The Amazing Honey Bee
A Study of Ecosystems, Biodiversity and Survival
Unit developed by: Rebecca Powell, Michele Jacobs, Lisa Owens, and Carissa Wilson
Georgetown College and Booker T. Washington Academy, Lexington, KY
www.examiner.com/article/starving-honey-bees
This science unit is designed to address the Next Generation Science Standards for GRADE THREE in the area of
Ecosystems/Biodiversity. There is an emphasis on exploration, hands-on learning, and academic language development.
The unit consists of two sections, Science lessons and Literacy lessons, which are taught simultaneously. The unit
culminates with a writing project that provides students with an opportunity to help save the honey bee.
Support for the development of this unit of study was provided by the US Department of Education, Office of English
Language Acquisition.
Science Unit – Grade 3
The Amazing Honey Bee: Studying Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems
NGSS Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs)
LS2.C: Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning, and Resilience: When the environment changes in ways that affect a place’s
physical characteristics, temperature, or availability of resources, some organisms survive and reproduce, others move
to new locations, yet others move into the transformed environment, and some die.
LS2.D: Social Interactions and Group Behavior: Being part of a group helps animals obtain food, defend themselves,
and cope with changes. Groups may serve different functions and vary dramatically in size.
LS4.A: Evidence of Common Ancestry and Diversity: Some kinds of plants and animals that once lived on Earth are no
longer found anywhere. Fossils provide evidence about the types of organisms that lived long ago and also about the
nature of their environments.
LS4.C: Adaptation: For any particular environment, some kinds of organisms survive well, some survive less well, and
some cannot survive at all.
LS4.D: Biodiversity and Humans: Populations live in a variety of habitats, and change in those habitats affects the
organisms living there.
If used in Kentucky: RELATED KENTUCKY PROGRAM OF STUDIES (2006)
Big Idea: Unity and Diversity (Biological Science) Grade: End of Primary
All matter is comprised of the same basic elements, goes through the same kinds of energy transformations, and uses the same kinds
of forces to move. Living organisms are no exception. Elementary students begin to observe the macroscopic features of organisms in
order to make comparisons and classifications based upon likenesses and differences. Looking for patterns in the appearance and
behavior of an organism leads to the notion that offspring are much like the parents, but not exactly alike. Emphasis at every level
should be placed upon the understanding that while every living thing is composed of similar small constituents that combine in
predictable ways, it is the subtle variations within these small building blocks that account for both the likenesses and differences in
form and function that create the diversity of life.
Academic Expectations
2.1
Students understand scientific ways of thinking and working and use those methods to solve real-life problems.
2.2
Students identify, analyze, and use patterns such as cycles and trends to understand past and present events and predict
possible future events.
2.3
Students identify and analyze systems and the ways their components work together or affect each other.
Program of Studies: Skills and Concepts
Program of Studies:
Understandings
SC-P-UD-U-1
Students will understand
that most living things
need water, food and air,
while nonliving things can
continue to exist without
any requirements.
Related Core Content for Assessment
SC-P-UD-S-1
Students will describe the basic needs of organisms and
explain how these survival needs can be met only in
certain environments
SC-P-UD-S-7
Students will ask questions that can be investigated,
plan and conduct ‘fair tests,’ and communicate (e.g.,
write, draw, speak, multi-media) findings to others
SC-EP-3.4.1
Students will explain the basic needs of
organisms.
Organisms have basic needs. For example,
animals need air, water and food; plants need
air, water, nutrients and light. Organisms can
survive only in environments in which their
needs can be met.
DOK 2
SC-EP-3.4.2
Students will understand that things in the
environment are classified as living, nonliving
and once living. Living things differ from
nonliving things. Organisms are classified into
groups by using various characteristics (e.g.,
body coverings, body structures).
SC-P-UD-U-2
Students will understand
that plants and animals
have features that help
them live in different
environments.
SC-P-UD-S-1
Students will describe the basic needs of organisms and
explain how these survival needs can be met only in
certain environments
SC-P-UD-S-2
Students will identify the characteristics that define a
habitat
SC-P-UD-S-3
Students will investigate adaptations that enable animals
and plants to grow, reproduce and survive (e.g.,
movements, body coverings, method of reproduction)
SC-P-UD-S-4
Students will analyze structures of plants and animals to
make inferences about the types of environments for
which they are suited
SC-EP-3.4.3
Students will describe the basic structures
and related functions of plants and animals
that contribute to growth, reproduction and
survival.
Each plant or animal has observable
structures that serve different functions in
growth, survival and reproduction. For
example, humans have distinct body
structures for walking, holding, seeing and
talking. These observable structures
should be explored to sort, classify,
compare and describe organisms.
DOK 2
SC-P-UD-S-7
Students will ask questions that can be investigated,
plan and conduct ‘fair tests,’ and communicate (e.g.,
write, draw, speak, multi-media) findings to others
SC-P-UD-U-3
Students will understand
that some animals are
alike in the way they look
and in the things they do,
and others are very
different from one
another.
SC-P-UD-U-4
Students will understand
that the offspring all living
things are very much like
their parents, but not
exactly alike.
SC-P-UD-U-5
Students will understand
that organisms may not
be able to survive if some
of their parts are missing.
SC-P-UD-S-5
Students will use scientific tools (e.g., hand
lens/magnifier, metric ruler, balance) to observe and
make comparisons of organisms; and to classify
organisms using one or more of their external
characteristics (e.g., body coverings, body structures)
SC-P-UD-S-6
Students will analyze and compare a variety of plant and
animal life cycles in order to uncover patterns of growth,
development, reproduction and death of an organism
SC-P-UD-S-7
Students will ask questions that can be investigated,
plan and conduct ‘fair tests,’ and communicate (e.g.,
write, draw, speak, multi-media) findings to others
SC-P-UD-S-3
Students will investigate adaptations that enable animals
and plants to grow, reproduce and survive (e.g.,
movements, body coverings, method of reproduction)
SC-P-UD-S-4
Students will analyze structures of plants and animals to
make inferences about the types of environments for
which they are suited
SC-P-UD-S-7
Students will ask questions that can be investigated,
plan and conduct ‘fair tests,’ and communicate (e.g.,
write, draw, speak, multi-media) findings to others
KY Core Academic Standards in Literacy (See Literacy Lessons)
SC-EP-3.4.4
Students will describe a variety of plant and
animal life cycles to understand patterns of
the growth, development, reproduction and
death of an organism.
Plants and animals have life cycles that
include the beginning of life, growth and
development, reproduction and death. The
details of a life cycle are different for
different organisms. Observations of
different life cycles should be made in
order to identify patterns and recognize
similarities and differences.
DOK 2
Unit Learning Targets




I can construct an argument that some animals form groups that help members survive.
I can analyze and interpret data from fossils to provide evidence of the organisms and the environments in
which they lived long ago.
I can construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some
survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.
I can make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes and the
types of plants and animals that live there may change.
Unit Language Targets



I can construct a written argument using words, pictures and diagrams.
I can present evidence orally, using sentence frames to present my ideas if needed.
I can use writing to describe a solution to a problem caused by changes in the environment.
Suggested Sequence of Lessons (NOTE: Each lesson may take more than one day)
Science Lessons
Literacy Lessons (see
accompanying literacy unit)
FOSSILS
1
2
3
4
5
ECOSYSTEM DYNAMICS
1
2
1
2
3
4
5
6
ADAPTATIONS
1
3
4
2
Lessons 5 on
Unit Vocabulary
fossil
paleontology
paleontologist
physical characteristics
attributes
petrified
trace fossil
body fossil
amber
fossilize
ecology
ecosystem
organism
population
community
life cycle
metamorphosis
egg
larva
pupa
adult
waggle dance
hive
pollination
pollinator
swarm
producer
consumer
decomposer
food chain
biodiversity
adaptation
survive
Colony collapse disorder (CCD)
fósil
paleontología
paleontólogo
charaqteristics físicas
atributos
petrificado
rastrear fósil
fósil cuerpo
ámbar
fosilizarse
ecología
ecosistema
organismo
población
comunidad
ciclo vital
metamorfosis
huevo
larva
crisálida
adulto
danza de la abeja
colmena
polinizción
polinizador
enjambre
productor
consumidor
decomposer
cadena alimentaria
biodiversidad
adaptación
sobrevivir
trasdorno del colapso de colonias
Fossils
LESSON ONE
Fossils and Paleontology
Learning Targets:
I can give physical characteristics/attributes of fossilized rocks.
I can generate questions about fossils.
I can tell what a fossil is.
Language Targets:
I can write a definition for fossil in my science journal. (ELs can draw pictures and label.)
Materials:
Rocks with fossils
Magnifiers
Inquiry chart
Handouts on paleontology
Science journals
Semantic word chart on fossils (picture of paleontologist in middle)
Word wall
Procedures:
1. Pass around rocks that have fossils. Have students observe the physical characteristics of rocks using magnifiers.
Talk about the rocks and generate inquiry questions. Jot down their questions on an inquiry chart. Vocabulary to reinforce:
Physical characteristics; attributes.
2. Read information about fossils and paleontology (attached – make handouts).



