KEEP GOING KEEP GOING

Transcription

1 KEEP GOING KEEP GOING

2 During the year, the seasons In Florida, many trees don t change change. They change more in color at all. Some trees do change. some places than in others. But, they change much later in the Plants and animals respond to the year than the ones further north. The changing seasons everywhere. migrating birds But how they change depends return, and the upon where you live. seasonal cycle continues Core Curriculum/Florida AIMS Education Foundation 1

3 M any animals leave Alaska before the cold winters start. They migrate to warmer places. Others hibernate through the long winter. The ones that stay active have special adaptations that help them survive. B y June, warm weather has arrived to most of the country. Many animals migrate north to the places they left in fall. Many plants produce their fruit in summer. Food is easy for animals to find everywhere. 4 9 T he start of fall brings cooler weather to many places. North of Florida, the leaves on many trees change color. Birds migrate south. Squirrels collect food for the winter. I n Alaska, the winters are very long and cold. There is lots of snow. Snow can start in October and last until April. The average high temperature in Anchorage is 18 F in January. 10 Core Curriculum/Florida AIMS Education Foundation 3

4 M ost Florida animals don t need to migrate. Florida is a place to which many animals migrate in the winter. Plants that would die back in cold weather stay green year round in Florida. This gives the animals food. M arch is the official start of spring. The days get longer. The temperatures climb. Snow melts and flowers bloom. Animals come out of hibernation. 6 7 S pring begins sooner in Florida than it does in many other places. There is no snow to melt. Warm weather comes sooner. A cherry tree in Florida might start to bloom in February. In Washington, D.C., it would start to bloom at the beginning of April. I n Florida, the winters are mild. Most places it never gets below freezing. Snow is very unusual. The average high temperature in Orlando is 64 F in January. 8 Core Curriculum/Florida AIMS Education Foundation 5

5 KEEP GOING KEEP GOING

6 Topic Seasonal changes Key Questions 1. How does my plant or animal change through the seasons here in Florida? 2. How do those changes compare to the changes my plant or animal goes through in other parts of the country? Learning Goals Students will: select a local plant or animal, research how it changes from season to season both in Florida and in other parts of the country, and illustrate and describe those changes. Guiding Document Project 2061 Benchmarks Things change in steady, repetitive, or irregular ways or sometimes in more than one way at the same time. Often the best way to tell which kinds of change are happening is to make a table or graph of measurements. Make sketches to aid in explaining procedures or ideas. Science Life science plants animals Integrated Processes Observing Illustrating Comparing and contrasting Collecting and recording data Materials List of local plants and animals (see Management 2) Research materials Paper for illustrations (see Management 4) Colored pencils Student page Background Information As the seasons change, so do temperatures, precipitation, and general weather patterns. Plants and animals (including humans) make changes along with the seasons to survive. In some regions of the country, seasonal changes are more drastic than they are in other regions. Florida s seasons are less extreme than those experienced in much of the rest of the United States because of it southern latitudes and proximity to the ocean. Plants and animals that live in Florida change with the seasons, but these changes may look different than they do in other regions of the country. For example, some trees that are deciduous in colder climates may be evergreens in Florida. Perennial shrubs, such as roses or bougainvillea, that die back or are pruned down in winter in much of the country may bloom year-round in Florida. Some animals, such as raccoons, that may be dormant for weeks or months at a time during cold winter weather are active year-round in Florida. Other animals that would get thick winter coats further north have no need for this extra protection in Florida. This activity will give students the opportunity to recognize seasonal changes that occur locally and to compare those to seasonal changes that occur in other parts of the country. Management 1. See Internet Connections for suggested websites where students can find information on local plants and animals. 2. Create a list of local plants and animals for students to research. You will need one organism for each group of four students. Select animals and plants that change in obvious ways from season to season. A list of some suggested plants and animals has been given at the end of this lesson. 3. Write the name of each plant or animal you have selected on a slip of paper. Put the papers in a bag or cup from which students can draw. 4. Provide paper on which students can make their illustrations. You may choose to give them large pieces of construction paper, chart paper, or poster board. Procedure 1. Have students identify the current season. Discuss the average temperature, weather, etc., for your area in this season and how that affects the students what they wear, the kinds of activities they participate in, and so on. Core Curriculum/Florida AIMS Education Foundation

