Plant and Animal Life Cycles in the Delta

Transcription

1 DELTA STUDIES CURRICULUM Plant and Animal Life Cycles in the Delta 1- LS3 Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits. Make observations to construct an evidence-based account that young plants and animals are like, but not exactly like, their parents San Joaquin County Office of Education STEM Programs Funding provided by California Bay-Delta Authority

2 2

3 1-LS3 Plant and Animal Life Cycles in the Delta Acknowledgements Project Director Judi Wilson, San Joaquin County Office of Education Project Coordinators Heather Fogg, San Joaquin County Office of Education Julie Schardt, San Joaquin County Office of Education Project Facilitator Olga Clymire, Lake County Office of Education Principle Curriculum Writer Jay Bell, Lodi Unified School District Other Writer John Coulter, Stockton Unified School District Field Testers Donna Flores, Stockton Unified School District Sheila Flores, Manteca Unified School District Jennifer Kacyon, Lammersville Elementary School District Lori de la O, Stockton Unified School District Reviewers for Technical Accuracy Jay Bell, Lodi Unified School District Olga Clymire, Lake County Office of Education Suzanne Deleon, California Department of Fish and Wildlife John Fulton, San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Donna Snell, Ceres Unified School District James Starr, California Department of Fish and Wildlife Steve Stocking, San Joaquin Delta College Illustrator Kathleen Bell 3

4 Layout Artist Jo-Anne Rosen, Wordrunner Technical Assistant Melanie Newsome, San Joaquin County Office of Education Community Partners Suzanne Deleon, California Department of Fish and Wildlife John Fulton, San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Lynn Hansen, Modesto Junior College Renee Hill, San Joaquin County Department of Public Works, Solid Waste Division Donna Hummel, U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife Dale Sanders, Environmental Educator James Starr, California Department of Fish and Wildlife Steve Stocking, San Joaquin Delta College Other Acknowledgements Dr. Fredrick Wentworth, Superintendent, San Joaquin County Office of Education Dr. Gary Dei Rossi, Assistant Superintendent, San Joaquin County Office of Education California Bay-Delta Authority 4

5 PLANT AND ANIMAL LIFE CYCLES IN THE DELTA Contents Next Generation Science Standards 7 Overview 8 Storyline 9 Investigation 1 Where s My Mom? 11 Investigation 2 Blossoms to Berries 17 California s Environmental Principles and Concepts 25 5

6 6

7 PLANT AND ANIMAL LIFE CYCLES IN THE DELTA Next Generation Science Standards Science and Engineering Practices: Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions: Build on prior experiences and progress to the use of evidence and ideas in constructing evidence-based accounts of natural phenomena and designing solutions. 1-LS3-1: Make observations (firsthand or from media) to construct an evidence-based account for natural phenomena. Disciplinary Core Ideas: Life Science. LS3.A Inheritance of Traits Young animals are very much, but not exactly like, their parents. Plants also are very much, but not exactly, like their parents. Crosscutting Concept: Patterns. Patterns in the natural world can be observed, used to describe phenomena, and used as evidence (1LS3-1) Working towards Performance Expectation: 1-LS3 Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits. Make observations to construct an evidence-based account that young plants and animals are like, but not exactly like, their parents. Common Core State Standards Connections: ELA/Literacy 1.RI.1 Ask and answer questions about key details in a text. (1-LS3-1) W.1.7 W.1.8 Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of how-to books on a given topic and use them to write a sequence of instructions). (1-LS3-1) With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question. (1-LS3-1) Mathematics MP.2 Reason abstractly and quantitatively. (1-LS3-1) MP.5 Use appropriate tools strategically. (1-LS3-1) 1.MD.A.1 Order three objects by length; compare the lengths of two objects indirectly by using a third object. (1-LS3-1) 7

8 PLANT AND ANIMAL LIFE CYCLES IN THE DELTA OVERVIEW UNDERSTANDINGS Organisms produce offspring of their own kind, which eventually resemble the parents. Different living things of the San Joaquin Delta have different life cycles. Living things have specific needs to complete their life cycles. Flowers and fruits are associated with reproduction in plants. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS How are life cycles of one group of animals or plants similar and different from another group of animals or plants? How are flowers, fruits, and seeds related to each other? KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS: Students will know: the life cycle stages of several animals. the life cycle of the blackberry plant. the relationship between flowers, fruits, and seeds. Students will be able to: Make observations to construct an evidence-based account that young plants and animals are like, but not exactly like, their parents. explain the stages of plants from flower through fruit to seed. 8

