Students annotate a photograph of their local study site and then develop …
Students annotate a photograph of their local study site and then develop a more abstract diagram of the site that highlights the flow of energy and matter among the four components of the Earth system. The investigation concludes with students sharing their diagrams and creating a single class diagram to represent their study site.
After completing this investigation, students will be able to:
- analyze a photograph of their local study site with respect to Earth systems; - annotate interconnections among components of the Earth system on a photograph; - translate their analysis of their study site into a diagram of energy and matter flow among components of the Earth system; and - interpret and evaluate diagrams of their local study site.
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In this Lab students focus their attention on an area significantly larger …
In this Lab students focus their attention on an area significantly larger than their study site as they apply their developing knowledge of local Earth system interactions to the regional scale. Although the scale changes, the questions remain the same. How does organism or process or event "A" influence, or become changed by organism or process or event "B"? Specifically, in what ways is my local region interconnected with adjoining regions? What types of matter and energy cross the regional boundaries to help define and shape the neighboring regions? Although students will investigate the region in which they live, the concept of a "study site" changes: instead of focusing their attention on an actual plot of land, students will investigate their region by combining their personal knowledge of the region with information they can learn from Google Earth.
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Students begin this investigation by reading about the basic premises of Ecosystem-Based …
Students begin this investigation by reading about the basic premises of Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM) and how it can be applied to fisheries management — Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management (EBFM). In Part B of the investigation, students learn about Integrated Ecosystem Assessments and how they are used as a tool for ecosystem-based fisheries management.
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This lab activity introduces students to Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). In Part …
This lab activity introduces students to Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). In Part A, students read about what MPAs are, what purposes they serve, and how they are classified. In Part B, they learn about the Gulf of California (also known as the Sea of CortÃs). This tiny strip of sea has historically been one of the richest and most productive marine ecosystems in the world, but today faces many of the same threats that are destroying ocean health worldwide. Students watch short videos and read about challenges of new MPAs in the area as well as about Cabo Pulmo, which has been an MPA since 1995.
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This lab activity introduces students to overfishing, using Georges Bank groundfish as …
This lab activity introduces students to overfishing, using Georges Bank groundfish as a case study. In Part A, students learn about overfishing by examining trends in annual haddock landings and mortality in Georges Bank from 1969-2016. In Part B, they learn about what it means for a species to be overfished by examining trends in Georges Bank Atlantic cod recruitments and spawning biomass from 1978-2014. In Part C, students explore the issue of the still-collapsed cod stocks and the role ocean warming may play in the failure to for the stock to rebound.
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Aquaculture is the most rapidly growing food-production industry in the world. In …
Aquaculture is the most rapidly growing food-production industry in the world. In Part A of this investigation, students examine and analyze U.S. and global aquaculture data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Fisheries and Aquaculture database. In Part B, students examine global trends in aquaculture production and learn about aquaculture methods and their associated environmental impacts. In Part C, students use Google Earth to analyze before and after satellite images of the Pacific coast of Honduras to illustrate how aquaculture is altering coastlines.
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Students are confronted with a variety of bivalves and questions about the …
Students are confronted with a variety of bivalves and questions about the meaning of shell form for each. Some specimens will be accompanied by pictures providing background material. This is an interactive exercise, with the instructor providing assistance with hints and helpful questions. Answers are provided on the powerpoint slides. Instructors will have somewhat different specimens than are employed here and may not be able to duplicate all parts of the exercise.
At the start of the activity, the instructor will explain that studies of functional morphology, leading to reconstruction of life habits, is essential to paleoecological research and to interpretation of the biological significance of evolutionary trends. An example of each is to be provided.
Students will explain the logic by which, with or without the aid of the instructor, they have arrived at their conclusions, .
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This activity is an on-line research activity in which students research different …
This activity is an on-line research activity in which students research different Minnesota lakes and determine their physical characteristics, chemical characteristics, and the overall health of the lake.
The purpose of the resource is to investigate changes in the major …
The purpose of the resource is to investigate changes in the major land cover types of Study Sites by examining Landsat satellite images acquired years apart.
