Example graph from the activity Students participate in an activity that models natural selection or the introduction of an invasive species by competing for limited “resources,” and observing how the presence of an advantageous trait can change the class population over time.  Students graph the population’s change over time and participate in a guided discussion about factors that may influence natural selection. At the conclusion of the lesson, students will be able to: Describe the effects of natural selection on a population, or the effects of an invasive species on a native population Understand the factors contributing to extinction, including displacement and competition Discern patterns of population growth, including exponential growth and the relationship between a population’s environment and its carrying capacity Construct and interpret graphs relating to population growth Relate patterns to theory Use evidence to reason and draw […]

This lesson will span both Middle and High School Michigan Standards making connections to wetland ecosystems and natural selection.  Students explore gray treefrog morphology and behavior, focusing on how these frogs are adapted to their environment.  Students will be asked to describe their preconceptions of what makes a frog.  Students will engage in an activity demonstrating what a frog needs to survive in the wild.  Students will also examine several species of MI frogs taking notes of their similarities and differences and learning to identify the calls of MI frogs.  Finally, students will also play a card game simulating the pros and cons of different reproductive strategies. At the conclusion of the lesson, students will be able to: Identify food chains and food webs in a wetland incorporating the Michigan gray treefrogs Understand how the environment and human activity can influence […]

Biofuel crops are being considered as an option for reduction of global warming.  However, biofuel crops are not 100% carbon neutral.  There are three agriculture related greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, N2O. Nitrous oxide is an important greenhouse gas that is often overlooked by the non scientific community.  60% of nitrous oxide emissions are produced by agriculture ecosystems.  Input of fertilizer greatly stimulates nitrous oxide emissions. At the conclusion of the lesson, students will be able to: Describe certain processes in nitrogen cycling (specifically, denitrification, nitrification) Understand that an increase in fertilization of biofuel crops will increase the release greenhouse gases Know how nitrous oxide can counteract the greenhouse gas reduction effects of using biofuels as a means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions Resources: Lesson Plan Data Nugget Closely related Data Nugget Presentation (powerpoint) Follow-up Activity Lesson […]

In this lesson, students will examine herbivory on exotic vs. native tree species planted into plantations in the Kellogg Forest. We will use our data to test the Enemy Release Hypothesis, which posits that exotic species escape from specialized natural enemies in their invaded range, contributing to their success. Students will develop predictions, design experimental sampling methods, collect data, and create graphs to summarize data. At the conclusion of the lesson, students will be able to: Give reasons why invasive species are so successful in their introduced range and can displace native species Compare ecosystem processes acting on native and exotic species Identify new plants species and different types of herbivore damage Present data in visual format for interpretation Resources: Lesson Plan Student Handout Presentation Data Nugget Lesson plan created by GK-12 Fellow Elizabeth Schultheis & teacher Marcia Angle, 2010

Mud, or sediment, is an active part of aquatic ecosystems. Sediment varies widely within and among ecosystems in its biotic and abiotic characteristics. In many ecosystems sediment can release excess phosphorus (a common aquatic pollutant) into the water column causing internal eutrophication At the conclusion of the lesson, students will be able to: Observe and describe abiotic and biotic characteristics of sediment Recognize that the sediment and water in a lake carry phosphorus, which is necessary for life, but can have negative ecosystem effects at high levels Describe the difference between experimental control and treatment groups Use observations to support conclusions Resources: Lesson Plan Student worksheet Data Nugget Lesson plan created by GK-12 Fellow Lauren Kinsman & teacher Liz Ratashak

This lesson takes the student from understanding the meaning of biodiversity to understanding how important it is in real ecosystems. Using the insects captured during the BEST Plots Invertebrate Diversity Protocol, students play Bug Bingo and have fun while recognizing differences in diversity from place to place. Then, students play the Biodiversity Stock Market, to demonstrate the importance of biodiversity and the consequences of eliminating diversity.  Additionally, the game will demonstrate the many economic benefits provided by high levels of biodiversity through valuable ecosystem services. At the conclusion of the lesson, students will be able to: Understand what biodiversity means in the scientific community Recognize several insects to order Understand that diversity differs from place to place, and is declining. Understand that biodiversity has economic and social benefits Understand that high levels of biodiversity improve ecosystem productivity and stability Recognize […]

Students explore the effects of the environment on competition between species. Students play a game where two different species forage for prey. Species differ in vision, simulated by light-filtering goggles, which affects their ability to forage on particular food items that differ in color. Students gather data, make tables and graphs, and make comparisons between outcomes for different species and in different environments. Students develop new questions to test within the framework of the game. They make predictions, develop methods, gather data and interpret results from their questions. Connections to evolution, competition, predator-prey dynamics and food webs can be made. At the conclusion of the lesson, students will be able to: Understand that organisms require resources from their environment. Understand that organisms compete for resources in their environment. Become familiar with examples of competition between species. Understand that changes to […]

