Land Use Issues

by Pamela Kuforiji

Incredible, Edible, Geology
Lesson 1

Objective:
Students will observe and describe the properties of rocks and their significance relationship in the environment

Activity:
Students will make edible rocks and discuss the importance of preserving rocks as a natural resource.

Materials (makes approximately 24 rocks)
rocks, cooking oil (to spray on students hands), waxed paper, a wooden spoon, plastic spoons, hot plate, large soup bowl, small cups and bowls, mineral ingredients: 12 cups of Rice Krispies, 2 cups of nuts, 2 cups of raisins or dried cranberries, 2 cups of M&Ms, 2 cups of chocolate chips, bonding ingredients: 80 large marshmallows, 6 tablespoons of butter or margarine.

Vocabulary:
minerals (salt, clay, and talc are ones students may be familiar with) conglomerates

Procedure:

  1. Provide students with rocks to examine and discuss the observable separate components, discuss the importance of rocks to the environment.
  2. Put each of the mineral ingredients, except Rice Krispies, in separate bowls
  3. Before cooking, explain to students that rocks are a combination of two or more minerals bonded together.
  4. Give each student a paper cup and a sheet of waxed paper-each student may choose two minerals and take one teaspoon of each students are to place ingredients in their cup.
  5. Melt butter and marshmallows in the large bowl-exercise caution
  6. Stir in Rice Krispies and mix until coated with marshmallows-have one student spray students hands with cooking oil.
  7. Place about one half cup of the mixture on each students waxed paper and have students add their ingredients
  8. Have students press ingredients together to form their edible rocks

Assessment:
Grade students on ability to follow directions and class discussion

State Goal: SC1- Students will have working knowledge of the concepts of basic vocabulary of biological, physical, and environmental sciences and their application to life and work in contemporary society

Outcome: SC8- Use observation, classification, and metric measure to answer questions; communicate the results in an unbiased fashion.

References:

  1. And Still the Turtle Watched, Sheila MacGill - Callahan
  2. Rocks and Soil, Scholastic Science, 1993
  3. Planet Earth/Inside Out, Gail Gibbons

Our Earth Our Responsibility
Lesson 2

Objective:
Students will understand the implications of destroying habitats and the importance of rebuilding them.

Activity:
Students will write a habitat classified ad for mammal homes and habitats and construct a habitat diorama for the animal they are researching.

Materials:
construction paper, markers or crayons, old magazines, shoe boxes, cellophane, reference books

Vocabulary:
habitat, burrow, mammal, classified ad

Procedure:

  1. Discuss mammals- warm blooded, nourish their young with milk
  2. Introduce the word habitat- provides food, water, shelter
  3. Types of habitats- fields, forests/rain forests, oceans/streams, deserts
  4. Have students select a mammal they are interested in and do research.
  5. Have students construct dioramas based on the information they have found.
  6. Students will write a classified ad in an effort to sell the habitat to a potential buyer- or students could play a game of matching each animal to its habitat. Habitat game: each student picks the name of an animal from a hat-- the students try to match the habitat to the animal name they have. Explain that some habitats apply to more than one animal

Assessment:
Students will make their own dioramas illustrating the habitat they researched.

State Goals: SC1 Students will have a working knowledge of the concepts of biological, physical, and environmental sciences and their application to life and work in contemporary society.

Outcomes: SC1 Describe the life cycle and basic needs of familiar organisms.
SC5: Describe the characteristics of the Earth's spheres, geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, exosphere, and biosphere (in relation to habitats and pollution)
SC6: Recognize the need for protecting and conserving and limiting the use of natural resources in the environment.

References:
National Student Research Center Mandeville Middle School 2525 Soult Street
Mandeville, LA 70448 (504) 626-5980

The National Arbor Day Foundation
100 Arbor Avenue Nebraska City, NE 68410

Monet's Garden
Lesson 3

Objective:
Students will develop a knowledge of landscaped and understand how plants adapt to their habitats. Students will deveelop an understanding of the types of pollution that have an effect on plants and the types of mammals that would use their landscape for a habitat.

Activity:
Students will create three dimensional gardens.

