BACKYARD BIOMES

Grade Level: 5th
Subjects: Science, Language Arts, Technology
Learner Outcomes:

• The student will have a basic knowledge of their local biome and its inhabitants.
• The student will create a biome web fact sheet containing information about wildlife, plant life, climate,  and basic land forms in their state.
• The students will explore the playground area surrounding their school.
• The students will collect samples and/or take pictures of plant and animal life and land forms found in and around their local school grounds.
• The students will research plants and animals found on or near their local school grounds.
• The students will create a school yard field guide containing pictures of wildlife, plant life, and land forms located around their school using digital cameras, the internet, computers, and word processing programs.

Duration of Lesson: Five 60 minute periods.

Materials: Individual webbing worksheets, individual hand lenses (classroom set if possible), binoculars ( 2 or 3 pairs), paper, pencil, individual lab notebooks, disposable plastic gloves for each student

Technology Tools/Courseware: Inspiration Software for webbing activity, computers, (classroom or lab setting) computer projection device (LCD display or scanner converter), television, digital scanner, digital camera, word processing software, chalkboard, white board, chart paper or overhead projector

Teacher Notes:

• Check to see that signed Internet Usage Contracts are on file for each student.
• Reserve television and projection devices.
• Schedule extra computer time for completion of Local Field guide.
• Check with students about any special medical conditions before outdoor activity (allergies, etc.)
• Schedule extra help in the form of parent or student volunteers for outdoor activity if the area around your school is spread out or near a high traffic area or if you have a large number of students enrolled in your classroom.
• The Inspiration Graphic Organizer Software has a trial version that can be downloaded and used for free for a 30 day period.

 

Procedures:
    Day 1:

• Lead discussion about student's prior knowledge of the environment in their state. Have students brainstorm list of living things (plant and animal)  that inhabit this area. List these on board, overhead, or chart paper.
• Lead a discussion about their knowledge of the types of land forms, weather, and seasonal changes they might expect to find in their local area. List their ideas on board, overhead, or chart paper.
• Using Inspiration Software or handouts with blank web, have students create a biome web for the local state environment. Include data about the wildlife, plant life, weather, climate, and land forms discussed previously. (Students may do this individually in the computer lab or it can be done as a large group activity using a stand alone computer, the Inspiration Software, and a projection device so that all students can participate in the creation of the web.)
• Print out the students' biome webs so that they can be referred to or added to later.
• Have the students list any unanswered questions about their local biome. As their study and research continues they should record any answers they find and add any new questions that may come up.
• If there are questions about whether or not a particular animal or plant lives in the area, students can visit the Enature site to look up their geographic area. ( This site has an option that will bring up information about wildlife and plant life in a local environment by simply typing in the zip code for that area. Students will also need to enter a zip code. You could use a classroom email address if you have one, use your own email address, or allow the students to use their own personal email address.)
• Tell students that they will be going outside for the next lesson. Remind them to wear long sleeve shirts, long pants, and appropriate footwear for this activity.

     Day 2:

• Lead a discussion about the specific plant and animal life inhabiting the area around their school.
• Tell students that they will be going on a school yard field trip to locate and photograph plant life, animal life, and land forms. This will be put into a booklet to form a school field guide.
• Show students how to take pictures with the digital camera. Take a few sample pictures and view them on the computer so that students will know how the process works.
• Provide each student with an individual hand lens that can be used to examine items on the playground. Review how to use the lenses.
• Discuss safety factors involved  when exploring nature areas. (Walking, staying within sight of the teacher, avoiding contact with animals unless they have teacher approval, staying away from any plants that might be poisonous-"Leaves of three, let it be." is a good guide to use when cautioning them about how to avoid poison ivy.)
• Distribute disposable plastic gloves to each student so they can feel free to examine plant and animal life without exposing themselves to possible hazardous materials. Gloves should be disposed of after activity and hands should be thoroughly washed. Provide plastic baggies for sample collection.
• Take class outside to explore area.
• Help students take digital pictures of plants, animals, and land forms.  Include as many varieties as possible.
• Return to the classroom with samples collected.

