Michele Dixon
Capstone Pedagogy
Stage 1: Identify Desired Results
Unit Description:
My unit is an urban ecosystem research project for a 5th grade science class. In this unit,
students will be studying the biodiversity of plant species within the ecosystems of a
number of vacant lots in their community.
Students will use MacArthur and Wilson's theory of Island Biogeography as a model for
their own scientific research and hypothesis formulation. Several urban vacant lots will be
examined against one another and against a larger ecosystem: a nearby urban park.
By comparing local urban ecosystems alongside MacArthur and Wilson's theory, students
can engage in a real scientific study using an actual theoretical model. In this way, students
can "become the scientist" and communicate findings to others, just as scientists do.
Students will also come to understand that good, objective scientific methods are necessary
in gathering accurate observations and information.
As a final step, students will create a web page in order to share their finding with others
beyond this project.
Enduring Understandings:
1. Ecosystems change when one or more new species appear. However over time, like
many complex systems, ecosystems tend to have cyclic fluctuations around a state
of rough equilibrium.
2. For any particular ecosystem, some plants survive well, some less well, and some
cannot survive and therefore changes in a plant’s habitat are sometimes beneficial
to it and sometimes harmful to its existence.
Unit Essential Questions:
1. How does species richness change with larger land area and with isolation?
2. Describe the balance between immigration and extinction of a species?
3. Explain how a system in equilibrium behaves after a small disturbance to the
system?
4. What factors influence our neighborhood’s biodiversity?
5. Why is it important for humans to maintain the biodiversity in their neighborhood?
Objectives:
1. Students will first demonstrate the ability to read, analyze, and synthesize
grade-level articles on biodiversity and ecosystems.
2. Using MacArthur and Wilson's model as a basis , students will construct a
hypothesis in order to estimate probability outcomes in the vacant lot case studies.
3. Students will develop skills to identify and classify different plant species.
4. Students will understand the complexities of urban ecological challenges.
5. Students will create a testable experiment following scientific methods,
6. Students will use graphs to depict and analyze patterns of change.
Standards:
Academic Standards for Science and Technology
And Environment and Ecology
22 Pa. Code, Ch. 4, Appendix B Final Form January 5, 2002
4.3.4 Environmental Health
C. Understand that the elements of natural systems are interdependent.
• Identify some of the organisms that live together in an ecosystem.
• Understand that the components of a system all play a part in a healthy natural system.
• Identify the effects of a healthy environment on the ecosystem.
4.6.4 Ecosystems and their Interactions
A. Understand that living things are dependent on nonliving things in the environment for survival.
• Identify and categorize living and nonliving things.
• Describe the basic needs of an organism.
• Identify basic needs of a plant and an animal and explain how their needs are met.
• Identify plants and animals with their habitat and food sources.
• Identify environmental variables that affect plant growth.
• Describe how animals interact with plants to meet their needs for shelter.
• Understand the components of a food chain.
• Identify a local ecosystem and its living and nonliving components.
• Identify a simple ecosystem and its living and nonliving components.
4.7.7 Threatened, Endangered and Extinct Species
A. Describe diversity of plants and animals in ecosystems.
• Select an ecosystem and describe different plants and animals that live there.
• Identify adaptations in plants and animals.
• Recognize that adaptations are developed over long periods of time and are passed on from one generation
to the next.
• Understand levels of ecosystem organization (e.g., individuals, populations, species).
B. Explain how species of living organisms adapt to their environment.
• Explain the role of individual variations in natural selection.
• Explain how an adaptation is an inherited structure or behavior that helps an organism survive and
reproduce.
• Describe how a particular trait may be selected over time and account for a species’ adaptation.
• Compare and contrast animals and plants that have very specific survival requirements with those that have
more general requirements for survival.
Misconceptions:
According to a study by Driver (1999), students aged 9-16 tend to think that a solution to
one environmental problem helps alleviate other problems. The students are aware of a
range of environmental problems; however they tend not to link particular causes with
particular consequences. Rather, they think all environmentally “friendly” actions help all
problems (Driver, et al., p. 69). For example, they often oversimplify issues about the
ozone layer, global warming, extinction and pollution. Instead, students should develop
skills that enable them to make valid connections, while challenging the validity of others.
