Green App Technology-Connected Lesson Plan By Sharon Instructor Lantz, Teacher Education and Steve Kaye, Science (The lesson plan formats will differ for S. Lantz s class and S Kaye s class since Lantz teaches future teachers and Kaye teaches Biology students) Lesson Title: Can Colorado Life Zones Represent Diminishing Species in World Biomes? (This lesson plan is for the K-12 Teacher Education students) Curriculum Areas: Science Geography Technology Grade Levels: 9-12 Colorado Content Standards: Science Standard 1: Students apply the processes of scientific investigation and design, conduct, communicate about, and evaluate such investigations. Benchmark: select and use appropriate technologies to gather, process, and analyze data and to report information related to an investigation STANDARD 3: Life Science: Students know and understand the characteristics and structure of living things, the processes of life, and how living things interact with each other and their environment. (Focus: Biology--Anatomy, Physiology, Botany, Zoology, Ecology) Benchmark: changes in an ecosystem can affect biodiversity and biodiversity contributes to
an ecosystem's dynamic equilibrium variation within a population improves the chances that the species will survive under new environmental conditions organisms change over time in terms of biological evolution and genetics Geography Standard 2 Students know the physical and human characteristics of places, and use this knowledge to define and study regions and their patterns of change. As students in grades 9-12 extend their knowledge, what they know and are able to do includes: analyzing the human and physical characteristics that give a place meaning and significance; and describing the changing human and physical characteristics of places. Technology Standards Standard III. TECHNOLOGY PRODUCTIVITY TOOLS o Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity. o Students use productivity tools to collaborate in constructing technologyenhanced models, prepare publications, and produce other creative works. Standard IV. TECHNOLOGY COMMUNICATIONS TOOLS o Students use telecommunications to collaborate, publish, and interact with peers, experts, and other audiences. o Students use a variety of media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences. Standard V. TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH TOOLS o Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources. o Students use technology tools to process data and report results. Learning Objectives: The student will: Learn about four World Biomes and one Colorado Life Zones Take a field trip to observe and gather information on one Colorado Life Zone and its propensity as a natural biological laboratory. Utilize the information they have gathered to determine the correlation between the four World Biomes and the one Colorado Life Zones
Using this information determine which target species in the Colorado Life Zone may be in environmental peril in Colorado and in the world. Choose one of the target species in peril; research this species using the appropriate worksheet Research what Colorado is doing to help stop this demise. Compare this research to what is being done globally to alleviate the environmental demise of this same targeted species. Groups will: Utilize PowerPoint, develop a Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting World Biomes and the Colorado Life Zone Utilize Inspiration Software develop a concept map of the the one Life Zone and the four World Biomes Utilize PowerPoint Develop a slide show of the targeted species in peril and what is being done in Colorado and globally to alleviate this environmental peril Utilize Publisher to develop a flyer inviting residents to a meeting to discuss the target species that maybe in environmental peril in Colorado or use Microsoft Word to write a Senator about this issue. Materials: Montane Zone and World Biome Worksheet Cross section of Colorado Life Zones handout Descriptions of CO Life zones in Mt Evans handout Explanation of life zones in Colorado handout Project Rubric Technology Connection: Microsoft PowerPoint Inspiration Publisher Microsoft Word (or other word processing program) Computers and projection system Internet Digital Cameras (one for each group) Teacher Background The biology teacher will come to the Technology in Education classroom and give a short lecture on Colorado Life Zones and World Biomes. During the field trip, this biology teacher will be pointing out the different species in the Montane Life Zone. It is expected that the student s will readily find that the lodgepole pine is the targeted species in peril. Also, it is hoped that students will determine that there is a relationship between what is being done to alleviate this environmental peril in Colorado to what is being done globally. The Technology in Education teacher will visit the Biology classroom and
explain what the education students will be trying to accomplish. At the end of the lesson plan, the two cooperating instructors will get together and discuss whether the two separate classes came up with the same conclusions. Lesson Procedures: Rubric will be passed out. If applicable, the instructor will invite a biology teacher to come and visit the classroom. This teacher will give a short lecture on Life Zones and World Biomes The teacher will prepare the students for a field trip. The teacher will talk about where they are going, appropriate clothing and what they will see. Pre-field trip worksheets (Montane Zone and World Biome)) will be handed out for the students to complete outside of class. Students CAN research by using the Internet, books, newspapers and magazines. For the Field Trip: Students are divided into groups each group has a digital camera. The field trip will be to Mt. Evans, Colorado to study the following life zone: o Montane During the field trip, students will fill out the Field Notes part of the note-taking guides and take digital pictures. Answers to the questions will come from the instructor and through observation. Return to technology lab: As a group students will answer the questions in part 5 of the worksheet. Each student in the group will be assigned a different project to complete: 1. Venn diagram comparing and contrasting World Biomes and Colorado Life Zone 2. Inspiration concept maps on the Life Zone and the World Biomes 3. PowerPoint a slide show of the targeted species in peril and the relationship between what is being done to alleviate this environmental peril in Colorado to what is being done globally. 4. Publisher flyer inviting residents to a meeting to discuss the target species that maybe in environmental peril and the relationship between what is being done to alleviate this environmental peril in Colorado to what is being done globally OR use Microsoft Word to write a letter to a Senator about this topic. Each group will present their findings. Students will complete a Green Apps Evaluation of the lesson plan. Assessment Procedures: Worksheets Venn diagram Inspiration concept maps PowerPoint slide shows
Publisher flyer or Word document Rubric Web Sites: News from Mt.Evans Meyer-Womble Observatory: http://www.du.edu/~rstencel/mtevans/ Mount Evans.com: http://www.mountevans.com/ Camera on Mount Evans http://sciweb.hfcc.net/kelly/classes/bio_141/botlinks/lctlnk.htm Mt Evans Scenic Byway: http://www.magazineusa.com/states/co/sc_mt_evans.asp Colorado Life Zones Information Seasons Plants and Animals http://shelledy.mesa.k12.co.us/staff/computerlab/coloradolifezonesinformation. htm Colorado Life Zone Map http://nisley.mesa.k12.co.us/students/coloradolifezonemap.htm Human Impact on the Colorado Life Zone http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:yofmjxtzuz0j:www.nrel.colostate.edu/pr ojects/gk12-track2/projects/coloradolifezones- HumanImpacts.ppt+Colorado+Life+zones&cd=5&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us