Lesson 1: Water and Ecosystem
BLM 1.1
4 Corners activity
Students are asked to read and think about the four quotes and then move to the corner that best represents their understanding of the environment. Students in each corner share their thoughts on the quote chosen. Each group then reports their reasons for choosing a particular quote to the class.
QUOTES:
"We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect."
Aldo Leopold
"The U.S record of achievement in addressing environmental issues over the past 30 years is impressive. Today, we treasure the clear skylines of our great cities, the swimable waters of lakes and rivers, and our national parks, forests, and wilderness areas. The symbol of our nation, the bald eagle, can be seen again nesting within 35 kilometres of the nation's capital." Dr. Paula J. Dobriansky, U.S. Undersecretary of State for Global Affairs, June 2005
"It isn't pollution that's harming the environment. It's the impurities in our air and water that are doing it."
Dan Quayle
We are upsetting the atmosphere upon which all life depends. In the late '80s when I began to take climate change seriously, we referred to global warming as a "slow-motion catastrophe" one we expected to kick in perhaps generations later. Instead, the signs of change have accelerated alarmingly. David Suzuki
Lesson 1: water and Ecosystems
BLM 1.2
Introductory Activity: Discrepant Event (Developing questioning skills)
WATER AND ECOSYTEMS
1. Procedural instructions:
2. Two lidless mason jars are filled with water and placed upside down in a large tub of water. The teacher slowly lifts both jars out of the tub.
3. Students observe that water comes rushing out of one jar but not the other.
4. How is this possible?
5. Students will do a think/pair/share to brainstorm possible explanations for their observations.
6. Teacher then shows that the bottom of one of the jars has a mesh across the opening. Students once again brainstorm possible explanations for this observation with their partner.
Class discussion follows on water and surface tension.
· What is surface tension?
- The cohesive forces between liquid molecules are responsible for surface
tension. The molecules at the surface do not have other like molecules
on all sides of them and consequently they cohere more strongly to those
directly associated with them on the surface. This forms a ‘film’ which
makes it more difficult to move an object through the surface than to
move it when it is completely submersed.
· What are some everyday observations of surface tension?
- rain does not go through tent material until the tent is touched
- disinfectants have low surface tension which allow them to spread out
on the cell walls of bacteria and disrupt them
- soap lowers the surface tension of water so that it more readily soaks
into pores and soiled areas
- hot water is more effective for washing because it has a lower surface
tension that cold water
· Why is water surface tension important to an ecosystem?
- surface tension is the force that draws water into the pores of soil and is
also the force that conducts water through plants
- several animals make use of the surface tension in water for transportation
· How can humans change the surface tension of water?
- Detergents and soaps can squeeze between water molecules. As the
distance between water molecules increases, the forces between water
molecules decreases – thus lowering surface tension.
Lesson 2: Global Distribution of Water
BLM 2.1
Directions:
1. Calculate, based on the percentages, the mL of each type of water if the total amount of
Earth’s water (100%) is equal to 1,000 mL.
Global Distribution of Water by Types
Water Type Approx. Amount (%) Part of 1 Liter, in mL
Oceans 97.3
Icecaps/Glaciers 2
Groundwater 0.68
Freshwater lakes 0.009
Inland seas/salt lakes 0.009
Soil Moisture 0.005
Atmosphere 0.0019
Rivers 0.0001
2. Label the first beaker at the bottom of this page: Total Amount of Water on Earth.
Color 100% of the beaker blue.
3. Label and color the correct amount of milliliters for each of the Types of Water on Earth
in the rest of the beakers at the bottom of this page.
4. Label and draw how much is available for you to drink in the last beaker.
REFLECTION:
Why is it important to protect the quality of the Earth’s fresh water supply?
(adapted from http://home.earthlink.net/~pdfkrech/GlobalWater.pdf)
Lesson 2: Global Distribution of Water
BLM 2.2
A graphic organizer with the following questions can be added to the student research journal for this activity.
Topics and Questions for Centers:
○ Description of a Specific Ecosystem
Choose an ecosystem (e.g., pond) from the materials provided and list the living organisms (biotic) and the non-living elements (abiotic) of the ecosystem.
○ Food Chains
Select a food chain from the ones provided and list the consumers, producers, decomposers (such as bacteria and fungi), carnivores, herbivores and omnivores.
What is the role of the consumer? Producer? Decomposer?
