Download Assignment 2 notes for teachers

Part 2: Build Your Own Planet
Assignment #2 notes
This assignment should be launched with a whole class discussion about animal
interactions. Begin with the question, “What are some ways that different forms of life
interact with each other?” Encourage students to give examples of how different living
things impact each other. Generate a list of animal-animal, animal-plant or plant-plant
relationships.
Students may need encouragement to come up with ideas beyond predator/prey
relationships. If needed, give examples of other relationships, such as parasitic or
symbiotic relationships.
Here are some examples of parasitic relationships: fleas and dogs; remora and
sharks; parasitic wasps that lay their eggs on caterpillars, allowing the larvae to live off
the caterpillars; tape worms (or harmful bacteria) and humans.
Here are some symbiotic (mutually beneficial) relationships: algae and fungi
living together in lichens; E. coli bacteria in human intestines; clown fish living among
sea anemones.
There are other interactions students may not think of. Lions will kill cheetah
without eating them because they compete for food. Catbirds rely on other bird species to
raise their young. Hermit crabs live in the shells of dead mollusks. Many bacteria and
beetles consume carrion or break it down into soil, thereby benefiting all nearby life
forms. Remind them that plants are also living things and that there are many different
plant-animal interactions, such as bees pollinating flowers, plants that rely on birds or
deer for seed disbursal, or insects that use plants as camouflage or shelter.
Try to generate an exhaustive list, supplying any gaps as needed. You can draw an
example of a food web if desired, but try to avoid a straight, hierarchical food chain, as
these are usually inaccurate and incomplete. After a wide variety of interactions have
been listed, have students get out Assignment #1 and their life form drawings and get into
their groups. Pass out one copy of Assignment #2 to each group. Explain that the groups
need to figure out how all the life forms discovered in their group interact. Every life
form must interact with at least one other life form, and collectively all the life forms
must be connected somehow, but not every life form has to interact directly with every
other one. Then review the requirements for the posters and pass out the presentation
guidelines to the communication officers.
Begin by allowing each member to show and describe their life form to their
group. After all group members have presented, the group should collectively discuss and
determine a web of interaction. Once again, encourage students to think beyond simple
predator/prey relationships. If they get stumped, have them look over the list that was
generated at the beginning of the lesson.
Build Your Own Planet
Final Project: Poster Presentation
Part 2: Build Your Own Planet
Your mission is nearing completion. You and your crewmates have
explored your planet and discovered new life forms. It is now time to return to
Earth and show the people of Earth what you have learned about your planet
and its life forms.
Your crew will make a poster summarizing all you have discovered
about your planet and the life on it. All the crew members will work together
on it. The group commander will make sure that all the required information is
included. The guidelines for making the poster are below.
Before you begin work on your poster, meet with your crew members
and share your life forms. Show your drawing and share the information you
recorded on your Planning Sheet. Then decide how your life forms interact
with each other. Your life form must interact with at least one of the other life
forms discovered by your crew members. All the life forms in your group must
interact with each other somehow, although not every life form has to interact
directly with every other one. You might start the discussion by brainstorming
with your crew members all the different ways that different species can
interact.
After the groups have developed their interaction webs they should begin their
posters. Tri-panel presentation boards are very effective, but large white poster board is
also adequate and much cheaper. Students should be given ample time to complete their
posters. Two or 3 days to a week is reasonable. Some in-class time should be allotted so
that group members can collaborate. In might be a good idea to review the different
responsibilities before giving class time to work on the posters. Group commanders
should make sure that all requirements are being covered and that everyone in the group
has an opportunity to contribute.
Poster Instructions







All students must contribute to the group poster.
Each student should draw/write about their own life form.
Groups should collaborate on the interactions of their life forms.
Groups can decide for themselves who will do what in describing their planet.
It is the group commander’s responsibility to see to it that the planet is
described adequately.
Posters may contain writing, drawings, designs or anything else you think will
make it look good and tell people about your mission. You may write/draw
directly on the poster, or you can work on paper and attach the paper to the
poster. You may cut things out of magazines, newspapers, etc., or print things
from the computer and attach them to the poster.