In this lesson, students will learn the characteristics that help seeds to disperse and the variety of ways that seeds can get around! Dispersal is important for plants (and animals, too) because it helps young organisms to avoid competing with their parents for resources and to escape seed predators. Different species of plants produce seeds with different adaptations for dispersal. Some seeds, like those of the dandelion, rely on the wind to carry them. Other seeds are encased in fruit, and rely on animals to eat them and deposit their seeds elsewhere. This topic connects to many K-4 topics, including organism’s needs in their environments, competition, adaptation, survival, reproduction, and plant life cycles. Additionally, this lesson helps students practice multiple important inquiry skills that encompass many steps of the scientific method. At the conclusion of the lesson, students will be […]

Biotic resistance is the ability of a native community to keep out invasive species. Land managers want to promote biotic resistance because of the harmful effects of invasive species once they have established. Several aspects of a community might make it better able to resist invasion such as high diversity, low nutrient levels, and low disturbance. In this activity, students will be able to make and test hypothesis based on invasive species success and biotic resistance. Factors promoting biotic resistance are manipulated in our BEST Bioenergy Plots and so similar questions can be asked through this activity and the data that we will be collecting through the entire GK-12 district network. At the conclusion of the lesson, students will be able to: Discuss several examples of invasive species in Michigan, and why biologists are concerned about their introduction. Define biotic […]

Invasive species are non-native, introduced species that have a negative impact on the habitats they invade. Invasive species can be plants, animals, or microorganisms, and the damage they can cause to native ecosystems can be devastating. What is it about these species that allow them to successfully invade different habitats? Does the environment itself also play a role in how likely it is that an invasion will take place? In this lesson plan students will explore what it means to be an invasive species. They will learn what traits make a good invader as well as what environmental conditions favor invasion. Students will also get a chance to observe and interpret graphs and figures from real world research on invasive species. Finally, students will have the opportunity to play a game that simulates an invasive species spreading through Michigan, and […]

Many invasive species do not start to invade as soon as they are introduced into a new area; there is a “lag time” in most invasions where scientists predict they are evolving to their new habitat and waiting for beneficial genes to arrive, either through mutation or further introductions of new individuals from their native range. Through an interactive game, students will learn how evolution might create an invasive species. The game demonstrates the basic components of evolution (variation and selection) and how they can cause an introduced species to become invasive and out-compete native species. At the conclusion of the lesson, students will be able to understand the basic concepts of evolution and biological invasions including: Evolution by natural selection Three factors required for evolution by natural selection to occur  (variation in trait, fitness differences, inheritance) Source of variation […]

Students will learn essential part of the experimental design (replication, randomization, and control). This will be especially useful for students conducting independent projects. Students will also learn how to present their scientific findings and practice by critiquing scientific posters.   This lesson should be used in conjunction with any classroom experiment or science fair project. At the end of the lesson, students will be able to: Design experiments (randomization, replication and control) Communicate scientific findings (general structure) Make a poster Evaluate posters constructively Resources: Lesson Plan Scientific Communication Presentation Scientific Poster Evaluation Form Grading Rubric for Posters Lesson plan created by GK-12 Fellows Tyler Bassett and Tomomi Suwa, 2011

In this lesson, students will examine three claims made about global warming: (1) global warming has not occurred since the industrial revolution, (2) the main cause of global warming since the industrial revolution has been natural changes in the amount of solar radiance from solar flares, and (3) the main cause of global warming since the industrial revolution has been an increase in greenhouse gases.  Students will use quantitative figures to critically evaluate each claim and they will decide which claim is best supported by the information in the figures. Students will interpret and analyze graphs and figures and then evaluate the reliability of the information in the figures.  Students will then evaluate the relevancy of each piece of information as it relates to the claims made and then students will make inferences to decide which claim is best supported […]

These materials can be a guide for exploring nature, with focus on Michigan species. Use the scavenger hunt to help your students identify particular types of organisms and organism-environment interactions. The “picture review” shows how Jim Eckert’s class at Wattles Park Elementary School in Harper Creek exploring the Ott Biological Reserve. The “tree identification” and “animal tracks” documents focus on Michigan species your students might be able to find. Enjoy the outdoors! Resources: Forest Walk Scavenger Hunt Worksheet Tree identification guide (by leaves) Animal Tracks in Michigan Guide A picture review of one class’s visit! Field trip idea by GK-12 Fellow Alycia Lacky