9 PLANT AND ANIMAL LIFE CYCLES IN THE DELTA STORYLINE Plants and animals are alike, but not exactly like, their parents. Examples of patterns could include features plants or animals share. Examples of observations could include leaves from the same kind of plant are the same shape but can differ in size; and, a particular breed of dog looks like its parents but is not exactly the same. They have predictable life cycles and needs for survival. Some animals change relatively little between the immature and adult stages of life. Throughout all the stages in their life, plants and animals have needs that must be met for their survival. Lesson 1, Where s My Mom? focuses on the similarities of young and adult animals. The activity illustrates that animals exhibit a variety of life cycles, with some baby animals resembling their parents, and some baby animals undergoing metamorphosis in their development to adulthood. Lesson 2, Blossoms to Berries, introduces the concept of life cycles, using plants as the example. It is shown that new plants grow from seeds, seeds are formed in fruits, and fruits develop from flowers.. 9

10 PLANT AND ANIMAL LIFE CYCLES IN THE DELTA Instructional Materials Required The following list contains materials that may not be readily available in a classroom or at school, but are necessary to conduct the lessons for this unit. Lesson 1 Book: Are You my Mother? By Dr. Seuss Lesson 2 A bag of fresh or frozen blackberries Several types of fruit (at least an apple, orange, tomato and bell pepper) Class set of paper plates and aplastic spoon (or resealable sandwich bags) Class set of magnifying lenses Other Helpful Resources From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons What Is a Life Cycle? by Bobbie Kalman and Jacqueline Langill A New Butterfly: My First Look at Metamorphosis by Pamel Hickman A New Duck: My First Look at the Life Cycle of a Bird by Pam Hickman 10

11 INVESTIGATION 1 Where s My Mom? OBJECTIVE The lesson will familiarize students with the concept that animals exhibit a variety of life cycles; some baby animals resemble their parents, and some baby animals undergo metamorphosis in their development to adulthood. BACKGROUND Many animals start life as miniature versions of their parents. The animals depicted in the cards are: snake and baby snake, mosquito and larvae, butterfly and caterpillar, frog and tadpole, turtle and babies, river otter and baby, fly and larva, duck and babies, pelican and baby, dragonfly and larva, beaver and babies, Osprey (fish hawk) and babies. PREPARATION AND MATERIALS Materials If available, the book Are You My Mother? by Dr. Seuss Per Student or Pair of Students: The four Where s My Mom? sheets (if possible, copy on cardstock or provide cardstock on which students could glue the illustrations) One pair of scissors Crayons (optional) Time Preparation: 15 minutes Lesson: 45 to 60 minutes PROCEDURE Engagement: Phenomena: Show pictures of animals from the National Geographic website: (or find it by googling Animal Mothers and Babies Photos) In small groups, have students record on sticky notes or talk about what they notice (patterns) about the parent and baby animals. Have them share with the large group. 11

12 Introduction 1. Ask the students what a puppy is when it grows up. Ask the students how the puppy is different from its parents, and how it is similar. Ask the students to name other baby animals that look similar to their parents. Tell the students that many baby animals, including dogs and cats look like adults, just smaller. 2. If available, read to students the book Are You My Mother? by Dr. Seuss. Activity: 3. Distribute the materials to the students. The students may first color the animals on the activity sheets. 4. Direct the students to cut the four Where s My Mom? sheets into 24 individual cards. 5. Have students separate the Where s My Mom? cards into two sets: one of parents only and one of babies only. 6. Ask the students to match each baby animal with its parent. 7. Discuss with the students ways in which a specific baby is similar to, or different from, its matching parent. 8. Play a game of concentration using the cards. Place the cards face down on the table and turn over two cards. If they match, the player puts them in her or his pile. If the cards do not match the cards are turned back over in their original position. The other player then repeats the process. 9. When all cards are matched, the game is over and can be replayed, with the cards in new positions. Closure Note: The answers in italics are examples of students answers. 10. Ask students: What do animals that look like their parents share, in addition to looking like their parents? (They are cared for by their parents.) 12

13 EXTENSIONS Ask children to bring in pictures of their parents or adult friends as children and as adults. See if the class can match the children to the adults. Read Is Your Mama a Llama? By Deborah Guarino. Have a discussion about the possibilities and problems for a child raised by a parent of another species. Raise silkworms in the classroom. Ask students to research thenames of young for various animals (e.g., kit and beaver; puppy and dog, kitten and cat). Have them draw the animals and label them, and place them into a booklet. RESOURCES Books Are You My Mother? by Dr. Seuss Is Your Mama a Llama? By Deborah Guarino What Is A Life Cycle? by Bobbie Kalman and Jacqueline Langille (The Science of Living Things series) Other Resources The Great Valley Museum in Modesto has animal kits/suitcases for teachers to checkout that would allow the children to touch and feel pelts and skins. 13

