http://science.pppst.com/habitats.html
Click on the ‘habitats’ link
This link contains a PowerPoint on habitats. In this PowerPoint, Students are taught about what a habitat is and why organisms need to have a habitat. Students are then shown several pictures of different habitats and have to describe the type of habitat that is shown.
Components of ecosystems; communities of living organisms
Apply understanding to familiar and new contexts; make connections between concepts; interpret, transpose, and communicate information and ideas effectively; use techniques of communication appropriate to different audiences and purposes.
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/lsps07.sci.life.oate.ecosystem/
This is an interactive activity where students have to identify the living and non-living components of an ecosystem. They also have to find an example of a mimicry, a producer and a consumer.
After doing this activity, there are some discussion questions for students to complete (along the side of the page). The answers to these could then be discussed as a class.
http://www.switcheroozoo.com/games/habitat.swf
Build your own habitat activity.
The teacher should scaffold this activity so that students have to build a different habitat for each of the different animals (human, hippo, polar bear, lizard, and beaver) and state why they chose the particular precipitation, vegetation and biome for each animal. Additionally, the students could be asked to describe what adaptations the animal would have to undergo if it were to be able to survive in any other habitat.
2
http://science.pppst.com/biomes/index.html
Click on the ‘World biomes’ link
This link contains a PowerPoint to various biomes around the world. For each biome, the following are discussed:
-abiotic factors in the biome
-plant and animal adaptations to the biome
-threats to the biome
The teacher should choose three of these biomes to discuss as a class (to get students familiar with how to identify these things). Teacher should direct the discussion towards explaining the idea of an organism’s ecological niche, and how any one particular organism fits into the biome/habitat as a whole.
The teacher should then break students up into groups of 2 or three and give each group a biome for which they have to research and identify the above things themselves.
The students then have to give a small (3 minute) presentation of their findings to the rest of the class.
Components of ecosystems; ecological grouping and ecological niche.
Apply understanding to familiar and new contexts; make connections between concepts; interpret, transpose, and communicate information and ideas effectively; use techniques of communication appropriate to different audiences and purposes.
3
Student create terminology cards for revision of terms used to describe different components of ecosystems (e.g. ecosystem, habitat, producer, consumer, mimicry, abiotic factors, biotic factors, ecological niche, ecological groupings). http://163.16.28.248/bio/activelearner/54/swfs/ch54quiz.swf
This is a link to a biome quiz which students can use to revise the concepts which they have been learning about over the past two lessons and apply their understanding.
Components of ecosystems: communities of living organisms, ecological groupings; ecological niche.
Apply understandings to familiar and new contexts; make connections between concepts; solve problems; Use scientific terminology and conventions appropriately.
This link contains a PowerPoint presentation that outlines and summarises all the different types of relationships that can occur between organisms.
The second half of the PowerPoint is a quiz. Split the class into 2 equal halves. A slide depicting two animals is put up and students have to identify the relationship, the organisms involved and the role of each organism in the relationship. The group with the most points at the end wins a prize!
In this class, students will be given their assessment task. They will have to research a type of relationship using a specific example and present to the class during the next lesson. Details of the assessment task are provided in the link above.
Relationships between organisms: parasite/host, predator/prey as well as relationships of mutual benefit; mutualism and symbiosis
Apply biological understandings: apply understandings to familiar and new contexts; make connections between concepts.
2
Students will have one lesson to research their presentation
Relationships between organisms: parasite/host, predator/prey as well as relationships of mutual benefit; mutualism and symbiosis
Investigate and inquire scientifically: work independently and collaboratively as appropriate Communicate biological information and understandings: interpret, transpose and communicate information and ideas effectively; use techniques of communication appropriate to different audiences and purposes.
3
In this class students will be presenting their research task. Audience members will have an opportunity to ask any question that they may have regarding the relationship being presented.
Relationships between organisms: parasite/host, predator/prey as well as relationships of mutual benefit; mutualism and symbiosis
Apply biological understandings: apply understandings to familiar and new contexts; make connections between concepts Communicate biological information and understandings: interpret, transpose and communicate information and ideas effectively; use techniques of communication appropriate to different audiences and purposes.
This link contains a PowerPoint presentation that summarises the content and definitions for this area of study.
Cycling of matter: principle of exchange between living and non-living components of the ecosystem, including inputs and outputs; biochemical systems including those of water, carbon, nitrogen; bioaccumulation.
Investigate and inquire scientifically: work collaboratively as appropriate. Apply biological understandings: apply understandings to familiar and new contexts; make connections between concepts.