Demonstrate by thinking aloud and making notations in the margins. Do this with the first two sections. Note unfamiliar
words and guess at meanings using the context.
Third section: Bread down the word “petrification” and tell students what it means. (To turn something into stone;
relate to the word “petrified”). Have students ever seen petrified wood? Even wood becomes “fossilized.”
http://geology.com/stories/13/petrified-wood/
Read third section on your own. Take notes in margins. Note unfamiliar words. Discuss “ist” at end of
“paleontologist.”
3. Begin a semantic word chart (P.I.M. chart) on everything we talked about thus far. Show relationships on the chart.
Put a picture of a paleontologist in the middle.
4. Show picture of oldest insect fossil
PICTURE OF OLDEST FLYING INSECT FOSSIL – 300 million years old (NOTE: Click on all the pictures to show how
scientists think the insect got stuck in the mud, and why they think it had wings)
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/04/pictures/110407-science-fossils-insects-bugs-mayflies-mayfly-flying/#/01flying-insect_34246_600x450.jpg
5. Add words to Word Wall: fossil, paleontology, paleontologist, petrified, attribute, physical characteristics
6. Students talk with a partner about fossils. Then they write down everything they want to remember in their science
journals. They should include a definition of a fossil. (For ELs, this could be pictures.)
Home assignments (student choice):
 Look for fossils in rocks around your neighborhood.
 Talk to someone at home about the work of a paleontologist. Do they know what a paleontologist does?
 Draw a picture of a fossil.
 Any other ideas?
Assessment: Students’ journals
What are fossils and what is paleontology?

Paleontology is the branch of biology that studies the forms of life that
existed in former geologic periods, primarily by studying fossils.

The only direct way we have of learning about dinosaurs is by studying
fossils. Fossils are the remains of ancient animals and plants, the traces
or impressions of living things from past geologic ages, or the traces of
their activities. Fossils have been found on every continent on Earth.

The word fossil comes from the Latin word fossilis, which means, "dug
up". Most fossils are excavated from sedimentary rock layers
(Sedimentary rock is rock that has formed from sediment, like sand, mud,
and small pieces of rock).

Over long periods of time, these small pieces of debris are compressed
(squeezed) and are buried under more and more layers of sediment that
piles up on top of it. Eventually, they are compressed into sedimentary
rock.

The fossil of a bone doesn't have any bone in it! A fossilized object has
the same shape as the original object, but is chemically more like a rock.
How are fossils formed?

Some animals were quickly buried after their death (by sinking in mud,
being buried in a sandstorm, etc). Over time more and more sediment
covered the remains. The parts of the animals that didn't rot (usually the
harder parts like bones and teeth) were encased in the newly formed
sediment. In the right circumstances (when there is no scavengers, quick
burial, not much weathering) parts of the animal turned into fossils over
time.

After a long time the chemicals in the buried animals bodies underwent a
series of changes. As the bone slowly decayed, water infused with
minerals seeped into the bone and replaced the chemicals in the bone
with rock-like minerals. The process of fossilization involves the dissolving
and replacement of the original minerals in the object with other minerals
(and or permineralization - the filling up of spaces in fossils with minerals,
and /or recrystallization in which a mineral changes its form).

In the end we get a heavy, rock-like copy of the original object - a fossil.
The fossil has the same shape as the original object, but is chemically
more like a rock!
Other ways fossils form: Petrification

Petrification can preserve hard and soft parts and slowly replaces organic
material with silica, calcite or pyrite, forming a rock-like fossil. Wood is
often found petrified.

Some organisms are embedded in Amber (a hardened form of tree sap).
This usually preserved insects or pieces of plants.

Fossils of imprints may form, like casts of dinosaur footprints. The
impressions, in the right circumstances, fill with sediments that fossilize.

Most animals did not fossilize, They simply decayed and were lost from
the fossil record. Paleontologist’s estimate that only a small percentage of
the dinosaurs that ever lived have been or will be found as fossils.
SOURCE: http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/earth/fossils.html
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=pictures+of+paleontologists&qpvt=pictures+of+paleontologists&FORM=IGRE&id=0BF
CCA7AB654888C20368331C044D2FC735158EF&selectedIndex=338#view=detail&id=0BFCCA7AB654888C20368331C044D2FC
735158EF&selectedIndex=0
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=pictures+of+paleontologists&qpvt=pictures+of+paleontologists&FORM=IGRE&id=130
CF12386C96FCB1EA9C4D3FE824B7568375728&selectedIndex=307#view=detail&id=130CF12386C96FCB1EA9C4D3FE824B75
68375728&selectedIndex=0
LESSON TWO: Trace Fossils
What are Trace Fossils?
Trace fossils are a type of impression left in sedimentary rock formations, made by the activities of ancient animals. Trace fossils are
marks of the creature's passing, and can be as varied as the footprints of dinosaurs, burrows of marine worms, paths made by clams
and mollusks across the sea floor or even the droppings or feces of animals. Trace fossils differ from the preserved bodily remains of
animals such as skeletons or mineralized forms that preserve the shape of body tissues.
How are trace fossils created?
Most trace fossils are made when a creature has been active in wet mud or sandy soil. The mud or soil dries and hardens, preserving
the impressions or droppings, which are later covered by more soil or sediment. Over many years, the sediment is transformed into
sedimentary rock.
Learning Targets:
I can tell what a trace fossil is and describe how it is made.
Language Targets:
I can write about trace fossils in my science journal. Using words and/or pictures, I can tell what a trace fossil is and
describe how it is made.
Materials:
Plasticine
Paper cups
Water
Plaster of Paris
Objects for “fossilizing”
Semantic chart
Word wall
Baggies for each student with materials for making a trace fossil at home
Science journals
Procedures:
1. Explain what trace fossils are and how they are created. Show pictures of trace fossils. As you share the pictures, talk
about what we can learn about the animal from looking at fossils.
Dinosaur footprints:
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Fossilized+Dinosaur+Tracks&FORM=RESTAB#view=detail&id=57203B1D450C6F
BFDDB0F01508467D162034F397&selectedIndex=35
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Dinosaur+Footprint+Fossil&Form=IQFRDR#view=detail&id=09F0AE03F5594831
DB6C125173FFE8D20B5D598F&selectedIndex=26
Pterodactyl:
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Dinosaur+Fossil&Form=IQFRDR#view=detail&id=CF3FCA3B77B817CEB1838EF6
32238F66F22A0FFB&selectedIndex=10
Worms:
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=trace+fossils+of+worms&id=6DB8ADE67405F5995A24AA94CD55DEB25CA61FC
0&FORM=IQFRBA#view=detail&id=6DB8ADE67405F5995A24AA94CD55DEB25CA61FC0&selectedIndex=0
2. Make a Trace Fossil (http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/projects/fossilcast.html)
Make Your Own Fossil