7 2. Ask students if any of them have ever been to a colder location (Alaska, Canada, Minnesota, etc.) at this time of year. Have them describe how that location was different from where you live and how that affected them while they were there. 3. Draw a stick figure on the board. Tell students that this is a child living in your town and ask how it should be dressed today. Draw on the clothing suggested by the students and label it, identifying the reason for each item. [e.g., Shorts and T-shirt to stay cool in the warm weather. Sandals to keep the feet protected, but not too hot. Hat to keep the sun off the face.] 4. Next to that stick figure, draw a second figure. Tell the students that this is a child living in Anchorage, Alaska. Tell them what the weather is like today in Anchorage, Alaska (look in the newspaper or on the Internet for this information). Ask them how the child should be dressed and repeat the process of drawing the clothes and identifying the reason for each item. 5. Discuss how plants and animals change with the seasons. While people change the clothes they wear, plants and animals do different things to adapt to seasonal changes. Invite students to think of some seasonal changes that they have observed in local plants and animals, and write these on the board. 6. Explain that students will be doing a similar thing with plants and animals that they just did as a class with people. They will research the seasonal changes of a local plant or animal and compare the ways the plant or animal changes in your area to the ways it changes in other parts of the country. No two groups will research the same plant or animal. 7. Divide students into groups of four and distribute the student page. Explain that each group will be making eight illustrations of their selected plant or animal. (Each person in the group will do two of the illustrations.) The illustrations will show the plant or animal in each season, both locally and in another part of the country with the similarities and differences noted. 8. Allow groups to select a plant or animal from the bag. Define the amount of time that students will have to complete their research and the expectations for the completed illustrations. 9. When students have completed their research, have each group share its illustrations and describe how its plant or animal changes through the seasons both in Florida and in other parts of the country. Connecting Learning 1. What are the seasons of the year? [spring, summer, fall, winter] 2. How do we experience seasonal change in Florida? What is it like in the spring? summer? fall? winter? 3. How do the changes we experience compare to those in other parts of the country? [The seasonal changes in Florida are subtler than those in many other parts of the country.] 4. How does your plant/animal change throughout the seasons in Florida? How does this compare to the way it changes in other parts of the country? 5. Were there any plants or animals that have very different seasonal changes in other parts of the country than they do in Florida? 6. What seasonal changes were common for many of the plants and/or animals that we researched? 7. Do you think you would be able to tell by looking at a photograph of your plant or animal what season it was and where the picture had been taken? Explain. 8. What are you wondering now? Internet Connections enature Search field guides for more than 5500 species of plants and animals. Yahooligans Animals Field guides and informational articles on animals. NatureServe Explorer Find detailed information on more than 65,000 North American plants, animals, and ecosystems. Wikipedia Search specific plants and animals by name for detailed species information, photos, and links to other online resources. Suggested Plants and Animals Maple Sweet bay Orange Rose River birch (compare to paper birch or yellow birch) Live oak (compare to black oak) Eastern fox squirrel White-tailed deer Florida panther (compare to mountain lion) Eastern mole Raccoon Black bear Core Curriculum/Florida AIMS Education Foundation

8 Key Questions 1. How does my plant or animal change through the seasons here in Florida? 2. How do those changes compare to the changes my plant or animal goes through in other parts of the country? Learning Goals Students will: select a local plant or animal, research how it changes from season to season both in Florida and in other parts of the country, and illustrate and describe those changes. Core Curriculum/Florida AIMS Education Foundation

