Forest Ecology Unit: Investigating What Makes a Healthy Forest

By Cindy Ruotsi

Target Grade/Subject: 10th GradeBiology

Table of Contents – Forest Ecology Lesson Plan – Summer 2010

Background Information

Unit Overview

References

Teaching and Learning Objectives

Content Expectations Addressed

Materials

Classroom and Field Activities

Lesson 1 – Healthy Forests

Teacher Preparation

Opening Activity

Discussion

Homework

Student Handout 1: Lesson 1 - Play

Student Handout 2: Lesson 1 – “A healthy forest gives us…”

Lesson 2 – How Can We Monitor Forest Health

Teacher Preparation

Opening Activity

Small Group Discussions

PowerPoint – Healthy or Not?

Discussion of PowerPoint

A Closer Look at the Pictures

Homework

Student Handout 1: Lesson 2 – Thinking About It

Student Handout 2: Lesson 2 – Earthworm Reading

Lesson 3 – Monitoring Forest Health – Earthworm Sampling

Background Information

Teacher Preparation

Opening Discussion

Introduction to Techniques and Pre-Lab Write Up

Field Trip

Follow Up – Post Field Trip

Possible Extensions

Student Handout 1: Lesson 3 – Mustard Extraction Method

Student Handout 2: Lesson 3 – Hand Sampling Method

Lesson 4 – Monitoring Forest Health – Biodiversity Study

Teacher Preparation

Opening Activity

Introduction to Field Trip and Pre-Lab Write up

Field Trip

Follow Up – Post Field Trip

Homework

Student Handout 1: Lesson 4 – Tree ID

Student Handout 2: Lesson 4 – Field Trip Handout

Lesson 5– Monitoring Forest Health – Salamander Study

Teacher Preparation

Teacher Background Information and Instructions

Opening Activity

Introduction to Field Trip

In Class and Homework

Field Trip

Follow Up – Post Field Trip

Evaluation

Rubrics

Science Journal Rubric

Science Lab Report Rubric

Background Information

Unit Overview

The following unit works well in a Biology classroom during an Ecology unit. It offers many opportunities for science inquiry, and allows students to recognize the social implications of many science-related issues. During this five lesson unit, students will investigate what it means for a forest to be healthy, will learn how to measure whether or not a forest is healthy, and will become stewards of a local forest.

References

The following sources were consulted, and adapted for use in my classroom:

Corsentino, Pattyanne. "The Blind Men and the Ecosystem." Ecosystem Matters (1995): 147-153. Web. 10 Aug

2010.<

I used the above resource to create a play for my students to perform. The play that I adapted from this one is found in Lesson 1.

Hale, Cindy. "Invasive Earthworms?" Great Lakes Worm Watch. University of Minnesota Duluth, 1999. Web.

16Aug 2010.

The above resource was used in Lesson 4. I adapted the sampling methods for use in my classroom. There are also links within the site for keys to help identify worm species.

Harless, Meagan. "Terrestrial Salamander Monitoring." Forest Resources and Environmental Science Teacher

Institute. Houghton, MI, Michigan Technological University, Department of Biological Sciences. 2010.

1-11. Print.

Harless, Meagan. "Terrestrial Salamanders of Michigan." Forest Resources and Environmental Science Teacher

Institute. Houghton, MI, Michigan Technological University, Department of Biological Sciences. 2010.

1. Print.

The two resources above, provided by Meagan Harless, are used in Lesson 5.

Koch, Rita. "Glossary of Terms Used in this Tree ID." Forest Resources and Environmental Science Teacher

Institute. Houghton, MI, Michigan Technological University, School of Forest Resources and

Environmental Science. 2010. 1 - 2. Print.

The tree ID key is used in Lesson 4 to help students identify leaves and tree species to measure the biodiversity of a local forest.

2010 Michigan Fishing Guide. Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment, 2010. Web. 23

Aug 2010. <

The above website was used in Lesson 3.

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. 2010. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Web

Site (online). Accessed 2010-8-16 at

This resource was used for a reading that my students will do during Lesson 2. I also used several pictures from this website in the PowerPoint Presentation – “Healthy or Not.”

