![](media/image1.png){width="0.5834645669291338in" height="0.75in"}Life
Science

*Middle School Biology*

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="5.220138888888889in"
height="7.227777777777778in"}

Life Science

Biology Curriculum

I.  **Introduction 1**

II. **Curriculum unit overview and activities**

# Characteristics of Life 2

1.  **Wiggly Jiggly Cells?** An introductory activity that allows
    students to build 3D cell models in order to have a concrete example
    of this concept. 3

2.  **What Makes You Tick?** Teaching portion of the unit focusing on
    the characteristics of plant and animal cells. 6

3.  **Here's Looking at You** The lab portion of the unit where students
    collect and observe plant and animals cells under a microscope. 12

4.  **What do You Really Look Like?** A hands on activity that enhances
    the 3D characteristics of plant and animal cells. 17

# Plant Life 24

1.  **Structurally Sound** Discuss and identify the basic parts and
    functions of plants, leaves, and flowers 25

2.  **Don't Leaf Out Photosynthesis** Activity designed to increase the
    student awareness of photosynthesis and transpiration. 35

3.  **Am I Leaking?** Hands-on activity allowing students to witness the
    gas exchange in the atmosphere associated with the process of
    transpiration. 38

4.  **One Tough Dude** Activity designed to help students understand the
    plant adaptations needed to survive in the Chihuahuan Desert. 43

5.  **To Be or Not to Be** Activity designed to witness the plant
    adaptation of asexual reproduction, identify plants in the
    Chihuahuan Desert that reproduce asexually. 49

6.  **Which is Which?** An activity designed to differentiate between
    deciduous and coniferous trees through hands-on activities. 55

7.  **Where in the World** An activity to help students understand the
    importance of plants in the economy. 60

# Animal Life 64

1.  **The Taxonomic Shuffle**

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a.  **Sorting out Species** Activity designed to help students establish
    a criteria to separate items into groups. 65

b.  **All in the Family** Activity design to help students understand
    how scientists classify animals. 72

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2.  **Desert Animal Adaptations**

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a.  **Why Do We Look the Way We Do?** Activity to provide students with
    hands-on exploration of animal adaptations, specifically the
    different beaks and feet of common birds. 76

b.  **Help! I'm Dehydrating** activity designed to increase the
    students' understanding of how desert animals conserve water. 84

c.  **Designer Animal Adaptations** Research of desert animal
    adaptations in order to discover how animals are designed to survive
    in the harsh desert climate. 88

d.  **Animals That Live in the Dark** Activity to help students
    understand the characteristics of different cave animal adaptations.
    92

e.  **Build an Animal** Students design a hypothetical desert animal and
    classify it into its proper group. 97

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3.  **Nature Detective** A day hike anywhere (Rattlesnake Springs,
    Carlsbad Caverns Nature Trail, school grounds, are all options)
    allowing students to observe and investigate plants and animals in
    the environment. 102

4.  **Build a Desert Diorama** Students will design a diorama to show
    desert animals in their natural habitat. 106

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III. **Benchmarks and Standards 109**

IV. **Glossary 116**

V.  **Resources 121**

![](media/image3.png){width="0.6in" height="0.8346456692913385in"}

Introduction

This curriculum guide was developed for middle school teachers to be
used as a resource aid in the classroom. While it was designed as a
project sponsored by Carlsbad Caverns National Park and written by local
area teachers from the Carlsbad School District, Carlsbad, New Mexico,
the information is applicable anywhere in the country. The curriculum
guide follows a format that is intended to be user-friendly and
resource-rich: a unit overview provides general information concerning
the specific topic and follow-up activities supplement the lesson.
Content standards and benchmarks (specific to New Mexico), a glossary,
and additional resources are also provided.

The education office at Carlsbad Caverns National Park hopes you find
this curriculum guide useful and beneficial. For additional information
concerning other curriculum materials, contact the Education Specialist,
Carlsbad Caverns National Park, 3225 National Parks Highway, Carlsbad,
New Mexico 88220.