Materials:
2 sheets of 18 x 12 inch construction paper (one pink, one light green), 1 6 x 18 inch sheet of light blue paper, scissors, glue, crayolas or markers, stapler, pencils

Vocabulary:
Claude Monet, impressionism, landscape, Giverny, perspective

Procedure:

  • Explain to students that a landscape is made up of 4 parts-- foreground, middleground, background, and sky. Show students examples (the picture of Monet's home in Giverny) of landscapes, identify its four parts.
  • On the pink paper students will draw the background (house, flowers, tools, shed) and sky. Fold the paper in half. Explain that from where the students would be standing, the trellis would seem bigger than it actually is--this is called perspective. To clarify this idea have students look out of the window and explain that an object that is further away appears smaller, but may actually be larger than an object that is closer to the window. Fold the green shaped paper in half and draw the arch shaped trellis. Unfold paper and cut and decorate with flowers. Refold and glue the middle ground to the background, attach it only by the path.
  • Keeping perspective in mind, fold the light blue construction paper in half. Draw a bridge and a pond on the folded edge. Cut out the picture, open it up, color the bridge and flowers floating in the pond.
  • Discuss the types of animals that might use this garden for a habitat-- discuss the ways pollution would have an effect on this garden.

    Assessment:
    Students will draw a landscape and discuss the effects of pollution on animal habitats and gardens and plants people use for food.

    Trees
    Lesson 4

    Objective:
    Students will learn about the diversity of trees and develop an aesthetic appreciation for trees and nature in general.

    Activity:
    Students will make tree research books.

    A. Research:

    1. Students will go outdoors (or on a field trip to a local aboretum) and carefully observe trees.
    2. Each student will choose one tree; explore its textures, its shapes, and colors and compare its attributes to those of other trees, if there is enough time allow students to collect leaves, pinecones, twigs, and seeds.
    3. As a class, go to the library and research trees from around the world and find out about the roles of trees in other cultures.

    B. Paint/Ink Texture Prints:
    Materials:
    paint or ink, paint brush or brayer (ink roller), construction paper, leaves, various tree parts such as stems and barks

    Procedure:

    1. Brush paint onto leaf or roll ink with a brayer
    2. Press the leaf onto the paper
    3. Dab stems, seeds, and other tree parts into paint or ink
    4. Press these objects onto paper

    C. Wikki Stix Prints
    Materials:
    Wikki Stix (colored yarn coated with wax), paper, crayons

    Procedure:

    1. Using several Wikki Stix, form the shape of a tree with its branches.
    2. Press firmly on top of a desk or table top.
    3. Place paper on top of Wikki Stix
    4. Using the side of a crayon, rub with enough pressure to get an image of the tree
    5. Try rearranging the branches and rubbing again.

    D. Tree Research Book
    Materials:
    12 x 18 inch construction paper, hole punch, long rubber band, twig, raffia

    Procedure:

    1. Students may use any of the above art work for a cover for their books.
    2. Stack several sheets of construction paper and fold them in half, punch two holes along the fold, punch matching holes in the cover.
    3. Push rubber band through both holes from behind. Binding the book with a rubber band makes it easier to add pages later. Students can use yarn, raffia, string to decorate.

    Assessment:
    Performance assessment- observe students willingness to participate and research books for neatness and following directions.

    References:
    A B Cedar: An Alphabeet of Trees by George Ella Lyon
    Crinkleroots Guide to Knowing a Tree by Jim Arnosky
    The Big Tree by Bruce Hiscock
    The Earth is Painted Green by Barbara Brenner (Scholastic, 1993)

    Lesson 5

    Objective:
    Describe why tree are important to wildlife.

    Activity:
    Students will make a peek-a-tree in order to look at the animals that use trees.

    Materials:
    2 copycat pages, scissors, crayons, tape, stapler

    Procedure:

    1. Explain that all of the animals in the picture use trees or the areas around them for food, shelter, or nesting sites.
    2. Using scissors, cut the rectangles on sheet A on the dotted lines only.
    3. fold the cut pieces back along the solid lines
    4. Put sheet A on top of sheets B and staple them together, then open the doors to see what is underneath the leaves and the bark around the roots.
    5. Under the door with the chipmunk under it draw a picture of a creature that might live in a rotting log.