Plasticine
2 paper cups
An object that you would like to use as the fossilized impression
Plaster of paris
Water
Instructions:
1. Flatten a ball of plasticine until it is about 2 cm thick while making sure the top is smooth.
2. Put the plasticine inside a paper cup with the smooth side facing up. Carefully press the object you want to
fossilize into the plasticine until it is partially buried.
3. Carefully remove the object from the plasticine. An impression of the object should be left behind.
4. Pour half a cup of plaster of paris into the other paper cup. Add a quarter cup of water to the plaster and stir until
the mixture is smooth. Leave it for around two minutes.
5. When the mixture has thickened pour it on top of the plasticine in the other cup. Leave the mixture until the plaster
has dried (leave it for 24hrs if you want to be sure).
6. When the plaster has fully dried, tear away the sides of the paper cup and take out the plasticine and plaster.
Keep it in a warm dry place and enjoy your very own fossil.
What's happening?
Fossils are extremely useful records of the past. In your case you left behind an impression of an object you own but
fossils found by scientists around the world can date back to the time of dinosaurs. These fossils allow paleontologists
(the name of scientists who study these types of fossils) to study what life might have been like millions of years ago.
Fossils such as the one you made can leave delicate patterns and a surprising amount of detail.
3. Add words to Word Wall: TRACE FOSSIL. Add to semantic chart on paleontology.
4. Students describe what a trace fossil is in their science journals.
5. Home assignment: Make a trace fossil with someone at home using an object you want to “fossilize.”
Assessment: Students’ responses in science journals
LESSON THREE
Body Fossils
Learning Targets:
I can tell what a body fossil is and describe how it is made.
Language Targets:
I can write about body fossils in my science journal. Using words and/or pictures, I can tell what a body fossil is and
describe how it is made.
Materials:
Bottles of nail polish
Dead insects
Bottle caps
Baggies for children to take home, with nail polish and a bottle cap
Semantic paleontology map
Word wall
Science journals
Procedures:
1. Make fossil of an insect using nail polish (http://www.lucylearns.com/amber-fossil-lesson-plan.html)
Materials :
clear nail polish
small dead insect or plastic insect model
bottle cap
pine cones (optional)
Focus: demonstrate how insects from prehistoric times became fossilized in amber
Place insect in small bottle cap. Slowly drip clear nail polish over insect. Let it dry and repeat the process. Over time, the insect will be
completely encased in the hardened nail polish, just like a true amber fossil.
DISCUSS: Amber is the fossilized resin secreted by pine trees. Just as sap from the pine trees of today (use pine cone, if available, to
demonstrate the texture and appearance of sap) is sticky, insects stepping in the sap were held fast in prehistoric times. As the sap
hardened, and more leaked from the tree, fossilized insects were eventually covered. The sap hardened and fossilized over time,
leaving intact insect specimens for study today.
2. Talk about the two major types of fossils: body and trace. Read this information together:
http://www.oum.ox.ac.uk/thezone/fossils/intro/types.htm
3. Turn to partner and talk about the kind of fossil we just made. What are the physical characteristics/attributes of this
fossil that make you think it’s that type? What kind of fossil did we make yesterday? What are the physical
characteristics/attributes of that fossil that make you think it’s that type?
4. Add to word wall: AMBER, BODY FOSSIL, FOSSILIZED; add to semantic map on paleontology
5. Students write about body fossils in their science journals.
6. Home Assignment: Give students materials to make a body fossil
Assessment: Students’ science journals. Students should be able to discuss and/or illustrate what a body fossil is and tell
and/or illustrate how it is made. (ELs can demonstrate understanding through illustrations.)
LESSON FOUR
What We Can Learn from Fossils
Learning Targets:
I can tell what I have learned about fossils.
Language Targets:
I can orally answer inquiry questions about fossils with my talk partner and share with the class.
Materials:
Video series on amber fossils
Inquiry chart
Semantic chart on paleontologists
Procedures:
1. Show videos on amber fossils
(First video shows how amber preserves creatures. Includes picture of a bee that existed long before man. Second video
looks at insect ecosystem on bottom of forest floor, preserved through amber. Third video begins with example of a bee
and a predator and how both are preserved by amber. )
SERIES: David Attenborough The Amber Time Machine NOTE: This is an excellent video series; however, the narrator
has a British accent and thus he may be particularly difficult for English learners to understand. You’ll want to be
cognizant of this and stop the video periodically to review and reinforce the information.
First: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtrN5KWd_Dg
Second: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHRMAgB46rs
Third: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szaqKt-PjtM
2. With your talk partner, discuss what you learned from these videos. What was interesting? What questions were
answered about fossils?
3. Return to the students’ inquiry chart that they produced on day one. Have any of their questions been answered?
Using talk partners, have students pick questions and come up with responses to them. Share with the group. Jot down
any answers they can give.
4. Add to semantic (P.I.M.) chart on fossils/paleontologists.
Assessment: Students’ answers to inquiry questions.
LESSON FIVE
Using Data from Fossils to Learn about Organisms
Learning Targets:
I can use information from fossils to tell about the life and environment of organisms that lived years ago.
Language Targets:
I can talk to my partner about information about organisms that are found in amber body fossils.
Materials:
Websites
Procedures:
1. Analyze diagrams of amber fossils using what we know about insects, their habitats, and their predators
Show students pictures of amber fossils that contain insects. Reinforce that this is a body fossil. (Use one or all of these
pictures as you scaffold students’ understanding.) What do these fossils tell us about the lives and habitats of these
insects?
http://www.2plus1beadsweb.com/tl/dominican_green_amberfossils1486c.jpg
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=amber+fossils+of+insects&qpvt=amber+fossils+of+insects&FORM=IQFRML#vie
w=detail&id=B860320848E2368CD70C67E2E967B89EED5C2D60&selectedIndex=35
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=amber+fossils+of+insects&qpvt=amber+fossils+of+insects&FORM=IQFRML#vie
w=detail&id=770ACC1948521BE882C528E1B3CA397962F5F8D1&selectedIndex=71
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=amber+fossils+of+insects&qpvt=amber+fossils+of+insects&FORM=IQFRML#vie
w=detail&id=97AD2209D7DBCBFB7E6A2723D1C8035207FBD5D0&selectedIndex=89
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=amber+fossils+of+insects&qpvt=amber+fossils+of+insects&FORM=IQFRML#vie
w=detail&id=E5FD679226A7AED4C86C1513BAB044F0E4015941&selectedIndex=132
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=amber+fossils+of+insects&qpvt=amber+fossils+of+insects&FORM=IQFRML#vie
w=detail&id=FC942E9641CEF17DC6D4815538AFE178352BD84A&selectedIndex=215
http://www.fossilmall.com/Stonerelic/amber/a54/a54c.jpg
2. As you view, discuss – e.g., What do you see in the amber body fossil? Describe the organisms. Look for legs, wings.
Look at the positions of the insects in relation to one another.
Use “talk partners.” Talk about what the fossil tells us about the life of the insects. Were they flying or crawling insects?
What other organisms lived in the same habitat? What would their habitat have been like? What would have been
required in their habitat for them to survive? Could any of these insects been predator or prey? Did any of them live in
colonies?
3. After doing this a few times, show one of the pictures and have the students work with their talk partner to jot down
information they learn about the organism from the fossil. Use these as a formative assessment.
4. Introduce bee study: Evolution of the bee. Show picture of the oldest bee fossil; discuss its link to wasps
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/10/061025-oldest-bee.html
SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT for FOSSILS: Draw, Label and Describe a Body Fossil
 Imagine that you are living on earth 100,000 years from now and you have come upon
an amber body fossil of a honeybee. Draw a picture that shows what this fossil might
look like. Here is a picture of a bee that you can use to make your own bee picture.
 In your picture of the amber fossil, include other organisms that might be found in the
bee’s habitat and that might have been “fossilized” along with the bee. Label those
other organisms.
 Tell what you think the bee’s life might have been like by using the information or
“data” from the fossil. Where did it live? What plants might have been there, and how
do you know? What were some of the bee’s predators, and how do you know? What
clues are found in your fossil that might tell us how the bee died?
NOTE: Students should develop SUCCESS CRITERIA for this summative assessment.
Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning, and Resilience
Social Interactions and Group Behavior
Biodiversity
LESSON ONE
Learning about Ecosystems
Learning Targets:
I can define “ecosystem.”
I can describe an ecosystem.
Language Targets:
I can draw and label the components of one ecosystem.
Vocabulary: Ecology, organism, population, community, ecosystem
Materials:
Reading selection: “What is an Ecosystem?”
Tools for digging, collection containers for gathering organisms in the ecosystem surrounding the school
Camera
Magnifiers
Science journals
Word wall
Several books for inquiry (see BIOGRAPHY on Ecosystems)
Cards for recording “fun facts”
Labeled boxes for Ecology Wall
Ecology Wall
Procedures:
1. Show short video on definition of an ecosystem. Includes several definitions: organism, population,
community, ecosystem. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdKhQVHc3Ao
Write the new words on cards and post on the Word Wall.
2. Read “What is an Ecosystem?” Turn and talk: With your partner, come up with a definition for
“ecosystem.” (Note: Both you and your partner need to be able to state what an ecosystem is.)
(This is another good resource on ecosystems: http://eschooltoday.com/ecosystems/what-is-an-ecosystem.html)
3. Take a nature walk around the school. Look at the plants and insects. Dig to see what insects are present
there. Take pictures of the plants and trees. You might also collect the insects and plants that are present in
the ecosystem. Look for pollinators, earthworms, etc.
What do students find in the ecosystem? They should note what LIVING and NON-LIVING things are present.
How do the plants contribute to the ecosystem? How do insects contribute to the ecosystem? How do the
birds contribute to the ecosystem?