Ottawa National Forest - Resource Management!. United States Forest Service, 2007. Web. 23 Aug 2010.

I took several pictures for the PowerPoint – “Healthy or Not” from this website. There is a link to a PowerPoint presentation, called “Invasive Plants of the Upper Peninsula Slide Show.”

Stoyenoff, Jennifer, John Witter, and Bruce Leutscher. "A Healthy Forest Gives Us...." Forest Health in the

North CentralStates. University of Michigan, School of Natural Resources and Environment, 1998.

Web. 10 Aug 2010.<

My students will be reading the above section of the publication and respond to it at the end of Lesson 1.

Teaching and Learning Objectives

Throughout this unit students will:

  • Participate in classroom and small group discussions
  • Read and respond to articles in their science journals
  • Complete questions based on classroom activities and readings
  • Record data and observations in their science journals
  • Design and carry out scientific investigations
  • Complete several lab reports

Content Expectations Addressed

This unit covers the following Biology Content Expectations:

  • B1.1A Generate new questions that can be investigated in the laboratory or field.
  • B1.1B Evaluate the uncertainties or validity of scientific conclusions using an understanding of sources of measurement error, the challenges of controlling variables, accuracy of data analysis, logic of argument, logic of experimental design, and/or the dependence on underlying assumptions.
  • B1.1C Conduct scientific investigations using appropriate tools and techniques (e.g., selecting an instrument that measures the desired quantity—length, volume, weight, time interval, temperature—with the appropriate level of precision).
  • B1.1E Describe a reason for a given conclusion using evidence from an investigation.
  • B1.1f Predict what would happen if the variables, methods, or timing of an investigation were changed.
  • B1.1g Use empirical evidence to explain and critique the reasoning used to draw a scientific conclusion or explanation.
  • B1.1h Design and conduct a systematic scientific investigation that tests a hypothesis. Draw conclusions from data presented in charts or tables.
  • B1.2A Critique whether or not specific questions can be answered through scientific investigations.
  • B1.2f Critique solutions to problems, given criteria and scientific constraints.
  • L2.p4A Classify different organisms based on how they obtain energy for growth and development. (prerequisite)
  • B2.3B Describe how the maintenance of a relatively stable internal environment is required for the continuation of life.
  • L3.p2B Describe common ecological relationships between and among species and their environments (competition, territory, carrying capacity, natural balance, population, dependence, survival, and other biotic and abiotic factors). (prerequisite)
  • L3.p3A Identify the factors in an ecosystem that influence fluctuations in population size. (prerequisite)
  • L3.p3D Predict how changes in one population might affect other populations based upon their relationships in a food web. (prerequisite)
  • L3.p4A Recognize that, and describe how, human beings are part of Earth’s ecosystems. Note that human activities can deliberately or inadvertently alter the equilibrium in ecosystems. (prerequisite)
  • B3.2C Draw the flow of energy through an ecosystem. Predict changes in the food web when one or more organisms are removed.
  • B3.4B Recognize and describe that a great diversity of species increases the chance that at least some living organisms will survive in the face of cataclysmic changes in the environment.
  • B3.4C Examine the negative impact of human activities.

This unit covers the following High School English Language Arts Content Expectations:

  • CE 1.2.1 Write, speak, and use images and graphs to understand and discover complex ideas.
  • CE 1.3.7 Participate collaboratively and productively in groups (e.g., response groups, work teams, discussion groups, and committees)—fulfilling roles and responsibilities, posing relevant questions, giving and following instructions, acknowledging and building on ideas and contributions of others to answer questions or to solve problems, and offering dissent courteously.
  • CE 1.4.1 Identify, explore, and refine topics and questions appropriate for research.
  • CE 1.5.1 Use writing, speaking, and visual expression to develop powerful, creative and critical messages.
  • CE 2.1.1 Use a variety of pre-reading and previewing strategies (e.g., acknowledge own prior knowledge, make connections, generate questions, make predictions, scan a text for a particular purpose or audience, analyze text structure and features) to make conscious choices about how to approach the reading based on purpose, genre, level of difficulty, text demands and features.
  • CE 2.1.11 Demonstrate appropriate social skills of audience, group discussion, or work team behavior by listening attentively and with civility to the ideas of others, gaining the floor in respectful ways, posing appropriate questions, and tolerating ambiguity and lack of consensus.