Posters may include samples collected from your planet, (rocks, life forms,
artifacts, whatever), but these are not required.
The communication officer will briefly present your crew’s poster to the rest of
the class. He or she should use the Guidelines for Communication Officers to
plan the presentation.
Part 2: Build Your Own Planet
Your poster should include the following information about your crew:
Name of crew;
Name of individual crew members.
Your poster should include all of the following information about your planet:
Name of planet;
Mass of nearest star, its age and its estimated life cycle;
Planet’s distance from nearest star;
Type of surface and albedo;
Type of atmosphere and greenhouse effect;
Average surface temperature;
Any factors that affect the range of temperatures on your planet
Location of liquid water.
Your poster should include some of the following information about your
planet: (use your imagination for these)
Temperature range and factors affecting the temperature range (rate of
rotation, thickness of atmosphere, tilt, etc.);
Other objects in the planetary system, their impact on your planet;
Interesting surface features, including effects of weathering, erosion, mountain
building, glaciers, etc.;
Composition of atmosphere (is it breathable?) and/or oceans;
Interior of planet;
Plate tectonics, and/or volcanism;
Orbit, rotation;
Seasons, hot regions, cold regions;
Impact of life on the planet and/or threats to life on your planet;
Economic potential of your planet -- gold, oil, food, valuable minerals, etc.;
Any factors that affect the rate of evolution on your planet;
Any other interesting discoveries about your planet that you want to share.
Your poster should include all of the following information about each life form:
Name of life form;
Who discovered it;
Where it was found, type of environment;
Drawing of it;
Size, weight;
How the life forms interact.
Part 2: Build Your Own Planet
Your poster should include some of the following information about your life
forms:
Diet, fuel source;
Predators/prey;
Unusual behaviors;
Reproductive cycle;
Life cycle, life stages;
Relative abundance (are they common or rare?);
Impact on environment, or position in food chain;
Age of species, existence of fossil record;
Number of genders, gender differences in appearance or behavior;
Any other interesting discoveries about your life form that you want to share
Your poster will be evaluated on the information presented (60% of
total) and the quality of its appearance (40%). The information should reflect
the things you have learned over the course of this unit. You should include all
the required information and some of the extra information. It should be neat,
easy to read with correct spelling and grammar, well designed and pleasing to
look at.
Finally, all crew members are dependant on each other for the success
of the mission and their own survival. Crew members will need to make an
extra effort to work and cooperate with each other if they are going to make it
back safely to Earth. Therefore, your group can earn 5 points extra credit if all
group members participate and cooperate with each other. Good luck.
A grading sheet for the poster is available in Appendix B.
Presentations: In general, presentations should be kept to under a few minutes.
The communications officer is responsible for presenting the poster to the class, and
she/he has a form listing what information to present, but all group members should be
part of the presentation and be encouraged to add any other information they think the
class should know about their planet or life forms. Allow time for the group to answer
questions from the class about their poster before moving on to the next presentation, but
it may be a good idea to set a fixed number of questions that can be asked of any one
group.
Build Your Own Planet
Final Project: Poster Presentation
Guidelines for Communication Officers
Presentations should be brief. When you present your poster to the class you
should present the information listed below. If you want, you may write notes
on this form to use when you present.
Presentations: Required Information
Names of Crew Members: ____________________, ______________________,
Part 2: Build Your Own Planet
_____________________, _____________________, _____________________
Average Surface Temperature of Planet: _____________ º C / F
Location of liquid water on the planet: _________________________________
Other information about your planet that you think is important: ____________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Names of life forms discovered: __________________, ____________________,
____________________, ______________________, _____________________
How these life forms interact: _________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Other information about your life forms that you think is important: __________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Part 2: Build Your Own Planet
Appendix A
Standards Addressed
Benchmarks (Grades 3 through 5)
1A – The Scientific World View
Results of similar scientific investigations seldom turn out exactly the same. Sometimes this is
because of unexpected differences in the things being investigated, sometimes because of
unrealized differences in the methods used or in the circumstances in which the investigation is
carried out, and sometimes just because of uncertainties in observations. It is not always easy to
tell which.