Through their experiences in this unit, it is my goal that students will be able to see many
sides and solutions to urban environmental concerns. In addition, they will understand the
complexity of environmental problems and how greening the city will not solve all
environmental problems that exist there. I will conduct a pre-assessment of students'
misconceptions in the beginning of this unit, with a questionnaire. This initial step will
serve as the baseline for measuring ongoing growth before, during and after the unit.
Misconceptions about Ecosystems:
1.) Varying the population size of a species will only affect the other species that are
directly connected through a food chain. (Griffiths & Grant, 1985; Munson, 1991)
2.) Varying the population size of a species may not affect an ecosystem, because some
organisms are not important. (Munson, 1991)
3.) Varying the population size of a species will affect all other organisms to the same
degree. (Griffiths & Grant, 1985)
4.) Organisms higher in a food web eat everything that is lower in the food web. (Griffiths
& Grant, 1985)
5.) The top of the food chain has the most energy because energy accumulates up the chain.
(Adeniyi, 1985)
6.) Populations higher on a food web increase in number because they deplete those lower
in the web. (Munson, 1991)
7.) Total biomass for a trophic level is greatest at the top of the food web because the
organisms are larger. (Brehm et al., 1986)
8.) Ecosystems are not a functioning whole, but simply a collection of organisms. (Brehm
et al., 1986)
9.) Communities change little over time. (D'Avanzo, 2003)
Stage 2: GRASPS
G: What is the goal of the performance?
The goal of this performance is for students to demonstrate a broad and in-depth
understanding of concepts and skills needed to make abstract, insightful, connections and
choices on the topic of an ecosystem. Students must demonstrate their ability to apply
content knowledge and skills effectively and independently by communicating effectively
in their response page for the class web page on species of plants in West Philadelphia
vacant lots.
R: What role does the student assume in the performance?
Students are the taxonomy experts, researchers, and community activist in this
performance. They are taxonomy experts because they in will classify, collect, record data,
graph results, and draw conclusions using a scientific model of island biogeography. They
are researchers because they will read scientific articles to help in better understanding of
their fieldwork. They are community activist because they will publish their work and
make it available for others to learn from on the Internet.
A: What audience does the student address? The first audience for this performance are
the students' classmates. Students will need to present their progress along the way with a
web page. Since this is a class web page, a general template for all pages will be necessary.
The class will develop a web page rubric together that presents findings in a consistent
manner. This way, the web page can be navigated easily. After the web page is created, it
will be available to anyone interested in learning more about plant species in West
Philadelphia. There will also be an interactive component on the web page which will
allow people to ask the students questions about their work and about plant species on the
site.
S: What is the situation for the performance?
Students are a part of Green City Youth in which they learn more about the green in their
community. This performance project will be part of their entry for the EarthForce
Environmental Youth Summit at the Zoo in April.
P: What should be produced?
The students as a class will produce the web page on the plant species found in their
neighborhood vacant lots. Each student will contribute a page including an information
research page for each of the species found on each lot along with a response page of their
understanding of their species role in biodiversity and ecosystems. The diagram below
shows how these pages are organized.
S: What are the standards for the product?
Student’s response pages include a thoroughly-researched presentation of each species
found, which includes an accurate and detailed description of species, a sketch, its’
survival needs, and any interesting facts. Students will work with partners and each team
will one species. Additionally, the student’s responses present an accurate and detailed
description of a fictitious environmental change and its’ potential impact on the ecosystem.
The description and response page together demonstrate an in-depth understanding of
biodiversity and how changes in ecosystems occur.
Stage 3: WHERE
W: Where are we going and why are we going there? What preconceptions do we
have?
In order to successfully develop the enduring understandings of this unit, I plan to be
continually assessing student understanding. As referenced above, the unit will start with a
pre-assessment with four statements. Students are to respond whether they agree, disagree,
or don't know. If the student replies “agree” he/she needs to give a reason why; if
“disagree” he/she needs to give a reason why not. If student doesn't know he/she must reply
with whatever he/she does know about topic.
Pre-Assessment Statements*:
1.) Species in an ecosystem each have a unique niche, but may interact in dynamic ways.
