Adirondack
Curriculum
Project
NYS Content Area Standard
ELA
MST #1, #2
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Title: Biological Inventory -Critter Report
and Id Card
(See Nature Trail, Lab Report, & Poster Presentation Challenges)
Grade Level: 9th Living Environment
Author: Sandy Bureau
Indian Lake Central School
Email: bureaus@ilcsd.org
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Adirondack Curriculum Content Area
_X_ Natural History
___ Human History
___ Culture & the Arts
___ Government & Civics
___ Economy
___ Health, Recreation &
Life Skills |
Investigative Question or Issue: What small mammals,
amphibians and soil invertebrates live on the ILCS nature trail?
Challenge:
Researchers
in the Adirondack region are interested in initiating an All-Taxa
Biological Inventory of the region (see
attached article). Indian Lake
Central School Living Environment students have been invited to test a
system to inventory small mammals, soil inverts and amphibians that can
be used by other high school students or adult volunteers. But in order
to conduct an inventory we need to have some idea of what kind of
habitat the nature trail provides and then research the possibilities.
Research organisms--You will produce a paper outlining the natural
history of an organism with emphasis on field id and habitat
preferences. Will we have a chance of finding this critter on the
nature trail? Produce a field identification card.
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Quality Standards:
Your
report will be graded for English standards provided by the English
teacher which will include a bibliography with at least three
references.
For science content in
your paper:
Prepare a short paper on one organism, including identification
characteristics, habitat, habit, role in ecosystem.
Identification Characteristics:
small mammal researchers will have to be able to identify their
critters by sight, track and recognize sign left by their animals.
Vernal pool researchers must be able to identify their organisms in all
their different life stages from egg to adult. For those studying
frogs, you will have to be able to identify their call.
Habitat:
you will need to do some background reading on what constitutes a
habitat. Use your text as a reference or another source of your choice.
Your paper must include a short explanation of habitat and the rest of
your paper should reflect your understanding of the habitat of the
critter you studied.
Niche:
you will need to do some background reading on what constitutes niche.
Use your
text as a reference or another source of your
choice. Your paper must include a short explanation
of niche and the rest of your paper should reflect
your understanding of the
niche of the critter you studied.
Recommendation:
Based on your understanding of your organisms, recommend where we
should look for your organism, what time of year, of
day?
Field ID Card
Your challenge is to produce a field Id card to help you and others to
identify your mammal or amphibian out in the field. You will want to
include:
- a picture of your animal from a couple
of angles,
- tracks,
- picture or description of egg masses,
- picture of immature stage,
- description of call, noises,
- pictures of scat or feeding signs.
- Anything that would help
people id your critter in the field.
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Adapted for the Adirondack
Curriculum Project from
the work of Education By Design TM and Leading EDGE, LLC
©ACP 2002
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Product of
the 2008 ACP Biodiversity Workshop, funded by a grant from the New York
Biodiversity Research Institute.