Look for other ecosystems in this environment. For example, if there is a large rock, look at what is under the
rock.
4. In groups, have students talk about what they found in the ecosystem. Discussion: How do the various
organisms contribute to the ecosystem? Do you have any questions about this ecosystem? Jot down your
questions and ideas.
5. Whole group discussion: Talk about the role of the various animals, plants and insects in the ecosystem.
What would happen if there weren’t any birds? Turn and talk. Make predictions.
What would happen if there weren’t any insects? Turn and talk. Make predictions.
What would happen if there weren’t any plants? Turn and talk. Make predictions.
6. Watch a video on the food chain and how organisms depend on each other:
http://pbskids.org/eekoworld/index.html?load=plants_animals
Were any of your questions answered?
7. Students draw pictures of an ecosystem in their science journal and label them. They should include plants,
animals, and other organisms. Before this activity, have students generate SUCCESS CRITERIA for this activity.
Turn and talk: What should be included in your diagram?
8. Begin an inquiry study. Have several books on various topics about ecosystems. These can be a variety –
books on various habitats, food chains, biomes, etc. (See bibliography attached to this unit.) Give students
time to look through the books and to select a book they would like to read further. Tell students that they
will be contributing to a class ECOLOGY WALL on Ecosystems and Biodiversity that will be in the hall (or
cafeteria or library) so that everyone in the school can see what they are learning. Each day they will be
sharing and contributing one “fun fact” from the book they are reading. Their “fun fact” will be placed in a
labeled box that will later be posted on the chart. Through this activity, they will assume the role of “teacher”
because they will be teaching the other students about what they have learned.
The chart will be divided into five general sections:
 Tundra Biome
 Grasslands Biome
 Aquatic Biome
 Forest Biome
 Desert Biome
These charts will emerge as more information is added. For example, there might emerge a subtopic under
“aquatic biome” that deals with ways animals have adapted in that ecosystem. There might also be a subtopic
on Biodiversity and the dependency of organisms on each other within that biome. Cards should be used for
recording information so that they can be manipulated on the charts as more and more information is added.
9. Give students a few minutes to begin reading and have them jot down one fact that they found interesting
that they would like to share with the class. Collect their cards in boxes.
Assessment:
Check students’ science journals for understanding. Did they include all of the elements in an ecosystem –
plants, animals, non-living things? Did they label the elements? Can they describe their ecosystem?
What is an ecosystem?
SOURCE: Sydenham, S. & Thomas, R. What is an ecosystem? [Online] www.kidcyber.com.au
[2009]
Plants and animals depend on each other to survive. This
connection of living things to each other is called biodiversity.
An ecosystem, short for 'ecological system', includes all the living
organisms existing together in a particular area .
These plants and animals within an area interact with each other
and with the non-living elements of the
area, such as climate, water, soil and so
on.
An ecosystem can be very small, such as
a puddle or an area under a large rock, or it can be vast, such
as an ocean. photograph © Photos.com
The balance of an ecosystem is delicate, and a disruption
such as the introduction of a new element can damage it.
For example, rabbits were introduced into Australia and
upset the ecological balance. Like many small native animals,
rabbits live in burrows and eat plants. They thrived in
Australia and competed for food and living space, which has
resulted in some native animals becoming endangered.
Scientists group ecosystems that are similar. They are
called biomes.
Biomes are large areas of the Earth that have similar
weather, types of plants and animals.
One of Earth's biomes is desert.
Places where a biome overlaps another are
called ecotones. In these transition areas, one type of
plant gradually changes to another kind.
When we talk about the entire ecosystem of the whole planet, we call it the biosphere.
LESSON TWO
Life Cycles
Learning Targets:
I can describe the life cycle of the honey bee.
Language Targets:
I can draw and label the stages of a honey bee’s life cycle.
Vocabulary: Life cycle, metamorphosis, egg, larva, pupa, adult
Materials:
Science journals
Procedures:
1. Tell students that we’re going to be studying about various habitats, and animal life cycles are an important
feature in habitats. For instance, the larvae stages of some insects provide food for other organisms; some are
eaten before they even form a pupa. Also, some larvae even feed on other insects! That is, some larvae eat
plants and are herbivores, while some larva eat insects and are therefore carnivores. This is one way that
ecosystems stay in balance. (http://books.google.com/books?id=Gu_4K7RxR8C&pg=PA14&lpg=PA14&dq=what+animals+eat+insect+larvae&source=bl&ots=Kr4Dln8mAr&sig=GRjXM5HbQSdhbqdh4BDyVm3gT8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=9KHdUfXrAte34AOsi4CADA&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAjge#v=onepage&q=what%20
animals%20eat%20insect%20larvae&f=false)
2. Review the idea of a life cycle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtKALD2LOk0http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtKALD2LOk0
3. Review the lifecycle of insects that go through a complete metamorphosis: egg, larva, pupa, adult.
Honeybees go through these same stages. Their larvae develop inside the honeycomb. Their cells are
“capped” and then they form pupae and later emerge as adult bees.
This video shows the development of the honeybee: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSk_ev1eZec
4. Have students draw and label the life cycle of a honey bee in their science journals.
5. Have students share “fun facts”
Assessment: Students’ drawings of life cycles in their science journals
LESSON THREE
Social Interaction of Organisms
Learning Targets:
Working with my group, I can come up with at least three ways that living in a social group/community can
help an organism to survive.
Language Targets:
I can contribute orally to a group discussion.
I can report orally to the class using a complete sentence. (ELs may benefit from a sentence frame: Living in a
group helps organisms to survive because__________)
Materials:
Paper for notetaking
Station labels, placed around the room: queen bee, drone, undertaker, housekeeper, guard, collector, nurse
Music video
Handout: How Does Living in Communities Help Organisms to Survive?
Anchor chart
Materials for creating their community (backpack kit)
Procedures:
1. Talk about the social behavior of some organisms students might know about. For example, people live in
tribes or communities. Animals may form packs or groups. How does living in a group help animals and other
organisms survive? Bottom up, heads together: Think about the communities you know. What holds a
community together? Come up with at least three ways that being a member of a group might help an animal
to survive. (Students should write these down so you’ll want to assign a group recorder.) Share with the class.
2. Show video on a huge ant colony: http://www.wimp.com/antcolony/
After watching the video, have students talk with a partner about what was interesting and what they learned.
With their talk partner: Talk about what you think would happen to ants if they did NOT live in colonies.
3. Show students videos on how various animals live in communities and how these social systems help them
to survive. As students watch the video, they should record notes on the handout. (Teacher models first.)
Stop video periodically to discuss with talk partners and allow students to record.
Schools and shoals of fish:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uit1eb3ucXc
Elephant herds:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfH3_kJv3MM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oS3Q1bH-u4w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP6_S5yTaN8
Flocks of birds:
Read information on bird flocks and V-shaped formations
Video of flocks of birds flying in slow motion
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kom-UXuGTnM
Video of geese flying in V-formation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q40h8dPmgwQ
Review together: Students orally report one thing on their paper using complete sentences (see language
target).
4. Tell students you are going to be studying about honey bees. Honey bees are interesting because they
have developed a highly sophisticated social system. This website talks about the various jobs that bees have
in the hive: http://www.bandghoneyfarm.com/Queens.html
Tell students to think about the kind of bee they would like to be if they were a honey bee. They should take
notes as you read so they can decide.
Talk partner: Talk with your partner about what job you would want if you were a bee. Put different
“stations” around the room: Queen bee, drone, undertaker bee, housekeeper, guard bee, collector bee, nurse
bee. Students should be able to tell WHAT bee they would choose, and give a reason WHY.
5. Put on music. As the music plays, students should go to their chosen station. In their station, they should
discuss WHY they chose that station. Randomly call on students to tell why they chose to be that type of bee.
6. Class discussion: Look at the numbers of bees who have selected the different roles. Would this colony
survive? Why or why not?
7. Connect to math. What fraction of the set is queen bee, nurse bee, etc.? Use different colored cubes for
each bee role.
8. Connect to social studies: Communities (Example: Roanoke did not survive. Share examples of
communities in which its members did not survive. Native American tribes survived because they were able to
adapt to their environment.)
9. Show video on forager (collector) bees and how scientists have shown they help other bees to locate flowers.
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=evolution+of+the+bee+video&view=detail&mid=81E131D5D42540E989EB81E1
31D5D42540E989EB&first=13&FORM=NVPFVR
10. Humanities connection: Do the bee waggle dance; link to roles of bees
11. Begin anchor chart on social systems: How living in a group can help organisms to survive. Students
contribute to the chart based on what they’ve learned thus far.
Home connection or class project:
Make up an organism of your choice. (Create a make-believe organism. It can be an animal, bird, insect, or
fish.) Create a community/colony of your organism. Tell why you think your organisms would survive within
this social system. THIS CAN BE DONE AS A BACKPACK KIT that students take home to create their community.
(Teacher could model by creating his/her own community and journaling.)
Assessment: Students’ created organisms/community
Advantages of Bird Flocks
Birds do not engage in any behavior that does not bring them a benefit for
survival in some way. There are many advantages to flocking, including:

