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Natural Patterns of Change

Lesson Plan

Natural Patterns of Change

Grade Levels

10th Grade, 11th Grade

Course, Subject

Environment and Ecology (Agriculture)
Related Academic Standards
4.1.10.E 4.1.10.E

Analyze how humans influence the pattern of natural changes (e.g. primary / secondary succession and desertification) in ecosystems over time.
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  • Big Ideas
    A technological world requires that humans develop capabilities to solve technological challenges and improve products for the way we live.
    Technological design is a creative process that anyone can do which may result in new inventions and innovations.
    Technological literacy is the ability to use, assess and manage technology around us.
  • Concepts
    In a technological world, inventions and innovations must be carefully assessed by individuals and society as a whole.
    Innovation is the process of improving an existing product, process, or system.
    Innovation is the process of modifying an existing product, process, or system to improve it.
    Invention is a process of creating new products, processes, or systems.
    Invention is a process of turning ideas and imagination into new products, processes, or systems.
    Inventions and innovations must be carefully assessed by individuals and society.
    People select, create, and use science and technology and are limited by constraints (e.g. social and physical).
    Safety is a preeminent concern for all technological development and use.
    Safety is one of the most important concerns for all technological development and use.
    Technological design & problem solving includes both formative and summative analysis.
    Technological design & problem solving requires the ability to clearly communicate engineered solutions.
    Technological design & problem solving requires the application of hands-on abilities such as sketching, prototyping, and fabricating.
    Technological design & problem solving transforms an idea into a final product or system.
    Technological design & problem solving utilizes a series of steps that take place in a well-defined sequence.
    Technological literacy is a lifetime endeavor.
    Technological literacy is necessary for a productive 21st century skilled workforce.
    Technological literacy is required for all citizens in a democratic society for shared decision-making.
    Technological literacy is the ability to understand, use, assess, design, and produce technology (i.e. Invention & Innovation).
    Technology and society mutually impact each other.
    The abilities required in a technological world include diagnosing, troubleshooting, analyzing and maintaining systems.
    The abilities required in a technological world include understanding, fixing, and maintaining systems.
  • Competencies
    Clearly communicate engineered solutions in written, spoken, and graphical means.
    Compare and contrast the natural constraints imposed on scientific and technological change.
    Describe how technological development impacts economics, culture, and policies.
    Develop the abilities to use and maintain technological products and systems.
    Recognize the importance of using technological knowledge to participate competently in a democratically society.

Rationale

Vocabulary

Pattern-a style of marking of natural or chance origin

Ecological succession-after a disturbance, organisms in an ecosystem follow a pattern of change over time

Natural disturbance/catastrophe-events that can cause localized or widespread destruction.(forest fire, large asteroids)

Cycle-a period of time in which certain events repeat themselves in the same order and at the same intervals.  One of a succession of similar sequences of events.

Trend-the general course, drift or tendency.  The general direction which a road, river, coastline, or the like, tends to take.

Environmental change-the dynamics of the evolving ecosphere over time.

Natural selection-process by which a particular beneficial gene (or set of genes) is reproduced in succeeding generations more than other genes.  The result of natural selection is a population that contains a greater proportion of organisms better adapted to certain environmental conditions.

Biological rhythms-cyclic behavior patterns motivated by the internal workings of an organism

Ecosystem stability-the communities ability to resist change

Keystone species-species that play roles affecting other organisms in an ecosystem

Objectives

The students will be able to…

Identify the sources of environmental change.

Explain the relationship of time and geographic “area” in the determination of environmental change.

Compare a long term trend to a short term cycle

Identify characteristics of ecosystem stability

Describe the role of a keystone species in an ecosystem

Lesson Essential Question(s)

What three forces of environmental change have resulted in our Earth’s recognized cycles, trends and steady states over time?

Is natural selection a given component of environmental change?  Why? or Why not?

Why is high biodiversity linked to the stability of an ecosystem?

What types of evidence form the foundation of our environmental state (both past and present)?

How has data and studies of these patterns changed our “actions” in regard to the Earth’s balance?

Duration

2 Days (86 min./day)

Materials

-Worksheets-“Environmental Change” and “Ecosystem Stability” (Biozone)

-“Fighting Fire with Fire,” Science World (February 1999)

-Exit cards

-Mount St. Helens:  Back from the Dead, Nova (May 2010)

-3-2-1 form

-fly swatters

Suggested Instructional Strategies

W:  Essential questions will be posted on the board.  Students will be given a guide to the lesson.  Vocabulary foldable or flash cards created in class.  Students will know of the team activity for Day 2.
H:  Give the students a few minutes to think about the surroundings to their home or community.  Any changes?  Were these changes “created” by man or natural?
E:  During the guided lecture, students will be looking at actual events that have taken place and changed the environment.  (This is a “given” with this lesson.)
R:  The article on “Fighting Fire…” will give students an opportunity to evaluate the importance of letting natural cyclic events proceed on their own.  …feedback will be given on Day 2.
E:  By giving the students back their worksheets and exit cards after teacher evaluation and comments, the students will have time to look at changes for future work, field work etc.  They know that there will be an open-ended question on their unit test that will require their thoughts and ideas when dealing with environmental change.
T:  Pairing students as they cover the vocabulary, worksheets, and article will help students that need extra support.  Students may also find an area in the hall, on the floor etc. in order to read the article to their partner and discuss.
O:  This lesson builds on a following lesson…succession.   An understanding of this material will make it easier to discuss primary and secondary succession.  For instance, students will make the connection after discussing forest fires (Day 1) and Mt. St. Helens (Day 2).  Why are both of these “cases” of secondary succession?  Is it possible for a volcano to be labeled as a case of primary succession?  If so, why? 