In this video profile produced for Teachers' Domain, meet La'ona DeWilde, an …
In this video profile produced for Teachers' Domain, meet La'ona DeWilde, an environmental biologist who integrates her Athabascan heritage and her Western scientific training to help remote Alaskan villages address environmental issues.
Learning about Antarctica's past can give K-Grade 5 teachers and students lessons …
Learning about Antarctica's past can give K-Grade 5 teachers and students lessons in geology, climate, and ecology along with literacy experiences in sequencing and time lines. The author identifies online resources for both adults and younger learners. A three-section unit plan begins with sequencing events and follows with earth's history over billions of years and the records found in rocks and fossils. The article appears in the free, online magazine Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears.
This article highlights lessons that help K-grade 5 students understand that animals …
This article highlights lessons that help K-grade 5 students understand that animals and plants can only survive in certain environments.The lessons support the theme of an issue of the free online magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle. The theme is "We Depend on Earth's Climate."
In early 2021, 80 Washington citizens from all walks of life gathered …
In early 2021, 80 Washington citizens from all walks of life gathered virtually to learn from 40 presenters to make recommendations to the Washington state legislature about how to mitigate climate change in our state. Specifically, the Assembly addressed was:How can Washington State equitably design and implement climate mitigation strategies while strengthening communities disproportionately impacted by climate change across the State?This series uses videos of the Assembly speakers to help teachers increase their climate change background knowledge, explore teaching resources and consider ways to bring this learning to students. Each session of the series includes 1 - 3 related recorded presentations from the Climate Assembly, plus accompanying materials, and activities.
This exercise provides a standardized format that can be used to describe …
This exercise provides a standardized format that can be used to describe the life mode and its characteristics for most any organism or group of organisms. This format is used (reinforced) in many other exercises as the context for comparing and contrasting clades within and among systematic groups. The classification also provides a context for discussing patterns and trends in evolution and ecology.
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Produced by the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, Life in the Leaf …
Produced by the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, Life in the Leaf Litter is a guide to the diversity of soil organisms and the crucial role that invertebrates play in woodland ecosystems. The booklet was based, in part, on a leaf litter survey conducted by the CBC's Metro Program and the Museum's Division of Invertebrate Zoology in Central Park's woodlands, which led to the discovery of a new genus and species of centipede, Nannarrup hoffmani. The booklet may be downloaded as a pdf or ordered free of charge.
This video segment from a WPSU documentary Liquid Assets connects public health …
This video segment from a WPSU documentary Liquid Assets connects public health to the availability of clean and safe drinking water and elaborates on the threats our bodies face due to increasing kinds and quantities of pollutants.
This project relates to Ecology Standards and Literacy Goals. I have combined several …
This project relates to Ecology Standards and Literacy Goals. I have combined several different levels of this project so that the activity can be adapted for different levels. I have used the activity primarily with High School students and introductory-level biology with college/university students. The content could also be adapted for middle and elementary students. I would choose a book for the students on these lower levels but that is also an option at the higher levels as well.
Interactive map tool to assess how rising stream temperatures could affect native …
Interactive map tool to assess how rising stream temperatures could affect native fish of the Northwest. Lesson concepts include the relationship between water temperatures, dissolved oxygen levels in streams, and the impacts of changing temperatures on native fish. Focused skills include use of an interactive map to assess how stream temperatures are expected to change and the impacts on native fish.
Living River is a riverboat field trip program now available as an …
Living River is a riverboat field trip program now available as an interactive online site! Recognized by the National Park Foundation as an easily navigable website for river learners, this site provides students with an understanding of how floodplain forests help support two very important species: mighty mussels and powerful pike! Features of the site include topic video introductions by park rangers, slide deck lessons, interactive games, vocabulary puzzles, activities to encourage outside learning, and a literacy poetry challenge. Teachers can easily adapt the materials to create fun and engaging lessons, and a teacher guide will also be added to this online learning experience in November 2020.
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