How would the food chain be affected if one of the consumers became extinct?
○ Role of Micro-organisms
What is a micro-organism?
Name and describe a type of micro-organism that would be beneficial to an ecosystem and/or food chain. (example: nitrogen-fixing bacteria)
Name and describe a type of micro-organism that would be harmful to an ecosystem and/or food chain.
○ Role of Plants
Why are plants referred to as ‘producers’ in a food chain?
How do plants provide ‘energy’ for a food chain?
○ Cycles of Nature
Draw and briefly explain one type of cycle in nature (e.g., water, nitrogen, carbon).
Why is it important for nature to recycle substances like water, carbon and nitrogen?
○ Effects of outside forces on ecosystems
How can outside forces such as fire, lack of water, seasonal changes or other extreme conditions affect ecosystems?
What are the benefits of natural disasters such as forest fires or drought to an ecosystem?
Lesson 2: Global Distribution of Water
BLM 2.3
What are all the sources of water on Earth?
HINT: they do not have to be in liquid form.
Website for information on water:
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/mearth.html
- Socratic Lesson (with media resources)
- Various states of water on Earth (rivers, lakes, glaciers etc…)
- What is the distribution of water on Earth?
- How does the water circulate
- How were these bodies of water formed?
VIDEO:
GLOBAL WATER DISTRIBUTION
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resources/ess05/sci/ess/earthsys/waterdist/index.html
IMAGE AND AUDIO:
GREAT OCEAN CONVEYOR BELT
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resources/ess05/sci/ess/earthsys/convey/index.html
ARTICLE ON GROUND WATER AND THE OAK RIDGES MORAINE
http://www.region.durham.on.ca/departments/planning/oakridges/Oak_Ridges_Moraine.pdf
· Create word wall for various water terms after reading
Website for glossary of water terms:
http://www.wef.org/LearnAboutWater/ForThePublic/WaterTerms/
· Discuss the water table and water sheds of the Oak Ridges Moraine
The moraine serves to recharge streams and rivers in the surrounding region, acting as an underground reservoir. Rain and snow melt slowly soak into the moraine, being filtered and purified in its many sand and gravel aquifers. The cool, fresh water is discharged into the headwaters of streams and rivers which eventually flow into Lake Simcoe, Lake Scugog and Lake Ontario. The aquifers are also the water supply for some communities on the Moraine.
WATERSHED INFORMATION: http://www.chrs.ca/Rivers/Humber/Humber-F_e.htm
Watersheds linked to the Oak Ridges Moraine[5]Watershed / Conservation Authority
Nottawasaga River / Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority
Credit River / Credit Valley Conservation
Holland River / Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority
Black River / Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority
Pefferlaw Brook / Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority
Humber River / Toronto and Region Conservation Authority
Don River / Toronto and Region Conservation Authority
Rouge River / Toronto and Region Conservation Authority
Duffins Creek / Toronto and Region Conservation Authority
Nonquon River / Kawartha Conservation
Scugog River / Kawartha Conservation
Pigeon River / Kawartha Conservation
Lynde Creek / Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority
Oshawa Creek / Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority
Bowmanville and Soper Creeks / Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority
Trout Creek / Otonabee Region Conservation Authority
Wilmot Creek / Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority
Ganaraska River / Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority
Gage Creek / Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority
Cobourg and Baltimore Creeks / Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority
Water Q&A card game to review terms
(sample game: http://www.epa.gov/safewater/kids/pdfs/activity_grades_9-12_qagamee.pdf)
Lesson 3: Water and ice/Ecology
BLM 3.1
Read to class and discuss the questions at the bottom.
Pity the child who never knew a time when air was clean and waters fresh, the oceans blue and field and forests living green.
Pity the people who can’t recall a time when birds and fish and wildflowers freely grew and mottled leaves would fall yearly for autumn’s glory and not for toxic soil or rain.
Pity the planet whose plight goes unnoticed or unbelieved, whose noble fight to survive fails not
for lack of funds or wide imaginings but for far too many shrugs and jaded yawns.
Pity our Creator God whose handiwork collapses under the strain, whose Eden groans, gasps and finally dies leaving choirs of incredulous angels to chant Earth’s requiem.
(Unknown author)
Socratic Lesson
a. What is an ecosystem and how does it function?
b. What are the biotic and abiotic components of an ecosystem?
c. What is a food chain?
i. Define consumer, producer, decomposer
ii. How will the food chain be affected if one of the organisms in the food chain becomes extinct?