9 Write the name of your plant or animal here. Research how it changes through the seasons both in Florida and in other parts of the country. Record the season you will be illustrating here. Record the following information on your illustrations. Write it for the plant or animal in Florida and the plant or animal living somewhere else. the animal s physical appearance (color/thickness of fur, size, etc.) the animal s behaviors (hibernation, food gathering, having young, etc.) where the animal seeks shelter (nest in a tree, burrow in the ground, etc.) what the animal eats the plant s physical appearance (leaves, color, flowers, fruit, etc.) the plant s stage of life (dormant, putting out new growth, bearing fruit, etc.) what (if anything) eats the plant what (if anything) uses the plant for shelter Core Curriculum/Florida AIMS Education Foundation

10 Connecting Learning CONNECTING CONNECTING LEARNING LEARNING 1. What are the seasons of the year? 2. How do we experience seasonal change in Florida? What is it like in the spring? summer? fall? winter? 3. How do the changes we experience compare to those in other parts of the country? 4. How does your plant/animal change throughout the seasons in Florida? How does this compare to the way it changes in other parts of the country? Core Curriculum/Florida AIMS Education Foundation

11 Connecting Learning CONNECTING CONNECTING LEARNING LEARNING 5. Were there any plants or animals that have very different seasonal changes in other parts of the country than they do in Florida? 6. What seasonal changes were common for many of the plants and/or animals that we researched? 7. Do you think you would be able to tell by looking at a photograph of your plant or animal what season it was and where the picture had been taken? Explain. 8. What are you wondering now? Core Curriculum/Florida AIMS Education Foundation

12 Migratory Mapping Topic Migration Key Question What path did a flock of whooping cranes take in their fall migration? Learning Goals Students will: learn about teaching birds a new migratory route with ultralight aircraft, trace the fall 2008 migration path of whooping cranes from central Wisconsin to central Florida, and interpret data in a table to answer questions about the migration. Guiding Documents Project 2061 Benchmarks Some likenesses between children and parents, such as eye color in human beings, or fruit or flower color in plants, are inherited. Other likenesses, such as people s table manners or carpentry skills, are learned. Unlike in human beings, behavior in insects and many other species is determined almost entirely by biological inheritance. Use numerical data in describing and comparing objects and events. NRC Standards Many characteristics of an organism are inherited from the parents of the organism, but other characteristics result from an individual s interactions with the environment. Inherited characteristics include the color of flowers and the number of limbs of an animal. Other features, such as the ability to ride a bicycle, are learned through interactions with the environment and cannot be passed on to the next generation. An organism s patterns of behavior are related to the nature of that organism s environment, including the kinds and numbers of other organisms present, the availability of food and resources, and the physical characteristics of the environment. When the environment changes, some plants and animals survive and reproduce, and others die or move to new locations. The behavior of individual organisms is influenced by internal cues (such as hunger) and by external cues (such as a change in the environment). Humans and other organisms have senses that help them detect internal and external cues. Organisms have basic needs. For example, animals need air, water, and food; plants require air, water, nutrients, and light. Organisms can survive only in environments in which their needs can be met. The world has many different environments, and distinct environments support the life of different types of organisms. Math Number and operations addition Science Life science migration whooping cranes Integrated Processes Observing Comparing and contrasting Interpreting data Analyzing Materials Internet access (see Management 1) Colored pencils Flying With the Birds rubber band book #19 rubber bands Student pages Background Information The whooping crane is the tallest North American bird. Adult male whooping cranes stand about 1.5 meters (5 feet) tall. They get their name from the distinctive whooping call they make. In flight, the large white birds stretch out their necks before and trail their legs straight behind. In 1860, the number of whooping cranes was estimated to be about 1400 birds. This number was reduced to a low of just 15 wild birds in 1941 due to hunting and habitat loss. Since 1967, joint Canadian- American efforts have been made to increase the number of whooping cranes in the wild, and by January 2010, there were 398 wild birds. The only naturally occurring whooping cranes are in North America. They spend the summers in Canada s Wood Buffalo National Park and the winters at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas. In 1993, the Whooping Crane Recovery Team began efforts to establish additional flocks by starting a non-migratory flock in Florida. The fear was that disease or a natural disaster could wipe out the entire species if it only existed in one place. Core Curriculum/Florida AIMS Education Foundation