![](media/image3.png){width="0.6in" height="0.8346456692913385in"}

Characteristics of Life

In order to gain a basic understanding of all living things scientists
must first understand the cellular structure of living organisms. All
living things (plants, animals, and bacteria) are made up of cells.
Living cells are divided into two basic types: prokaryotic and
eukaryotic. The cells studied in this unit are eukaryotic. The
eukaryotic cells of higher plants and animals are highly structured.
These cells have developed internal organelles that help them survive.
In addition, there is mention of on-going microbial research in
Lechuguilla Cave in the Carlsbad Caverns National Park.

This unit focuses on the similarities and differences in plant and
animal cells. In the first activity, students create 3D cell models in
order to have a concrete example of this concept. The second activity is
the teaching portion of the unit that focuses on the characteristics of
plant and animal cells. The third activity is the lab portion of the
unit where students collect and observe plant and animal cells under a
microscope. The last activity is a hands-on activity that enhances the
3D characteristics of plant and animal cells.

![](media/image3.png){width="0.6in" height="0.8346456692913385in"}

**Wiggly, Jiggly Cells?**

***3D cells are a hard concept for students to grasp. When viewed under\
a microscope they appear 2D. We are going to create 3D cells.***

**Summary:** Students will observe the 3D models of plant and animal
cells and describe their appearance.

**Duration:** 2 class periods

**Setting:** Classroom

**Vocabulary:** cell, cell organelles, mitochondria, chloroplasts, cell
membrane, cell wall, nucleus, ribosomes

**Standards/Benchmarks Addressed:** SC1-E2, SC2-E3, SC3-E1, SC6-E2,
SC6-E6, SC6-E7, SC10-E1, SC10-E2

**Objectives**

Students will:

-   create a 3D plant and a 3D animal cell following the directions
    given.

-   describe the cell as a 3D object rather than a 2D object as observed
    under a microscope.

-   describe the appearance and location of various cell organelles
    within a cell.

-   compare and contrast the 3D plant cell and the 3D animal cell.

**Background**

A cell is the basic unit of life. All living things are made up of cells
(plants, animals, and bacteria). These organisms can be either
one-celled or multicellular. Most cells are so small that they cannot be
seen without a microscope. In multicellular organisms, cells are
specialized to carry out different functions to sustain life. In
one-celled organisms the cell carries out all the functions to sustain
life within itself.

Living cells are divided into two types: prokaryotic and eukaryotic.
This division is based on internal complexity.

The eukaryotic cells of protozoa, higher plants, and animals are highly
structured. These cells tend to be larger than cells of bacteria, and
have developed specialized packaging and transport mechanisms that may
be necessary to support their larger size.

Prokaryotic cells are simple in structure, with no recognizable
organelles. They have an outer cell wall that gives them shape. Just
under the rigid cell wall is the more fluid cell membrane. The cytoplasm
enclosed within the cell membrane does not exhibit much structure when
viewed by electron microscopy.

Animal and plant cells are eukaryotic. Every animal and plant cell has a
nucleus that contains chromosomes. The nuclear envelope surrounding the
nucleus separates the chromosomes from the cytoplasm. Chromosomes carry
genes (these are bits of DNA, the heredity material).

Animal and plant cells also contain cytoplasm. Perhaps the most
important things to be found in cytoplasm are mitochondria. A
mitochondrion contains all the enzymes to obtain energy from glucose.
They can be seen in detail with an electron microscope. Mitochondria
also contain a bit of DNA, which controls how they work. Some people
think that mitochondria look like bacteria.

Animal and plant cells also have a cell membrane around them. Cell
membranes are very thin; nevertheless they are able to control what can
get in or out of a cell.