1B – Scientific Inquiry
Scientific investigations may take many different forms, including observing what things are like
or what is happening somewhere, collecting specimens for analysis, and doing experiments.
Investigations can focus on physical, biological, and social questions.
Scientists' explanations about what happens in the world come partly from what they observe,
partly from what they think. Sometimes scientists have different explanations for the same set of
observations. That usually leads to their making more observations to resolve the differences.
1C – The Scientific Enterprise
Science is an adventure that people everywhere can take part in, as they have for many
centuries.
Clear communication is an essential part of doing science. It enables scientists to inform others
about their work, expose their ideas to criticism by other scientists, and stay informed about
scientific discoveries around the world.
5A – Diversity of Life
A great variety of kinds of living things can be sorted into groups in many ways using various
features to decide which things belong to which group.
5C – Cells
Some living things consist of a single cell. Like familiar organisms, they need food, water, and
air; a way to dispose of waste; and an environment they can live in.
5D – Interdependence of Life
For any particular environment, some kinds of plants and animals survive well, some survive
less well, and some cannot survive at all.
Insects and various other organisms depend on dead plant and animal material for food.
Organisms interact with one another in various ways besides providing food. Many plants
depend on animals for carrying their pollen to other plants or for dispersing their seeds.
Changes in an organism's habitat are sometimes beneficial to it and sometimes harmful.
Part 2: Build Your Own Planet
5E – Flow of Matter and Energy
Some source of "energy" is needed for all organisms to stay alive and grow.
5F – Evolution of Life
Individuals of the same kind differ in their characteristics, and sometimes the differences give
individuals an advantage in surviving and reproducing.
11A – Systems
In something that consists of many parts, the parts usually influence one another.
Benchmarks (Grades 6 through 8)
1B – Scientific Inquiry
Scientists differ greatly in what phenomena they study and how they go about their work.
Although there is no fixed set of steps that all scientists follow, scientific investigations usually
involve the collection of relevant evidence, the use of logical reasoning, and the application of
imagination in devising hypotheses and explanations to make sense of the collected evidence.
1C – The Scientific Enterprise
No matter who does science and mathematics or invents things, or when or where they do it, the
knowledge and technology that result can eventually become available to everyone in the world.
3A – Technology and Society
Technology is essential to science for such purposes as access to outer space and other remote
locations, sample collection and treatment, measurement, data collection and storage,
computation, and communication of information.
5A – Diversity of Life
Animals and plants have a great variety of body plans and internal structures that contribute to
their being able to make or find food and reproduce.
5D – Interdependence of Life
In all environments-freshwater, marine, forest, desert, grassland, mountain, and othersorganisms with similar needs may compete with one another for resources, including food,
space, water, air, and shelter. In any particular environment, the growth and survival of
organisms depend on the physical conditions.
Two types of organisms may interact with one another in several ways: They may be in a
producer/consumer, predator/prey, or parasite/host relationship. Or one organism may scavenge
or decompose another. Relationships may be competitive or mutually beneficial. Some species
have become so adapted to each other that neither could survive without the other.
5E – Flow of Matter and Energy
Over a long time, matter is transferred from one organism to another repeatedly and between
organisms and their physical environment. As in all material systems, the total amount of matter
remains constant, even though its form and location change.
Part 2: Build Your Own Planet
5F – Evolution of Life
Individual organisms with certain traits are more likely than others to survive and have
offspring. Changes in environmental conditions can affect the survival of individual organisms
and entire species.
11A – Systems
Thinking about things as systems means looking for how every part relates to others. The output
from one part of a system (which can include material, energy, or information) can become the
input to other parts. Such feedback can serve to control what goes on in the system as a whole.
12D – Communication Skills
Make sketches to aid in explaining procedures or ideas.
Benchmarks (Grades 9 through 12)
1A – The Scientific World View
Scientists assume that the universe is a vast single system in which the basic rules are the same
everywhere. The rules may range from very simple to extremely complex, but scientists operate
on the belief that the rules can be discovered by careful, systematic study.
1B – Scientific Inquiry
Investigations are conducted for different reasons, including to explore new phenomena, to
check on previous results, to test how well a theory predicts, and to compare different theories.
