Planning the Curriculum Web
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Introduction
This site is designed as a teacher's guide to the accompanied instructional curriculum web. It will provide a thorough overview of the curriculum web plan including topics such as standards, purpose, goals, learning objectives, instructional plans, assessments, and evaluations.
Curriculum Standards
Students will discover the interdependence among organisms and the environment and how they need one another for survival. (Standard S7L4) Within this standard, focus will be on element d. which states "Categorize relationships between organisms that are competitive or mutually beneficial."
Purpose Statement
Completing this instructional web allows 7th grade students to develop an understanding of the interdependence among organisms through research opportunities, performance tasks, and interactive activities. More specifically, the module focuses on describing the various interactions among organisms such as competition, predation, and symbiotic relationships. Although intended for 7th grade, other students learning about the interactions between organisms can benefit from this resource.
Rationale
In order to understand the bigger picture of our role in the ecosystem and promote environmental awareness, students must understand the unique relationships among organisms. Organisms are connected to each other and to the environment in which they live. If there is a change in the environment, it will affect the other organisms living there as well. Therefore, the survival of all living things is dependent upon both living and nonliving factors. This dependence can be observed through a study of competition and symbiotic relationships.
General Education Goals
Students will recognize that they do not live independently of each other, but actually depend on many living and non-living factors in the environment for survival.
Subject Matter Description
- Competition among individuals and species
- Symbiosis
- Effect on organisms resulting from changes in environment
- Interdependence of life
Learner Description
This intructional curriculum web is designed for students around the age of twelve and who are enrolled in a Life Science course. Students can be in both general education and inclusion classes to participate in this curriculum web. Learning styles vary among students therefor activities will be differentiated when possible.
Prerequisites
Students must have basic computer skills such as keyboarding, accessing the internet, and surfing the web. Being able to research websites, articles, and/or links to collect essential information is a necessity. Prior knowledge of the levels of organization in the ecosystem is beneficial. (organism, population, community, ecosystem, biome, biosphere) Students need to understand the types and roles of organisms such as herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, decomposers, and scavengers. An understanding of how to read and create a food web is also helpful, but not essential.
Learning Objectives
- Identify types of symbiotic relationships when given a scenario (mutualism, parasitism, and commensalism)
- Describe types of competition between organisms, populations or species
- Understand changes in the environment can have a positive and negative effect on organisms
Materials
· Computer access with internet connection
· Microsoft Word, Microsoft Publisher 1997-2003 or more recent to download documents (or similar word processing software with brochure templates)
· Holt Life Science textbook online access; (optional use for remediation /Cobb teachers & students have access)
· Poster board or white computer paper for symbiosis visual representation or haiku; markers, colored pencils, etc.
· Printing access to download and print the following materials:
o Student Curriculum Web Checklist
o Predation Ticket out the Door
Instructional Plan (Click here for document in Word!)
Preparation
1. Use the following statements to assess students' prior knowledge before beginning. Students will give a thumbs up if they agree with the statement and a thumbs down if they disagree.
1. Reserve computer lab or laptops for students for a minimum of five days. To minimize sound during videos, check out headphones or ask that students bring their own. Save link to the Interactions among Organisms website onto a classroom blog or write the link on the board for students to locate site with ease.
2. Review activities and provide Student Checklist to ensure students visit each site and complete the required activities.
Introduction
All organisms depend on each other for survival. (thumbs up)
If a population in the ecosystem becomes extinct nothing happens. (thumbs down)
There is no energy in a food web. (thumbs down)
Changes in environmental conditions do not affect the survival of different populations. (thumbs down)
2. Begin a class discussion to get students thinking about how organisms depend on one another. The following questions may be helpful:
a. What do humans depend on for survival?
Possible answers- animals, plants, etc. for food; plants to give oxygen; water, parents for shelter/money/love; fungi and bacteria to break things down
b. How do organisms interact with each other in an ecosystem?