Plant cells are surrounded by a cell wall made of cellulose. The cell
wall is not living. The only thing the cell wall does is to allow very
high pressure to build up inside the cell because of osmosis. Since
cells have semi-permeable cell membranes, water can enter or leave by
osmosis. When plant cells are put in distilled water they start to swell
up, but they do not burst. Animal cells are different; they do not have
cell walls. If one of your body cells is placed in distilled water it
will swell up and burst. That means that animals have to excrete excess
water. Some plant cells have an organelle called chloroplast that takes
energy from the sun and converts it into sugar.

**Materials**

Plastic sacks

Twist ties

Lemon Jell-o

Boiling water

Large mixing bowls

Spoons

Square plastic food container

Plums

Mandarin oranges

Grapes

Refrigerator

**Procedure**

***Warm up:*** Ask, "What is a cell and what do you think it looks
like?" Make a list of the students' answers and discuss. Discuss with
students that cells are 3D objects but when we study them under
microscopes we only see them as 2D objects. Before beginning our study
of cells we will be creating 3D cells.

# *Activity* {#activity .unnumbered}

1.  Students, in groups or individually, will select 2 plastic sacks.
    They will put one plastic sack in a small square plastic container
    so that the plastic sack completely lines the container. The other
    plastic sack should be open on the desk.

2.  Each student or group should put the same amount of warm lemon
    Jell-o into the two plastic sacks so that they are nearly full. Then
    the required cell organelles should be put into the Jell-o: 1 plum
    representing the nucleus, 2-4 mandarin oranges representing the
    mitochondria, 2-4 grapes to represent chloroplasts (to be put only
    in the square plastic container). The plastic sacks represent cell
    membranes while the plastic container represents a cell wall. The
    cells should then be closed with a twist tie and refrigerated until
    the next day.

3.  The completed cells should be discussed in depth and compared for
    structure and appearance. Students should be able to differentiate
    between the plant cell (in the square container) and the animal
    cell. Be sure that the students understand that cell walls and
    chloroplasts are only found in plant cells.

***Wrap Up:*** Student can draw a picture of both the cells being sure
to draw everything that they see and labeling each part. Eat your cells
and enjoy!

**Assessment**

Draw a picture of both the cells and label the parts of the cells
accurately.

**Extension**

This lesson lends itself to discussions of tissue and how cells are
grouped together to make tissue. You may want to stack the cells
together and show how tissue is formed.

![](media/image3.png){width="0.6in" height="0.8346456692913385in"}

**What Makes You Tick?**

***Cells are full of organelles. This lesson describes the location\
and function of the organelles in plant and animal cells.***

**Summary:** This lesson is designed to teach the students about cell
organelles and their functions within plant and animal cells.

**Duration:** 1 class period

**Setting:** Classroom

**Vocabulary:** cell membrane, centrosome, cytoplasm, Golgi body,
lysosome, mitochondrion, nuclear membrane, nucleolus, nucleus, ribosome,
rough endoplasmic reticulum (rough ER), smooth endoplasmic reticulum
(smooth ER), vacuole, chloroplast, cell wall, prokaryotic, eukaryotic

**Standards/Benchmarks Addressed:** SC1-E2, SC3-E1, SC5-E2, SC5-E3,
SC6-E2, SC6-E3, SC6-E5, SC6-E6, SC10-E1, SC10-E2

**Objectives**

Students will:

-   define vocabulary associated with cell structure.

-   label the parts of plant and animal cells correctly.

**Background**

A cell is the basic unit of life. All living things are made up of cells
(plants, animals, and bacteria). These organisms can be either
one-celled or multicellular. Most cells are so small that they cannot be
seen without a microscope. In multicellular organisms, cells are
specialized to carry out different functions to sustain life. In
one-celled organisms the cell carries out all the functions to sustain
life within itself.

Living cells are divided into two types: prokaryotic and eukaryotic.
This division is based on internal complexity.

The eukaryotic cells of protozoa, higher plants, and animals are highly
structured. These cells tend to be larger than cells of bacteria, and
have developed specialized packaging and transport mechanisms that may
be necessary to support their larger size.