Foraging: Birds often form flocks while foraging, which allows many birds to
take advantage of the same food supplies. Feeding in a group also gives more
birds the opportunity to find food that one bird has already located. Foraging
flocks are often comprised of mixed species that may feed on similar foods
but in non-competing ways, such as chickadees that glean insects from leaves
flocking with nuthatches that glean the same insects from bark.

Protection: A larger group of birds has a better chance of spotting a predator
or another potential threat than a single bird has. Furthermore, a group of
birds may be able to confuse or overwhelm a predator through mobbing or
agile flight, and staying in a flock also presents a predator with more possible
targets, which lowers the danger for any single bird.

Mating: Some bird species, most notably game birds, form mating flocks in
areas called leks where males will show off their breeding plumage
and courtship behavior in an attempt to attract a mate. By performing in a
flock, these birds make themselves more visible to a greater number of
females, increasing their chances of a successful mating.

Raising Families: Different types of birds form communal flocks on nesting
grounds called rookeries. In a rookery, while each nest is individually tended
by parent birds caring for their young, the full group of birds can take
advantage of flock benefits against predators to care for their vulnerable
chicks. Birds that do not use rookeries may still form family flocks, and
juvenile birds from a first brood may help contribute to raising their lateseason siblings.

Aerodynamics: When birds fly in flocks, they often arrange themselves in
specific shapes or formations. Those formations take advantage of the
changing wind patterns based on the number of birds in the flock and how
each bird's wings create different currents. This allows flying birds to use the
surrounding air in the most energy efficient way.
SOURCE: http://soundofheart.org/galacticfreepress/content/why-birds-flock
Why do geese fly in a V-formation?
Scientists have determined that the V-shaped formation that geese use when migrating serves two
important purposes:
First, it conserves their energy. Each bird flies slightly above the bird in front of him, resulting in a
reduction of wind resistance. The birds take turns being in the front, falling back when they get tired.
In fact, a flock of geese can fly 70 percent farther by adopting the V shape rather than flying in
isolation.
The second benefit to the V formation is that each bird has an unobstructed field of vision, allowing
flock members to see each other and communicate while in flight. Fighter pilots often use this
formation for the same reason.
SOURCE: http://lansingwbu.blogspot.com/2008/10/why-do-geese-fly-in-v-formation.html
How Does Living in a Community Help Organisms to Survive?
Name of Organism
and Community
Fish - Schools
Elephants - Herds
Birds - Flocks
One thing this organism needs to survive
How living in a community helps this
organism
Honey Bee Hives
Honey Bees live in a nest, called a “hive.” A single hive can have up to 80,000 bees, mostly
workers. It is usually located in a hollow tree.
The hive is ruled over by a queen bee. She is the largest bee in the hive, and she is the only
female to mate. Males usually just hang around; their only purpose is to mate with the queen.
Then they die. The workers do all of the work inside and outside of the hive. Their jobs
include: caring for larvae (baby bees), making wax, building honeycomb, cleaning up the hive,
storing pollen, making honey, guarding the hive, collecting pollen and nectar.
Honeycomb is layers of wax cells (little rooms) made into a hexagonal (six-sided) shape. The
queen will lay eggs in the cells and Honey Bee babies, called, larvae, will hatch. Larvae will
eventually pupate (make a cocoon in their cells), and hatch out as adult bees.
Honey Bees eat nectar and pollen from flowers. Nectar is the liquid in a flower, and pollen is a
powdery substance which must be transferred from one flower to another to make more flowers.
Larvae eat honey.
Source: http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/honey_bee.htm
Honey Bees live in a nest, called a "hive." A single hive can have up to 80,000 bees, mostly
workers. It is usually located in a hollow tree
LESSON FOUR
Biodiversity: Food Chains
Learning Targets:
I can describe at least one food chain.
Language Targets:
I can draw a food chain in my science journal and tell about it orally, using the terms “producer, consumer, and
decomposer.”
I can discuss with my group and make predictions about what happens if a food chain is disrupted.
Vocabulary: food chain, producer, consumer, decomposer
Materials:
The Balance of Nature handout
Word Wall
Science Journals
Whiteboards
Labeled boxes for Ecology Wall
Ecology Wall
Procedures:
1. Tell students that nature is a delicate balance. As we’ve learned, organisms in nature depend on each other for
survival. If one organism disappears then that can affect all of the other organisms in the food chain.
2. Read about food chains (Balance of Nature handout). As you read, put the vocabulary words on the word wall.
Students should write the words and definitions in their science journals.
3. Work with a partner. Draw and label one example of a food chain on a whiteboard (or paper). Labels should include
the name of the organism and whether they are a producer, consumer, or decomposer. Your food chain should have all
three. Be prepared to share your food chain with others at your table. (Teacher models by drawing one.)
4. Students share their food chains with others at their table. Choose a few to share with whole group. Students should
be able to use the terms “producers, consumers, decomposers”.
5. Next, have students cover up one of the organisms on their whiteboards to indicate that this organism has
disappeared. Make a prediction on what would happen to the food chain. Would the other organisms be able to
survive? Discuss with their group. Continue to do this a couple of times to show that biodiversity can help animals
survive. That is, when one organism disappears animals can still eat and get energy from other producers etc. When all
of the possible sources of energy disappear, however, the organism will die.
6. Next, have students introduce other organisms into their food chain. For example, if they show a rabbit eating a
carrot, introduce other animals or insects that would eat the carrot. What happens to the food chain? (Teacher models
first.)
7. Continue the discussion, taking it to the next level. What would happen if there were a limited number of producers?
For example, if several of the plants died out that other animals depend on for food, what would happen to the food
chain? Have a conversation: bottoms up, heads together.
8. Continue the discussion: What can affect the producers? Weather; fire; insects; pollinators. Revisit our study of
fossils. Some of the organisms adapted while others became extinct (like dinosaurs). Help students understand that
there could have been a variety of reasons for this. Changes in their ecosystem could have led to their extinction.
9. Continue with “fun facts” sharing. Students share a fact they found interesting and place it in the appropriate box to
include on the Ecology Wall.
Assessment: Students’ food chain diagrams; anecdotal notes during small group discussion
THE BALANCE OF NATURE
(The facts contained on this page come from What Your 3rd Grader Needs to Know by E.D. Hirsch. Third Grade, Ecology, Habitats,
and Food Chains 2005 Colorado Unit Writing Project 26 Appendix D, page 3.)
http://www.coreknowledge.org/mimik/mimik_uploads/lesson_plans/1294/3_EcologyHabitatsandFoodChains.pdf
In order to stay healthy, nature has to stay in balance. Nature would be unhealthy
if only one kind of creature lived in it. For example, if suddenly there were only
animals in the world and not plants, the plant-eating animals would start to die
because they would have nothing to eat. Soon those animals that would normally
eat the plant-eating animals would have nothing to eat and they would die, too.
There would quickly be no living creatures at all. For nature to stay healthy, no one
part can be allowed to disappear and make nature lose its balance.
But nature is always changing. So how does it keep in balance? The balance in
nature depends on three groups of creatures that form a circular chain that goes
around and around. One group is called producers, another is called consumers,
and the third is called decomposers. The producers are plants that make their own
food. The consumers are animals that eat it. When the plants and animals die,
the decomposers are bacteria and fungi that turn the dead matter into material
that will be used by the producers and the cycle begins again. The food chain
cycles over and over and over again and keeps nature in balance.
Here’s how it works. Plants are producers. They capture energy from sunlight and
use it, as well as chemicals from the air and soil to make food. Animals do not
produce their own food from light and chemicals. They have to eat either plants or
other animals that have already eaten plants. The energy and chemicals from the
plants pass on to the animals. Because animals eat or consume living things, we
call them consumers.
Finally, when plants and animals die, they provide food for another group, bacteria
and fungi. Bacteria and fungi are called decomposers because they decompose (or
break up) the dead animal or plant and turn it back into the chemicals that the
plant uses in the first place. When the chemicals go back into the soil and the air,
the plants start the cycle again! This cycle just keeps going and going.
In a food chain, one thing provides food for another. Study this example of a food
chain.
The carrot grows in the ground.
The carrot becomes food for the rabbit.
The rabbit becomes food for the snake.
The snake becomes food for the hawk.
When the hawk dies, the decomposers work to turn it into soil nutrients that feed
the plants. The cycle begins again.
http://www.coreknowledge.org/mimik/mimik_uploads/lesson_plans/1294/3_EcologyHabitatsandFoodChains.pdf
LESSON FIVE
The Importance of Biodiversity
Learning Targets:
I can define “biodiversity.”
I can tell give several human and non-human causes that affect ecosystems, and tell how the ecosystem might be
affected.
Language Targets:
I can discuss with my group and make a list of what can affect the biodiversity of an ecosystem.
Vocabulary: Biodiversity
Materials:
Students’ science journals
Information on Japanese Beetle
Large cards with labels for biodiversity scenarios (perhaps use reusable nametags)
Procedures:
1. With a partner, come up with a definition for “biodiversity.” Think about the meaning of “diversity.” What would
“biodiversity” mean? Write on word wall; students write in science journals.
2. View a video on biodiversity.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZJJWYGIb44&list=PL33B5BB9D38B89450http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZJJ
WYGIb44&list=PL33B5BB9D38B89450
3. Bottom up, heads together: What can affect the biodiversity of an ecosystem? Think about what we’ve learned so far
about ecosystems and food chains. Think about the life cycle of various organisms and what can lead to their death.
Think about how humans affect ecosystems. Make predictions.
4. Introduce the various biodiversity scenarios.
5. After acting out the scenarios, students return to their small groups. Have them write down at least causes for
ecosystem change, and tell how the biodiversity of the ecosystem is affected. Compare with their predictions. Share.
6. Ecosystems are also affected when new species are introduced. Share information on the Japanese Beetle as an
example of how adding a new species to an ecosystem can affect it. What would help us control the Japanese Beetle?
Introducing more species into the same ecosystem would help maintain balance. There needs to be more organisms in
the food chain to control the beetle (e.g., starlings, tiphia wasps etc.). So humans can actually increase the biodiversity
in a particular area. But also recognize that adding more organisms (increasing the biodiversity) can also affect other
species living there. For instance, starlings also eat fruits and vegetables so while you might get rid of the Japanese
beetles, they might do even more damage to your fruit. They also compete with cavity-nesting birds for nests in trees so
those bird populations will decline. (http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/starlings.html#health) This is the problem that occurs
when humans try to control biodiversity.
7. Learn the “Biodiversity Rap”:
http://srel.uga.edu/kidsdoscience/games/biodiversity-rap.pdf http://srel.uga.edu/kidsdoscience/games/biodiversityrap.pdf
8. End with video showing pictures of biodiversity of our planet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksn4QY8pDj4
Assessment: Students’ written notations on what affects biodiversity
BIODIVERSITY SCENARIOS
Introduce various negative factors into the ecosystem. Discuss the results.
A. Air pollution (acid rain)
Assign several roles to students:
6-8 trees and plants: cherry trees, blueberry bushes, flowers
6-8 birds
2-4 pollinators (honey bees)
6-8 decomposers (bacteria found in soil)
2 rabbits
1 hawk
What are the effects of air pollution?
Acidification:
Chemical reactions involving air pollutants can create acidic compounds which can cause harm to
vegetation and buildings. Sometimes, when an air pollutant, such as sulfuric acid combines with the
water droplets that make up clouds, the water droplets become acidic, forming acid rain. When acid
rain falls over an area, it can kill trees and harm animals, fish, and other wildlife.
Acid rain destroys the leaves of plants.
When acid rain infiltrates into soils, it changes the chemistry of the soil making it unfit for many
living things that rely on soil as a habitat or for nutrition. Acid rain also changes the chemistry of the
lakes and streams that the rainwater flows into, harming fish and other aquatic life.
Source: http://eschooltoday.com/pollution/air-pollution/effects-of-air-pollution.html


Have half of the plants and half of the decomposers sit down. They are no longer a part of the habitat. They
have died as a result of air pollution.
Have half of the birds sit down. Their food source has been reduced because the plants and insects they depend
on for food (insects, fruit trees, berries) are less plentiful. Thus, their population is eventually reduced.



Have half the rabbits sit down. They eat flowers and the bark of fruit trees and these producers been reduced,
so the rabbit population has more difficulty surviving.
Have ¼ of the bees sit down. Some of the bees do not survive because their food source has been compromised.
They still have plants to pollinate but they do not have much variety in their food and therefore the hive is not as
healthy.
The hawk remains standing because there are still other small animals that he can eat to survive.
DISCUSS: What has happened to the habitat?
B. Flooding
Assign several roles to students:
6-8 fish
6-8 vegetable plants
2 deer
8 mosquitos (begin with 4 and add 4 more)




Have half of the fish sit down. The pesticides and chemicals carried by the flood waters have killed the fish in
that particular area.
Have the deer sit down. Their homes have been flooded so they need to relocate.
Have half of the vegetable plants sit down. The flood water has carried fertile soil downstream, which has aided
in the germination of seeds in that area but has depleted the topsoil upstream.
Add more mosquitos. The pools of water created by flooding has increased their breeding ground.
Discuss: What happened to the habitat?
C. Construction of a large road through a forest
Assign several roles to students:
2-4 deer
2-4 black bears
2-4 foxes
6-8 trees
3-6 squirrels





Have half of the trees sit down. They were cut down to make the road.
Have half of the deer sit down. They are hit by cars and trucks and do not survive.
Have half of the black bears sit down. They cannot cross the road because of guard rails and therefore have
limited access to food and water.
Have half of the squirrels sit down. Some have been killed trying to cross the road, and some have lost their
nesting sites and food because trees have been cut down.
Have half of the foxes sit down. As pups, half of them were killed by cars and trucks.
Discuss: What happened to the habitat?
D. Pesticide Use
Assign several roles to students:
2-3 vegetable plants
2-3 fruit trees
4-6 grasshoppers
4-6 dragonflies
4-6 birds
4-6 fish
4-6 bees
4-6 owls