Materials

  • Copies of the student handouts from each lesson
  • Props for play (see Lesson 1)
  • PowerPoint – “Healthy or Not?”
  • Science journals
  • dried mustard and water mixture
  • small spades for digging
  • 3’x3’ plastic sheets for placing dirt
  • Ruler
  • Metal or PVC sampling ring – (about 1 square foot, if possible)
  • Earthworm Key
  • Baggies in which to put the worms.
  • Long tape
  • Field guides for different plant species – trees, shrubs, ferns, etc.
  • Access to the internet

Classroom and Field Activities

Lesson 1 – Healthy Forests

Teacher Preparation

  • Collect the following props:
  • Narrator – a large story book covered with paper and the title – “A Parable of The Salmon Trout River”
  • Person 1 – sunglasses, day pack, mining hard hat, geologists hammer or gold pan, long white stick, rock
  • Person 2 – sunglasses, day pack, cowboy hat, irrigation boots, bandanna, shovel
  • Person 3 – sunglasses, day pack, fishing vest, waders, fly rod, fake insect (or you could use an imaginary one)
  • Person 4 – sunglasses, day pack, drinking glass, pitcher, water
  • Person 5 – sunglasses, day pack, shorts, sandals or water shoes, life jacket, paddle
  • Person 6 – sunglasses, day pack, Earth-day t-shirt, flower
  • Person 7 – sunglasses, day pack, tie and sport coat, clipboard with paper and writing utensil
  • Print out the play (9 – 10 copies would be sufficient, or you could print out one for each student in the class). A copy of this play is found in the Student Handouts section below. It was adapted from the following website:
  • Assign students to fill each part, or have the students volunteer for parts.
  • Once parts are assigned, give the students the corresponding props. Send them out into the hallway (or to the back of the room) to do a trial run through.
  • NOTE: It may be helpful to assign parts the day before you do the play so that students are familiar with their parts.
  • As the performers are practicing, you can introduce the play to the remaining students in the class.
  • Make copies of “A healthy forest gives us…” which can be found at the following website:

Opening Activity

  • Students perform the play. This should take 15 - 20 minutes depending on the actors/actresses you have…

Discussion

  • After the play, hold a discussion. Some possible talking points:
  • What did you think about the 7 blind persons?
  • Do you think that stuff like this happens in real life? Are people biased according to their own wants/interests?
  • What is a watershed? Do we have one?
  • How do you use the watershed?
  • Does a watershed only include water?
  • What about forests? How do you (or do you) use our forests?
  • What would happen if our watershed became unhealthy or disappeared?

Homework

  • Hand out “A healthy forest gives us” to each student. A link to this handout is found under Student Handout 2 - “A healthy forest gives us.” Ask students to read the hand out as homework.
  • In student journals, have each student write down the top three characteristics he/she thinks are most important for a healthy forest. Ask students to write about why the three characteristics were most important to them? (If students are confused by these instructions, follow by asking, “How do these characteristics fit into your life or the life of someone you know?”)

Student Handout 1: Lesson 1 - Play

The “Blind” Persons and the Watershed:

A Parable of the Salmon Trout River Watershed

Adapted from:

Cast and Needed Props:

  • Narrator – a large story book covered with paper and the title – “A Parable of The Salmon Trout River”
  • Person 1 – sunglasses, day pack, mining hard hat, geologists hammer, long white stick, rock (copper?)
  • Person 2 – sunglasses, day pack, cowboy hat, irrigation boots, bandanna, shovel
  • Person 3 – sunglasses, day pack, fishing vest, waders, fly rod, fake insect
  • Person 4 – sunglasses, day pack, drinking glass, pitcher, water
  • Person 5 – sunglasses, day pack, shorts, sandals or water shoes, life jacket, paddle
  • Person 6 – sunglasses, day pack, Earth-day t-shirt, flower, granola bar
  • Person 7 – sunglasses, day pack, tie and sport coat, clipboard with paper and writing utensil
  • Salmon Trout River Watershed voice

Narrator: (Read slowly, as if telling an ancient story.) Once upon a time, seven blind persons from the Land of Stereotypes came to the Salmon Trout River.