Prokaryotic cells are simple in structure, with no recognizable
organelles. They have an outer cell wall that gives them shape. Just
under the rigid cell wall is the more fluid cell membrane. The cytoplasm
enclosed within the cell membrane does not exhibit much structure when
viewed by electron microscopy.

Animal and plant cells are eukaryotic. Every animal and plant cell has a
nucleus that contains chromosomes. The nuclear envelope surrounding the
nucleus separates the chromosomes from the cytoplasm. Chromosomes carry
genes (these are bits of DNA, the heredity material).

Animal and plant cells also contain cytoplasm. Perhaps the most
important things to be found in cytoplasm are mitochondria. A
mitochondrion contains all the enzymes to obtain energy from glucose.
They can be seen in detail with an electron microscope. Mitochondria
also contain a bit of DNA, which controls how they work. Some people
think that mitochondria look like bacteria.

Animal and plant cells also have a cell membrane around them. Cell
membranes are very thin; nevertheless they are able to control what can
get in or out of a cell.

Plant cells are surrounded by a cell wall made of cellulose. The cell
wall is not living. The only thing the cell wall does is to allow very
high pressure to build up inside the cell because of osmosis. Since
cells have semi-permeable cell membranes, water can enter or leave by
osmosis. When plant cells are put in distilled water they start to swell
up, but they do not burst. Animal cells are different; they do not have
cell walls. If one of your body cells is placed in distilled water it
will swell up and burst. That means that animals have to excrete excess
water. Some plant cells have an organelle called chloroplast that takes
energy from the sun and converts it into sugar.

**Materials**

Science textbook

Student handouts of plant and animal cells

**Procedure**

***Warm up:*** Ask students to recall what they already know about cells
and cell structure. Write the students' responses on the board.

# Activity {#activity-1 .unnumbered}

1.  Students will be given the vocabulary words to look up in their
    science textbook or other resource (dictionary, Internet, or
    encyclopedia). Students must write the definition of each word.

2.  Students will then work in pairs to complete the worksheets for
    plant and animal cells. Students should be allowed to use any
    resources needed to correctly label the worksheets.

3.  Discuss the cell organelles. Describe their location and function
    within the cell.

***Wrap Up*:** Discuss the similarities and differences in plant and
animal cells.

**Assessment**

Participation, completed worksheets and vocabulary words.

Name \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

**What Makes You Tick?\
Plant Cell Worksheet**

![](media/image4.wmf)

**What Makes You Tick?\
Plant Cell Answer Key**

![](media/image5.png){width="5.659027777777778in"
height="7.883333333333334in"}

Name \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

**What Makes You Tick?\
Animal Cell Worksheet**

![](media/image6.wmf)

**What Makes You Tick?\
Animal Cell Answer Key**

![](media/image7.png){width="6.66875in" height="7.98125in"}

![](media/image3.png){width="0.6in" height="0.8346456692913385in"}

**Here's Looking At You!**

> ***Under the microscope you will be able to see the basic organelles
> in plant\
> and animal cells. However, these cells appear 2D but are actually
> 3D.***

**Summary:** This lab is designed so that students can observe a real
plant and animal cell under the microscope.

**Duration:** 1 class period

**Setting:** Lab

**Vocabulary:** bacteria, fungi, chemolithotrophs, biothems

**Standards/Benchmarks Addressed:** SC1-E2, SC3-E1, SC4-E3, SC5-E1,
SC5-E2, SC5-E3, SC6-E1, SC6-E2, SC6-E3, SC6-E5, SC6-E6, SC6-E7, SC6-E8,
SC10-E1, SC10-E2

**Objectives**

Students will:

-   use a microscope to observe plant and animal cells.

-   describe in writing what they observed about plant and animal cells.

**Background**

In April of 1989, an expedition went down to the deepest known cave pool
in Lechuguilla Cave in the Carlsbad Caverns National Park. The team was
going to check the hydrogen sulfide level of the cave pool. Cavers had
reported smelling a rotten egg odor in the cave. The scientists thought
this could mean they were nearing the water table, a first for a
Guadalupe cave. A geologist, Kiym Cunningham, was on the expedition.
When Cunningham submerged his hands into the cave pool he felt a loose
piece of rock. He brought the rock out and took it to his lab to see
what the areas of unusual staining were.

