Student-Centered plan for Ecology

[Jen]

Okay - here's another one :)
Days 1/2 - Intro to ecology with Chapter 52 (via SmartBoard but mostly I did this one as a lot of this chapter is memorization :P and data analysis :)
Day 3: Virtual Population Simulation of Paramecium (available from the glencoe site - with questions added in - file is attached)
Day 4: Began a two-week long lab from the Vernier lab manual - population studies in yeast (I don't think I can attach this one due to copyright issues - but you can find a student copy on the Vernier site) - involves using the spectrophotometer to take absorbance measurements and also doing cell population counts under the scope. First day is time-intensive, then only 15 minutes subsequent days to collect data
Day 5: Cicada lab - I showed the segment from "Life in the Undergrowth" (BBC series) on cicadas to introduce this. Then, simulation of predator satiation hypothesis. This is from the Cornell site (link at bottom of the file). I re-worked it with some additional questions - it's attached. Note: I'm attaching the original from Cornell, not my re-worked copy.
Day 6: From Kim's site - food chains/food webs. I reworked to include some questions about biological magnification. But, I can't take credit for this one! Check her site - under the NY Regents Biology section (not AP)
Days 7 & 8: Discussion - hitting the "high points" of chapters 53-55. Note: all labs have had questions relating to these chapters - so this is really a quick review. We are still continuing the yeast population growth lab. Oh - and they did HW online (the Lab 12 Lab Bench) to prep for the AP lab.
Days 9/10: AP lab 12 - Primary Productivity
Day 11: "The Lorax" video with questions from the UNC site - has information on sustainability. I DO show this to my ninth graders, but it's much less in detail about sustainability and I usually have them compare/contrast what happened in the Lorax to what is currently happening with climate change. So - two different aspects/perspectives with the same video.
Day 12: I'm debating showing clips/parts of Finding Nemo with the questions that someone else posted on here to do the different types of symbiosis/relationships. I think just starting it one day should be enough - almost all of them have seen it so they can finish the questions on their own. Finish the yeast population lab by now.

I did an entire week of labs where I did not lecture once. The kids were actually like "ANOTHER LAB?!?!?!" - and I said - yep! So, I think this might have been *too* much - but I enjoyed the week :) I am NOT enjoying the grading :P, but that's okay.
The only thing I HAVEN'T done with this unit (and I JUST realized this...hmmmm...) is whiteboard (see other lesson on evolution for examples of this). Ironically, my kids haven't mentioned this - so maybe they ARE liking the labs??? hmmmmmm......

[Jen]

Adding some questions for the Lorax taken from the UNC website (address is at the bottom of the PDF file) :) Also, I copied the Sustainability Diagrams for the Teacher's Notes into a PDF file so I can post on my website. I added two questions for my kids:
(from the teacher's notes): 11. Which model of Sustainability (do after the film) provides a better model of sustainability? Explain your reasoning.
12. On a separate paper - write at LEAST one paragrach that "turns the Lorax" around where the Once-ler could have marketed the thneed under the sustainability model presented. In this paragraph, describe what "Sustainability" means.


If any one wants it - I have a VERY short lab called "Gone Fishin'" that I use with my honors biology class to teacher sustainability using imaginary Fishing Grounds of "skittles". I can post or just contact me - I have the student worksheet, but would need to give the "teachers' notes" for it as well. I switched to skittles due to peanut allergies in M&M's....sigh...there went my chocolate fix for THAT day! LOL
Jen