Curriculum and Instruction
12/21 I developed an Ecology comic collaborative project with the Arts department (Monica Heiser), including 2 editors of Monga Bay magazine. Students selected an Ecology topic of interest, which they were to used to develop a science-based Ecology comic project.
Below is my conversation with David Brown, the editor of Monga Bay.
Below is my conversation with David Brown, the editor of Monga Bay.
Below are images of student comic strips- students had to create to create an abstract to explain some issues surrounding their Ecological topic and portray it through comic images. They had to conclude the project with staff and peer evaluations. Projects were displayed as an exhibit in the classroom and school.
Review 2
Our environment is everything that surrounds us and in Ecology, my students are studying how organisms interact within their environment. They are studying how changes in the environment can alter life cycles.
One of our essential questions is: how is a turtle part of water conservation? Throughout the year student volunteers have responsibilities to feed the turtle and keep the tank clean. Students learn throughout the year how turtles and trout are organisms that only thrive in certain types of water - and are related to preservation of streams.
Since we have been learning about water conservation, a student noticed a box turtle in the middle of the road on his way to school. We went as a small group to catch the turtle and release it in the woods near ConneXions. Prior to the release, we researched the best direction to set the turtle (same as his catch position), so the turtle was faced in the correct direction to seek water and home.
Students are also studying the turtle and a separate living thing in order to understand the food chain.
Review 3
In my unit about Matter and Organisms, students used various models to explain and classify organisms in the food chain and food web and assess how these organisms interact with their environments. Here is a sample lesson plan from the unit:
Here are some student samples: