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Lesson plan 2                                                        Date: 5/3/2006

Student teacher: Girma Tessema

University supervisor: Professor James Harris

Cooperating teachers: George Crump and Brian Nixon

Unit 3: Ecology (Chapter 4: Ecosystems and communities)

Main points

1. The role of climate in the biosphere will be studied in terms of its effect on plant and animal life.
2. What is Greenhouse effect? Factors that cause global warming will be discussed  in relation to the effect of green house temperature that is artificially regulated to grow certain plants.
3. The earths' land scape has its own impact on the type of climate. Therefore, the effect of latitude and altitude on climate will be explanied so that students know why our planet has diferent climates.
4. The interaction between biotic and abiotic factors is a natural phenomenon that has been observed in the different ecosystems and this will be studied by visiting some ecosystems around the school.
5. There is no organism that can live without being dependent on the other and the interdependence and interaction of individuals, populations and communities will be discussd in relation to our real life.
6. Life is dynamic it keeps on changing from time to time and some times it looks as if it is stabilized or reached an equilibrium. A good example of such dynamism will be discerned by studying ecological succession.
7. There are different Biomes on the earth characterzed by their own climate which in turn determines the type of vegetation and animal life. Students  will be able to study the different biomes in groups and present it to the class.
8. Aquatic ecosystems are  covering the largest part of the earth and they will be discussed breifly with regard to their contribution to the life of human beings and other organisms. An estuary known as the Chesapeake Bay found in the state of Virginia is a good example to focus during our discussion due to its impact in the surrounding biotic and abiotic components.

General objectives: Students will be aware of what ecology mean and be able to recognize the interactions that exist among and between biotic and abiotic factors. They will acquire knowledge that will enable them contribute to the conservation and wise use of biodiversity and natural resources as a whole

Definition: A biome is a major regional group of distinctive plant and animal communities best adapted to the region's physical natural environment, latitude, altitude and terrain factors.

Major biomes

World Biomes

1. Temperate deciduous forest
2. Temperate evergreen forest
3. Tropical rainforest
4. Taiga (boreal forest)
5. Grassland
6. Tundra
7. Desert
8. Mountain zones
9. Chaparral
10. Polar ice

Activity title: Extracting information from internet on different biomes in the world.  (time allotted for this activity is 30-40 minutes)

Specific objectives:

1.      Students will acquire an in depth knowledge on different biomes that exists in different locations of the earth.

2.      They will become aware of the climate and vegetation types that  characterize these ecosystems. They will be more acquainted with the information when they search for it by themselves.

3.      They will realize that cooperative learning is more efficient and useful than individual learning.

4.      They will find out how cooperative learning saves time as a result of information sharing among the different groups.

Procedures

1. A group of four or five students will be randomly formed
2. Each group will randomly select one of the 10 biomes in the form of a lottery
3. A group will be assigned to a lab top computer
4. Students are expected to include the following information in their notes

• Location of the biome: where it is found on the map including the latitudes and altitude in degrees where it is applicable.
• A biome has its own peculiar climatic characteristics that should be listed down. This may include precipitation, temperature, humidity, seasons etc.
• A biome has its own dominant vegetation or plant types that should be listed down.
• A biome houses some animals that are only adapted to live in that environment.

At the end of this activity they will conceptualize the variation that exists in climate and vegetation of the world and the factors that are responsible for this variation. In addition, it enables them realize that learning through cooperative learning is more informative and eloquent.

 Rubric for assessment of the group work on biomes