After looking at the stains for several hours, under the microscope, he
noticed some fungi, which feed on bacteria. He questioned how something
could be living so deep in the Earth with no organic food. When he went
back to the cave for more research he started to think about rock-eating
bacteria, called chemolithotrophs. These organisms are only found in
deep aquifers where they form rich microbial ecosystems. Scientists have
discovered a strong connection between geology and biology. Nowhere is
it more noticeable than in limestone.

These bacteria live throughout Lechuguilla Cave in various cave pools.
The bacteria that live in the cave today are direct descendants of the
sulfur-loving ones in the oil fields when the cave was formed. That
means that the bacteria in Lechuguilla are living relics of an ancient
underground ecosystem. With further research scientists have discovered
hundreds of types of bacteria in Lechuguilla's cave pools. Many of these
bacteria are still being studied.

The bacterial cells found in Lechuguilla's cave pools have been
extensively studied. Some of these organisms seemed to show the ability
to kill cells associated with a particular type of breast cancer without
harming healthy cells. How can these cave bugs be capable of this? It
has been suggested that in order for these bacteria to protect its
underground food source from invading fungi, the organisms have
developed powerful toxins to attack an enzyme associated with a
particular fungal growth phase. Like humans, fungi are highly evolved
eukaryotes. It seems quite possible for some unicellular cave fungi to
employ a growth mechanism similar to the ones that cause malignancies to
blossom.

Cave bacteria have become adept at sticking tightly to surfaces in
places where food will come to them. It turns out that sticking tightly
to surfaces is an attribute that researchers look for in anti-cancer
drugs. A few of the Lechuguilla samples are very proficient at killing
any type of adjoining cell\-- animal, plant, fungal, diseased, or
healthy. Research has shown that three of the bacteria found in
Lechuguilla cave target breast cancer cells.

There is continuing research on the bacteria and microbes found in cave
pools. Scientists study microbes using a similar but more complex
process than we are using in our lab today.

**Materials**

Iodine solution

Dropper bottles

Microscope slides

Cover slips

Onion

Tweezers

Microscope

Dropper

Pond water

Student lab worksheets

**Prep**

1.  Collect or order pond water for use in this lab.

2.  Make a diluted iodine solution mixing just enough iodine to color
    the water gold; put this solution into the dropper bottles.

3.  Cut the onion into squares.

4.  Have all lab supplies out and ready before the class starts.

**Procedure**

***Warm up:*** Review with students the parts of the cells. What is the
major difference between plant and animal cells? Today we are going to
look at real plant and animal cells under the microscope.

# Activity {#activity-2 .unnumbered}

1.  Detail all safety reminders: Iodine is toxic so do not drink it.
    Wear safety goggles at all times. Clean up any spills immediately.
    Wash your hands when you are finished.

2.  Show students how to make a wet mount: show them how to add a cover
    slip to the microscope slide by holding it over the specimen at an
    angle to the slide (Be sure the bottom is touching the slide) and
    gently drop the cover slip on top of the specimen.

3.  Students will be paired up and given the lab worksheets that detail
    the steps for the lab.

***Wrap Up:*** Students will answer questions and do a lab write-up
discussing what they did, why they did it, and how it connects to the
unit of study.

**Assessment**

Completed worksheets and lab write-up.

### Extension {#extension .unnumbered}

You may want to collect water from other outdoor sources such as river
water, rain water, and puddle water to compare with the pond water. You
may also want to bring in a variety of other vegetable peelings such as
potato and carrot peelings to be compared with the onion peeling.

Have students view materials from other living things under the
microscope. Some suggestions include a strand of hair, a flower petal,
and a piece of a leaf.