Sometimes, scientists can control conditions in order to obtain evidence. When that is not
possible for practical or ethical reasons, they try to observe as wide a range of natural
occurrences as possible to be able to discern patterns.
1C – The Scientific Enterprise
Science disciplines differ from one another in what is studied, techniques used, and outcomes
sought, but they share a common purpose and philosophy, and all are part of the same scientific
enterprise. Although each discipline provides a conceptual structure for organizing and pursuing
knowledge, many problems are studied by scientists using information and skills from many
disciplines. Disciplines do not have fixed boundaries, and it happens that new scientific
disciplines are being formed where existing ones meet and that some subdisciplines spin off to
become new disciplines in their own right.
5E – Flow of Matter and Energy
The amount of life any environment can support is limited by the available energy, water,
oxygen, and minerals, and by the ability of ecosystems to recycle the residue of dead organic
materials. Human activities and technology can change the flow and reduce the fertility of the
land.
5F – Evolution of Life
National Standards (Grades 5-8)
Understandings about Scientific Inquiry
Part 2: Build Your Own Planet
Different kinds of questions suggest different kinds of scientific investigations. Some
investigations involve observing and describing objects, organisms, or events; some involve
collecting specimens; some involve experiments; some involve seeking more information; some
involve discovery of new objects and phenomena; and some involve making models.
Science advances through legitimate skepticism. Asking questions and querying other scientists'
explanations is part of scientific inquiry. Scientists evaluate the explanations proposed by other
scientists by examining evidence, comparing evidence, identifying faulty reasoning, pointing out
statements that go beyond the evidence, and suggesting alternative explanations for the same
observations.
Structure and Function in Living Systems
Living systems at all levels of organization demonstrate the complementary nature of structure
and function. Important levels of organization for structure and function include cells, organs,
tissues, organ systems, whole organisms, and ecosystems.
Regulation and Behavior
All organisms must be able to obtain and use resources, grow, reproduce, and maintain stable
internal conditions while living in a constantly changing external environment.
An organism's behavior evolves through adaptation to its environment. How a species moves,
obtains food, reproduces, and responds to danger are based in the species' evolutionary history.
Populations and Ecosystems
A population consists of all individuals of a species that occur together at a given place and
time. All populations living together and the physical factors with which they interact compose
an ecosystem.
Populations of organisms can be categorized by the function they serve in an ecosystem. Plants
and some micro-organisms are producers--they make their own food. All animals, including
humans, are consumers, which obtain food by eating other organisms. Decomposers, primarily
bacteria and fungi, are consumers that use waste materials and dead organisms for food. Food
webs identify the relationships among producers, consumers, and decomposers in an ecosystem.
The number of organisms an ecosystem can support depends on the resources available and
abiotic factors, such as quantity of light and water, range of temperatures, and soil composition.
Given adequate biotic and abiotic resources and no disease or predators, populations (including
humans) increase at rapid rates. Lack of resources and other factors, such as predation and
climate, limit the growth of populations in specific niches in the ecosystem.
Diversity and Adaptations of Organisms
Biological evolution accounts for the diversity of species developed through gradual processes
over many generations. Species acquire many of their unique characteristics through biological
adaptation, which involves the selection of naturally occurring variations in populations.
Biological adaptations include changes in structures, behaviors, or physiology that enhance
survival and reproductive success in a particular environment.
Part 2: Build Your Own Planet
National Standards (Grades 9-12)
Understandings about Scientific Inquiry
Scientists usually inquire about how physical, living, or designed systems function. Conceptual
principles and knowledge guide scientific inquiries. Historical and current scientific knowledge
influence the design and interpretation of investigations and the evaluation of proposed
explanations made by other scientists.
Scientists conduct investigations for a wide variety of reasons. For example, they may wish to
discover new aspects of the natural world, explain recently observed phenomena, or test the
conclusions of prior investigations or the predictions of current theories.
Biological Evolution
Species evolve over time. Evolution is the consequence of the interactions of (1) the potential for
a species to increase its numbers, (2) the genetic variability of offspring due to mutation and
recombination of genes, (3) a finite supply of the resources required for life, and (4) the ensuing
selection by the environment of those offspring better able to survive and leave offspring.
