Teaching and Learning

• A14C Interdependence
• B1 Process skills

• Measurement

• E2 - understand the ecology and geography of the bioregion the inhabit

• All organisms cause changes in the environment where they live.
• Some changes are detrimental, some are beneficial.
• Changes in environments can be natural or influenced by humans.
• For any particular environment some kinds of plants survive better than others.
• Some organisms help other organisms survive.
• An organism's patterns of behavior are related to the nature of that organism's environment, including the kinds and number of other organisms present, the availability of food and resources, and the physical characteristics of the environment including light, temperature, moisture, soil type, wind, etc.
• An organism's behavior evolves through adaptation to its environment.
• Adaptations are features of organisms that help them survive and reproduce.
• An organism's patterns of behavior are related to the nature of that organism's environment, including the kinds and number of other organisms present, the availability of food and resources, and the physical characteristics of the environment including light, temperature, moisture, soil type, wind, etc.

• Observation
• Inference
• Measurement

• Data collection

• Arctic Harvest video (North Slope Bor. PO Box 69, Barrow, AK 99723)
• Measuring tape
• Clipboard
• Pencil
• Record sheet
• Hand lenses
• Plant guides
• Ruler
• Compass
• Soil thermometer

• Air thermometer
• Densiometer
• Clinometer

• Show Arctic Harvest video
• Ask students what they know about the plants in the area they will be investigating
• Ask them how they already use the plants
• Ask students what are some things that could cause changes to the plants

• See task sheet following

• Transfer the maps to large chart paper to make them easier to see when each group presents its map and data to the class
• Make a group table on the board or a large chart comparing the different habitats. Use categories like: key ingredients, most important plants, environmental characteristics, evidence of change, evidence of interdependence, etc.
• Ask students how all the habitats were alike and how they were different.
• Ask students if they see any patterns.
• Ask for inferences about why things are different (ie why changes are different in on area compared to others)
• Ask students if they can make ANY general statements that would be true across all the habitats.

• Journal entry

  Describe in pictures and words a change happening in your habitat

• Assess maps, packets and presentations

Name(s) _________________________

OLCG PLANT HABITAT RECORD SHEET (1)

Collect the following materials:

• Measuring tape
• Clipboard
• Record sheet
• Hand lenses
• Plant guides
• Ruler
• Compass
• Soil thermometer

• Air thermometer

• Densiometer

• Clinometer

Circle the type of habitat you selected:

meadow/field black spruce bog aspen/poplar seasonal pond

Map your habitat site on the next page. Include any key landmarks. Locate and map the eight "most important" plants in your assigned habitat site. List them below and record their location on the habitat map. Draw your map to scale (roughly) and include a legend and the scale below the map. (If you don't know the name of a plant describe it well enough so that anyone can recognize the plant).

Eight most important plants:

OLCG PLANT HABITAT RECORD SHEET (2)

• Describe how you decided what "important" meant.

• Which of the eight plants has the largest number of plants in your site?

• What strategy did you use to determine the most common plant? What was your evidence?

BACK IN THE CLASSROOM:

• Based on personal knowledge, conversations with elders/experts or research, list an indigenous use for each of your eight most important plants

• Select one of the eight important plants to eliminate from your habitat. Describe your ideas about what effect it will have on the habitat. Be specific and give examples.

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OLCG PLANT HABITAT RECORD SHEET (3)

HABITAT MAP

OLCG PLANT HABITAT RECORD SHEET (4)

• What are the KEY "ingredients" (characteristics) of your plant's habitat? Describe what makes it different from the other habitats. Think about things like sun, slope and landforms, water, soils, wind, air and soil temperatures, plants and animals present, density of organisms, animal impact, (including human), etc.

OLCG PLANT HABITAT RECORD SHEET (5)

• Work with your group to identify observable changes that are happening or have happened in your habitat
• List them below and your inferences about what may have caused the changes
• If you have an elder available, you might get some ideas from him or her

OLCG PLANT HABITAT RECORD SHEET (6)

• Find and describe (in words and/or pictures) evidence of a plant using another plant. Describe both plants and how the one is being used by the other.
• If you have an elder or expert available, you might want to consult him or her

• Find and describe (in words and/or pictures) evidence of an animal using a plant.