ALEX Learning Activity

  

Living Things in the Wetland Ecosystem

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  This learning activity provided by:  
Author: Michelle Barnett
Organization:0
  General Activity Information  
Activity ID: 2981
Title:
Living Things in the Wetland Ecosystem
Digital Tool/Resource:
U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit: Examples of Southeast Ecosystems
Web Address – URL:
Overview:

The purpose of this activity is to determine prior knowledge of plants and animals found in a wetlands ecosystem. The teacher will show examples of southeastern ecosystems from the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit. The image provides five examples of ecosystems found in the southern United States. Using a shoulder partner, students will determine if the photograph shows a wetlands ecosystem. Student partners will defend their conclusion verbally. 

This learning activity was created as a result of the ALEX - Alabama Virtual Library (AVL) Resource Development Summit.
  Associated Standards and Objectives  
Content Standard(s):
Science
SC2015 (2015)
Grade: 2
7 ) Obtain information from literature and other media to illustrate that there are many different kinds of living things and that they exist in different places on land and in water (e.g., woodland, tundra, desert, rainforest, ocean, river).

NAEP Framework
NAEP Statement::
L4.1: Organisms need food, water, and air; a way to dispose of waste; and an environment in which they can live.*

NAEP Statement::
L4.2: Organisms have basic needs. Animals require air, water, and a source of energy and building material for growth and repair. Plants also require light.

NAEP Statement::
L4.3: Organisms interact and are interdependent in various ways, including providing food and shelter to one another. Organisms can survive only in environments in which their needs are met. Some interactions are beneficial; others are detrimental to the organism and other organisms.

NAEP Statement::
L4.4: When the environment changes, some plants and animals survive and reproduce; others die or move to new locations.

NAEP Statement::
L4.7: Different kinds of organisms have characteristics that enable them to survive in different environments. Individuals of the same kind differ in their characteristics, and sometimes the differences give individuals an advantage in surviving and reproducing.

Unpacked Content
Scientific And Engineering Practices:
Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information
Crosscutting Concepts: Patterns
Disciplinary Core Idea: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • Illustrate the diversity of living things in different habitats, including both land and water.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • Literature
  • Media
  • Diversity
  • Habitats
  • Woodland
  • Tundra
  • Desert
  • Rainforest
  • Ocean
  • River
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • Plants and animals are diverse within different habitats.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • Obtain information from literature and other media.
  • Illustrate the different kinds of living things and the different habitats in which they can be found.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • There are many different kinds of living things in any area, and they exist in different places on land and in water.
AMSTI Resources:
Be sure students are aware of credible media resources when obtaining information.
AMSTI Module:
Plants and Bugs
Plant Growth and Development, STC
The Best of Bugs: Designing Hand Pollinators, EiE
Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
SCI.AAS.2.7- Participate in activities that show many different living things in different environments.
Learning Objectives:

Students will utilize information from an image to determine if the image shows an example of a wetlands ecosystem and defend their thinking orally. 
  Strategies, Preparations and Variations  
Phase:
Before/Engage
Activity:

  1. The teacher will review the definition of an ecosystem. The teacher will say, "An ecosystem is a group of animals and plants that work together with their surroundings" (Glossary definition from "Wetlands." PebbleGo, Capstone, 13 June 2023, https://www.pebblego.com/.)

  2. The teacher will access and project the collage photo example of southeastern ecosystems found in the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit. https://toolkit.climate.gov/image/3201

  3. The teacher will say,  "The five photographs that you will view are examples of ecosystems found in our area of the United States. You will have five minutes to view the five pictures, talk with your partner, and make your decision. When I say 'time',  you will hold up a green card if you think it is an example of a wetland ecosystem. If you don't think it is an example of a wetland ecosystem, you will hold up a red card."

  4. Working with a shoulder partner, students will discuss and determine if the pictured ecosystems are an example of a wetlands ecosystem.

  5. The teacher will circulate the room to ensure students' conversation stays on-task. The teacher will pass out the green and red cards to each student as they circulate through the room.

  6. Students will show a green card if they agree (it is a wetland) or a red card if they disagree (not a wetland) for each of the five photographs. 

  7. The teacher will question students about their choices and the students will orally defend their choice by explaining whether or not they considered the pictured ecosystem a wetland.

  8. The teacher will provide students with the correct answers as they progress through the images. 
Assessment Strategies:

Students will use a red card to show they disagree that the photograph/image is an example of a wetlands ecosystem.

Students will use a green card to show they agree that the photograph/image is an example of a wetlands ecosystem.

Students will defend their conclusion verbally. 

The card choice and oral defense will be a formative assessment of students' prior knowledge of a wetland ecosystem. 
Advanced Preparation:

Approximate duration of preparation: 30 minutes

Materials and Preparation:

The teacher will need the following:

  • A device that can connect to the internet

  • Projector

  • Pre-made red/green choice cards for each student

Prior to this activity, the teacher will:

  • Use a whiteboard, chart paper, or created slide to display the definition of an ecosystem. Definition: An ecosystem is a group of animals and plants that work together with their surroundings

  • Access the photograph/image https://toolkit.climate.gov/image/3201

  • Create red and green choice cards using construction paper for each student. Any size will work. If using choice cards often, lamination is recommended.

Background/Preparation:

Students will need to understand who their shoulder partner is.

The teacher will need to review the definition of the word ecosystem.

The photo collage includes the following ecosystems (top row, left to right): wetlands, coral reef (bottom row, left to right) conifer forest, temperate forest, beach
Variation Tips (optional):

Intervention: The teacher may pre-select the shoulder partners to support struggling learners.

Acceleration: Students who are already familiar with the wetland ecosystem could draw additional images of their understanding of a wetlands ecosystem or could use an internet-capable device to find other photos of types of wetlands ecosystems including marshes, swamps, or bogs.

If a projector is unavailable, color copies of the image could be printed and laminated (if planning to use them more than once) and given to student partners. 
Notes or Recommendations (optional):

This lesson could be implemented in the classroom or library as an opening activity for ecosystem research.

This task can be used as a stand-alone activity or in conjunction with Researching the Wetlands Ecosystem (during activity) or Researching the Wetlands Ecosystem Reflection (after activity)
  Keywords and Search Tags  
Keywords and Search Tags: ecosystems, environmental science, wetlands