\*For: pond water:

> Carolina Biological Supply Co.
>
> 2700 York Road
>
> Burlington, NC 27215
>
> 1-800-334-5551

Name \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

**Here's Looking at You\
Lab Procedure**

**Materials:**

Iodine solution in dropper bottle, 2 microscope slides, piece of onion,
tweezers, 2 cover slips, microscope, dropper, pond water

**Procedure:**

1.  Use a dropper to put a drop of iodine solution in the middle of a
    microscope slide. *Caution:* Iodine will stain and can be harmful if
    swallowed.

2.  Bend a piece of onion back so that it breaks in two. Slowly pull the
    two halves apart. A thin layer of onion will peel off. Use tweezers
    to remove a piece of this layer.

3.  Float the layer of onion in the drop of iodine. Place a cover slip
    over the onion on the slide.

4.  Observe the onionskin under the low power of the microscope. Draw
    several of the cells you observe.

5.  Observe the onionskin under high power. Focus on one cell. Make a
    drawing of the cell and label the cell parts you can identify.

6.  Place a drop of pond water on another microscope slide. Place a
    cover slip over the drop.

7.  Observe the pond water under low power. Make drawings of any
    one-celled organisms you can see.

Name \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

# Here's Looking at You Lab Results {#heres-looking-at-you-lab-results .unnumbered}

Onion cells under low power Onion cell under high power

One-celled organisms in pond water

Write the answers to these questions using what you learned from the
lab.

1.  What do onion cells look like?

2.  List the cell parts you observed. You may refer to your book for
    help.

3.  Did you observe any one-celled organisms in the pond water?

![](media/image3.png){width="0.6in" height="0.8346456692913385in"}

**What Do You Really Look Like?**

***Cells may appear as 2D objects when viewed under the microscope;\
however, they are actually 3D objects. We are going to be making 3D
cells\
that include the major components of cell structure.***

**Summary:** This lesson is designed to extend the students' knowledge
of cellular structure, organelles, and their functions within plant and
animal cells.

**Duration:** 1 class period

**Setting:** Classroom

**Vocabulary:** cell membrane, cytoplasm, lysosome, mitochondrion,
nuclear membrane, nucleus, ribosome, rough endoplasmic reticulum (rough
ER), smooth endoplasmic reticulum (smooth ER), vacuole, chloroplast,
cell wall, chromosomes

**Standards/Benchmarks Addressed:** SC1-E2, SC2-E2, SC2-E3, SC3-E1,
SC6-E1, SC6-E2, SC6-E3, SC6-E4, SC6-E5, SC6-E6, SC6-E7, SC10-E1, SC10-E2

**Objectives**

Students will:

-   create 3D plant and animal cells.

-   compare and contrast plant and animal cell structure.

-   demonstrate and understand the 3 dimensional aspect of cell
    structure.

-   identify the various parts of plant and animal cells.

**Background**

A cell is the basic unit of life. All living things are made up of cells
(plants, animals, and bacteria). These organisms can be either
one-celled or multicellular. Most cells are so small that they cannot be
seen without a microscope. In multicellular organisms, cells are
specialized to carry out different functions to sustain life. In
one-celled organisms the cell carries out all the functions to sustain
life within itself.

Living cells are divided into two types: prokaryotic and eukaryotic.
This division is based on internal complexity.

The eukaryotic cells of protozoa, higher plants, and animals are highly
structured. These cells tend to be larger than cells of bacteria, and
have developed specialized packaging and transport mechanisms that may
be necessary to support their larger size.

Prokaryotic cells are simple in structure, with no recognizable
organelles. They have an outer cell wall that gives them shape. Just
under the rigid cell wall is the more fluid cell membrane. The cytoplasm
enclosed within the cell membrane does not exhibit much structure when
viewed by electron microscopy.

Animal and plant cells are eukaryotic. Every animal and plant cell has a
nucleus that contains chromosomes. The nuclear envelope surrounding the
nucleus separates the chromosomes from the cytoplasm. Chromosomes carry
genes (these are bits of DNA, the heredity material).

