STC Second Edition Ecosystems Unit In-Service Training Outline Carolina Biological Supply Company

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1 STC Second Edition Ecosystems Unit In-Service Training Outline Carolina Biological Supply Company 2700 York Road Burlington NC

2 Ecosystems (using the Second Edition Teacher s Guide) NOTE: Unless otherwise specified, all page numbers provided in this outline refer to Section 4, Unit Investigations and Blackline Masters, in the Second Edition Teacher s Guide. Recommended Length for Full Workshop: 4 hrs. Site Requirements: overhead projector, blank overhead transparencies, transparency markers, flat-topped work tables, one 6-ft or longer table for materials setup, sink with running water, 1 or more 20-gallon or larger trash cans, 1-gallon bag of leaf matter (partially decayed leaves), scissors for each participant, 1-quart or larger container of ice, three 2-liter clear plastic cola bottles for each participant plus an additional set of 3 for the workshop instructor. It will help if all the bottles are of the same brand, but this is not essential. The bottles should be empty, clean, and in good condition. Recommended Record Sheets, etc.: p , Materials Management and Safety (Section 3); 10-A; Point of View Sheets, p Recommended Overheads: The Riverbank Environment, Fig. 2-2, Fig. 3-1, Fig. 4-1, Terrestrial Food Chain Wheel (assembled), p Pre-workshop Preparation: take with you a large self-closing plastic bag to help in handling the crickets (see under lesson 6). It is best to take along a small hair dryer in case the workshop site does not have a ready source of hot water. Rubber bands, which are not provided in the unit, are needed to attach the fiberglass screen over the mouth of the terrarium bottles. Although not essential, several additional razor knives for making the initial cuts in the plastic bottles will speed up this phase of the workshop. On-site Preparation: set up distribution centers similar to those shown in Fig. 2-2 on p. 16 and Fig. 3-1 on p. 27. Buy a head of lettuce or make arrangements for it to be provided at the workshop site Carolina Biological Supply Company. The STC unit Ecosystems was researched and developed by the National Science Resources Center, Washington, DC, and is available exclusively from Carolina Biological Supply Company. This document may be reproduced only by educators in schools and districts in which the Ecosystems unit will be taught.

3 Ecosystems Workshop Introduction to the unit: 1. Ecosystems is a 17-lesson unit designed for fifth graders (it can also be used with fourth and sixth graders). In lesson 1, students begin to think about ecosystems. Students set up their first ecosystem, a terrarium, in lesson 2. In lessons 3-4, students set up a second ecosystem, an aquarium. In lessons 5-6, students study their ecosystems. In lesson 7, students physically connect the terrarium to the aquarium, and begin to study how one ecosystem influences the other. In lesson 8, students observe change. In lesson 9, students make reports on pollutants. In lessons 10-14, students plan an experiment to demonstrate the effects of a pollutant (acid rain, salt, or fertilizer) on their ecosystems. They conduct the experiments and report the results. In lessons 14-16, students study a threatened ecosystem, the Chesapeake Bay. In lesson 17, students return to their initial ideas about living and nonliving relationships in an ecosystem to assess their learning over the course of the unit. 2. Talk about the use of icons for classroom management and curriculum integration. 3. Briefly go over Teaching Strategies (Section 2, Unit Overview, p ). Also review Assessing Students Progress (Section 2, Unit Overview, p. 12) and Student Assessment (Section 5). 4. Briefly explain Materials Management and Safety (Section 3), and Student Notebooks and Writing, Student Reading Resources, and Additional Learning Resources (Sections 6 through 8). Bottle Preparation Go over the instructions for preparing, marking, and cutting the bottles on p , Materials Management and Safety (Section 3). You may need to demonstrate some of the procedures, especially for marking the bottles. Once you have answered all questions, have the participants begin. 2

4 Safety cautions: Water over 120 F (49 C) can scald. Do not allow students or participants to work with water that exceeds this temperature. If a hair dryer comes in contact with water, a dangerous electrical shock may result. Therefore, do not mix the two methods. The lessons Lesson 1 Thinking about Ecosystems 1. Show an overhead of The Riverbank Environment. Ask the questions under Procedure step 7 on p. 7. If time permits, also ask the questions under step Write How Living Things Depend on Each Other: What We Know on a blank overhead. Ask participants to give possible student responses. You may wish to follow this with What We Would Like to Find Out. Lesson 2 Setting Up the Terrarium 1. Show an overhead of Fig. 2-2, then demonstrate how to pick up materials. 2. Follow the instructions on p (p in the Student Investigations book, formerly known as the Student Activity Book) for setting up the terrarium and planting seeds. When using bottles without bases, stand the terrarium in a plastic cup or use the connector. (See Note on p. 15.) Lesson 3 Setting Up the Aquarium 1. Show an overhead of Fig. 3-1 and explain that you have set up materials in a similar manner. 2. Explain that they should get some water in a cup and put their water plants (1 or 2 sprigs of elodea, duckweed plants, 4 dropperfuls of algae) in this cup. They should use a second cup for gravel. 3. Have them follow the instructions on p. 30 (p. 16 in the Student Investigations book) to complete the aquarium. 4. Briefly go over the producer and consumer concepts in the Reading Selection on p (p in the Student Investigations book). Point out that one reason for adding the plants first is that plants (as producers) are more essential to most environments than are animals. Another reason is that students need time to study the plants before they are distracted by the animals. Lesson 4 Adding Animals to the Aquarium 1. You may wish to go over the Reading Selection information about mosquito fish and snails on p (p in the Student Investigations book). 3

