECSI). There have been several crimes committed in the area and some important members of the community are missing. It is the job of the ECSI to figure out what occurred at each crime scene, what happened to the victims, and how they can try to fix or prevent the situation from occurring in the future. 12. Divide the class into 4 groups. They will be individual ECSI units. 13. Hand out the students ECSI badges. 14. Have the groups name their unit. 15. Explain that they will be given a breakdown of the crime and photos of the scene. Using this information and their knowledge of the environment and endangerment, they must assess the situation. 16. Assign a job to each member of the unit: recorder, scene 1 investigator, scene 2 investigator, scene 3 investigator, background checker. The recorder will write all information on the Crime Scene Workup. The scene investigators will each be in charge of one of the crime scene photos. The background checker will keep track of the written information in the crime scene folder. 17. Hand out a confidential crime scene folder to each unit. 18. They must discuss the evidence as a unit and completely and thoroughly fill out the Crime Scene Workup form. Challenge the NSF North Mississippi GK-8 5

6 students to think of all possible problems and outcomes. Use the Teacher s Guide to Crime Scenes to guide their discussion. 19. Once all units have reached a decision, the units need to present their observations, findings, and solutions to update the other units in the squad (classroom). 20. The unit can then ask the other units if they have any other ideas of ways to fix the problem or prevent the problem in the future. 21. When all groups have presented, praise their detective work. 22. Conclude the activity by reviewing the major terms and themes of pollution, endangerment and extinction. Evaluation: Students will accurately identify sources of pollution or causes of endangerment in their crime scene and will develop a feasible plan to correct these problems. Extended Activities: Have each student choose a plant or animal from the endangered species list and do some research on that animal. Then have the student put together a report of the animal facts, causes of endangerment, and ways to help protect the animal. The student could also create a diorama of the environment that the animal prefers to live in. Start a recycling program in the classroom. Obtain several large boxes and label them appropriately (e.g. paper, newspaper, aluminum, plastic). Instead of throwing away these recyclable products, place the items in the appropriate box. When the box gets full bring it to the recycling plant and discuss with the students what will happen to the products at the recycling factory. This will allow them to understand how a recyclable can be remade into a new product. Have the students create posters with natural environment friendly phrases to encourage other students to participate in NSF North Mississippi GK-8 6

7 eco-friendly habits. Some examples of phrases are: Carpools are cool!, or Trash can be Treasure, Start your own chapter of Kids FACE (For A Clean Environment) ( In 1989, nine year old Melissa Poe of Nashville, TN started this club to encourage children to get involved in environmental issues. After her national coverage on the Today show (NBC), a group in Hattiesburg, MS started the first chapter of Kids FACE and the group has grown ever since. Kids FACE now has over 300,000 members and have now planted over 1 million trees. Read The Lorax by Dr. Seuss to the students. Encourage them to journal about their reaction to the story and have them make parallels between what happened in the book and what environmental issues their area faces. Have the students look up population numbers for the animals on the threatened and endangered species list. Then have the students graph the population numbers or changes in numbers over time. You could also ask the students to answer greater than, less than, or how many more than questions based on these numbers. Have the students develop a map of Mississippi that shows the region of the state that animals on the threatened or endangered species list inhabit. Sources: City of Oxford Recycling. Accessed 11 Feb Endangered Specie Mississippi. Accessed 11 Feb Geocities. Pallid Sturgeon. Accessed 15 Feb How landfills work How stuff works. Accessed 11 Feb NSF North Mississippi GK-8 7

8 Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. State Mammal. Accessed 15 Feb Master Tree Plan Oxford, MS. Accessed 11 Feb Seamap Caretta caretta. Accessed 15 Feb ThinkQuest Types of Pollution. Accessed 11 Feb Web of Nature. 7 February Accessed 15 Feb Images BA. Water Pollution. nliving/water+pollution.htm Accessed 18 Feb Canadian Wildlife Federation Communication and promotion. Accessed 18 Feb Computer Writing and Research Lab. 18 Aug San Marcos River Dam. Accessed 18 Feb Manilasites. Skidmarks car right lane. CarsRightLa001.jpg Accessed 7 March, NSF North Mississippi GK-8 8

9 EPA. 8 Jan Weed killers Accessed 18 Feb Hansen Homes. The Beach House. Accessed 18 Feb City of Boise Combine the ride. =air%20practices%20page%201 Accessed 7 March Think Quest. 30 March Look what we have done. Accessed 18 Feb USGS. 14 April 2005 White sturgeon restoration and enhancement. Accessed 18 Feb Wildlife trusts. Photos. Accessed 18 Feb Wisconsin Bar Wisconsin Lawyer. PLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=53207 Accessed 18 Feb Prepared by: Jill Frank NSF NMGK-8 University of Mississippi February 2006 NSF North Mississippi GK-8 9

10 ECSI Badges Environmental Crime Scene Investigators GEORGE Environmental Crime Scene Investigators GEORGE Environmental Crime Scene Investigators GEORGE Environmental Crime Scene Investigators GEORGE Environmental Crime Scene Investigators GEORGE Environmental Crime Scene Investigators GEORGE NSF North Mississippi GK-8 10

11 Crime Scene #1 Mississippi River Misconduct Gulf Sturgeon Victim: The Sturgeons The Sturgeon family consists of Mr. and Mrs. Sturgeon and their 300 children. The Sturgeons did not show up for their dentist appointments today so we went to their home to check on them. Upon taking a closer look of their home, we discovered the following situation. Nothing has been touched; this is all as we found it. You should note that prior visits to the Sturgeon home showed no signs of human influence. Any manmade structures or activities are recent. What we know: We know that they prefer to eat fish eggs, mussels, fish, snails, and plants. The Sturgeons would take a vacation and travel up river to lay eggs. The Sturgeon family s numbers are very low and they are listed on the endangered species list. We tried to contact the neighbors of the Sturgeons but they seem to be missing as well. NSF North Mississippi GK-8 11

