|
| Overview |
| Grade Level: 6-8 |
| Background Information:
A biome is a large group of ecosystems that share the same type
of climax community. The animals that make up the climax community
- more specifically the mammals, our focus in this set of activities
- are all adapted for living in each ecosystem. However, what do
those adaptations look like? How do we recognize an adaptation?
Is there a reason behind a particular adaptation and if so, what
is it?
We also consider behavior of mammals. Why do dogs circle before
they lie down? Where does this behavior come from?
In this set of activities, we use observations and discussions
and seek to distinguish between innate behaviors and learned behaviors.
This may not be an exact science, but through observation we can
come to a better understanding of the adaptations and behaviors
of mammals that we see everyday.
|
| Content Standards |
| Related National Standards
This lesson addresses the following National Content Standards
found at: http://books.nap.edu/html/nses
Grades 9-12
Content Standard C: As a result of activities in grades
9-12, all students should develop an understanding of
- Biological evolution
- Species evolve over time. Evolution is the consequence
of the interactions of (1) the potential for a species
to increase its numbers, (2) the genetic variability
of offspring due to mutation and recombination of genes,
(3) a finite supply of the resources required for life,
and (4) the ensuing selection by the environment of
those offspring better able to survive and leave offspring.
- Behavior of organisms
- Like other aspects of an organism's biology, behaviors
have evolved through natural selection. Behaviors have
an adaptive logic when viewed in terms of evolutionary
principles.
- Interdependence of organisms
- Organisms both cooperate and compete in ecosystems.
The interrelationships and interdependencies of these
organisms may generate ecosystems that are stable for
hundreds or thousand of years.
- Living organisms have the capacity to produce populations
of infinite size, but environments and resources are finite.
This fundamental tension has profound effects on the interactions
between organisms.
|
Related Oregon Standards
This lesson addresses the following Oregon Science Standards found
at: http://www.ode.state.or.us/cifs/
|
- Explain how humans and other species
can impact an ecosystem
- Explain how the balance of biotic
and a-biotic resources will change with the introduction
of a new species in an ecosystem
- Understand the characteristics,
structure and functions of organisms
- Understand that any collection
of things that can have an influence on one another can
be thought of as a system
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|
| Extension Web Sites
from PBS: |
|
Journey
Into Amazonia
This Web site includes information on the world's largest rainforest.
It covers the jungle from the ground up, making it an excellent
resource for learning more about rainforests.
Animal
Einsteins: If Only They Could Talk!
Learn more about the ability of animals to communicate. This site
includes activities for students and extensions for teachers to
help students understand animal communication.
Kakadu
- Australia's Ancient Wilderness
At this site, both students and teachers can learn more about this
amazing reserve of animals in Australia. Kakadu is a biological
wonderland, teeming with mammal, reptile, bird and insect life.
Both students and teachers can use this site as a resource.
PRIME-TIME
PRIMATES: Chimp Manners
Have students study the behaviors of animals guided by this site.
It includes both teacher information and activities for students
to better understand the behavior of animals and how researchers
study that behavior.
|
| Activity 1: Where are Mammals
Found? |
| Time Allotted:
20 minutes for video and discussion, 45-minute period classroom
activity
Materials:
List of Biomes
Biology Text
Access to the Internet
| Objectives: |
- Students will compare mammals found in each biome.
- Students will analyze how climate influences the mammals
in a biome.
- Students will compare and contrast mammalian adaptations.
|
Pre-Teaching Activity:
Ask students to journal for five minutes about the question "What
are mammals and where do they live?" Keep these entries in their
journals to be used at the end of the activity set. Students will
compare their pre-activity journals to journals completed after
activities and discussions about mammalian adaptations and behavior.
Viewing the Video:
View the following video and answer the questions as a way to introduce
the activities about the adaptations and behavior of mammals.
Watch the AFG Video Segment:
 |
Prairie
Dogs
One
of the first inhabitants of North America, the prairie dog
still occupies a very important place in the ecosystem.
|
| Discussion Questions for Video Segment: |
- In what habitat do you find prairie dogs?
- How does this habitat fulfill the needs of the prairie
dogs?
- What role do prairie dogs serve in the ecosystem they
inhabit?
|
| Classroom Activity: |
- Divide students into groups (two or three members each).
Each group will investigate the mammal distribution in one
of the biomes from the List of Biomes.
- Working as a team, each group is to answer the questions
on the Mammal Distribution
Worksheet. The worksheet asks the students to create
a summary for each of the biomes listed and generate a list
of 10 to 15 mammals present in each biome. Each student
will need to fill out a Mammal Distribution Worksheet for
use in the next activity.
|
| Discussion Questions: |
- What mammals were present in your biomes?
- Did you find anything you did not expect?
- Can you draw any generalizations about mammal distribution
based on this activity?
|
|
| Activity 2: Mammal Adaptation |
| Time Allotted:
45-minute period
Materials:
Mammal Distribution
Worksheet from Part 1
Access to the Internet
| Objectives: |
- Students will recognize mammal adaptations.
- Students will explain various mammalian adaptations.