This game is a group activity that allows students to follow an atom of carbon through the natural carbon cycle. It is a particularly detailed game.
2
‘Slowmation’ Introduction www.slowmation.com ‘Slowmation’ (abbreviated from “Slow Animation”) is a simplified way for students to make a narrated stop-motion animation to explain a concept. It is an engaging way to learn because students conduct research and use their own technology to design a sequence of representations culminating in the narrated animation. It is best used as an informal assessment to check for misconceptions. Students are to work in groups of 2-4, select their topic and fill out their chunking sheet.
Cycling of matter: principle of exchange between living and non-living components of the ecosystem, including inputs and outputs; biochemical systems including those of water, carbon, nitrogen; bioaccumulation.
Investigate and inquire scientifically: work collaboratively as appropriate. Apply biological understandings: apply understandings to familiar and new contexts; make connections between concepts, analyse and evaluate the reliability of information and opinions in the public domain. Communicate biological information and understandings: interpret, transpose and communicate information and ideas effectively; use techniques of communication appropriate to different audiences and purposes; use scientific terminology and conventions appropriately.
3
Students are to complete a detailed sequencing sheet, prepare materials and begin taking their photos.
4
Students are to complete taking the photos and follow the instructions on the website to make their ‘Slowmation’. Note: - Editing can be completed at home if students run out of time. - Finished movies can be uploaded to a collaborative space (such as the Ultranet) and used as a peer teaching tool.
Big Idea 4: Population Dynamics
Lesson
Activity and Resources
Link to Key Knowledge
Link to Key Skills
1
http://www.slideshare.net/pisgahscience/36-lecture-ppt-1279616 This link contains a PowerPoint presentation that introduces the topic of population ecology and provides an in depth summary of this area of study. This is to be viewed as a class and the teacher is to elaborate on key points and is to encourage students to take informative notes.
The classroom can be separated into halves by the teacher and using the above quiz questions displayed one at a time on the board using an O/H projector. It can be made as a game giving points to whichever half of the class answers the questions correctly then a prize given to the winning side.
Inputs and outputs, consisting of birth, death and migration; levels of predation; ecosystem consists of many organisms which all have some level of impact on one another.
Apply understanding to familiar and new contexts; make connections between concepts; interpret, transpose, and communicate information and ideas effectively.
2
Fertility Dynamics http://www.aetheling.com/NL/sim/population/fertility.html Population Dynamics http://www.aetheling.com/NL/sim/population/population1.html The above links take you to websites which produce graphs detailing factors which can be altered to produce an output of how the population will be affected. Using these websites students will be give some time to explore and witness what sort of outputs they can come up with and how altering factors influence population dynamics.
The above terms will then be shown to the students and the teacher will ask students to what they think the terms mean. After some discussion of all the terms the teacher can provide clear definitions for the students to note down. Students will then be instructed to enter their own values to produce a graph on each website then using the definitions above they will detail what figures they achieved reading their graphs and a reason to why that might have occurred.
Inputs and outputs, consisting of birth, death and migration.
Make connections between concepts; interpret, transpose, and communicate information and ideas effectively; apply understanding to familiar and new contexts; make connections between concepts;
3
Population Dynamics and Viability Taronga Conservation Society http://www.taronga.org.au/animals-conservation/conservation-science/population-dynamics-and-viability/population-dynamics-and-viability The above website can be viewed as a class and discussed in depth. Students will then research an animal, focusing on birth rates, death rates, migration patterns, their habitat and various factors affecting that animal’s survival both positive and negative. This can then be presented as a project or written report. Students must include at least 2 graphs to represent data for their chosen animal.
Levels of predation; ecosystem consists of many organisms which all have some level of impact on one another.
Use techniques of communication appropriate to different audiences and purposes. ; Apply understandings to familiar and new contexts; make connections between concepts; use scientific terminology and conventions appropriately.
Click on the ‘habitats’ link
This link contains a PowerPoint on habitats. In this PowerPoint, Students are taught about what a habitat is and why organisms need to have a habitat. Students are then shown several pictures of different habitats and have to describe the type of habitat that is shown.
This is an interactive activity where students have to identify the living and non-living components of an ecosystem. They also have to find an example of a mimicry, a producer and a consumer.
After doing this activity, there are some discussion questions for students to complete (along the side of the page). The answers to these could then be discussed as a class.
Build your own habitat activity.