14 14

15 15

16 16

17 INVESTIGATION 2 Blossoms to Berries OBJECTIVE The lesson will develop the concepts that new plants grow from seeds, seeds are formed in fruits, and fruits develop from flowers. BACKGROUND Plants make new plants by producing seeds. The process starts when the plant makes a flower. Pollen gets on the flower through the action of wind or animals. The bottom part of the flower (the ovary) then begins to grow into a fruit with seeds inside. When the fruit is carried away or eaten by an animal, the seeds are spread to a new place where they can grow into new plants. The fruit is important to the plant because it provides a place for the seeds to develop. The fruit also encourages an animal to move the seeds to a new place. Additionally, the fruit can provide moisture and nutrients to the seed in its new home. When people think of fruits, they generally think only of such things as apples, oranges, peaches, and cantaloupes. However, cucumbers, bell peppers, green beans, and tomatoes are also fruits. A fruit is defined as the ripened seed-containing ovary of a flower. A vegetable is defined as any part of a plant that humans eat. All fruits are vegetables - but only vegetables that contain seeds are fruits. The seed is obviously important to the plant as a way to make more plants. Plants only live for a certain amount of time. Therefore, for a particular type of plant to continue to be in an area, the plant must reproduce itself. One of the main means through which plants reproduce themselves is the dispersal of seeds. A very common plant in the Delta is the blackberry. In natural areas and the edges of cultivated areas, if there is sufficient water, blackberry thickets can be found. The thickets serve as home for a wide variety of animals. Two types of blackberry grow locally. The more common is the Himalayan blackberry, which was introduced from Europe. Less common is the California blackberry, a native plant that was enjoyed by Native Americans and early settlers. The Himalayan blackberry has thicker, longer stems and its protective spines on the stems are much larger, the leaflets are in sets of five and the berries are larger and juicier. The California blackberry has leaflets in sets of three or five and has more spines, but each spine is smaller than that of the Himalayan blackberry. 17

18 Preparation Bring to class a bag of fresh or frozen blackberries. Gather a few types of fruit for the Introduction (at least an apple, orange, tomato, and bell pepper). Make copies of the two Blossoms to Berries sheets (one of each for each student). Enlarge the individual pictures of the Blossoms to Berries sheet for class discussion or make a transparency of the entire sheet. To limit the messiness of the berries, consider placing each blackberry into a resealable sandwich bag. Then have students separate the seeds from the berry pulp while the berry is in the bag. Materials For Each Student: A blackberry on a paper plate Optional: resealable sandwich bag (a plastic spoon and paper towel would not be needed if the sandwich bag is used) A plastic spoon A paper towel Both Blossoms to Berries sheets (the one with the illustrations and the one with the numbers) Pair of scissors Crayons (particularly purple, blue, green, and brown) Glue stick Magnifying lens Time Preparation: 15 minutes Lesson: 60 minutes Note: This lesson can also be separated into three shorter lessons: one lesson could focus on the differences between fruits and vegetables; the second lesson could involve counting the seeds in the blackberries; and the third lesson could have students complete the Blossom to Berries sheet. 18

19 Instructional Sequence: Show Smithsonian Channel video of exploding seeds or google unbelievable footage of exploding plants Smithsonian or from ngssphonomena.com site In small groups, have students list on sticky notes three or four questions they have after viewing the video. Have them share their notes with the whole class and group the questions by similarities. If not mentioned, elicit questions involving why seeds need to be dispersed, other types of seeds they have seen, and lead into seeds that they see every day in their food. DELTA BLACKBERRY PROCEDURE Introduction 11. Display the fruits listed in the Preparation portion of the lesson. Ask the students which of the displayed items are fruits; then ask which are vegetables. 12. Explain that all of the items are vegetables and that all the items are fruits. 13. Share with the class the distinctions between fruits and vegetables as outlined in the Background section of the lesson. Ask students: Is a green bean a fruit or a vegetable? (Both) Why can t we call a head of lettuce a fruit? (It wasn't once the bottom part of a lettuce flower; it doesn't have seeds inside it.) How many fruits do we eat when we eat a hamburger? (Usually at least two: a pickle and a tomato) 14. Tell the students that a fruit is how a plant makes more plants. Ask the class to explain what a fruit is before it is a fruit. After discussion, explain the process of flower to fruit as outlined in the Background section as appropriate for your students. A plant makes a flower. Pollen gets on the flower from another flower. Pollen makes the bottom part of the flower get larger. 19