     Day 3 and 4:

• Using published field guides from the school or classroom library, have students find the specific names of any plants or animals found on the playground.
• If students have difficulty finding information, visit  Enature to look up local wildlife for their geographic area. (This site allows you to find lists of local plants and wildlife by entering your zip code. An email address is also required. You could use your personal email, or a classroom email address if you have one. It also provides an option to subscribe to their Enature newsletter. )
• Using a word processing program such as Microsoft Word or Works, or Children's Writing and Publishing, etc.,  have the students type up a short description of each plant or animal that they found near their school or that they listed as living in their local area, using the information found during research. Assign one report per student or assign several reports to be done by one team so that students may work together
• Help students print out photographs taken with the digital camera.
• Have the students create field guide pages by inserting pictures taken with digital camera onto pages created with word processor. (This process can be done with a scanner or by copying the pictures from a file where they have been previously saved.)

    Day 5:

• Have individual students or teams present research information found to the entire class.
• Lead a class discussion about the animals, plants, and land forms they have studied as a class. Emphasize to the students that all these things living together in their local environment are part of a biome. Identify that biome. (West Virginia is part of the Temperate/Deciduous Forest Biome.)
• Have copies of the pages copied and made into a booklet. These can be bound together in various ways. (Binding machine which uses plastic spines, hole punched and tied, stapled, etc.) Use whatever format you desire.
• Place one copy of the field guide in the school library for other students to check out. Keep a classroom copy that can be added to or corrected as the class study of biomes continues.

Modifications:

• Place students in heterogeneous groups so they may assist each other in completion of assignments.
• Make arrangements for adult volunteers to assist any physical challenged students during outside field study.
• Arrange for priority seating for students with visual or hearing impairments during groups discussion or when viewing projection devices.
• Extended time may be given for students who have weaknesses in the areas of written language and reading.
• Assistance from resource room teachers should be incorporated whenever possible.
• Peer tutors can be assigned if necessary.

Enrichment:

• Students may do additional research on any plant or animal life in their biome. They may create additional field guide pages.
• Students may visit the habitat guide section of the Enature site and do additional research on wildlife from biomes different than the one in which they live (Arctic, wetlands, forests, deserts, coastal, grasslands). These may be presented to the class.
• Students may create Power point presentations using the information and pictures collected for the local field guide. These could be presented at PTA meetings to encourage interest within the community for protecting the local environment and wildlife.
• Students may create biome boxes which display models of the local plant and animal life in a setting that recreates the environment they live in.

Evaluation/Assessment:

• Students will be assessed on completion of local biome web.
• Students will be assessed on completion of field guide page through the use of a 5 point rubric.

West Virginia IGOs:
   Language Arts:
     Listening and Speaking-  5.4, 5.5, 5.13; Reading Comprehension- 5.16, 5.33; Writing- 5.55,
     5.56, 5.57, 5.60; Language- 5.97, 5.103; Study Skills- 5.172, 5.176
     Science:
   Nature of Science- 5.2, 5.3, 5.7, 5.8; Scientific Attitude- 5.10, 5.11, 5.13;
     Scientific Processes- 5.16, 5.17, 5.20; Laboratory Investigations- 5.21, 5.22, 5.23;
     Science Themes- 5.27, 5.28. 5.32, 5.33
     Technology: 5.179, 5.180, 5.183, 5.186, 5.187, 5.188, 5.65, 5.6, 5.73
 
 

National Standards:
   Language Arts:

• Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process.
• Gathers and uses information for research purposes.
• Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of informational texts.

    Science:

• Understands relationships among organisms and their physical environment.
• Understand the nature of scientific knowledge.
• Understand the nature of scientific inquiry.

    Technology:

• Knows the characteristics and uses of computer software programs.

References:
Enature
Biology 4 Kids
Inspiration Software

Authors:
 
 

Jo Ellen Snider
Bernadette Rush
Donna Dennis

 
 
 
 

Lesson 1

Lesson 2

Lesson 3

Lesson 4

Lesson 5

Lesson 6

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