The great diversity of organisms is the result of more than 3.5 billion years of evolution that has
filled every available niche with life forms.
The Interdependence of Organisms
Organisms both cooperate and compete in ecosystems. The interrelationships and
interdependencies of these organisms may generate ecosystems that are stable for hundreds or
thousands of years.
Matter, Energy, and Organization in Living Systems
The complexity and organization of organisms accommodates the need for obtaining,
transforming, transporting, releasing, and eliminating the matter and energy used to sustain the
organism.
The distribution and abundance of organisms and populations in ecosystems are limited by the
availability of matter and energy and the ability of the ecosystem to recycle materials.
The Behavior of Organisms
Like other aspects of an organism's biology, behaviors have evolved through natural selection.
Behaviors often have an adaptive logic when viewed in terms of evolutionary principles.
Nature of Scientific Knowledge
Scientific explanations must meet certain criteria. First and foremost, they must be consistent
with experimental and observational evidence about nature, and must make accurate
predictions, when appropriate, about systems being studied. They should also be logical, respect
the rules of evidence, be open to criticism, report methods and procedures, and make knowledge
public. Explanations on how the natural world changes based on myths, personal beliefs,
religious values, mystical inspiration, superstition, or authority may be personally useful and
socially relevant, but they are not scientific.
Part 2: Build Your Own Planet
Indiana Standards
Grade 5
English/Language Arts – Listening and Speaking: Skills, Strategies and Applications
5.7.4 – Select a focus, organizational structure, and point of view for an oral presentation.
5.7.5 – Clarify and support spoken ideas with evidence and examples.
5.7.6 – Use volume, phrasing, timing, and gestures appropriately to enhance meaning.
5.7.10 – Deliver informative presentations about an important idea, issue, or event by the
following means:
frame questions to direct the investigation.
establish a controlling idea or topic.
develop the topic with simple facts, details, examples, and explanations.
Science – The Living Environment
5.4.2 – Observe and describe that some living things consist of a single cell that needs food,
water, air, a way to dispose of waste, and an environment in which to live.
5.4.4 – Explain that in any particular environment, some kinds of plants and animals survive
well, some do not survive as well, and some cannot survive at all.
5.4.5 – Explain how changes in an organism’s habitat are sometimes beneficial and sometimes
harmful.
5.4.7 – Explain that living things, such as plants and animals, differ in their characteristics, and
that sometimes these differences can give members of these groups (plants and animals) an
advantage in surviving and reproducing.
Common Themes
5.6.1 – Recognize and describe that systems contain objects as well as processes that interact
with each other.
Grade 6
English/Language Arts – Writing: Writing Applications
6.5.7 – Write for different purposes and to a specific audience or person, adjusting tone and style
as necessary.
Listening and Speaking: Skills, Strategies and Applications
6.7.4 – Select a focus, an organizational structure, and a point of view, matching the purpose,
message, and vocal modulation (changes in tone) to the audience.
6.7.5 – Emphasize important points to assist the listener in following the main ideas and
concepts.
Part 2: Build Your Own Planet
6.7.6 – Support opinions with researched, documented evidence and with visual or media
displays that use appropriate technology.
6.7.7 – Use effective timing, volume, tone, and alignment of hand and body gestures to sustain
audience interest and attention.
6.7.11 – Deliver informative presentations that:
pose relevant questions sufficiently limited in scope to be completely and thoroughly
answered.
develop the topic with facts, details, examples, and explanations from multiple
authoritative sources, including speakers, periodicals, and online information.
Science – The Nature of Science and Technology
6.1.2 – Give examples of different ways scientists investigate natural phenomena and identify
processes all scientists use, such as collection of relevant evidence, the use of logical reasoning,
and the application of imagination in devising hypotheses and explanations, in order to make
sense of the evidence.
The Living Environment
6.4.3 – Describe some of the great variety of body plans and internal structures animals and
plants have that contribute to their being able to make or find food and reproduce.