13 Since whooping cranes (and many other birds) learn a migratory route by following their parents and other members of the flock, when juveniles are established in a new location, they do not know where to migrate. In 1993, Bill Leshman successfully led a flock of Canadian geese on a migration from Ontario, Canada to Airlie, Virginia. The geese had imprinted on him as goslings, and followed him as he flew an ultralight aircraft. The following spring a majority of the flock made the return migration unassisted. (The 1996 Columbia Pictures movie Fly Away Home is based on this true story.) This proved that birds could learn a migratory route by following aircraft, and paved the way for the formation of the non-profit Operation Migration. Operation Migration s mission is to promote the conservation of migratory species through innovative research, education, and partnership. They have been working with various federal agencies and international organizations to reestablish migrating flocks of whooping cranes in the wild. After several years of testing methods and techniques on non-threatened sandhill cranes, the first successful migration was made by a flock of whooping cranes from central Wisconsin to west central Florida in Each year more juvenile whooping cranes are led from Wisconsin to Florida by ultralight aircraft and make the return migration on their own the following spring, joining the eastern migratory flock. As of January 5, 2010, there were 398 whooping cranes in the wild (with an additional 153 birds in captivity). This is up from 282 wild birds in March of The eastern migratory flock has grown from five birds in 2002 to 105 birds in Management 1. Internet access is needed to show students a short video on cranes and the ultralight-led crane migrations from Wisconsin to Florida. Ideally, the video can be projected on a large screen for all students to see. If this is not possible, have students gather in groups around individual computers to watch the video. 2. Microsoft Silverlight needs to be installed on your computers in order to watch the video. If it is not installed, the website will automatically direct you to the page where it can be downloaded for free. Procedure 1. Discuss what (if anything) students already know about migration. Ask students to describe migration in their own words and identify what they know about why some animals migrate. Have them think of as many animals as they can that migrate. Record their thoughts and ideas on the board, correcting any misconceptions they may have. 2. Invite students to share anything they know about whooping cranes. Distribute the Whooping Crane Facts page and go over the information as a class. 3. Show students the video from the Environmental Education for Kids! website. (See Internet Connections.) Encourage them to listen for new information that is not included on the fact page. Discuss the video and what students learned. 4. Hand out the colored pencils and have students color their cranes appropriately. 5. Distribute the Flying With the Birds rubber band book and read through it as a class. Explain that students will be learning more about the migration route taken by the whooping cranes that are being helped by the Operation Migration team. 6. Give students the map page and have them follow the directions to number the stars and connect them in order to show the 2008 fall migration route. If possible, show students some of the photographs from this migration from the Operation Migration website (see Internet Connections). 7. Distribute the chart page and the page of questions. Invite students to work together in groups to answer the questions and determine the total distance traveled in the 2008 migration. 8. Discuss students responses and what they have learned about migration from this activity. Connecting Learning 1. What is migration? [the movement of animals from one place to another, usually in groups] 2. Why do animals migrate? [Animals that migrate are moving to locations with more favorable weather and/or food. In the northern hemisphere, animals usually migrate south in the fall and north in the spring.] 3. What are some animals that migrate? [monarch butterflies, caribou, gray whales, Canadian geese, whooping cranes, arctic terns, etc.] 4. In what month did the migration begin? [October] What season is this? [Fall] 5. Why do you think the cranes left Wisconsin at that time? [It gets cold. Lakes and ponds will freeze and they won t have the food they need.] 6. What would happen to the cranes if they did not migrate? [Without human intervention, they would be unable to survive in the harsh winter climate of Wisconsin. They would likely die.] 7. Migration is an instinct. What did the whooping cranes have to learn? [the route to go] 8. What was the most interesting thing you learned about migration from this activity? 9. What are you wondering now? Core Curriculum/Florida AIMS Education Foundation