5 2. Following the instructions on p (p in the Student Investigations book), demonstrate how to add the animals to the aquarium. Lesson 5 Observing the Completed Aquarium Either lead a group discussion on the components of the aquarium (see under Background p. 53 for ideas) or do a webbing activity with them (see p. 55). If pushed for time, omit this lesson. Lesson 6 Adding Animals to the Terrarium Note on handling the crickets: Because they are such active animals, the Ecosystems Teacher s Guide recommends that you... first chill the crickets for 20 to 30 minutes to slow them down. If you ve ever tried this in a workshop, you may have opened the container to find yourself confronted with some very active crickets. Either you didn t chill them long enough, or it was a hot day. For less excitement, try this method recommended by STC consultant Rita Schena: Get a large, self-closing plastic bag (11" x 14" works well). Hold the unopened container of crickets in one hand, and insert that hand into the bag. Loosen the container lid. Use your other hand to hold the mouth of the bag closed around the wrist of the hand that is in the bag. Take off the lid and remove it from the bag. Shake the paper and crickets out of the cup and into the bag. (Except when removing items from the bag, you continue to hold the bag closed around the wrist of the hand that you have inside the bag.) Remove the empty container from the bag. Shake the crickets from the paper and remove it. You now have the crickets confined within the bag, and it is easy to capture a cricket in your hand, remove it, and add it to a plastic cup or terrarium. 1. Since there is not enough time for the seeds to germinate and grow, add a bit of lettuce to each terrarium to provide food. 2. Briefly go over the information about isopods and crickets in the Reading Selections on p (p in the Student Investigations book). 3. Refer participants to the instructions for adding isopods and crickets to the terrarium on p (p in the Student Investigations book). Lesson 7 Joining the Terrarium and Aquarium 1. Have them join the terrarium according to the instructions on p. 80 (p. 44 in the Student Investigations book). Unless you are pushed for time, let them cut their own strips of tape. 2. Demonstrate the Terrestrial Food Chain Wheel as an overhead. Follow the directions under Procedure on p. 77. This activity can be omitted if you are short on time. 3. Notice that it is during this lesson that the seven class ecocolumns are made. 4

6 Lesson 8 Upsetting the Stability 1. Point out that some of the class ecosystems are likely to become unbalanced naturally. Animals or plants will die. Excess animals may have eaten all the plants, etc. Lead this into a discussion of how human activities can upset natural balances. 2. Briefly cover the Reading Selections on acid rain, fertilizer, and road salt on p (p in the Student Investigations book). Lesson 9 Reporting on Pollutants Omit or talk through. Lesson 10 Planning Pollution Experiments 1. Explain that students will work in teams of 4 to investigate the effects of the 3 pollutants. Each group gets one class ecocolumn. One class ecocolumn is saved as a control. 2. Introduce the scientific experiment as a fair test. Use the example of a track-and-field race as suggested under Background on p Show overheads of the Fact Sheets on p Go over the information on each sheet. Demonstrate the mixing of each of the suggested solutions. Lesson 11 Setting Up Our Pollution Experiments. Do as a talk-through. Should time permit, participants can test soil and water ph by following the instructions under Procedure step 4 on p Lesson 12 Observing Early Effects of Pollution Go over the Background information on p Lesson 13 Where Do the Pollutants Go? Go over the Background information on p Lessons 14 Drawing Conclusions about Our Experiments Do as a talk-through. 5

7 Lesson 15 Lesson 16 Examining a Real Environmental Problem; and Holding the Mini-Conference: A Look at Trade-offs 1. Divide the participants into 4 groups and assign roles (ordinary citizens, land developers, recreational boaters, watermen). Give each group the corresponding Point of View Sheet. 2. Refer participants to the Reading Selection on the Chesapeake Bay on p (p in the Student Investigations book). Using their Point of View Sheets, each group should then discuss how they view the problems of the bay, how they contribute to the problems, and what they can do about the problems. 3. Let each group present its point of view to the other groups. Try to encourage debate and discussion between the groups. Lesson 17 Post-Unit Assessment Participants review the work done in lesson 1 to see how much they have learned about ecosystems. Wrap-up 1. Give out any evaluation forms and ask that they be completed. 2. Ask for help in cleanup. 3. Be available for questions/discussion. 6