6.4.8 – Explain that in all environments, such as freshwater, marine, forest, desert, grassland,
mountain, and others, organisms with similar needs may compete with one another for
resources, including food, space, water, air, and shelter. Note that in any environment, the
growth and survival of organisms depend on the physical conditions.
6.4.9 – Recognize and explain that two types of organisms may interact in a competitive or
cooperative relationship, such as producer/consumer, predator/prey, or parasite/host.
Common Themes
6.7.2 – Use models to illustrate processes that happen too slowly, too quickly, or on too small a
scale to observe directly, or are too vast to be changed deliberately, or are potentially
dangerous.
Grade 7
English/Language Arts – Writing: Applications
7.5.7 – Write for different purposes and to a specific audience or person, adjusting style and tone
as necessary.
Listening and Speaking: Skills, Strategies and Applications
7.7.3 – Organize information to achieve particular purposes and to appeal to the background
and interests of the audience.
7.7.4 – Arrange supporting details, reasons, descriptions, and examples effectively.
Part 2: Build Your Own Planet
7.7.5 – Use speaking techniques — including adjustments of tone, volume, and timing of speech;
enunciation (clear speech); and eye contact — for effective presentations.
Science – The Living Environment
7.4.2 – Describe that all organisms, including the human species, are part of and depend on two
main interconnected global food webs*, the ocean food web and the land food web.
7.4.6 – Explain how food provides the fuel and the building material for all organisms.
7.4.8 – Describe how organisms that eat plants break down the plant structures to produce the
materials and energy that they need to survive, and in turn, how they are consumed by other
organisms.
Common Themes
7.7.1 – Explain that the output from one part of a system, which can include material, energy, or
information, can become the input to other parts and this feedback can serve to control what
goes on in the system as a whole.
7.7.3 – Describe how physical and biological systems tend to change until they reach
equilibrium and remain that way unless their surroundings change.
Grade 8
English/Language Arts – Writing: Applications
8.5.7 – Write for different purposes and to a specific audience or person, adjusting tone and style
as necessary.
Listening and Speaking: Skills, Strategies and Applications
8.7.2 –Match the message, vocabulary, voice modulation (changes in tone), expression, and tone
to the audience and purpose.
8.7.5 – Use appropriate grammar, word choice, enunciation (clear speech), and pace (timing)
during formal presentations.
Science – The Living Environment
8.4.4 – Describe how matter is transferred from one organism to another repeatedly and
between organisms and their physical environment.
8.4.5 – Explain that energy can be transferred from one form to another in living things.
8.4.8 – Describe how environmental conditions affect the survival of individual organisms and
how entire species may prosper in spite of the poor survivability or bad fortune of individuals.
Biology I
B.1.32 – Explain how natural selection leads to organisms that are well suited for survival in
particular environments, and discuss how natural selection provides scientific explanation for
Part 2: Build Your Own Planet
the history of life on Earth as depicted in the fossil record and in the similarities evident within
the diversity of existing organisms.
B.1.37 – Explain that the amount of life any environment can support is limited by the available
energy, water, oxygen, and minerals, and by the ability of ecosystems to recycle the residue of
dead organic materials. Recognize, therefore, that human activities and technology can change
the flow and reduce the fertility of the land.
B.1.43 – Understand that and describe how organisms are influenced by a particular
combination of living and nonliving components of the environment.
B.1.45 – Recognize that and describe how the physical or chemical environment may influence
the rate, extent, and nature of the way organisms develop within ecosystems.
Environmental Science
Env.1.14 – Recognize and explain that the amount of life any environment can support is limited
by the available energy, water, oxygen, and minerals, and by the ability of ecosystems to recycle
organic materials from the remains of dead organisms.
Part 2: Build Your Own Planet
Appendix B: Grading Sheet for Final Posters
Build Your Own Planet
Final Project: Poster Grade
Names: ______________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
Information:
All required included (20 points possible)
Extra information included (20 points possible)
Information from unit reflected (20 points possible)
_________
_________
_________
Appearance:
Neatness (10 points possible)
Spelling, grammar (10 points possible)
Well designed (10 points possible)
Pleasing to look at
(10 points possible)
Extra credit points for complete group participation and cooperation:
(5 points possible)
_________
_________
_________
_________
_________