Chapter 12 Introduction "Ecology"

Materials:

• "An Ecosystem in the Community"
• "Chapter 12 "Vocabulary Review, Preview"

Objective:

• Students will be introduced to Ecology.
• Students will be introduced to the concepts they will cover in Chapter 12.
• Students will learn what Ecology is and how it relates to the rest of Biology.

Anticipatory Set: * Build the pyramid of the structure of life starting at the atom and going through the Biosphere. At each step have the student tell you what you get if you put a bunch of different atoms together, a bunch of Molecules together, a bunch of compounds together. Use this guide

• atom (smallest particle of an element that still has the properties of that element) Picture
• molecule (two or more atoms bonded together) Picture
• compound (two or more molecules joined together) Picture
• organelle (the tiny working parts inside a cell) Picture
• Cell (the basic unit of life) Picture
• tissue (like groups of cells that work together) Picture
• organ (a group of different tissues that work together to perform a task) Picture
• organ system ( groups of organs that work together to perform a function) Picture
• organism (a living thing that can carry out all the basic life activities.) Picture
• population ( a group of the same types of organisms) Picture
• community (a group of different populations that live in the same area) Picture
• ecosystem (the interactions among all the populations of a community and the nonliving things in their environment) Picture
• biosphere (the living part of the earth) Picture

Ask the students to put the word element into the organization. Where would they put it an why?

Teacher Input: * Show the students the picture on Page 294. Have the students identify all the things in the picture that are living. Then have them identify the things that are nonliving including the things that are invisible to the human eye. How are the living and nonliving things interacting? Now tell the students to remove certain things from the picture and discuss what would happen if that thing were missing. After the discussion of the picture read the opening paragraph on Page 295.

Use the Organize Your Thoughts diagram on P 295 to relate how the organization of life is related to this chapter.

Next identify the goals for learning. Have the students discuss what they already may know.

Guided Practice: * Have the students go through the chapter an look at the pictures and read the "Did you Know" sections in red. Ask for questions about them?

Independent Practice: * Students will work on the vocabulary preview and/or the sheet "An Ecosystem in the Community". Students should also take a look at the investigation on Page 304. Students may begin to collect snow or rain samples. Teachers should check to see if they have pH paper. If not they need to request it.

Duration:

30 minutes + 10-15 for Independent Practice (Could be longer if taken for homework).

Alaska Content Standards Addressed in this lesson:

• SCI A-9 Students will understand the transfers and transformations of matter and energy that link living things and their physical environment, from molecules to ecosystems. (Flow of Matter and Energy)
• SCI A-10 Students will understand that living things are made up mostly of cells and that all life processes occur in Cells (Cells)
• SCI A-12 Students will distinguish the patterns of similarity and differences in the living world in order to understand the diversity of life and understand the theories that describe the importance of diversity for species and ecosystems.
• SCI A-14 Students will understand
  • the interdependence between living things and their environments:,
  • that the living environments consists of individuals, populations, and communities: and
  • that a small change in a portion of an environment may affect the entire environment (Interdependence);

• SCI A-15 Students will use science to understand and describe the local environment (Local Knowledge);