- Grade Level: ,
- Themes: ,
- Activity Type: ,
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- Part of the Watershed Neighbors Watershed Experience
- Print Activity
Table of Contents
Question(s)
What questions do I need to ask, answer, and explore in order to understand a species and its role in my watershed?
Overview
Students take on the role of a scientist as they research a species that they have a close, personal relationship to…themselves! This activity complements the Species Investigation activity, using humans as the focus species. Research questions prompt students to think about why they live here, what resources they need to survive, and how they share these resources with other species in their habitat.
The answers to these questions will help students to understand and appreciate species that live within their watershed habitat and rely on some of the same resources that they do. In Connect the Species students will work with their classmates to use what they have learned about humans and identify connections between humans and other species (from Species Investigation) in their watershed.
Standards (MLR)
Science & Technology
C3. Science, Technology, and Society
3-5 Students identify and describe the influence of science and technology on people and the environment.
6-8 Students identify and describe the role of science and technology in addressing personal and societal challenges.
E1. Biodiversity
3-5 Students compare living things based on their behaviors, external features, and environmental needs.
6-8 Students differentiate among organisms based on biological characteristics and identify patterns of similarity.
E2. Ecosystems
3-5 Students describe ways organisms depend upon, interact within, and change the living and non-living environment as well as ways the environment affects organisms.
6-8 Students examine how the characteristics of the physical, non-living (abiotic) environment, the types and behaviors of living (biotic) organisms, and the flow of matter and energy affect organisms and the ecosystem of which they are part.
English Language Arts
C1. Research
3-5 Students create, identify, and answer research questions by gathering information from print and non-print sources and documenting sources and communicating findings.
6-8 Students propose and revise research questions, collect information from a wide variety of primary and/or secondary sources, and follow the conventions of documentation to communicate findings.
Learning Objectives
- Students will be able to do research independently (in teams or individually)
- Students will be able to use their own experiences, observations, skills, and knowledge to answer questions
- Students will be able to use resources (online or in-library) to answer questions.
- Students will be able to represent their ideas using a visual aid (a Venn diagram).
Materials
- Paper
- Markers
Time Needed
1-2 40-minute class periods
Activity Procedure
1. In small groups, have students study themselves as representatives of the human species. This study will be similar to how they studied their species of choice in Species Investigation. Guided by the worksheet below, students work in small teams to answer research questions about the human species (see worksheet below).
2. After students have competed their research worksheets, have them draw a Venn diagram that represents how humans and their species of choice from Species Investigation use the same resources. Represent humans in one circle, the species they studied in the other circle, and in the middle (overlap), list the shared resources we compete for.
3. Post Venn diagrams around the classroom and give students 5-10 minutes to do a walk-about to view the Venn diagrams from other teams.
4. Once students have had the chance to look at other teams’ work, allow them 5 minutes to revisit their own diagram and make revisions before they share findings as a class. Use these questions to guide your discussion:
- What essential resources do you need in your watershed habitat?
- What non-essential resources do you use in your watershed?
- Do other species need these resources too? Which species?
- What impacts does sharing or competing for these resources have on humans? On the other species?
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Student Worksheet
Get to know yourself as a species!
Questions to get you started
It is easy to forget that we are also a part of the animal kingdom and are considered a species, a mammal, part of food webs, and influence what happens to other species such as trees, birds, bugs, worms, fish, deer, etc.
Today, you are going to do a scientific study of yourself! You have 6 research questions to answer. These are the same ones that you answered about your species of choice in Species Investigation, but this time you are the subject! Use the questions below as a tool or guide to get you thinking. Have fun learning about yourself as a representative of the human species!
Note: Before you tackle your scientific research, form a hypothesis for each of the research questions based on your observations and prior knowledge. Below each research question are some other questions that will help to guide your thinking and research. Use these questions and your hypothesis as tools to guide your research, but your goal is to answer the 6 research questions.
Research Question #1. Where do humans live?
Hypothesis:
Conclusion:
Guiding Questions:
- Describe a human’s habitat.
- Why do humans live there?
- What resources does this habitat provide humans for survival?
- Do humans live in the same habitat year-round?
- Where are humans most abundant? What is their preferred range?
Research Question #2. What do humans eat? What eats humans?
Hypothesis:
Conclusion:
Guiding Questions:
- Where/what do humans get nutrients from?
- How do humans eat?
- What nutrient resources are available in a human’s habitat?
- Can you observe a human eating? Can you search a human’s habitat for evidence of food?
- What do you think eats humans??
Research Question #3. How do humans grow and change throughout their life?
Hypothesis:
Conclusion:
Guiding Questions:
- What do humans look like when they’re young? As a baby, teenager, adult, and senior citizen?
- Can you find/see humans in their natural habitat at different ages?
- Do humans look the same year round?
Research Question #4. How are humans adapted to life in Maine?
Hypothesis:
Conclusion:
Guiding Questions:
- Do humans stay in Maine for every season?
- Does a human’s habitat change throughout the year? How does this affect behavior?
- What adaptations do humans have to help them survive in Maine (or a similar environment year-round)?
- What resources does the Maine environment provide humans for survival?
Research Question #5. Why are humans of interest to scientists? What questions are scientists asking about humans?
Hypothesis:
Conclusion:
Guiding Questions:
- How did you learn about humans?
- Where did that information come from?
- How was that information collected?
- Is there anything that you/scientists don’t know about how humans interact with their habitats and the other species within them?
- Is there anything that scientists need/want to know about how humans interact with their habitats and other species?
Research Question #6. How are humans connected to the species you chose to study?
Hypothesis:
Conclusion:
Guiding Questions:
- What resources do you need to survive?
- What resources did the watershed species you studied need for survival?
- Are any of these resources the same?
- Do humans use this species for anything/any purposes?
- Does this species rely on humans for anything? Benefit in any way from human use of their habitat?
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Reflection/Formative Assessment Ideas
Looking at yourself in a different way can provoke lots of questions, thoughts, and ideas that lead to great class discussions. Here are some reflection questions to get your discussion started:
- What was it like to be a scientist studying humans in Maine?
- Did you learn anything new about humans in Maine?
- Did anything surprise you?
- Is there anything that you’d like to learn more about humans in Maine, your peers, and/or a different generation, culture?
Extension Ideas
The way that humans have used natural resources and shared these resources and habitats with different species has changed over time and is different in different cultures. As a class, consider the following:
- How did humans use the resources in your watershed 25, 50, 100, or more years ago?
- How do humans in different parts of the world use their watershed resources?
- How do you think our use of watershed resources will change in the future?
For each of these questions also consider the other species that rely on these watershed habitats and resources. What impacts does/did/might sharing these resources have on them? On watershed habitats?
Resources
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References
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One Comment
I like the idea of kids using people (or what they know) as a background for how to research – they can see the process of research before they apply it to an unknown species. Teachers often assume kids can research and that they understand the process, but it is often not true, even with my high school students.
This is a super activity to use before (or after) the “Species Investigation” activity.