Have nearly all of the vegetable plants and fruit trees remain. Pesticides have helped to keep away harmful
insects. At the same time, though, pesticides have impacted their pollinators, like bees, so this might ultimately
result in less fruit (and therefore, fewer seeds).
Have 1/2 of the bees sit down. In pollinating the plants, they ingest the pesticides. Some of them die from
toxicity – the pesticides have poisoned them. For others, the pesticides cause them to have “orientation
disorder” and they can’t find their way back to the hive. Thus, ultimately the whole hive suffers because the
worker bees are unable to feed the developing bees in the hive.
Have all but one of the grasshoppers sit down. Most have been killed by the pesticides.
Have all but one of the dragonflies sit down. While they are not destructive insects like grasshoppers, they have
been killed by pesticides.
Have 1/3 of the birds sit down. They eat the insects that have been killed by pesticides and therefore some of
their food has been lost.
Have 1/3 of the fish sit down. The toxins from the pesticides have gotten into the water table and have made
their way into the streams.
Have all of the owls sit down. They are near the top of the food chain and therefore they’ve ingested toxins
from the small animals that eat grasshoppers along with the toxins from the grasshoppers. They cannot survive
the toxins.
Discuss: What happened to the habitat?
When there is a small amount of pesticide in the environment, it will enter the bodies
of the animals that are low in the food chain - grasshoppers
2. Even though there is only a small amount of the toxin in each grasshopper, the
shrews will receive a larger amount of the toxin in its body because the shrew will
eat many grasshoppers.
3. When the secondary consumer is eaten (shrews), the higher-level predator, the
owl will get all of its toxins, plus those of all the other prey it eats.
This means that the higher the trophic level, the greater the concentration of toxins.
This process is referred to as Bioamplification.
Therefore the top carnivore which has the higher trophic level which is the owl, will be
the most badly affected as it will obtain the most concentrated toxins.
This will lead to a decline of the population of owls because a lot of owls will be poisoned
and dead. If there would be a decline of the owls, there would be a dramatic increase of
the population of shrews as there would not be many predators, and if this happens
there will be a decrease in the population of grasshoppers as they will be more predators
(shrews) to eat them.
All of this comes to a final conclusion about pesticides:
1. Pesticides damage ecosystems
2. Pesticides may damage or harm un-targeted animals
3. Pesticides decrease biodiversity
4. Pesticides may cause a decline in populations or even cause extinction of
species
5. Pesticides “mess up” food chains/webs
6. Pesticides disrupt the natural balance in ecosystems
SOURCE: http://farhanwarsi.tripod.com/id9.html
JAPANESE BEETLES IN THE URBAN LANDSCAPE
http://www2.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef451.asp
by M.F. Potter, D.A. Potter, and L.H. Townsend, Extension Entomologists
University of Kentucky College of Agriculture
The Japanese beetle is probably the most devastating pest of urban landscape plants in
the eastern United States. Japanese beetles were first found in this country in 1916, after
being accidentally introduced into New Jersey. Until that time, this insect was known to
occur only in Japan where it is not a major pest.
The eastern US provided a favorable climate, large areas of turf and pasture grass for
developing grubs, hundreds of species of plants on which adults could feed, and no
effective natural enemies. The beetle thrived under these conditions and has steadily
expanded its geographic range north to Ontario and Minnesota, west to Iowa, Missouri
and Arkansas, and south to Georgia and Alabama.
The first Japanese beetles discovered in Kentucky were found on the southern outskirts of
Louisville in 1937. Isolated infestations were treated with insecticides to delay spread of
the beetle. During the 1950s and 1960s, beetle populations increased dramatically and
spread in Kentucky and surrounding states. Today, the Japanese beetle infests all of the
counties in Kentucky.
http://www2.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef451.asp
Japanese beetles feed on about 300 species of plants, devouring leaves, flowers, and
overripe or wounded fruit. They usually feed in groups, starting at the top of a plant and
working downward. The beetles are most active on warm, sunny days, and prefer plants
that are in direct sunlight. A single beetle does not eat much; it is group feeding by many
beetles that results in severe damage.
Life Cycle
Egg laying begins soon after the adults emerge from the ground and mate. Females leave
plants in the afternoon, burrow 2 to 3 inches into the soil in a suitable area, and lay their
eggs--a total of 40 to 60 during their life. The developing beetles spend the next 10
months in the soil as white grubs. The grubs grow quickly and by late August are almost
full-sized (about 1 inch long). Grubs feed on the roots of turfgrasses and vegetable
seedlings, doing best in good quality turf in home lawns, golf courses, parks, and
cemeteries. However, they can survive in almost any soil in which plants can live.
Life Cycle
Egg laying begins soon after the adults emerge from the ground and mate. Females leave
plants in the afternoon, burrow 2 to 3 inches into the soil in a suitable area, and lay their
eggs--a total of 40 to 60 during their life. The developing beetles spend the next 10
months in the soil as white grubs. The grubs grow quickly and by late August are almost
full-sized (about 1 inch long). Grubs feed on the roots of turfgrasses and vegetable
seedlings, doing best in good quality turf in home lawns, golf courses, parks, and
cemeteries. However, they can survive in almost any soil in which plants can live.
As Japanese beetle grubs chew off grass roots, they reduce the ability of grass to take up
enough water to withstand the stresses of hot, dry weather. As a result, large dead
patches develop in the grub-infested areas. The damaged sod is not well-anchored and
can be rolled back like a carpet to expose the grubs. If the damage is allowed to develop
to this stage, it may be too late to save the turf. Early recognition of the problem can
prevent this destruction.
Natural predators of the beetle are the anchor bug and the blue-winged wasp.
It is not very destructive in Japan, where it is controlled by natural predators.
Birds

Many birds will feed on beetle grubs (larvae), and some will attack adult beetles, as well. You can attract
insectivorous birds to your yard by putting out birdbaths, nest boxes and feeders, and by turning the soil
in late summer or early autumn to expose the grubs. Starlings are the best-known beetle killers; they eat
both the grubs and the adult Japanese beetle. Blackbirds, crows, grackles, robins, cardinals, catbirds,
sparrows, bobwhites, blue jays, eastern kingbirds, woodpeckers and purple martins also eat beetle grubs,
possibly taking adult beetles, as well. Pet chickens and guinea fowl will also eat Japanese beetles.
Mammals

Moles, skunks, raccoons and shrews will feed on Japanese beetle grubs. Unfortunately, they may dig up
your yard to do so.
Insects