The teacher should scaffold this activity so that students have to build a different habitat for each of the different animals (human, hippo, polar bear, lizard, and beaver) and state why they chose the particular precipitation, vegetation and biome for each animal. Additionally, the students could be asked to describe what adaptations the animal would have to undergo if it were to be able to survive in any other habitat.
Click on the ‘World biomes’ link
This link contains a PowerPoint to various biomes around the world. For each biome, the following are discussed:
-abiotic factors in the biome
-plant and animal adaptations to the biome
-threats to the biome
The teacher should choose three of these biomes to discuss as a class (to get students familiar with how to identify these things). Teacher should direct the discussion towards explaining the idea of an organism’s ecological niche, and how any one particular organism fits into the biome/habitat as a whole.
The teacher should then break students up into groups of 2 or three and give each group a biome for which they have to research and identify the above things themselves.
The students then have to give a small (3 minute) presentation of their findings to the rest of the class.
http://163.16.28.248/bio/activelearner/54/swfs/ch54quiz.swf
This is a link to a biome quiz which students can use to revise the concepts which they have been learning about over the past two lessons and apply their understanding.
Big Idea 2: Relationships between organisms
This link contains a PowerPoint presentation that outlines and summarises all the different types of relationships that can occur between organisms.
The second half of the PowerPoint is a quiz. Split the class into 2 equal halves. A slide depicting two animals is put up and students have to identify the relationship, the organisms involved and the role of each organism in the relationship. The group with the most points at the end wins a prize!
In this class, students will be given their assessment task. They will have to research a type of relationship using a specific example and present to the class during the next lesson. Details of the assessment task are provided in the link above.
Communicate biological information and understandings: interpret, transpose and communicate information and ideas effectively; use techniques of communication appropriate to different audiences and purposes.
Communicate biological information and understandings: interpret, transpose and communicate information and ideas effectively; use techniques of communication appropriate to different audiences and purposes.
Big Idea 3: Cycling of matter
This link contains a PowerPoint presentation that summarises the content and definitions for this area of study.
Apply biological understandings: apply understandings to familiar and new contexts; make connections between concepts.
This game is a group activity that allows students to follow an atom of carbon through the natural carbon cycle. It is a particularly detailed game.
www.slowmation.com
‘Slowmation’ (abbreviated from “Slow Animation”) is a simplified way for students to make a narrated stop-motion animation to explain a concept. It is an engaging way to learn because students conduct research and use their own technology to design a sequence of representations culminating in the narrated animation. It is best used as an informal assessment to check for misconceptions.
Students are to work in groups of 2-4, select their topic and fill out their chunking sheet.
Apply biological understandings: apply understandings to familiar and new contexts; make connections between concepts, analyse and evaluate the reliability of information and opinions in the public domain.
Communicate biological information and understandings: interpret, transpose and communicate information and ideas effectively; use techniques of communication appropriate to different audiences and purposes; use scientific terminology and conventions appropriately.
Note:
- Editing can be completed at home if students run out of time.
- Finished movies can be uploaded to a collaborative space (such as the Ultranet) and used as a peer teaching tool.
Big Idea 4: Population Dynamics
This link contains a PowerPoint presentation that introduces the topic of population ecology and provides an in depth summary of this area of study. This is to be viewed as a class and the teacher is to elaborate on key points and is to encourage students to take informative notes.
The classroom can be separated into halves by the teacher and using the above quiz questions displayed one at a time on the board using an O/H projector. It can be made as a game giving points to whichever half of the class answers the questions correctly then a prize given to the winning side.
http://www.aetheling.com/NL/sim/population/fertility.html
Population Dynamics
http://www.aetheling.com/NL/sim/population/population1.html
The above links take you to websites which produce graphs detailing factors which can be altered to produce an output of how the population will be affected. Using these websites students will be give some time to explore and witness what sort of outputs they can come up with and how altering factors influence population dynamics.
The above terms will then be shown to the students and the teacher will ask students to what they think the terms mean. After some discussion of all the terms the teacher can provide clear definitions for the students to note down. Students will then be instructed to enter their own values to produce a graph on each website then using the definitions above they will detail what figures they achieved reading their graphs and a reason to why that might have occurred.
http://www.taronga.org.au/animals-conservation/conservation-science/population-dynamics-and-viability/population-dynamics-and-viability
The above website can be viewed as a class and discussed in depth. Students will then research an animal, focusing on birth rates, death rates, migration patterns, their habitat and various factors affecting that animal’s survival both positive and negative. This can then be presented as a project or written report. Students must include at least 2 graphs to represent data for their chosen animal.