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Seasonal
Changes
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| Overview: |
In science,
observation and gathering of information is an on-going process.
In this lesson, Seasonal Changes, students take a traditional seasons
lesson a step further. Students will research and gather information
on changes in plants, animals and humans. While some information
may be "old hat", other will be quite intriguing. With December
weather being many things, from mild to freezing temperatures, one
thing is for certain; changes in the season have an affect on the
entire environment. This lesson encourages the observation and investigation
of these effects.
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Time:
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2,
45 minute class periods |
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Grade
Level :
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6-7 |
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| Objectives: |
Students will:
- research
seasonal changes and the affects on the environment.
- observe and
record findings of seasonal changes.
- complete
a graph using the information gathered on the observation walk.
- write summarizations
on the results of the research on seasonal changes.
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National
Standards:
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Life Sciences:
- 6.3: Diversity
and adaptations of organisms
- Populations
and ecosystems
- Regulation
and behavior
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| Activities: |
- Observation
walk
- Internet
research
- Graphing
activity
- Internet
scavenger hunt
- Summarization/documentation
of results using MS Word
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| Materials: |
- Seasonal
Changes charting handout
- NetWize eBuddies
- Scavenger
Hunt handouts
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| Procedure: |
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Day
One:
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| 1. |
Give
students the handout, Charting
Seasonal Changes. Explain and clarify the directions on
recording observations. |
| 2. |
Back
in the classroom, give students eBuddies and have them access
the following website (http://www.ambleside.schoolzone.co.uk/mentalmaths/grapher.swf)
and chart the results. |
| 3. |
In
MS Word, have the students write a short paragraph summarizing
the findings of the observation walk. |
| Day
Two: |
| 1. |
Give
students eBuddies. On the board, write the acronym, SAD (Seasonal
Affective Disorder). Have the students do a Google (www.google.com)
search to discover the meaning of the acronym. Discuss the impact
of SAD in various locations across the country. Would it have
more or less effect on humans depending on the severity of winter? |
| 2. |
Give
students Scavenger Hunt handout.
Review the websites and questions on the scavenger hunt. Have
students work individually or in groups of 2 to research the
answers. |
| 3. |
After
completing the scavenger hunt, have the students document using
MS Word, the most unusual effect of "over-wintering". |
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| Evaluation: |
- Charting
Handout
- Graph of
the results of the charting activity
- Summary of
charting/graphing activity
- Scavenger
Hunt results
- Participation
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Internet
Resources:
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| Optional
Activity: |
Video
clips on seasons found at BrainPop.com |
| |
Download
this in Word |
©2001
EarthWalk Communications, Inc. 10262 Battleview Pkwy Manassas, VA
20109
Phone (703) 393-1940 Fax (703) 393-1730 http://www.earthwalk.com |