- Students will determine similarities and differences among
mammalian adaptations.
|
Pre-Teaching Activity:
Use wrap up discussion or writing from Activity 1 to lead into
a discussion about mammal adaptations. What is an adaptation? Why
have animals had to adapt to their surroundings? What are some examples
of adaptations that mammals have? (It may be helpful to create a
class list of adaptations on a chalkboard. Encourage students to
develop a list of adaptations that they are familiar with and apply
that information to mammals found in the biomes they studied.) Why
do certain mammals have the adaptations they do? Are they for feeding?
Are they for survival (hiding, escaping prey, etc.)?
For help with adaptations see the following Web sites:
Animal
Adaptations / Adaptations
and Environments
Use the above links to help students obtain a better understanding
of what adaptations are and why they play an important role in animal
survival. Both students and teachers can benefit from investigating
these websites.
Animal
Adaptation Web Adventure
This is a valuable site for teachers looking for activities and
resources for teaching adaptation and behavior of animals. It also
contains a number of further links for teacher resources.
| Classroom Activity: |
- Again, with the groups used in Activity 1, have students
generate a list of three to five adaptations for each mammal
they recorded on the Mammals Distribution Worksheet. Record
this information on page 1 of the Mammals
Distribution Worksheet.
- After each group has generated its list, have the groups
from Activity 1 split up and pair with students from different
biomes. Students will compare and contrast the mammals and
adaptations they found in their respective biomes.
- Have students record similarities and differences present
on their lists. Have the students record this information
on page 2 of the Mammals Distribution Worksheet. Students
are also looking for reasons for these adaptations. They
should generate a list of possible explanations or interpretations
for each adaptation they have and record this on page 3.
- Lead a discussion on adaptations to help summarize this
activity. What adaptations did the students discover? What
similarities were there in adaptations among biomes? What
were the differences? What reasons did they come up with
for the adaptations?
|
Watch the AFG Video Segment:
|
Oregon
Bats
Oregon
is home to numerous species of insect-devouring bats, most
of which very little is known about.
|
| Discussion Questions for Video Segment: |
- What are five bat adaptations that you are able to identify
in this video segment?
- Where are do we find bats when they are resting? How is
this an adaptation?
- Why do bats have a negative image in humans' eyes?
- What service do bats provide to humans?
|
|
| Activity 3: Observing Mammal
Behavior |
| Time Allotted:
45-minute period for introduction
1 week of observations
45-minute period for wrap-up
Materials:
None
| Objectives: |
- Students will observe and record mammalian behaviors.
- Students will analyze mammalian behaviors.
|
Pre-Teaching Activity:
Before you watch the videos below, lead a discussion using the
following questions: What is innate behavior? What is learned behavior?
What is the difference and how can we tell?
For help with adaptations see the following Web sites:
Animal
Behavior
The
Wonderful World of Animal Behavior
Watch the AFG Video Segments:
|
Border
Collies
Highly
intelligent border collies, bred especially for sheep herding,
are often trained to compete using their herding skills.
|
|
Oregon
Coyotes
Though
some consider them pests, others contend that coyotes are
misunderstood, and the trouble they cause people is a result
of our own behavior.
|
| Discussion Questions for Video Segment: |
- Both canines display learned and innate behaviors; what
are some examples of each?
- Why are both types of behaviors important?
- How do we distinguish between voluntary learning of behaviors
and involuntary learning of behaviors?
|
| Classroom Activity: |
- Each student is to choose a mammal that he/she can observe
for a minimum of eight hours during a week. This may be
a classroom pet, a family pet, a friend's pet, or wildlife
in a nearby park. The students should get teacher approval
of the mammal before they begin their observations.
- The mammals may be observed in a natural setting or in
as many settings as possible. (With a pet, observations
may be recorded inside a home, outside a home, in a new
place, etc.) Observations should be made of the mammal in
its many activities as well as when sleeping (sleeping position,
place of sleeping, etc.). The observations should be as
detailed as possible, including duration of activity. (Time
can be estimated if needed.) Record observations on the
Behavior Data Sheet. Encourage
students to record questions that they have on the bottom
of the data sheet.
- The observations should include an interpretation of the
behavior as learned or innate.
- The final product should include the above information
gathered on the Behavioral Data Sheet. The specifics of
the information are up to each student.
- When the data has been collected by each student, have
the students merge their data together with another classmate.
Have them answer the discussion questions below and prepare
to share their answers with the class.
- Lead a discussion with the class in which the students
develop and clarify their understandings of behaviors and
also ask questions that were raised during their observations.
|
Post-Activity Journaling
Have the students take a look at the journal entries (So it is
assumed they have been journaling? Only mentioned once in the lesson
plans) they have made during these exercises. Have them describe
what they have learned throughout these activities and how their
perceptions of mammalian behavior has changed.
| Discussion Questions: |
- What types of behavior were observed by the students?
- How was each type of behavior determined to be innate
or learned?
- How many behaviors of each type did they collect?
- How difficult was it to determine the nature of the behavior
observed?
|
Asssessment:
Assessment of the Activities 1-3 can
take many forms. |
- Informal assessment should take place during the discussions
of each of these lessons. Are the students reaching the
objectives stated?
- Reading the students' journal entries provides a way to
address the questions and topics discussed.
- Assessment that is more formal may take place by having
the students present their information to the class in graded
presentations. Making use of the Mammal
Presentation Scoring Guide would be appropriate when
assessing these presentations.
- Small quizzes may also be an option for teachers who choose
to assess as they proceed during this series of lessons.
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