Ants, spiders and other predatory insects eat beetle eggs in the soil even before they hatch. Assassin bugs ,
spined soldier bugs, ground beetles, wheel bugs and the larvae of tachinid flies attack the grubs in the soil.
You can buy a bucketful of "beneficial nematodes" to add to your soil. Imported from China specifically to
control Japanese beetles in the United States, the spring tiphia wasp burrows into the soil to lay its eggs on
top of Japanese beetle grubs. The eggs hatch, and the wasps eat the beetle grubs. Likewise, Istocheta
aldrichi, a tachinid fly, locates small beetles and glues its eggs on them. These look like common
houseflies, but nearly always remain outdoors and feed on nectar and pollen.
http://www.ehow.com/list_5955700_natural-predators-japanese-beetles.html
Read more: http://www.ehow.com/list_5955700_natural-predators-japanese-beetles.html#ixzz2YUyVcMKm
LESSON SIX: Ecosystem Dynamics
Learning Targets:
I can talk about the role of pollinators and their importance to humans.
Language Targets:
I can write about the role of pollinators in my science journal.
Materials:
Copies of role play simulations
Class chart on fruits, vegetables, and pollinators
Name of fruit or vegetable
Pollinators
How essential is pollination?
Procedures:
1. Show a brief video on pollinators. Without pollinators, fruit will not grow.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9gvZdPGC0Y
Discuss. Note that different insects are needed for pollination because some insects are too large to pollinate small
flowers. This is part of BIODIVERSITY.
2. Simulation Role Play: Have children act out the following scenes.
3. With partners or in a small group: Have students list what fruits they particularly enjoy. Whole group: Research
whether those fruits would be effected if honey bees no longer pollinated them. Start a class chart on pollinators of
different fruits and vegetables. Note that for some fruits and vegetables, pollination is essential.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_crop_plants_pollinated_by_bees
4. Bottom up, heads together: Students have a small group discussion about what they learned about pollinators. How
do pollinators help humans? This is followed by writing in science journals.
Home assignment:
Find out about the favorite fruits and vegetables of your family. In class the next day, revisit the website above. Add to
the chart.
Assessment: Students’ science journal responses
Biodiversity: Role Play
SCENE ONE (Narrator, Farmer, Extension Agent)
Narrator: A farmer is working in his apple orchard. He notices that there aren’t any apples on his apple trees. He starts
to get worried.
Farmer: I wonder why there aren’t any apples on these trees. This has never happened before! If I don’t get any apples
this year I won’t have any to sell, and my family will go hungry.
Narrator: So the farmer decides to find out. He gets in his truck and heads to the local Agricultural Extension Agency.
Agent: Hello Mr. Farmer. How can I help you today?
Farmer: I’ve been looking at my apple trees, and there aren’t any young apples. There were lots of blooms on the trees,
but I don’t seem to be getting any apples.
Agent: Yes, we’ve had a lot of farmers around here come to us with the same problem. I’m sorry to say that I think we
know what’s happening, and it’s not good.
Farmer: Really? So what’s going on?
Agent: It seems that the honey bees around here are declining. Without honey bees to pollinate the apple trees, they
won’t bear fruit.
Farmer: That’s really horrible news. What can we do?
Agent: There are a lot of things that are killing the bees. All I can tell you right now is to start planting crops that don’t
depend upon the honey bee for pollination.
Farmer: Well, that won’t help me this year, but maybe I’ll plant a fall cabbage crop so at least my family won’t go hungry
this winter.
Agent: Probably a good idea.
Narrator: So the farmer gets back in his truck and drives away very sad.
SCENE TWO (Narrator, Mother, Two Children, Store Keeper)
Narrator: A mother and her children are walking down the aisles of the food store.
Child one: I want some apples!
Child two: Me too! I love apples!
Mother: Well, they used to be here next to the grapes. But I don’t see them. Maybe they’ve moved them to a different
part of the store. (They continue walking around the store.)
Mother: Hmm . . . I still don’t see any apples. Let me ask this gentleman who works here. (To Storekeeper) Sir, do you
have any apples? We can’t seem to find them.
Storekeeper: No ma’am. So sorry. The farmers around here aren’t producing too many apples this year.
Mother: My goodness, why not? We’ve always had lots of apples!
Storekeeper: Well it seems that there just aren’t many apples this year.
Child one: That’s bad news! I love apples!
Child two: Me too! And you know what they say – An apple a day keeps the doctor away!
Storekeeper: Yep, that’s true. Apples are really good for you.
Mother: So what’s happened to the apples?
Storekeeper: From what I hear, there aren’t many bees around anymore. When bees don’t pollinate the apple trees,
they don’t make apples.
Mother: Well, that’s pretty scary. So if all of the bees die off, we might not have any apples. Hey, we wouldn’t have any
applesauce either! Or apple butter! Or apple fritters! Or any other food made with apples. Wow. I wonder what other
foods bees pollinate?
Storekeeper: I’m not sure, but if the bees don’t survive, we’ll probably find out.
Mother: Well, I’m going to go to the schools around here to teach the children about this problem. Maybe they can do
something. People will usually listen to kids.
SCENE THREE (Mother, Teacher, Three Children)
Teacher: Thanks for coming Ms. Sanchez. It’s always nice to see you. I’m really glad that you’ve come to talk to the
children about honey bees.
Mother: Thanks for having me.
Teacher: Class, please give your attention to Ms. Sanchez. She is here to talk to you about a problem that’s affecting us
all.
Mother: How many of you like salsa? Do you like it hot? Do you know that honey bees pollinate the pepper plants that
we use to make salsa? That means that they take pollen from one plant to another, and when they do that, the plants
can make fruit. If plants aren’t pollinated, they don’t make fruit. Bees also pollinate a lot of our fruit, like apples,
strawberries, mangos, apricots and cherries. And they pollinate vegetables too, like beans, carrots and cucumbers. Do
you know that more than 100 of our crops are pollinated by bees?
Child one: Wow! That’s a lot of fruits and vegetables! I didn’t know that bees did all that.
Mother: Unfortunately the bee population is declining. I was in the store the other day with my children, and we
couldn’t find any apples. The storekeeper told me that’s because there aren’t many bees left around here.
Child two: That’s scary.
Mother: I think it’s scary too. I don’t want to live in a world where we can’t eat some of the foods I’ve eaten all my life.
Honey bees also make honey, and I love honey! Sometimes I use it to make honey wheat bread.
Child three: My grandma makes that for Thanksgiving!
Child one: My mom puts honey in her tea.
Child two: I saw pictures of a honey comb. It’s pretty cool.
Mother: I think so too. In fact I think honey bees are pretty amazing creatures. Their colonies are really interesting.
They all work together to make honey, and when they gather the nectar to make honey and go from flower to flower,
they pollinate the crops.
Child one: I read they even do this little dance to tell the other bees where the flowers are.
Child two: I think that’s really neat.
Child three: Yeah, but I got stung once.
Mother: Bees only sting when they feel threatened. I’ve been around a lot of bees when they’ve been in my flowers
and I’ve never been stung. I just don’t pick the flowers when they’re working.
Teacher: So I asked Ms. Sanchez to come in here to talk to you about helping to save the honey bees. Would you like to
try to figure out a way to do that?
Children (all together): Yes! Let’s do it!
HOW ORGANISMS SURVIVE:
Adaptations
LESSON ONE
Survival Adaptations
Learning Targets
I can list and describe at least three ways that animals have adapted to their environment.
Language Targets
With the help of a partner, I can make a written list with descriptions.
Materials
Materials for adaptations game
Various videos (see below)
Handout on adaptations
Chart: Adaptations
Word Wall
Animal pictures
Procedures
1. To introduce the idea of adaptations, play an adaptations game.
(http://www.discoverycenter.org/curriculum/items/Ecology3.pdf)
Materials:
30 green paper squares
15 white paper squares
Box marked “Green Insects” containing 24 “Survivor” cards and 8 “Eaten by Birds” cards
Box marked “White Insects” containing 24 “Eaten by Birds” cards and 8 “Survivor” cards
Skulls from various animals, such as a fox, deer, pocket mouse, and beaver
Activity:
1. Give each member of half of the class a green paper square and each member of the other half a white paper
square. Tell the students that they are insects in a pasture.
2. In two boxes marked “Green Insects” and “White Insects,” place cards on which you have written “Eaten by
Birds” or “Survivor.” (For green insects there should be a ratio of three “Survivor” cards for each “Eaten by
Birds” card. The ratio of cards for the white insects should be three “Eaten by Birds” cards for each “Survivor”
card.)
3. Mix the cards thoroughly in each box, and permit each “insect” to draw a card from the appropriate box.
Record the number of surviving insects of each color on a chart on the chalkboard.
4. Now redistribute “Green Insect” and “White Insect” squares to the entire class in the same ratio of green to
white survivors; that is, give out three “Green” Insect” squares for each “White Insect” square.
5. Reshuffle the “Survivor” and “Eaten by Birds” cards. These should remain in the same ratio. Again, permit
the children to draw a card from the appropriate box. Record the number of survivors of the second generation.
6. Continue the game until the last “White Insect” has been “Eaten by Birds.”
Discussion:
Discuss the results of the game by asking the following question: “Why did the white insects get eaten more
often than the green insects?” Guide students to understand that this activity demonstrates adaptation. Tell them
that when the population of green and white insects in the pasture change so that the majority of the insects are
green, adaptation has taken place. The insects are now, by coloration, better able to survive in their
environment. Adaptation will produce tall deer in deep snow belts and long-rooted plants in dry climates. Stress
to the students that adaptation is not planned and carried out by animals and plants. It occurs because the
environment places a stress upon the species. The individuals whose characteristics enable them
to meet this stress survive.
Ask the following questions:
• “What happens to animals or plants that are not well adapted to their environment?”
• “In what environment would a white insect survive best?”
• “How do spots on a leopard and the stripes on a tiger help them to survive?”
Discuss with the students various animals and plants whose physical features make them well suited to their
environment. This includes animals that are camouflaged to their habitat, animals that have features to survive
in their climate, and animals with features that allow them to get food and defend themselves. For example,
elephant—trunk; shark—sense of smell; giraffe— neck; lion—color and claws; hunting dogs—ears; polar
bear—coat, color, and claws; skunk—
smell; kangaroo—hind legs; animals that are brightly colored to indicate that they are poisonous)
2. Show videos on adaptations:
http://studyjams.scholastic.com/studyjams/jams/science/animals/animal-adaptations.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsDJ3JrnpOI
These videos show some ways that animals have adapted to their environments.
http://www.watchknowlearn.org/Video.aspx?VideoID=49474&CategoryID=2855
http://www.teachersdomain.org/asset/tdc02_vid_disguise/
3. Bottom Up, Heads Together: List some adaptations that animals have developed that help them to survive. Begin a
class chart of animal’s adaptations.
4. Read about the various adaptations that organisms have used to survive.
5. Partner Work: Give each pair of students pictures of various animals. Have students list the adaptations that help
them to survive and tell how they help them survive.
6. Sing the Adaptation Rap:
http://www.watchknowlearn.org/Video.aspx?VideoID=24712&CategoryID=2855
7. Add to Word Wall: ADAPTATION, SURVIVE (adaptación; sobrevivir)
Assessment
Students’ lists of animal adaptations: Were they able to list at least three ways that animals adapt to their
environments? Were they able to tell how they help them to survive?
Adaptations
Adaptations are any behavioral or physical characteristics of an animal that help it to survive in its environment.
These characteristics fall into three main categories: body parts, body coverings, and behaviors. Any or all of
these types of adaptations play a critical role in the survival of an animal. Adaptations can be either physical or
behavioral. A physical adaptation is some type of structural modification made to a part of the body. A
behavioral adaptation is something an animal does – how it acts - usually in response to some type of external
stimulus. When you look at an animal, you usually can see some of its adaptations -- like what it is able to eat,
how it moves, or how it may protect itself. Different animals have many different ways of trying to stay alive.
Their adaptations are matched to their way of surviving. Each group of animals has its own general adaptations.
These groups are: fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Some of these adaptations make it easy to
identify which group an animal belongs to. A good example of an animal adaptation is the way in which an