12 Crime Scene #1 Mississippi River Misconduct NSF North Mississippi GK-8 12

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14 Crime Scene #2 Gulf of Mexico Garbage Loggerhead Turtle Victim: The Loggerheads The Loggerhead family consists of Mr. and Mrs. Loggerhead. We received notice the Loggerheads did not show up for work today. We were concerned so decided to make a trip to their home. Upon taking a closer look of their home, we discovered the following situation. Nothing has been touched; this is all as we found it. You should note that prior visits to the Loggerhead home showed no signs of human influence. Any manmade structures or activities are recent. What we know: We know that the Loggerheads have lived in this water all their lives. They would make short vacations onto land only to lay eggs. They always traveled to land at night so they could use the moonlight to guide them. They would eat jellyfish, shrimp, crab, and algae. The Loggerhead family numbers were starting to get low so they were listed on the threatened species list. NSF North Mississippi GK-8 14

15 Crime Scene #2 Gulf of Mexico Garbage NSF North Mississippi GK-8 15

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17 Crime Scene #3 Oxford Offense Blue Bird Victim: The Birds The Bird family consists of Mr. and Mrs. Bird and their two children. The Bird family children missed their flying lessons today so we went to their home to check on them. Upon taking a closer look at their home, we discovered the following situation. Nothing has been touched; this is all as we found it. You should note that prior visits to the Bird home showed no signs of human influence. Any manmade structures or activities are recent. What we know: We know that the Birds prefer to eat insects. They fly around large grassy areas to find their food. The Birds preferred to live in tree cavities. The Bird family numbers have been stable here in Oxford, so they previously have not been listed as threatened or endangered. NSF North Mississippi GK-8 17

18 Crime Scene #3 Oxford Offense NSF North Mississippi GK-8 18

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20 Crime Scene #4 Mississippi Forrest Fiasco Black Bear Victim: The Blacks The Black family consists of: Mr. and Mrs. Black and young Peter and Sally Black. The Black family did not show up at the lodge meeting this week. We were concerned so went out to their home and found the following situation. Nothing has been touched; everything is as we found it. You should note that prior visits to the Black home showed no signs of human influence. Any manmade structures or activities are recent. What we know: We know that the Blacks preferred eating berries, acorns, insects, etc. They were active this time of year but during the winter months they preferred to stay in their dens. They do not even leave to eat during this time. This destruction and construction to this area is all new. We tried to contact any neighbors of the Blacks but they seem to be missing as well. The Black family numbers have been low so they were listed on the threatened species list. NSF North Mississippi GK-8 20

21 Crime Scene #4 Mississippi Forrest Fiasco NSF North Mississippi GK-8 21

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23 ECSI Crime Scene Workup ESCI Unit Name: Date: Victim: Location: Completely describe the photos of the crime scene. What types of pollution (land, water, air, noise) can be found at the crime scene? Why are these types of pollution bad for the environment? NSF North Mississippi GK-8 23

24 Based on the types of pollution you identified, what could have happened to your victim? What was the population status of your victim before the crime (stable, threatened, endangered, or extinct)? What is the population status of your victim now (stable, threatened, endangered, or extinct)? NSF North Mississippi GK-8 24

25 Teacher s Guide to Crime Scenes Crime Scene #1 Mississippi River Misconduct PHOTO TYPE OF POLLUTION EFFECT ON ORGANISMS Draining Pipe Water Toxic chemicals may be lethal or cause organisms to move. Dam Land/Water Prevents reproductive migrations. Fishing Gear Overfishing The Sturgeons were previously listed as endangered. Now, they may have moved out of the area or become extinct. NSF North Mississippi GK-8 25

26 Teacher s Guide to Crime Scenes Crime Scene #2 Gulf of Mexico Garbage PHOTO TYPE OF POLLUTION EFFECT ON ORGANISMS Boat Trawl Noise Noise may cause them to move. Water Organisms may be accidentally caught in trawl nets. Boat exhaust may be toxic. Floating Barrel Coast Development Water Land/Water Toxic chemicals may be lethal or cause organisms to move. Alters coastlines and blocks out moonlight. Turtles will be unable to find their way to lay eggs. The Loggerheads were previously listed as threatened. Now, they may have moved out of the area or become endangered. NSF North Mississippi GK-8 26

27 Teacher s Guide to Crime Scenes Crime Scene #3 Oxford Offense PHOTO TYPE OF POLLUTION EFFECT ON ORGANISMS Tree Stumps Land Tree removal eliminates habitat. Noise Chainsaw noise scares organisms. Auto Exhaust Land Road development eliminates habitats. Air Auto exhaust is toxic. Weed Away Land Autos may accidentally hit organisms. Pesticides are toxic. The Birds numbers were previously in good condition. Now, they may have moved out of the area or become threatened. NSF North Mississippi GK-8 27

28 Teacher s Guide to Crime Scenes Crime Scene #4 Mississippi Forrest Fiasco PHOTO TYPE OF POLLUTION EFFECT ON ORGANISMS Tree Stump Land Tree removal eliminates habitats. Skid Marks on Road Land Road development eliminates habitats. Air Auto exhaust is toxic. Autos may accidentally hit organisms. Floating Garbage Water Garbage makes water source toxic. The Blacks were previously listed as threatened. Now, they may have moved out of the area or become endangered. NSF North Mississippi GK-8 28