Animal and plant cells also contain cytoplasm. Perhaps the most
important things to be found in cytoplasm are mitochondria. A
mitochondrion contains all the enzymes to obtain energy from glucose.
They can be seen in detail with an electron microscope. Mitochondria
also contain a bit of DNA, which controls how they work. Some people
think that mitochondria look like bacteria.

Animal and plant cells also have a cell membrane around them. Cell
membranes are very thin; nevertheless they are able to control what can
get in or out of a cell.

Plant cells are surrounded by a cell wall made of cellulose. The cell
wall is not living. The only thing the cell wall does is to allow very
high pressure to build up inside the cell because of osmosis. Since
cells have semi-permeable cell membranes, water can enter or leave by
osmosis. When plant cells are put in distilled water they start to swell
up, but they do not burst. Animal cells are different; they do not have
cell walls. If one of your body cells is placed in distilled water it
will swell up and burst. That means that animals have to excrete excess
water. Some plant cells have an organelle called chloroplast that takes
energy from the sun and converts it into sugar.

**Materials**

Play-doh

Food coloring or tempura paint (red, purple, green, blue)

Disposable gloves

Yarn

Peppercorns

Plastic bubble packing

Aluminum foil

Plastic wrap

Pencil shavings

Scissors

Large knife

Glue

**Prep**

Make or buy play-doh in these colors---red, purple, green, blue

Recipe: makes enough for 3 groups

> 1 cup of baking soda
>
> 1 cup flour
>
> 1 cup corn starch
>
> 4 teaspoons cream of tartar
>
> 2 tablespoons oil
>
> 1 3/4 cup water
>
> A few drops of food coloring (red, purple, green, blue)

*Stovetop method:* Mix and cook until dough leaves the sides of the pan.
Cool on a plate with a wet cloth on top.

*Oven method:* Bake at 150^0^F overnight.

\*\*\* To color play-doh use either food coloring or tempura paint. This
is where the disposable gloves would be handy.

**Procedure**

***Warm up:*** Have students quickly write the major differences in
plant and animal cells.

# Activity {#activity-3 .unnumbered}

1.  Divide class into groups of 2-4 students.

2.  Have materials gathered and laid out according to the number of
    students. Hand out the materials and lists of cell structures to
    each group.

3.  Tell students they will be making two cells (one plant and one
    animal). The first portion of the lab will focus on creating the
    cell structures. Students are to fold, cut, and paste until the cell
    structure is simulated. The students should look at pictures and
    lists of the cell structures in order to make them as accurate as
    possible. Tell the students not to put the cells together until you
    give them directions to do so.

4.  Students are to cut the large piece of plastic in half and place
    each half on the table.

5.  Roll the plain play-doh into 2 equal balls. Lay 1 ball on each piece
    of plastic wrap and press each into a pancake about 6 inches around.

6.  Have the students designate one pancake "animal cell" and the other
    "plant cell."

7.  Have the students place their finished cell structures (except the
    cell wall) in a pile on the center of the appropriate pancake.

8.  When all cell parts are in place gather up the pancake, carefully
    cupping it around its toppings, and seal all the edges together
    forming a ball of "cytoplasm." Now wrap the plastic wrap around the
    cytoplasm of both cells to form the cell membrane. Then wrap the
    aluminum foil around the plant cell to form the cell wall.

9.  Cells may then be set aside for the next class period or each may be
    cut in half for observation right away.

***Wrap Up:*** Ask the students:

1.  What did you do?

2.  What did you learn from this?

3.  How can you use this information again?

**Assessment**

Teacher observation, cell quiz.

List of Cell Structures\
(What Do You Really Look Like? Activity)

Use the following chart to identify the material needed to create each
cell structure. Refer to your book for cell appearance.

