Kathy Rossetti
Lauryn Funteas
Population Ecology 5-E Model Lesson
Title: Rabbit vs. Environment
Grade Level:
9
Objectives:
SWBAT…. Predict how density dependent and independent factors will control and
affect population growth.
Explain how altering habitats can affect a population of a species and the
environment around it.
Describe the importance of environmental factors/resources in ecosystems.
Illinois Learning Standards:
Stage H12B
1. Apply scientific inquiries or technological design to explore the implications of
change and stability in ecosystems, identifying evolutionary adaptations brought on
by environmental changes, analyzing factors that influence the size and stability of
populations (e.g., temperature, climate, soil conditions, predation, habitat), or
contrasting energy use by organisms.
2. Apply scientific inquiries or technological design to examine species' demise or
success within ecosystems identifying problems for species conservation and
extinction, projecting population changes when habitats are altered or destroyed
(deforestation, desertification, wetlands destruction, introduction of exotic species),or
researching economic and scientific value implications for changes to genetic
diversity.
3. Apply scientific inquiries or technological design to study biogeography,
researching global biomes, locating hemispheric, continental, and regional examples
of each biome, or graphing associated mathematical comparison factors.
4. Apply scientific inquiries or technological design to analyze Illinois-specific
ecosystems and biomes, modeling topographic features, population data, plant
diversity and distribution from historic records, collecting scientific seasonal/annual
local ecosystem data for direct connection to change and stability factors, or
projecting scenarios of changes to local ecosystem for near- and long-term future
contingencies.
Engagement:
For the engagement part of the lesson the students will be completing the game of
the rabbit vs. the environment. The point of this game is to show the students how
changing the environment by either adding predators or taking away resources alters
populations. Before starting the game students will be asked to predict how densitydependent factors will affect the population of rabbits. Students will be able to
hypothesize about the outcome of the game. To start this game we will have one
student be a rabbit and the rest of the students will be different parts of the
environment. The students who are part of the environment will be counted off 1-3
to be placed under various resources. Students given 1 will be water, 2 will be food,
and the 3’s will be shelter. Students then will represent the resource by covering their
mouths if they are water, put there hands on their stomach if they are food, or put
their hands in a triangle over their heads if they represent shelter. The students will
have their backs to each other before starting the game. When go is said the rabbit
will try to collect as many resources as possible by moving in a straight line. The
resources that were caught will then become rabbits in the next generation. If the
rabbit gets nothing then the rabbit will not live to reproduce. The game will continue
like this for a few generations. Then a predator, a fox, will be entered into the
scenario in a later generation. The fox is going to try and catch the rabbits in order
to live. Throughout the game, recordings will be made in the generation data table
which will count the amount of rabbits, resources, and predators that were present
after each generation. After certain generations we will ask the students a few
questions about what is occurring in order for them to comprehend various ecological
concepts.
Exploration:
The exploration for this lesson occurs during the game. The questions asked after
certain generations are intended to get the students critically thinking and coming to
conclusions about the populations. It is also designed to make the students realize
how changing one factor can greatly affect population.
Explanation:
The questions asked at the end of the game will give the students the opportunity
to explore and create ideas about population ecology before the lesson is taught. At
the end of the game we will recap what went on in the game. We can take the
results from the generation’s data table in order to visualize what occurred during the
game. After that is completed there would be a lecture or PowerPoint going over
the major ideas and concepts of population ecology. This is the part where
population ecology would be explained in detail and any misconceptions will be
cleared up.
Extension:
Our extension for this activity involves an interactive website. The website is
http://www.pbs.org/teachers/connect/resources/5151/preview/ . This website lets
students explore and learn about different shark species. On the page for each shark
there is background information on the shark. If the students then click population
decline it is explains what will happen to the shark’s ecosystem if they were to go
extinct. The students would have to complete a worksheet while navigating through
the site.
Evaluation(Assessment Strategies):
The students will be graded on the graphs that they complete from the rabbit vs.
environment game. The data will be collected on the board and then the students
will have to properly illustrate a graph that shows what happened to the population
of each species over the generations. Students will also be graded on the worksheet
that is to be completed with the shark website.
Rationale:
We decided on this lesson for a few reasons. We really liked how immediately the
game got the students up and out of their desks. We also liked how the exercise
allows us to teach to multiple learning styles. Kinesthetic, visual, and auditory
learners could all participate and learn from the game. We choose the game
because many students do not think of ecology as a branch of biology. We thought
it was a great way to introduce ecology to students in a fun and interactive way.
Finally the game allows the students to think on the grand level of ecology. The
game’s principles can be applied to any species in the world and allows the students
to see how changing one thing can affect a whole ecosystem.
Resources:
(2008, July 31). Lesson Plans Inc.. Retrieved September 8, 2009, from Population
Ecology Lab Web site:
http://www.lessonplansinc.com/science.php/biology/lessonplans/C112/
Cousteau, Jean-Michel (2006, July 6). PBS Teachers. Retrieved September 2, 2009,
from Vanishing Sharks Interactive Web site:
http://www.pbs.org/teachers/connect/resources/5151/preview/
Plan of execution for the game:
 Before it starts explain rules to the students ( leave out the part about the fox)
 Have students make predictions about what will happen
 Ask them what an density independent /dependent factors are
 Explain the terms density independent = factors such as weather, environmental
conditions, or disturbances affect a population’s carrying capacity.

Density dependent = population is affected by predators, crowding, and
competition
Generation1:
 Ask students to list density dependent/independent variable
 What are 3 limiting factors
Play out a Few Generations:
 Ask what will happed if predator introduced and add fox
Generation 5(depending on time)
 How did fox change things
 What will happen to rabbit and resource numbers
 Is the fox a density dependent or independent variable
After Last Generation
 List possible other factors in the situation and explain how they would affect the
game
 Explain the importance of ecosystems and not disrupting them