2) Varying the population size of a species affects an entire ecosystem.
3.) Competition may lead to greater species diversity rather than extinction.
4.) Population of a species exists in a state of balance or equilibrium around an average
population size.
After giving the pre-assessment, I plan on grouping students (prior to starting the unit)
according to a mixed ability of content comprehension.
H: Hook: Looking at another School’s Plant Website
The goal of the performance is to get the students to create a web page of plant species in
West Philadelphia and be able to demonstrate an understanding of the ecosystem from
which the plants come. To hook the students I will show them a web site that another
school in Key Largo created (http://webworld.freac.fsu.edu/index.php).
This web site was created by grade X students and has examples of the plant species found
around their school. Each species has a link with the common plant name, scientific name,
a description, native ecosystem, pictures, and map of where it can be found.
I will show the students the site and ask them for ideas about how the students might have
researched and categorized information and published findings on the Web.
We will then brainstorm ideas about how we might do a similar project in West
*
One part of the pre-assessment evaluation is to determine whether or not students recognize key vocabulary
words within the four statements listed. If a student does not know the meaning of a particular term, the
student will highlight the unfamiliar word. Defining unfamiliar words—through journal entries and unit
activities—will also be undertaken.
Philadelphia.
There is also a plant identification game on the site, and I will have students play the game
on laptops in order to further their interest.
E: Experiences
Lesson 1: What is a vacant lot?
Time: 90 minute Field Trip
Log Question *: What is a vacant lot? What kinds of things might you find there?
Students enter the classroom and write their ideas about what a vacant lot is on chart paper.
Once they have recorded ideas, post chart paper and discuss.
After the discussion take the students on a walk around their neighborhood. Pass by
specifically the sites in which the students will conduct a plant biodiversity survey. Have
them stop at the sites to observe and collect some specimens from different plant species.
Students will work in groups of four collecting as many different species of plants they can
find in 10 minutes at each of the 6 sites.
Lesson 2: What is a Dichotomous Key?
Time: 2-3 45-minute class periods
Objective: In this lesson students will use the plant specimens they collected and the given
web site to help them learn how to classify and identify different plant species.
Log Question: Why do you think it is important for scientists to classify plants? How do
you think they do this?
Revisit the web site: http://webworld.freac.fsu.edu/index.php. Lead the students into a
discussion about dichotomous keys by letting them share answers to the log question and
explore the web site. Allow students time to explore a choice of other sites that have
activities that explain dichotomous keys.
http://www.Inhs.org/hayhurst/ips/dichot/index.htm
http://www.lessonplanpage.com/owackypeopleDichotomouskey612.htm
http://www.student.ed.qut.edu.au/n23643791MDB3771Dichotomouskey.html
Afterwards, each group will have samples of plants from the field trip. On a large piece of
chart paper, each group will organize the samples according to similar traits and will
brainstorm a list of properties of each group of sample leaves. Each group will share out
their ideas about how the leaves should be classified. As a result an agreed-upon class
classification system of the samples is developed. Students are given the “Leafy Facts”
worksheets about each type of leaf classification. Students read and discuss as a group and
*
Log Questions are questions that are written on the board for students at the beginning of a class. Log
question can be new vocabulary, key content from the unit, or questions which assess the students'
understanding at a particular point in a unit. Log questions are responded to individually (as part of each
student's ongoing science journal). The questions (and journal)l help keep track of the development of each
student's understanding throughout the duration of a lesson or unit, and provide an ongoing assessment of
each student's development of content and vocabulary.
determine if the class classification choices need to be adjusted based on what they read.
Students will create a dichotomous key of the plant species found.
Lesson 3: Why is Understanding Sampling Effort Important?
Time: 2-3 45-minute class periods
Objective: In this lesson students will use graphs to depict and analyze patterns of change.
If a sampling effort increases, students will see changes in a graphic representation of the
species curves. How will this influence or alter the way to set up a biodiversity study of a
vacant lot ecosystem?
Log Questions: Do you think species richness will increase with larger land area and
decrease with isolation? Do you think there a balance between immigration of a species
and extinction why or why not?