- build a word wall with new terms (e.g., producer, ecosystem)
(see http://www.ecology.org/biod/library/glos_index.html for terms)
Lesson 3: water and ice/ecology
BLM 3.2
Topics and Questions for Centers:
Using the internet and other resources provided, research and answer each of the following questions:
STATION 1
HOW DOES SALINITY DIFFER IN FRESH AND SALT BODIES OF WATER?
Activity
‘TOO SALTY FOR ME”
(Wetland Curriculum Resource, Toronto Zoo)
Purpose: To illustrate the relative abundance of saltwater and freshwater on the earth
Materials: 10 litre aquarium, water, salt, 250 ml measuring cup, 1 one litre jar, 2 glasses, tablespoon, 2 plants
Procedure:
- List the different places where water exists on Earth.
- Fill the 10-litre aquarium. This represents all the water on Earth. Remove 250 ml of water and place it in a jar. This represents all the freshwater in the world, and the aquarium now represents all the saltwater in the world.
- From the jar of fresh water, remove 60 ml (4 tablespoons) and place it in a glass. This represents all the water that is available for humans, plants, and animals. The remaining freshwater in the jar represents all the freshwater that is stored in icecaps and glaciers and not available for use.
- Remove 30 ml of freshwater from the glass and place it in another glass. This represents all the freshwater that is stored underground. The remaining 30 ml represents the water found in the atmosphere, soil, plants, animals, lakes and rivers.
QUESTIONS:
Briefly discuss how the salinity of water varies in ocean water and between salt and fresh bodies of water.
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/earth/Water/salinity.html
(The salinity of normal ocean water is about 35 parts per thousand
Freshwater has salinity less than about 5 ppth)
STATION 2
DESCRIBE THE FACTORS THAT AFFECT GLACIERS AND POLAR ICE-CAPS AND THE EFFECTS OF GLACIERS AND POLAR ICE-CAPS ON WATER SYSTEMS.
Copy one of the pictures from the Glacier Image Database into a word processor. Write a story about an adventure set on the glacier. Be sure to use the science of glaciers in your story in order to address the question.
IMAGES:
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17268
http://glaciers.research.pdx.edu/
3 minute video
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resources/ess05/sci/ess/earthsys/esglaciers/index.html
DESCRIBE THE INTERACTION BETWEEN WATER AND THE LANDSCAPE:
○ How have glaciers and water shaped the Oak Ridges Moraine?
http://www.oakridgestrail.org/ORMcontd.htm
http://www.stormcoalition.org/pages/moraine.html
○ How have tides shaped the Bay of Fundy area?
http://www.gma.org/undersea_landscapes/Bay_of_Fundy/
○ How do storms affect coastlines?
Earth's http://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/content/investigations/es1608/es1608page01.cfm
Lesson 4: Oak Ridges Moraine
BLM 4.1
Teacher reads ‘The Lorax’ by Dr. Seuss (environment theme) to the class to set the tone for the lesson which looks at how humans affect habitats and causes the displacement of animals.
EXCERPT FROM THE LORAX:
"Mister!" he said with a sawdusty sneeze,
"I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees.
I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues.
And I'm asking you, sir, at the top of my lungs"--
he was very upset as he shouted and puffed--
"What's that THING you've made out of my Truffula tuft?"
The students will then have the opportunity to research the Oak Ridges Moraine using various resources – books, magazines, supervised internet searches and pamphlets.
The students will have an organizer where they will fill in the following information:
· What plants and animals live in the Oak Ridges Moraine?
· How are the plants and animals dependent on each other and the non-living environment?
· What factors may affect the balance in the ecosystem?
· Why is this area environmentally sensitive?
· How has the building of houses and roads affected the habitats of plants and animals in the area?
· How have the local governments dealt with the issues of conservation and protection of this area?
○ What water formations make up the Oak Ridges Moraine?
○ How is the Moraine’s water important for the plant and animal life in the area as well as the residents of the Oak Ridges Moraine?
○ How do the Moraine’s sand and gravel deposits contribute to the maintenance of the area’s water systems?
○ How have development and the taking of sand and gravel by industry affected the Moraine’s water systems?
○ How have the local governments dealt with the issues of conservation and protection of the water systems in this area?