animal moves from one place to another.
Animals have evolved their adaptations. This means a long period of slow change resulted in an
animal's adaptation(s). The spots on the snow leopard, for example, did not emerge overnight.
Instead, this process took generation upon generation of snow leopards physically adapting to their environment
for characteristic spot patterns to evolve. Those snow leopards with spot patterns were able to hide more
successfully, therefore surviving longer than those without spots. This allowed the longer surviving snow
leopards to reproduce and create more snow leopards with spot patterns like their own. Indeed, this process of
change over time is the key to how many organisms develop adaptations. Some adaptations can arise quickly
through genetic mutations; these mutations also may be deadly.
In the sections that follow, different types of distinctly visible adaptations and their importance will be
discussed. Since behavioral adaptations are far more difficult to observe, these will not be discussed. However,
the visible adaptations mentioned are easy to recognize on most animals at the Zoo and should be of special
interest to children.
Body Parts
Many animals have developed specific parts of the body adapted to survival in a certain environment. Among
them are webbed feet, sharp claws, whiskers, sharp teeth, large beaks, wings, and hooves.
Webbed Feet
In most aquatic animals, swimming is a must. To aid swimming, many animals have adapted and evolved with
webbed feet. Webbed feet help animals propel themselves through the water with ease. This can help the animal
swim faster to catch prey or escape a predator. Also, if an animal has to swim long distances, webbed feet can
help it save energy so it can swim farther. One animal that can be observed at the Zoo with webbed feet is the
rockhopper penguin. Other animals with slightly webbed feet: the polar bear and otter.
Sharp Claws
Many land and sea animals alike have developed sharp claws. Sharp claws can be used for many
different purposes. For instance, many herbivores use their sharp claws for digging for berries, roots, and herbs
or burrowing for shelter. Animals that eat meat may use their claws for killing their prey or tearing meat from
their kills. Also, claws can be used to increase traction to run faster, as in the case of the cheetah. Other times,
sharp claws have evolved for use in defense. For some animals, showing of claws is enough warning for their
predators or competitors to back off. There are many animals at the Milwaukee County Zoo with sharp claws,
including many of the bears and felines, as well as aquatic animals like the California sea lion.
Whiskers
Although not usually thought of as an adaptation, whiskers serve an important purpose for many animals. In
most cases, whiskers around the face, specifically the mouth area, help the animal feel its way through tight
spots. In a way, they serve as "feelers," telling the animal whether or not it can fit into a specific area. One
example is that of the North American river otter, which can use its whiskers both on land and in water. On
land, they are used to feel their way through narrow channels, with a similar purpose for the whiskers under
water. They are also useful to sense prey.
Sharp Teeth
One of the most visible adaptations on many animals, sharp teeth help an animal eat meat.
Found primarily on meat-eating animals, or carnivores, sharp teeth are used mainly for the tearing and chewing
of an animal's prey. Rather than developing the dull teeth of plant-eaters, or herbivores, carnivores rely on their
sharp teeth to allow them to eat and survive. Sharp teeth can serve another purpose: defense. In some animals,
bearing a large set of sharp teeth can show power or fear. The Milwaukee County Zoo features many animals
with sharp teeth. Unfortunately, it is often difficult to see this distinctive feature. Some animals that we suggest
you watch are the snow leopard, cheetah, African lion, mandrill and lowland gorilla.
Large Beaks
Just as in the case of sharp teeth, large beaks are often an adaptation used to help an animal eat. However, large
(and often sharp) beaks can be a feature of both carnivores and herbivores. For instance, the large beak of the
macaw has been adapted to help it crack open large nuts to reach the sweet fruit and pulp inside. On other birds
however, the large beak is used to tear meat, as in the case of the rhinoceros hornbill. The rhinoceros hornbill
uses its large beak to tear meat off of an animal it scavenges -- usually the result of another animal's kill.
Wings/Flying
Wings are another highly visible adaptation on many animals. Although most think of birds when it comes to
wings, other animals like the vampire bat also have wing-like structures that help it fly. Of course, the primary
function of wings is flight in most animals with wings. Animals like the golden eagle and peregrine falcon can
reach speeds up to and above 60 miles per hour in flight. This flight is used to attack its prey. Other animals,
like the Micronesian kingfisher, do not reach the speeds of other raptors, but still use their wings to travel from
place to place. Finally, the Humboldt penguin does not use its wings to fly at all. Instead, it uses its wings as
flippers to move through the water.
One point of interest with the vampire bat is that its wings are not really wings. Bats evolved separately from
birds and thus their "wings" are structured much differently than the wings of birds. In fact, a vampire bat’s
wing structure is more similar to the hand of a human than the wing of a bird.
Hooves
Hooves are another body part that are an important adaptation for many large animals. In most cases, animals
with hooves use their specially adapted feet to maneuver in a rocky environment. Hooves protect the feet of
these animals and allow for greater mobility than unprotected feet. Animals at the Milwaukee County Zoo with
hooves include the greater kudu, zebras, and the Dall sheep.
Body Coverings
An animal’s body covering is one clearly visible adaptation. Body coverings help to protect animals in diverse
environments -- from the land to water, from the arctic to the desert.
Mammals have hair, or fur, that helps insulate their bodies. It keeps them warm in winter and can protect
specific areas of the body, like eyelashes protecting the eyes. Some mammals have different coverings: the
armadillo has plates, the porcupine has quills, and naked skin covers the dolphin. All of these help these
mammals to survive in the different conditions in which they live. Birds also have a very protective covering:
feathers. The feathers keep the bird warm in winter, help it fly or swim, and help fan the bird in hot weather.
Amphibians and reptiles have body coverings that protect them as well. Amphibians have moist, slick skin that
is well suited for the water. Reptiles have tough, dry skin covered by scales. Insects, such as the cockroach,
have coverings that enable them to squeeze into very small places. This allows them to find food and shelter.
Many insects build nests (a behavioral adaptation) or cocoons (behavioral and structural adaptation) for the
winter because their body coverings alone do not permit them to adjust to the cold. Many insects also have other
adaptations included in their body coverings: cells that sense light and pigments that allow some insects to
change colors in order to hide themselves from predators.
Striped Fur
Striped fur is one variation of a special adaptation called camouflage. Striped fur, in most cases, helps animals
blend into their environment. This helps the animal in one of several ways, including hiding from predators and
sneaking up on prey. Striped fur, as in the case of a tiger's vertical stripes, serves the animal by helping it match
the surrounding vegetation, thus making it nearly invisible to other animals. In other animals, like the skunk, the
stripes serve as a warning to predators. In this way, the stripes serve as a defense mechanism.
Brightly Colored Feathers
Found mostly in tropical rain forests, birds with brightly colored feathers are another example of an animal with
an adaptive body covering. Brightly colored feathers can serve several purposes, including camouflage, defense,
and mating. In some parts of the rain forest, the macaw and its brightly colored feathers can hide amid similarly
brightly colored plants and flowers. The male peacock uses its bright feathers for another purpose: attracting a
mate. In contrast to the male, the female peafowl has very dull colored feathers. This feature, common among
female birds of most species, helps females hide while guarding their nest and protecting their young.
Spotted Fur
Another adaptive type of body coloring is spotted fur. Spotted fur is similar to striped fur in the fact that it
serves as camouflage. Many animals with spotted fur live in heavily wooded forest areas. One example is the
jaguar, which lives in the rain forest. The jaguar's spotted fur helps it blend in with the small patches of sun that
reach the rain-forest floor. These patches, mixed in with the shade, produce an effect that highly resembles a
jaguar's coat. Another animal with spotted fur is the snow leopard. The snow leopard, with a white coat and
black spots, lives in wooded areas as well, using its coat to hide amid the trees and snow.
Scales
One final type of body covering is scales. Scales serve a purpose different than that of fur and feathers. Scales
are mainly a protectant from the environment for most animals. For instance, anacondas and other snakes at the
Milwaukee County Zoo have scales to protect their bodies from the variety of terrain they encounter. In the case
of the anaconda, its habitat is largely made up of water. In the case of other snakes, the climate may be dry and
the land sandy and rocky; so they cannot afford to lose water from their body. Scales help protect the body of
the animal in an instance where skin, fur, or feathers would become damaged or destroyed.
SOURCE: http://www.zoosociety.org/pdf/GuidedTours/AnimalAdap.pdf
LESSON TWO
Adaptations of the Honey Bee
Learning Targets
I can tell how members of a honey bee hive help other members to survive.
Language Targets
I can use a graphic organizer to write my ideas.
Using a sentence starter, I can write one or more sentences, giving reasons to support my answer. (ELs work with more
proficient language user.)
Materials
Pictures of the honey bee
Text: “What Adaptations Does the Honey Bee Need to Survive?” (attached)
Procedures
1. Look at pictures of a honey bee. What adaptations help the honey bee to survive? Make predictions based on the
pictures.
2. Read the text on survival adaptations of the honey bee.
3. Add information: What else have we learned about the bee’s social system that helps it to survive? Bottom up,
heads together. Report out.
4. Begin an anchor chart on adaptations of the honey bee: How Do Honey Bees Survive?
5. Share basic information on honeybees plus a short video on their “dance” and a bit about what is threatening them:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/13/130213-honeybee-pesticide-insect-behavior-science/
5. Discuss: What are some of the latest threats to the honey bee that we have learned? (viruses, mites, pesticides)
Recall that some scientists believe that pesticides can affect bees in several ways. They can die from the toxins, or they
become disoriented and cannot find their hive.
Bottom up, heads together: Do you think the honey bee will be able to adapt to its latest threats, or do you think there
is a danger of the honey bee becoming extinct? Use the guide to record your answer.
Assessment
Students’ completed tables and written sentences
What Adaptations Does the Honey Bee Need to Survive?
By Alexandra Hoover, eHow Contributor
Source: http://www.ehow.com/list_6834015_adaptations-honey-bee-need-survive_.html
Body coloring
A honey bee has a structural adaptation of a black body with yellow stripes.
One of the honey bee's main adaptations consists of its yellow stripes and black body. These colors help the
honey bee to blend in with the colors of flowers, which is helpful during pollination. The honey bee is
protected from predators and attracted to flowers that may have some of the same hues as its own body.
Honey bees often live near flowers and flower gardens.
Stinger
A honey bee’s stinger is a protective adaptation.
Another vital honey bee adaptation is its stinger. Contrary to popular thought, a honey bee only stings if it
feels like it or its hive is being threatened. To protect its hive, a honey bee that uses its stinger will die and
thereby helps its relatives to survive.
Behavioral Adaptation
Honey bees learn from other bees how to pollinate flowers and collect honey.
Honey bees also have behavioral adaptations. For instance, a honey bee learns how to pollinate and collect
honey from its parents. As a result of a honey bee's instincts, it collects honey in the form of pollen sticks from
flowers, flying the pollen back to its hive. When a honey bee drops honey, it can cause flowers to become
pollinated. The honey bee dance is a behavioral adaptation that attracts a honey bee to its mate.
www.genehanson.com/bees.htm
Crisasantos.com.br/com/honey-bees
www.andybee.co.za/whattodo.php
Will the honey bee become extinct?
DIRECTIONS:
1. Write reasons why they might become extinct in the YES column.
2. Write reasons why they will probably not become extinct in the NO column.
3. Decide whether you think they will become extinct or whether you think they will not
become extinct.
4. Write your answer and support it with your ideas from the table.
YES
NO
We think honey bees WILL become extinct because
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
We think honey bees WILL NOT become extinct because
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________