(Blind persons enter the room at this time. They should shuffle down the aisle with one hand on the shoulder of the person in front.)

They all marveled at the rich natural resources the area had to offer.

(The group of blind persons stops, pauses, and looks around.)

Persons 1 - 7: (in unison) Ooooooooo! Eeeeeeeeeee! Ahhhhhhhhh!

(Group should continue shuffling forward).

Narrator: Because they were wearing blinders, they travelled together, walking one behind the other, talking and communicating with each other so they would not fall down.

Person 1: Whoa! Careful! There’s a log here. Take a big step.

(One person at a time, in sequence, help each other over the log, while saying things like “Be careful,” “Let me help you,” etc. Keep shuffling along).

Narrator: Soon the seven persons came to a tributary stream.

Person 1: Hey, there’s a little creek here…

Person 2: (Put a toe in the creek.) Oh, yeah; it’s nice and cool.

Person 3: Let’s follow it downstream and see where it leads us.

Person 4: Good idea.

Narrator: And so they did. More tributaries joined it, and eventually the blind persons were at the banks of the Salmon Trout River. They all marveled at the river…

Persons 1 - 7: (in unison) Ooooooooo! Eeeeeeeeeee! Ahhhhhhhhh!

(The group begins to explore the river with their hands…)

Person 1: (Pull up a rock from the river and bite it.) It’s copper! It’s copper!

Person 2: (Notice the river, but look around at the surrounding area.) I’m hungry. Look how hot and dry and flat this land is. Man, I’m hungry. I wonder what kinds of plants I could grow here.

Person 3: (Try to catch a mayfly buzzing around you. Catch the bug and examine it.) Perfect! Just what I needed to catch me some fish…

Person 4: (Bend down to fill a cup with water and take a big drink.) Mmmm. That sure is some tasty, cold water. Pure, fresh water! Mmmmmm.

Person 5: (Wade into the water and notice the twists and turns of the river.) This is the perfect river to go exploring on with a kayak or canoe on. I can’t wait to get out there.

Person 6: (Take a big sniff of the air.) Can you smell that? Fresh air and look at these gorgeous flowers. (Pick up a flower and sniff it.)

Person 7: (Look around at all of the other blind people and jot down notes on your clipboard.) Hmmmm. Interesting.

Narrator: The first person found copper near the river. He/she was a miner and mined copper that the world could use to make important and decorative things. To get the copper from the surrounding hills, to process the copper, and to dissipate the waste, he/she would need water from the river.

Person 1: Yes! That’s it! This river is made for mining.

Narrator: The second person noticed the level land in the valley and the nearby plains and thought…

Person 2: This would be a great place to grow food for all the people in the world. If only there was more rain…

Narrator: Then, the second person had an idea. He/she could dig a ditch to divert water out of the river to water the crops. A reservoir could store spring run-off water for when he/she needed it in late summer. As he/she began to dig the ditch, he/she said…

Person 2: Surely, this river was made for agriculture.

Narrator: The third person was a fisherman/woman. He/she noticed a mayfly flitting above the river and saw a trout jump for it. He/she scrambled for his/her fly fishing rod in excitement. This is a good place for the people of the world to catch fish, he/she thought. As he/she readied his/her first cast, he/she announced…

Person 3: There is no doubt in my mind that this river was made for fishing.

Narrator: The fourth person was a city mayor. He/she knelt down, tasted the river, and thought…

Person 4: My, this water tastes delicious. It would be perfect drinking water for the people of my city. Too bad my city is so far away. If I could get this water to them, I know our city would grow and prosper.