TEACHER RESOURCES

State Standards | Classroom Demonstrations

State Standards

GRADE THREE

Life Sciences

3. Adaptations in physical structure or behavior may improve an organism's chance for survival. As a basis for understanding this concept:

a. Students know plants and animals have structures that serve different functions in growth, survival, and reproduction.

b. Students know examples of diverse life forms in different environments, such as oceans, deserts, tundra, forests, grasslands, and wetlands.

c. Students know living things cause changes in the environment in which they live: some of these changes are detrimental to the organism or other organisms, and some are beneficial.

d. Students know when the environment changes, some plants and animals survive and reproduce; others die or move to new locations.

e. Students know that some kinds of organisms that once lived on Earth have completely disappeared and that some of those resembled others that are alive today.

GRADE FOUR

3. Living organisms depend on one another and on their environment for survival. As a basis for understanding this concept:

a. Students know ecosystems can be characterized by their living and nonliving components.

b. Students know that in any particular environment, some kinds of plants and animals survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.

c. Students know many plants depend on animals for pollination and seed dispersal, and animals depend on plants for food and shelter.

d. Students know that most microorganisms do not cause disease and that many are beneficial.

GRADE SIX

Ecology (Life Science)

5. Organisms in ecosystems exchange energy and nutrients among themselves and with the environment. As a basis for understanding this concept:

a. Students know energy entering ecosystems as sunlight is transferred by producers into chemical energy through photosynthesis and then from organism to organism through food webs.

b. Students know matter is transferred over time from one organism to others in the food web and between organisms and the physical environment.

c. Students know populations of organisms can be categorized by the functions they serve in an ecosystem.

d. Students know different kinds of organisms may play similar ecological roles in similar biomes.

e. Students know the number and types of organisms an ecosystem can support depends on the resources available and on abiotic factors, such as quantities of light and water, a range of temperatures, and soil composition.

GRADES NINE THROUGH TWELVE: BIOLOGY/LIFE SCIENCES

Ecology

6. Stability in an ecosystem is a balance between competing effects. As a basis for understanding this concept:

a. Students know biodiversity is the sum total of different kinds of organisms and is affected by alterations of habitats.

b. Students know how to analyze changes in an ecosystem resulting from changes in climate, human activity, introduction of nonnative species, or changes in population size.

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Classroom Demonstrations/Activities

ACTIVITY 1:
Does light pollution affect a species ability to survive?

Introduction
Light pollution is the glow produced from excessive light that comes from metropolitan areas. You may have seen an example of light pollution while traveling at night in an airplane or car. What you can see is a glow around a city that is off in the distance. The closer you get to the city, the easier it is to see the detail of your surroundings due to the light.

Procedure

1. On a dark, warm summer night, go outside and sit for 10 to 15 minutes in a dark location of the yard. Record as many insects and animals as you can see. Record your findings in the chart below.

   [ACTIVITY 1 CHART: click to open]

2. Turn on the porch light or a flashlight for 10 to 15 minutes in the same location. Once again, record the number and types of insects and animals you can see.

   [ACTIVITY 1 CHART: click to open]

Questions

1. Suppose you were a night predator. How did the light affect your ability to spot your prey?

2. Nocturnal animals are most active at nighttime. How would light pollution affect the survival rate of nocturnal animals which live near cities and who are the prey of predatory animals in the same area?

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ACTIVITY 2:
What's Out There? Making a trap to discover what critters live in your neighborhood.

Introduction
Often scientists discover new species or information not previously known while studying animals in a particular area. In this experiment, you will try to determine what types of critters are living in your neighborhood.

Procedure

1. You will need to find an outdoor area to do this experiment. You can use your backyard, a local park, or a vacant field.

2. Obtain 5-20oz plastic cups. Put a piece of cheese in cup 1, a piece of fruit in cup 2, a teaspoon of sugar in cup 3, a peanut in cup 4, and a teaspoon of honey in cup 5. Label each cup with the number and food item.

3. Place the cups in various locations that are out of the way and will not be disturbed by other people. For example, you might place two cups under different bushes, a third cup in tall grass, and two more cups in an open field.

4. Dig a hole in the ground for each of the cups, so that the top of the cup is level with the ground. Make sure there are no gaps between the soil and the cup.

5. Lay two thick sticks on each side of the cups and place a paper plate or piece of cardboard on top of the sticks so that it provides a roof for the trap. The roof will protect the critters, while at the same time, allow them room to crawl into the trap.

6. Place something on top of the roof to keep it from blowing away.

7. This experiment should be performed in the daytime and at nighttime. The cups should remain in the ground for at least 12 hours or longer.

   Caution: Do not touch or handle any of the critters you catch. Some insects, reptiles and mammals can be poisonous. Use a stick to remove the critters or dump the cup upside down. Have your parents assist you in checking the traps.

   Record your findings in the chart below.

   [ACTIVITY 2 CHART: click to open]

Questions

1. Did the type of food placed in the cups make a difference in how many critters were attracted to the trap?

2. How could the loss of a particular food source affect the population of species found in that location?

3. Were the same types of critters collected in the daytime the same as those collected at nighttime? Why?

4. How would changes in the time of year, the weather, or the size of the critter affect your results?

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ACTIVITY 3:
Do microclimates affect where certain species live?

Introduction
A microclimate is a small location that has environmental conditions that are not typical everywhere else in the area. For example, a microclimate might exist near a large rock. As the sun heats the rock, the rock will give off heat. Thus the environment around the rock will be warmer than the area 10 feet from the rock. This is called a microclimate. In addition, the shade produced from a tree might also be considered a microclimate. The temperature under the tree is different from the temperature out from underneath the tree. In this experiment, you will see if different microclimates affect where species live.

Caution: Do not touch or handle any of the critters you see. Some insects and reptiles can be poisonous.

Procedure

1. You will need to find an outdoor area to do this experiment. You can use your backyard, a local park, or a vacant field where there are areas that are shaded, moist, dry, and have at least a few items that you can look underneath.

2. Look at the ground that is in the sun. What type of insects do you see? What is the size and shape of these insects? What is the temperature like in the sun?
   [ACTIVITY 3 CHART: click to open]

3. Turn over a rock or pieces of wood that are in the sun.
   [ACTIVITY 3 CHART: click to open]

4. Look under a tree.
   [ACTIVITY 3 CHART: click to open]

5. Turn over a rock or piece of wood under the tree.
   [ACTIVITY 3 CHART: click to open]

6. Place a large piece of wood or a rock in the sunlight. Wet the soil under the piece of wood or rock, and keep it moist for several days. After a few days, look under the item and see if new insects have began to live there.

Questions

1. How does changing an environment affect the types of species that live there?

2. Does the weather and climate condition of a region affect the type of animals that live there? Explain.

3. Can animals that are displaced, due to a loss of habitat, reestablish themselves in areas with a different climate? Explain.

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Lesson developed by Tracee Parsons, science teacher, The Preuss School.