In these lessons students will practice counting “species” and drawing species curve
graphs. Students will be divided in groups of four. Each group will be given a piece of chart
paper to represent a vacant lot ecosystem and a cup of beans to represent “species”.
Students will scatter the beans over the chart paper and be asked “How would you measure
biodiversity? What would you count?” Students will draw a grid on the chart paper and
then count the species in three grid squares. Then they will count the species in another
three squares. and continue counting, comparing and graphing their findings. A discussion
of common and rare species should be addressed in a discussion of their findings. Also,
discuss why species accumulation curves are important. Students should be able to
incorporate what they have learned about sampling effort into their experimental design of
collecting biodiversity information of their assigned vacant lot.
Lesson 4: Making Measuring Quadrants and Data Books
Time: 1 45-minute class period
Log Question: Why is it important for scientists to create standardized methods of
measurement? What is a fair test?
Objective: In order to compare areas, sampling methods should be standardized. Some
species will be more common than other species and strategies are needed to organize this
kind of data. Students will make a measuring quadrant which they will use to collect
species data and a journal to use on site to record data collected.
Students will use the quadrant and will record the species at each point where the quadrant
string crosses, thus getting a statistical representation of what plants are found in the meter
square. In their data books, students create a system of organizing species counts for each
quadrant. For example, each page could represent a quadrant to list what and how many
plants found per quadrant.
Instructions to make quadrant found on American Field Guide:
http://www.pbs.org/americanfieldguide/teachers/non_native/quadrant.pdf
Lesson 5 Creating our Class Rapid Biodiversity Assessment Plan
Time: 1-2 45-minute class periods
Log Questions: Will a system in equilibrium return to the same state of equilibrium after a
small disturbance to the system? How can scientist measure equilibrium in a system?
Objective: Students will design a plan to execute a Rapid Biodiversity Assessment plan on
the six vacant lots in our neighborhood.
Students will work in groups of four to design a plan to survey the biodiversity of their
designated vacant lot area. Their plans will incorporate the use of the measuring quadrant,
the classification list of plants, and knowledge of scientific design. Each group will share
ideas and the class will come to consensus on the overall Rapid Biodiversity Assessment
Plan.
To assist students in understanding this lesson, they will review the Baltimore Ecosystem
Study(reference). This is a present urban biodiversity research model with an approach to
educational environmental awareness based on three factors:
1. Working hand-in-hand with educational initiatives of formal and informal
education systems; contributing to and learning from these collaborations
2. Creating new programs, educational opportunities and resources for students,
educators and citizens; and
3. Conducting research about what people in Baltimore know about their city as an
ecosystem, how they acquire this knowledge, and what strategies might be devised
to improve and expand people’s understanding in the future.
Lesson adapted from: http://www.beslter.org/frame5-stuff.html
Lesson 6: Implementing the Rapid Biodiversity Plan
Objective: Students will collect data of biodiversity in the vacant lot assigned to their
group.
Students will be divided into 6 groups of four. Each group will be given a designated
vacant lot area in which the will be collecting biodiversity data. Each group will follow the
same plan that was created by the class to ensure the fairness of data collection.
Lesson 7: Graphing Results
Objective: Students will organize the data collected in field so it can be compared and
shared with other groups.
Students will use Excel software to create “specie graphs” of the area in which they
collected their data.
Lesson 8: Sharing our Findings and Looking for Patterns
Objective: Students will read about the theory of island biogeography and compare their
results with this theory.
Students will have a copy of each groups’ findings. They will also get information about
each vacant lot (size and distance from main green space). Students will compare what they
see in the results, discuss and write down the patterns they observe. Students will read an
article about the theory of island biogeography and, as a group, compare their findings with
what they learned about theory. They will then share their conclusions with other groups
and arrive at a class consensus about what they found and how it compares to the theory
they read about.
Lesson 9: Why Preserve Biodiversity?
Log Questions: What factors do you think influence our neighborhood’s biodiversity?
Is it important for humans to maintain the biodiversity in their neighborhood?
People take different approaches when making the case for preserving biodiversity.
Students will discuss the importance of maintaining ecosystems and will learn about the
various arguments that people make in favor of preserving the Earth’s biodiversity.