Instructional Procedures

Independent Activity

(BDA, Do Now, KWL, Guided Reading, Word Splash, Expert Jigsaw, etc.)

Day 1

KWL…students will prepare a chart directed at the question…

“What do you know about NATURAL environmental change?”…”What do you want to know about NATURAL environmental change?”…”What have you already learned about NATURAL environmental change?”  **This KWL chart activity may take some “teacher prompting” to keep the student answers on target…The question might also be stated as…”What do you know about the causes of NATURAL environmental change? and so on!

Hook…think about changes to their own surroundings…around their home, community…What kind of changes?  Did man cause these changes?  Is time critical in these changes?

 

Day 2. Begin with some positive results from the students work (the two worksheets and exit card).  Review the worksheets as they are given back to the students.  Also review the exit card summary.

Hook…Is there some truth to the phrase “let nature take its course”?  Is this the case today with some naturally occurring events that were once deemed catastrophic?  …a good example of “nature taking its course” began with Mount St. Helens in May 1980….

 

Pair Share

(Peer Revising, Text Rendering, Document Review, etc.)

 

Day 1

In groups of four, students will “critique” each other’s KWL chart…giving helpful advice to make the answers clear or offer examples of NATURAL environmental change.  With the opportunity for random reporting, this would be a time to check for the level of understanding with several random reporters.  Discussion will occur. Since this lesson is a “lead in” to many other lessons such as succession, symbiosis, population dynamics, it is important for students to understand the vocabulary and key concepts.  Students will have the opportunity to complete a vocabulary foldable…complete with definitions and examples.  The vocabulary words will be posted on the board.

 

Whole Class, Mini Lesson

(Whip, Literature Circle, Guided Lecture, etc.)

Day 1

Guided lecture of the topic as well as several graphs showing Environmental changes (categorized) over Time and Geography and Community Stability (based on diversity) will be presented.  Throughout the lesson, questions will be posed…can you give me an example of an environmental cycle or trend?  Do you see a pattern with this cycle/trend?...Explain.  Students will be responsible for filling out their guide form.

 

Day 2  Show students NOVA video titled Mount St. Helens:  Back from the Dead   (53 minutes)

 

http://video.pbs.org/video/1485211138

 

3-2-1 form to be completed while watching the video (or immediately after the video).  List 3 things you learned about Mt. St. Helens that relates to our topic for the last two days,

Identify 2 geology/earth history terms mentioned in the movie that we discussed in a previous unit and 1 question that you still have about Mt. St. Helens.  Students are to learn the importance of Mt. St. Helens in terms of environmental change as well as make the connection to the previously studied earth history/geology unit.

 

Independent Activity, Small Group Activity

Day 1

Two man groups will work together to complete the two worksheets…”Environmental Change” and “Ecosystem Stability.”  The mini groups will conclude with the reading an article, “Fighting Fire with Fire,” Science World (February 1999).  What can we learn from fire ecology?  Would a NATURAL forest fire be classified as a short term climatic environmental change?  Explain.  To what geographic extent did this particular fire cover?  Random report…briefly from several groups.

 

Day 2

Individually, the students will complete the 3-2-1 form stated above.

 

Review game (“fly swatter”) over vocabulary words or concepts and corresponding examples.  The vocabulary words will be written on the board.  Team competition to see which team can swat the correct word…given a clue, definition or example.  One person from each team is given a fly swatter.  Everyone gets a chance to play the game.

 

Whole Class Discussion, Reflection

(Ticket Out the Door, Response Sheet, KWL, 3-2-1, etc.)

Day 1

How has “Smokey the Bear” changed his attitude about fighting forest fires?  Explain. (25 word summary or 3 sentence paragraph to this final question)…Exit card

 

Day 2

Completion of the KWL chart (started Day 1) team effort following the review game.  The focus is to be on “What did you learn about NATURAL environmental change?”

 

Formative Assessment

The pair activities will be assessed by means of a checklist noting participation and completing the tasks.  A formative grade on the two worksheets per pair group will be given a formative grade based on completion/a point system of 1 point per answer. These worksheets as well as the exit card will be collected and assessed prior to Day 2.  The worksheets are assigned 10 points each.  The exit card, completed by each student, is assigned 7 points.  This card must show a connection to the article as well as the changing role of the U.S. Forest Service.  (Day 1)

Active participation in the movie discussion as well as the fly swatter review game will be assessed.  This grade is under the formative assessment section of the grade book…noted as class participation.  Students will be evaluated on vocabulary knowledge as well as applying this knowledge to particular examples of change (through history) and the ability to answer “their way” the essential questions.  Hence the game will allow for some group discussion before answering the questions. (Day 2)

Related Materials & Resources

Environmental Science, Biozone

Living in the Environment,  G. Tyler Miller

Environmental Science, Karen Arms

“Fighting Fire with Fire,” Science World (February 1999)

Mount St. Helens:  Back from the Dead, Nova (May 2010)

Author

Date Published

June 03, 2011
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