14 Extensions 1. Use the data from the Operation Migration website to compare migrations from different years. How have they differed? 2. Show one of the videos about whooping crane migrations (see Resources). 3. Compare animal and human migrations. How do the snow birds who come to Florida for the winters compare to the whooping cranes or other migratory animals? Internet Connections Environmental Education for Kids bird/crane.htm Click on the all about whoopers video link for the short video (5:38). Pictures and more information about whooping cranes can be found by clicking on the other links. Operation Migration This website has the latest information about whooping crane populations and migrations. It has photos, videos, and sound clips of the birds, including photo journals from migrations going back to the first ultralight-assisted migration in Solutions 1. Through which states did the cranes travel? [Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida] 2. How many months did the migration take? [over four months] 4. Which places did the cranes stay for only one day? [Sauk, WI; Cumberland, IL; Walker, AL; Pike, AL; Decatur, GA; Gilchrist, FL; Marion, FL] 5. Where did the cranes stay for the longest amount of time? [Franklin, AL] How many days were they there? [18 days] 6. What was the longest number of consecutive days traveled by the cranes? [3] When did these days occur? [January and January the last three days of the migration] 7. On what day did the cranes travel the farthest? [12/5] How far did they go? [120 miles] 8. Where were the cranes when they surpassed the 500-mile mark? [In Kentucky, somewhere between Union and Marshall counties.] 9. Where were the cranes on Halloween (October 31)? [Green, WI] Where were the cranes on New Year s Day (January 1)? [Chilton, AL] Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership This website has information on all the captive and wild whooping crane populations in North America. It includes a section for teachers and kids with activities and curriculum. Resources Both of these videos are available for purchase from Operation Migration. Hope Takes Wing A Journey to Save a Species This 56-minute video tells the history of the whooping crane and highlights the Operation Migration method of reintroducing the species into the wild. It follows the 2003 southward crane migration and the return trip north in Flight of the Whooping Crane This 50-minute video documents the first ultralight-led whooping crane migration in Core Curriculum/Florida AIMS Education Foundation

15 Migratory Mapping Key Question What path did a flock of whooping cranes take in their fall migration? Learning Goals Students will: learn about teaching birds a new migratory route with ultralight aircraft, trace the fall 2008 migration path of whooping cranes from central Wisconsin to central Florida, and interpret data in a table to answer questions about the migration. Core Curriculum/Florida AIMS Education Foundation

16 Migratory Mapping Whooping Crane Facts Height: 1.5 meters (almost 5 feet) Wingspan: 2 meters (7 feet) Weight: 7 kg (16 lbs) (male) 6 kg (14 lbs) (female) Appearance: Eyes: dark brown (chick), light blue (juvenile), yellow (adult) Head: reddish brown (juvenile), red and black (adult) Body: white with reddish brown (juvenile), white (adult) Wings: white, with black wing tips that can only be seen when wings are extended Life span: 25 years (wild) years (captivity) Diet: crabs, clams, cray sh, frogs, large insects, snakes, grains, acorns, berries Habitat: wetlands and marshes Interesting facts: Whooping cranes get their name from their whooping call. Whooping cranes mate for life. They will re-mate if their mate dies. In 1941, there were only 15 whooping cranes left in the wild. In 2010, there were 398. When they y, whooping cranes hold their legs out behind them and their heads out in front. Core Curriculum/Florida AIMS Education Foundation

17 In 1993, they had their first try. They led 27 Canadian geese from Ontario, Canada to Airlie, Virginia. Bill Lishman One day, a man named Bill Leshman had a crazy idea. He was an ultralight airplane pilot. He wanted to get geese to fly with him as he flew his plane. Most of the geese returned to Ontario in the spring, without help. They had proved that birds can learn a migration route by following planes. 2 7 Since then, Operation Migration has grown. They now help teach whooping cranes to migrate using ultralight planes. Since 2001, they have been leading yearly migrations of whooping cranes from Wisconsin to Florida. Whooping cranes are an endangered species. This work is helping the birds survive and grow. Flying With the Birds 8 Core Curriculum/Florida AIMS Education Foundation 1