Students will work in groups to synthesize the information they have learned and make a
case for preserving or not preserving the biodiversity in their neighborhood.
Lesson:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/08/g68/preserve.html
R: Reflect/ Rethink:
A part of learning ecology is to study the complexities of the world in which we live. It
Ecology examines the world with respect to economics, culture, political and social
structures as well as natural processes and systems. Therefore, I plan to incorporate
flexibility to this unit. Students will design how they will execute the field study and they
will need to read about other field studies and look on web sites at other studies. I also want
to allow for group or independent learning. This will be organized based on interest and
level of content understanding. I want my students to become intellectually sophisticated
citizens capable of making choices that will benefit our natural systems. It is my desire that
when I teach this unit, students develop a sense of citizenry and concern about not only
their neighborhood, but about the total environment and develop the knowledge and skills
to work towards solving problems of the future. If students see an opportunity to connect
content to other types of performance based projects I want to be able to allow time for
them to do this throughout the unit. For example, if they question the equilibrium theory,
students can set up class experiments.
It is also important that the students demonstrate the enduring understanding that
ecosystems change when one or more species appear. However in the long run, like many
complex systems, ecosystems tend to have cyclic fluctuations around a state of rough
equilibrium. Also, for any particular ecosystem, some plants survive well, some less well,
and some cannot survive and therefore changes in a plants habitat are sometimes beneficial
to it and sometimes harmful to the plants existence.
This unit is designed to be taught as guided inquiry. I have specific objectives, but want to
guide my students to desire to create a web page to demonstrate their knowledge. I intend
to have the assistance of the school’s computer teacher, Nancy Matlack, to help with the
web page. I will also have Larry Steir from the Philadelphia Horticultural Society help with
plant identification and the creation of the dichotomous keys. I will invite Peter Petratris,
my capstone content reader, to visit the class and talk about his biodiversity study in
Maine.
E: Exhibit: Putting it altogether
The students involved in creating the web page will have an assembly in which they will
explain their project, show the site and model how to use it to other classes in the school.
Stage 4: Evaluation Strategies
Black and William (1998) define assessment broadly to include all activities that teachers
and students undertake to get information that can be used diagnostically to alter teaching
and learning. Under this definition, assessment encompasses teacher observation,
classroom discussion, and analysis of student work, including homework and tests.
The first type of assessment I use, no matter what unit I’m teaching, is something called
daily “Log Questions”. When my students enter the classroom they expect a question on
the board that they need to start answering independently in their science notebooks. Log
Question assessments help me keep track of the development of student understanding
throughout the duration of a lesson or unit. The question is designed around the objective
of the day. Students are asked the same question, individually or as a group, several times
throughout a lesson. At the end of the day students are asked to read their first answer of the
question from the morning and write a new answer based on new information gained that
day from the lesson or towrite a reflection about how their understanding of the concept
changed or was modified after the lesson. I collect these responses daily because this
assists me in identifying misconceptions and incomplete understandings. It also has given
me opportunities to analyze student learning, offering avenues for lesson modification and
remediation prior to completion of the lesson or unit.
One of the objectives of my unit is the students’ ability to organize, analyze, and
communicate data. Their task is to construct a graph and write a response explaining what
their graph shows. The student groups will get the data for their graphs by collecting the
number of different types of species in a vacant lot. The student groups will import the data
and construct a bar graph representing the species in terms of common to rare in relation to
the area in which they are collecting the data. The student groups will share their results
with other groups. An excellent performance will include a graph that is accurate and easy
to read, which will further demonstrate the students' ability to communicate findings.
To help insure creation of accurate graphs, I will need to conference with groups as they
work collecting, organizing, analyzing and getting ready to communicate data.
Conferencing with the groups will help me have ongoing assessment of what students are
thinking about their learning. It will also give me a measuring tool for ongoing planning.
Groups will have a contract of commitment to the project.
For each task and objectives the students are asked to complete or understand throughout
the unit, a variety of assessments will be used. The assessments will have components
which include student created rubrics, self assessment, teacher assessment, peer
assessment, formal quizzes and a test of content knowledge. The final product will be the
web page, which may be evaluated by outside environmental authorities/groups.