Lesson Plan 2:
Ecology and Ecosystem

Lesson Activities

1) The following six areas are basic to understanding further lessons and studies in this unit:
A - Rangeland Facts about Montana (or your state),
B - Stream Dynamics and Riparian Area Functions & Processes,
C - Plant Anatomy and Identification (using flora common to your area),
D - Erosion: Causes & Prevention,
E - Land Use & Sustainability, and
F - Parts of an Ecosystem & How They Interact.

2) Divide students into six groups based on common scientific interests or similar ability levels (if possible, both). Assign each group to the area listed in 1) that best fits their interests and abilities.

3) Provide ample time for students to research the basic principles and fundamental concepts of their area of study. The goal is for the students to be able to provide their classmates with an overview of the most important and most interesting information they learn from their research, paying particular attention to principles and concepts noted here. (Others will be discovered, too.)

4) Students can make research folders in which to organize their discoveries.

5) Have each group of students create a station that will teach their classmates about their topic. Encourage students to be creative in their format. Student-created hands-on activities may be particularly fun and interesting for them.

6) Monitor and guide each group's work to make sure the content of their station is aligned with their topic, the principles, and the concepts. They may find the Student Inquiries (marked to designate the relevant six areas) helpful in focusing their research and station activity.

7) The Ecology and Ecosystem "Circus" can take place over the course of one, two, three, or six days, whichever works best for the classroom's schedule. For example, if two days are preferred, then on the first day, three of the groups will set up their stations and the other three groups of students will rotate through each station. Be sure the students presenting stations are given an opportunity to visit each other's lessons as well. The next day, just switch. The length of time needed at the stations will depend on grade level. For example, third grade students may only have 10 minutes of information to give at their stations, while high school students may need to do separate and longer presentations to the entire class, potentially for a whole class period.

8) With the teacher's guidance, each group should create an assessment the visiting students can complete at their station. Each student can keep all six of his/her assessments together in a folder and turn them in together.