18 Bill wanted to imprint geese on him. If they thought he was their father, they might fly with him. So, he got some eggs of a Canadian goose. They imprinted on him and followed him everywhere, but they were scared of the plane. Bill kept trying. Each year he got new eggs and became the father goose. Finally, in 1989, Bill took off in his ultralight airplane and the young geese took off in the air behind him. He was flying with the birds! 4 5 OPERATION MIGRATION When geese hatch, they imprint on the first thing they see. This means they become attached to what they see. Usually this is the mother goose. The baby geese will follow their mother everywhere. Then Bill had another idea. He wondered if he could teach the geese a migration route. Bill formed an organization called Operation Migration. The goal was to re-introduce endangered birds to their native habitats. She takes care of them, she teaches them to fly, and when winter comes, they migrate south to warmer places. 6 Core Curriculum/Florida AIMS Education Foundation 3

19 Migratory Mapping Minnesota The cranes start their migration from the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in Wisconsin. Wisconsin Michigan They end at the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge in Florida. Iowa Number the stars in order from 1 to 22. Missouri Illinois Indiana Ohio Connect the stars to show the path the whooping cranes took in Kentucky Tennessee Arkansas Mississippi Alabama Georgia Louisiana Florida Core Curriculum/Florida AIMS Education Foundation

20 Migratory Mapping This table tells the path the whooping cranes took in the 2008 ultralight-led migration. Complete the table by adding the distances traveled to find the total distance traveled each day. The first two have been completed for you. Star County, State Date Distance Traveled Total Distance 1 Juneau, WI 10/17 5 miles 5 miles 2 S. Juneau, WI 10/21 18 miles 23 miles 3 Sauk, WI 10/28 26 miles 4 Green, WI 10/29 46 miles 5 Winnebago, IL 11/10 34 miles 6 LaSalle, IL 11/18 55 miles 7 Piatt, IL 11/ miles 8 Cumberland, IL 11/26 56 miles 9 Union, KY 11/ miles 10 Marshall, KY 11/29 63 miles 11 Hardin, TN 12/5 120 miles 12 Franklin, AL 12/12 57 miles 13 Walker, AL 12/29 53 miles 14 Chilton, AL 12/30 58 miles 15 Lowndes, AL 1/9 58 miles 16 Pike, AL 1/12 52 miles 17 Decatur, GA 1/ miles 18 Jefferson, FL 1/14 43 miles 19 Wakulla, FL 1/17 28 miles 20 Gilchrist, FL 1/21 86 miles 21 Marion, FL 1/22 60 miles 22 Citrus, FL 1/23 26 miles Core Curriculum/Florida AIMS Education Foundation

21 Migratory Mapping Answer these questions. Use the chart and the map to help you. 1. Through which states did the cranes travel? 2. How many months did the migration take? 4. Which places did the cranes stay for only one day? 5. Where did the cranes stay for the longest amount of time? How many days were they there? 6. What was the longest number of consecutive days traveled by the cranes? When did these days occur? 7. On what day did the cranes travel the farthest? How far did they go? 8. Where were the cranes when they surpassed the 500-mile mark? 9. Where were the cranes on Halloween (October 31)? Where were the cranes on New Year s Day (January 1)? Core Curriculum/Florida AIMS Education Foundation

22 Migratory Mapping CONNECTING CONNECTING Connecting Learning 1. What is migration? LEARNING LEARNING 2. Why do animals migrate? 3. What are some animals that migrate? 4. In what month did the migration begin? What season is this? 5. Why do you think the cranes left Wisconsin at that time? 6. What would happen to the cranes if they did not migrate? Core Curriculum/Florida AIMS Education Foundation