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Traveling Through the Wetlands

Lesson Plan

Traveling Through the Wetlands

Objectives

In this unit, students will discover the wetlands of Pennsylvania. Students will:

  • identify the wetlands of Pennsylvania.
  • identify the characteristics of the wetlands of Pennsylvania.

Essential Questions

Vocabulary

  • Swamps: A bottomland that floods during certain seasons. It has more woody plants than a marsh and faster moving water than a bog.
  • Pond: A small natural or artificial body of still water.
  • Ecosystem: A community of living organisms.
  • Estuary: The area where a river empties into sea water.
  • Saturated: A condition in which soil has absorbed as much water as it can physically hold.

Duration

45–60 minutes/2 class periods

Prerequisite Skills

Prerequisite Skills haven't been entered into the lesson plan.

Materials

Related Unit and Lesson Plans

Related Materials & Resources

The possible inclusion of commercial websites below is not an implied endorsement of their products, which are not free, and are not required for this lesson plan.

  • Pictures of Pennsylvania Swamps

http://www.sws.org/travel/quakertown.mgi

  • Tamarack Swamp Information

http://www.wpconline.org/dailyphotos/wpcdaily-3-25-extra.asp

  • Online Science Game

http://www.paconserve.org/84/tamarack-swamp

http://www.engagingscience.org/games/onlinegames/games.html

  • Natural Areas in Pennsylvania

http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/natural/naturalareas.aspx

  • Wetland Sound Clips

http://soundbible.com/1214-Wetlands.html

  • Native Pennsylvania Orchids

http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/pennsylvania/files/orchidfactsheet.pdf

  • The Nature Conservancy

http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/pennsylvania/preserves/art805.html

  • National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum

http://www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles/index.cfm?id=52570

 

Formative Assessment

  • View
    • Monitor student responses to large-group discussions.
    • Observe students as they work in paired groups and listen for understanding through questioning.
    • Observe student contributions to class wetland charts.
    • Observe students’ descriptive writing in their wetlands booklets.

Suggested Instructional Supports

  • View
    Scaffolding, Active Engagement, Explicit Instruction
    W: This lesson helps students understand how living things are dependent on certain wetlands to meet their basic needs. They also come to understand the characteristics of different types of wetlands, including the plants and animals that live there.  
    H: Students listen to audio sounds from wetlands. The audio allows students to listen for sounds to determine what might be found in the different wetlands. This activity introduces inhabitants of a wetland.  
    E: Students participate in large-group discussions and use technology to “visit” various wetlands in Pennsylvania. Students begin to understand the diversity of plants growing in each wetland. After examining different wetlands, students begin to understand the diversity of each wetland.  
    R: Students participate in classroom discussions. They begin to distinguish differences among the wetlands found in Pennsylvania. They participate in creating class charts describing each kind of wetland.  
    E: Students express their understanding through group discussions. Students also add information to class charts on different types of wetlands, as well as create a wetlands booklet. 
    T: Students experience a variety of activities that appeal to various learning styles, along with the extension activities that provide additional differentiated instruction. They participate in hands-on investigations, reading for information, visiting wetlands Web sites, and writing descriptive sentences about each type of wetland. 
    O: This lesson provides students with activities that move from concrete observations to teacher-guided activities, and finally, to an independent application: constructing a wetlands booklet that describes each type of wetland in Pennsylvania. 

Instructional Procedures

  • View

    Day 1

    Activity 1: Introducing Animals of the Wetlands

    Review with students the definition of a wetland. Ask students to tell three things that make wetlands important. Students should come up with answers such as: flood control, a place for birds and animals, cleaning of ground water, etc.

    “Scientists put wetlands into different groups based on what they see in wetlands. We are going to look at several types of wetlands found in Pennsylvania.” Explain to students what a swamp, marsh, tidal marsh, bog, and pond are.

    • Swamp: Wetland areas with standing or slow moving water, many woody plants, and trees. Swamps are usually found near rivers.
    • Bog: Areas with still or stagnant water with very few plants and animals. Bogs have little to no water drainage.
    • Marsh: Areas with standing or slow moving water, few woody plants, and no trees. Marshes are usually found in grassy fields.
    • Tidal marsh: Marshes that are found near coastlines. The changing tides flood the marshes.
    • Pond: A small natural or artificial body of still water.

    Wetlands can be found in different parts of Pennsylvania. Hold up a map of Pennsylvania (S-K2-19-2_Map of Pennsylvania.doc). When the different types of wetland are discussed, indicate on the map where they may be located. Refer to the wetlands map (S-K2-19-2_Pennsylvania Wetlands.doc).

    • Why are there so many wetland areas near the river?
    • Why are there so many wetland areas near the coast?
    • Are the wetlands near the coast the same as wetlands further up river?

    Begin a Pennsylvania Wetland Tour by listening to the sounds in wetlands. Play the following audio and allow students to listen to the sounds. Prior to the lesson, have the Web address bookmarked or downloaded from http://soundbible.com/1214-Wetlands.html.

    When students have listened to the sounds of the wetlands, ask them to think about what they heard. Ask students “What kinds of animal sounds did you hear?” As students comment on this question, record their responses on a chart or board. If students have difficulty recalling animals, replay the sounds and help students distinguish the animal making the sound.

    Write the following sentences on the board. Tell students they are to fill in blank.

    A horse lives in a ______, but not in wetlands. Why not?

    Record student responses on the board and give one more example. After this exercise, give students the Why or Why Not? worksheet (S-K2-19-2_Why or Why Not.docx).

    Activity 2: Wetlands of Pennsylvania

    Show a picture of a swamp found in Pennsylvania from http://www.sws.org/travel/quakertown.mgi or http://www.wpconline.org/dailyphotos/wpcdaily-3-25-extra.asp. Explain to students that there is a swamp in the center of Pennsylvania called the Tamarack Swamp. It is home to tamarack trees, bug-eating plants, birds, and animals. Tell students that a swamp is a wet low-lying area. Show students pictures of these swamps and others. Have students describe a swamp. Record their responses on a Swamp chart. Students may also look at swamps in other parts of the United States such as Louisiana and Florida. They may also compare the wildlife and plants. Display the Swamp chart in the classroom for students to see.

    Write the word pond on a chart. Say, “Ponds can be natural ponds or made by humans or animals. Beavers can build large dams that will stop the flow of water to form a pond. A pond will have deeper water and plants growing in the water. Plants such as duckweed and water lilies can be found in a pond. Near the pond various plants such as wild azaleas, cattails, and reeds can be found. All of these plants provide shelter and nutrients for animals.”

    Review the various types of wetlands found in Pennsylvania. Have students describe each type of wetland and what might be found in each. Give students a Wetlands Booklet (S-K2-19-2_Wetlands Booklet.doc) and instruct students to describe each type of wetland in their own words and then draw a picture of each. Have students work with a partner or individually to complete the information about Pennsylvania wetlands. You may want to have the Web sites available for students to look at if they need to recall facts.

    Extension:

    • Students who may need additional learning opportunities can compare the wetlands of Pennsylvania to the wetlands of other states.
    • Students who are going beyond the standards can locate the water sources that contribute to the wetlands of Pennsylvania.
    • Create wetland plant cards and have students who need additional learning opportunities match the plants on the cards with the wetlands they can be found in.

Related Instructional Videos

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DRAFT 12/10/2010
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