20 Seeds develop inside the growing bottom part of the flower. The bottom part of the flower, with the seeds inside it, becomes a fruit. The fruit falls from the plant or is carried away by an animal. The seeds spread to a new place where they can grow into new plants. 15. Explain to the students that the blackberry plant is very common throughout the San Joaquin Valley and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Tell the class that in today s activity they will look at the blackberry and learn how it changes from a flower to a fruit. Activity 16. Distribute a blackberry, plastic spoon, hand lens, and paper towel on a plate to each student or pair of students. Caution the students that blackberry juice will stain their skin and clothes, so they need to be careful. If plastic resealable bags are used, then a spoon and plate are not necessary because students will locate the seeds by separating the berry while it is in the bag. 17. Have the students carefully cut up the blackberry with their spoon to find the seeds. 18. Direct the students to count the number of seeds they find. Then ask students to recount the seeds to make certain that their count is correct. 19. Record on a class graph the numbers of seeds found for comparison and discussion. 20. Distribute the Blossom to Berries sheets, scissors, crayons, and glue stick to the students. 21. Instruct the students to cut out the individual pictures (leaving a small border around each picture) and then arrange the pictures on the other sheet in order. The order should go from flower buds to the fruit being carried away by a bird. 22. Instruct the students to not glue any of the pictures until after class discussion. 23. Once all the students have arranged their pictures in what they believe is the correct order, lead a class discussion using the enlarged pictures or a transparency, mentioned in the Preparation section of the lesson, to outline the correct sequence of events: (1) Flower bud to (2) flower to (3) early berry to (4) growing berry to (5) ripe berry to (6) berry being plucked by a bird. You might need to explain to students the role of the bird in the Blackberry s life cycle. (The bird eats the fruit, 20

21 flies off, and later deposits, as a bird dropping, the non-digestible seeds in another location where they could grow.) Note: The letters on the blackberry pictures in the correct sequence will spell out the word FLOWER. Closure 24. Ask the students how this chain of events for the blackberry would compare to the formation of a tomato, bell pepper, or cucumber. The answer is that the chain of events is basically the same for all four plants. The only difference might be what happens to the fruit once it is ripe. Reinforce the fact that fruits, with their seeds inside, are what once was the bottom part of a flower. The seeds inside the fruit will grow into more plants that will eventually make more flowers. EXTENSIONS Rinse an avocado seed, stick toothpicks into its sides, and suspend it in the mouth of a jar. Keep the water level to the halfway point of the pit. Roots, stem, and leaves will form. Give each student a peanut in the shell. The shelled thing is a dried fruit and was once the bottom part of a peanut flower. Have the students open the shell and remove the two seeds. Have them pull the two sides of one seed apart. If they look carefully at one end of one of the seed halves, they will see a baby plant, complete with stem, leaves, and root. Have the students make a class list of some fruits that do not have seeds. Examples might be seedless grapes, navel oranges, and seedless watermelons. Ask the class why these fruits do not have seeds. The answer is that people made these kinds of plants not to have seeds so that they would be easier for us to eat. Encourage students to ask their parents, look in books, or ask on the Internet to find out how these plants make more plants. RESOURCES Books Eating the Alphabet: Fruits and Vegetables from A to Z by Lois Ehlert From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons Miss Rhumphius by Barbara Cooney The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle What Is A Life Cycle? by Bobbie Kalman and Jacqueline Langille (The Science of Living Things series) 21

22 22

23 23

24 EXTENSIONS Ask children to bring in pictures of their parents or adult friends as children and as adults. See if the class can match the children to the adults. Read Is Your Mama a Llama? By Deborah Guarino. Have a discussion about the possibilities and problems for a child raised by a parent of another species. Raise silkworms in the classroom. Contact the local Mosquito Abatement and Vector Control about their classroom mosquito raising kit. Have the students use a microscope to look at features of larval and adult mosquitoes. Ask students to research thenames of young for various animals (e.g., kit and beaver; moth and larva, puppy and dog, kitten and cat). Have them draw the animals and label them, and place them into a booklet. RESOURCES Books Are You My Mother? by Dr. Seuss Is Your Mama a Llama? By Deborah Guarino What Is A Life Cycle? by Bobbie Kalman and Jacqueline Langille (The Science of Living Things series) Other Resources The Great Valley Museum in Modesto has animal kits/suitcases for teachers to checkout that would allow the children to touch and feel pelts and skins. 24

25 California s Environmental Principles & Concepts Principle I: The continuation and health of individual human lives and of human communities and societies depend on the health of the natural systems that provide essential goods and ecosystem services. Principle II: The long-term functioning and health of terrestrial, freshwater, coastal, and marine ecosystems are influenced by their relationships with human societies. Principle III: Natural systems proceed through cycles that humans depend upon, benefit from, and can alter. Principle IV: The exchange of matter between natural systems and human societies affects the long-term functioning of both. Principle V: Decisions affecting resources and natural systems are based on a wide range of considerations and decision-making processes. 25