Chesapeake Environmental Literacy Lesson Plan
Unit: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems
Grade Level: 3 Lesson Time: Three 45 minute session
Lesson: Dear Doctor Wetlands
Facilitated by: Joanne Vaiden
Standards/Objectives:
Common Core State Standards Connections:
ELA/Literacy —
RI.3.1
Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the
text as the basis for the answers. (3-LS4-e)
RI.3.7
Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text
to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events
occur). (3-LS2-a)
RI.3.9
Compare and contrast the most important points and key details presented in two texts on
the same topic. (3-LS2-a)
RI.3.10
By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social
studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grades 2–3 text complexity
band independently and proficiently. (3-LS2-a)
W.3.2
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information
clearly. (3-LS4-d),(3-LS2-a)
W.3.7
Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic. (3-LS2-a)
W.3.8
With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather
information from provided sources to answer a question. (3-LS2-a)
SL.3.4
Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and
relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace. (3-LS4-d),(3LS2-a)
Disciplinary Core Ideas
LS4.D: Biodiversity and Humans
 Scientists have identified and classified many plants and animals. Populations of organisms live in a
variety of habitats, and change in those habitats affects the organisms living there. Humans, like all
other organisms, obtain living and nonliving resources from their environments. (3-LS4-d)
LS4.C: Adaptation
 For any particular environment, some kinds of organisms survive well, some survive less well, and
some cannot survive at all. (3-LS4-d),(3-LS4-e)
Maryland Environmental Literacy Standards:
Standard 4 Populations, Communities and Ecosystems
Objectives: The student will use physical, chemical, biological, and ecological concepts to analyze and
explain the interdependence of humans and organisms in populations, communities and ecosystems.
Topic C: Community and Ecosystem Dynamics
Indicator 1: Explain how the interrelationships and interdependencies of organisms and populations
contribute to the dynamics of communities and ecosystems
Learning Objectives:
(What skills will the students be able to understand and accomplish by the end of the lesson? How will the
activities connect to the broader unit objectives/material?)
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Students will understand that plants and animals have features that help them survive and they
depend on other organisms for their survival.
Cross-Curricular Connections:
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Students will conduct short research projects.
Students will report on what they discover and share the information with others.
Brought to you by Chesapeake Education, Arts, and Research Society (CHEARS), Calvert Marine Museum, and the
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory (CBL)
Chesapeake Environmental Literacy Lesson Plan
Materials Needed:
Books such as
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Pearlie Oyster: A Tale of an Amazing Oyster by Suzanne Tate
Olly the Oyster Cleans the Bay by Elaine Ann Allen
Chadwick the Crab by Priscilla Cummings
Sam: The Tale of a Chesapeake Bay Rockfish by Kristina Henry
One Tiny Turtle by Nicola Davies
Harry Horseshoe Crab: A Tale of Crawly Creatures by Suzanne Tate
Chadwick and the Garplegrungen by Priscilla Cummings
Flossie Flounder: A Tale of Flat Fish by Suzanne Tate
Crabby’s Water Wish: A Tale of Saving Sea Life by Suzann Tate
Jenny Jellyfish: A Tale of Wiggly Jellies by Suzanne Tate
Goldies’s Search for Silver by Timothy A. Weeks
Ol’ Middler Saves the Day by Timothy A. Weeks
Meet Chadwick and His Chesapeake Bay Friends by Pricilla Cummings
The Wise Mullet of Cook Bayou by Timothy A. Weeks
Chesapeake: Exploring the Water Trail of Captain John Smith by John Page Williams
Materials from the Chestory Virtual Archive:
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“Doctor Wetland” (from Chestory: 2011.14.0295 Box 21 File 1)
Activating Prior Knowledge:
(What prior knowledge do the students come with on the topics? How will the activities in this lesson be connected
to prior activities?)
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View “Welcome to the Wetlands”, a Discovery Education video:
http://app.discoveryeducation.com/player/view/assetGuid/5525EBB1-1763-4AFD-BBDFE966171AA148 . or Ranger Christy Bright St. Mary’s County Tourism video
http://youtu.be/8iklqiAWAsI.
Discuss: What in the video did you already know? What is new to you?
On chart paper, generate a list of things that might be part of the Chesapeake Bay wetland
ecosystem using what you know and what you saw on the video.
Sequence of Student Learning Activities:
(What steps in this lesson will lead students to accomplish Learning Objectives? What strategies will be used
during lesson facilitation to support the learning objectives?)
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In partners, investigate organisms that survive well in the Chesapeake wetland ecosystem. Some
resources can be photographs (see attached photos. Also, several can be found in Chesapeake:
Exploring the Water Trail of Captain John Smith by John Page Williams), texts (such as Meet
Chadwick and his Chesapeake Bay Friends by Priscilla Cummings, articles (see attached pages
from the website http://water.epa.gov/type/wetlands/outreach/upload/overview.pdf ), Bayville
http://bayville.thinkport.org/default_flash.aspx?load=bayquest, and other resources.
Students record information about organisms that survive well in a wetland ecosystem. Included
should be how the organism looks, how big it is, what it eats, how it protects itself, how it moves,
and any special features.
As a whole class, share notes and information found about physical features, food sources, and
predators. Add a second column to the class ecosystem list and add the information students
learned to the chart next to organisms on the class list.
Analyze the chart. Decide how organisms depend on each other.
Make a flow chart or diagram that shows how one of the organisms on the class list fits into its
habitat (what it eats, what eats it, what happens to it when it dies).
Brought to you by Chesapeake Education, Arts, and Research Society (CHEARS), Calvert Marine Museum, and the
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory (CBL)
Chesapeake Environmental Literacy Lesson Plan
Lesson Adaptations/Differentiation/Interventions:
(What activities/steps will be assigned/taken to involve students of all abilities during the lesson?)