Possible answers- Communicate using sounds or body movement; predator and prey relationships, food webs; mating; competing for food, space, shelter, etc.; working together (symbiosis)
Grouping Strategy Suggestions:
1. Individual assessments- Symbiosis Quiz (assessment); Predation Quiz; culminating project Web Quest brochure
2. Paired options-
a. By learning style: Symbiosis Choice Activities (haiku or visual representation)
b. Heterogeneous: National Geographic article reading/organizer and introduction passages (strong reader to assist by reading aloud in partners); Predation Web Quest and Guppies Computer Activity completed in pairs if desired
Scheduling:
Allow for at least one 50 minute period for each of the three main topic pages: Symbiosis, Predation, and Competition. Different learners will progress at various speeds. Allow for at least two additional days with access to computers. If completing the Interactions between Organisms Web Quest, give students two days to complete brochure or include time at home to work on any materials.
Extensions:
After learning about the three main topics and completing the activities associated with each, assign students to complete the Interactions between Organisms Web Quest for a project grade. If you choose not to do this activity, the following links provide activities to reinforce concepts in ecology:
http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/food/food_menu.html Build meadow, arctic, and pond food webs using this interactive program.
http://www.gould.edu.au/foodwebs/ This site has various primary and secondary activities with links for additional resources on food webs and interactions.
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/explorer/ecosystems/be_an_explorer/map/form_wildcats.htm# Use scholastic’s site to build your own Mexican ecosystem. Explore additional resources using the Student Activities tab located at the top of the page.
Teaching Plan
View the concept map for a visual representation!
- Introduction
- After having a fellow teacher review the site and offer feedback, introduce to students
- Discuss prior lessons on interconnections of organisms evident in food webs and other ideas from students
- Display homepage on screen using overhead projector and show students how to use navigation bar to visit each page
- Give students a copy of the student checklist provided on the home page to monitor their progress - Environment
- Designed for 1: 1 ratio of computers to students
- Internet access required to complete curriculum web
- Can be performed in a computer lab or classroom with computers checked out for use
- Teacher facilitates by answering questions and observing students at work - Skill Level
- Created for 7th grade Life Science students in general or gifted education settings
- Prior knowledge of computers and general internet use required
- Review how to follow links (underlined text) and how to navigate from page to page - Assessment and Feedback
- Use student checklist linked on home page and teacher page to monitor progress
- Students can staple all assignments to the checklist upon completion and turn in
- Feedback will be collected from survey linked to this page (offer link to students and collaborating teachers if desired) - Extension/Follow-up:
- Competition page has link to interactive game available for those who finish early
- Use Web Quest brochure as assessment following completion of curriculum web (linked to home page)
- If connectivity fails, have copies of introductory readings and activities/quizzes available for backup. Project Wild game "Good Buddies" can be used to teach symbiosis. Students can complete visual representation and haiku on symbiosis without computers. A skit can be performed to show understanding of competition among organisms as well as predation. Refer to Ch. 18 of the Holt Life Science textbook for additional reading materials.
Assessment Plan
In each of the three lessons, there is an activity or assessment to complete. To assess student knowledge of symbiotic relationships, students will complete the linked multiple choice quiz in Google Docs after working through the activites in the webpage and viewing the video and power points provided. A practice quiz using allows students to relate symbiotic concepts to scenarios. After learning about the types of competition between species using the video and comics provided, students will take a competition quiz in Google Docs to assess understanding. To determine whether students understand predator and prey relationships, students will complete a ticket out the door following the completion of the predator prey web quest.
Evaluation Plan
Please use the feedback survey to offer advice, suggestions, or constructive criticism after using this curriculum web. For my purposes, I will have my collaborating teachers view this curriculum web and complete the feedback survey. I will use this information to improve the site. I will also link the survey to my blog and allow students to access it and leave feedback. Printed copies will also be provided in order to offer full access to the survey. If needed, I will read questions aloud to students needing assistance.
Contact Information
For further information regarding this curriculum web plan, please email me at Rachel.Taulbee@cobbk12.org.
Reflections on Course Home Page
For each activity associated with my web design course, I wrote a brief reflection over the assignment. These reflections are also linked to each activity.
Bibliography