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Reading materials of a variety of reading levels need to be available and assigned strategically.
Computers with text-to-speech capability to access reading materials from websites referenced
above.
Speech-to-text or voice recorders may be used during the note taking stage.
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Post-Lesson Assignment:
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Write a brief statement about what would happen if one part of the flow chart or diagram is
destroyed by humans.
Assessment/Evaluation of Learning Objectives:
(What type(s) of assessment(s) will be used to monitor student progress? Formative and summative)
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Students select an organism from the class list that they will pretend to be. They will give a name to
their organism, such as Sammy zooplankton.
 Students then write a letter, as if they were that organism, addressed to “Doctor Wetland” (See
samples (from Chestory: 2011.14.0295 Box 21 File 1).
In the letter they will
 Introduce themselves by name
 Describe how they look and move
 Explain what they eat and what eats them
 Draw a picture of themselves in their habitat., OR photograph each student acting as the organism
and draw the habitat around the photo (see attached samples)
 Ask Doctor Wetlands to help protect their homes by teaching humans about them.
Extension Activit(ies):
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Create a diagram of a Chesapeake Bay food chain.
Support/Remediation Activit(ies):
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Video tape a conversation with Dr. Wetlands moving as the organism, and describing their habitat.
Teacher read aloud and scribe.
Brought to you by Chesapeake Education, Arts, and Research Society (CHEARS), Calvert Marine Museum, and the
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory (CBL)
Chesapeake Environmental Literacy Lesson Plan
Brought to you by Chesapeake Education, Arts, and Research Society (CHEARS), Calvert Marine Museum, and the
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory (CBL)
Chesapeake Environmental Literacy Lesson Plan
Brought to you by Chesapeake Education, Arts, and Research Society (CHEARS), Calvert Marine Museum, and the
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory (CBL)
Chesapeake Environmental Literacy Lesson Plan
Brought to you by Chesapeake Education, Arts, and Research Society (CHEARS), Calvert Marine Museum, and the
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory (CBL)
Chesapeake Environmental Literacy Lesson Plan
Over the past several decades, our understanding and appreciation of wetlands and
wetland values have greatly increased. Many of the Chesapeake Bay's living resources
depend on wetlands for their survival. Large flocks of migratory ducks, geese and
swans spend winters using the marshes for feeding and cover.
Other wildlife, including muskrats, beaver, otter, ospreys, and various wading, marsh
and songbirds rely year round on wetland habitat. Thousands of smaller animals,
including aquatic insects, snails, mussels, tiny crustaceans and other important
members of the food web thrive in wetland communities.
photo by Bill Gill, USFWS
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Chesapeake
Wetlands
Wetlands also have important economic and recreational values, since they are vitally
important to the production of many finfish and shellfish. Roughly two-thirds of our
commercially valuable fish and most shellfish use tidal wetlands as spawning and/or
nursery areas.
As a haven for boating, fishing, crabbing, waterfowl hunting, hiking, birdwatching,
wildlife study, photography and canoeing, the wetlands of the Bay states have an
intrinsic natural beauty. Over 46 million Americans enjoy recreational fishing, while 5
million hunt waterfowl, both wetland related activities.
Controlling flood and storm waters is another important function of wetlands. Fastmoving flood or storm waters are slowed by the vegetation and temporarily stored in
wetland areas. Subsequent gradual release of the water minimizes erosion and
urban/suburban property damage. As upland runoff and drainage waters pass through
wetlands, they are essentially cleansed. This water quality improvement is due to the
wetland's ability to process excess nutrients, intercept other pollutants, trap sediment
and reduce suspended solids in the overlying water.
Wetlands need our protection.
From http://www.fws.gov/chesapeakebay/wetvalue.htm accessed 2/10/2013
Brought to you by Chesapeake Education, Arts, and Research Society (CHEARS), Calvert Marine Museum, and the
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory (CBL)
Chesapeake Environmental Literacy Lesson Plan
Brought to you by Chesapeake Education, Arts, and Research Society (CHEARS), Calvert Marine Museum, and the University of Maryland Center for
Environmental Science at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory (CBL)
Chesapeake Environmental Literacy Lesson Plan
Brought to you by Chesapeake Education, Arts, and Research Society (CHEARS), Calvert Marine Museum, and the University of Maryland Center for
Environmental Science at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory (CBL)
Chesapeake Environmental Literacy Lesson Plan
Brought to you by Chesapeake Education, Arts, and Research Society (CHEARS), Calvert Marine
Museum, and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science at the Chesapeake Biological
Laboratory (CBL)
Chesapeake Environmental Literacy Lesson Plan
Brought to you by Chesapeake Education, Arts, and Research Society (CHEARS), Calvert Marine
Museum, and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science at the Chesapeake Biological
Laboratory (CBL)
Chesapeake Environmental Literacy Lesson Plan
Brought to you by Chesapeake Education, Arts, and Research Society (CHEARS), Calvert Marine
Museum, and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science at the Chesapeake Biological
Laboratory (CBL)
Chesapeake Environmental Literacy Lesson Plan
Brought to you by Chesapeake Education, Arts, and Research Society (CHEARS), Calvert Marine
Museum, and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science at the Chesapeake Biological
Laboratory (CBL)
Chesapeake Environmental Literacy Lesson Plan
from EPA http://water.epa.gov/type/wetlands/outreach/upload/overview.pdf ) accessed
2/16/2013
Brought to you by Chesapeake Education, Arts, and Research Society (CHEARS), Calvert Marine
Museum, and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science at the Chesapeake Biological
Laboratory (CBL)