  ----------------------------------- -----------------------------------
  ***Cell Structure***                ***Material needed***

  Cytoplasm                           Plain play-doh about 260g

  Endoplasmic reticulum               Yarn

  Ribosomes                           Whole Peppercorns

  Mitochondria                        Purple play-doh about 7g

  Vacuole                             Small piece of plastic bubble
                                      packing

  Lysosome                            Red play-doh about 5g

  Chloroplasts                        Green play-doh about 10g

  Cell Wall                           Aluminum foil 12"x7"

  Cell Membrane                       Plastic Wrap 12"x16"

  Nucleus                             Blue play-doh about 20g

  Nuclear Membrane                    Plastic Wrap 3"x6"

  Chromosomes                         Pencil shavings
  ----------------------------------- -----------------------------------

Name \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

# Plant and Animal Cell Quiz (What Do You Really Look Like Activity) {#plant-and-animal-cell-quiz-what-do-you-really-look-like-activity .unnumbered}

**Matching:** use the words in the box below and write them next to the
correct definition.

cell membrane, centrosome, cytoplasm, Golgi body, lysosome,
mitochondrion, nuclear membrane, nucleolus, nucleus, ribosome, rough
endoplasmic reticulum (rough ER), smooth endoplasmic reticulum (smooth
ER), vacuole, chloroplast, cell wall

1.  This is a fluid-filled, membrane-surrounded cavity located inside a
    cell. It fills with food being digested and waste material that is
    on its way out of the cell. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

2.  This is a flattened, layered, sac-like organelle that looks like a
    stack of pancakes and is located near the nucleus. It produces the
    membranes that surround the lysosomes. It packages proteins and
    carbohydrates for "export" from the cell.
    \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

3.  This is an elongated or disc-shaped organelle containing
    chlorophyll. Photosynthesis takes place here.
    \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

4.  These are small organelles composed of RNA rich cytoplasmic granules
    that are sites of protein synthesis.
    \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

5.  This is an organelle within the nucleus. It is where ribosomal RNA
    is produced. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

6.  This is the thin layer of protein and fat that surrounds the cell.
    It is semipermeable, allowing some substances to pass into the cell
    and blocking others. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

7.  These are spherical organelles surrounded by a membrane; they
    contain digestive enzymes. This is where the digestion of cell
    nutrients takes place. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

8.  This is a vast system of interconnected, membranous, infolded, and
    convoluted tubes that are located in the cell's cytoplasm. It
    transports materials throughout the cell. It contains enzymes and
    produces and digests lipids (fats) and membrane proteins. It buds
    off the rough ER, moving the newly made proteins and lipids to the
    Golgi body, lysosomes, and membranes.
    \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

9.  This is a thick, rigid membrane that surrounds a plant cell. This
    layer of cellulose fiber gives the cell most of its support and
    structure. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

10. This is the membrane that surrounds the nucleus.
    \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

11. This is a jelly-like material outside the cell nucleus in which the
    organelles are located. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

12. This is a vast system of interconnected, membranous, infolded, and
    convoluted sacks that are located in the cell's cytoplasm. It is
    covered with ribosomes that give it a rough appearance. It
    transports materials through the cell and produces proteins in sacks
    called cisternae. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

13. This is a small body located near the nucleus. It has a dense center
    and radiating tubules. It is where microtubules are made.
    \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

14. This is a spherical body containing many organelles, including the
    nucleolus. It controls many of the functions of the cell.
    \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

15. This is a spherical to rod-shaped organelle with a double membrane.
    The inner membrane is infolded many times, forming a series of
    projections. It converts the energy stored in glucose into ATP
    (adenosine triphosphate) for the cell. It is often referred to as
    the powerhouse of the cell.
    \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

**Essay:** Please answer the following question in a paragraph using
complete sentences. Compare and contrast a plant and animal cell. How
are they alike and how are they different?

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

**Key for Matching:** (5 points each)

1.  Vacuole

2.  Golgi body

3.  Chloroplast

4.  Ribosome

5.  Nucleolus

6.  Cell membrane

7.  Lysosome

8.  Smooth endoplasmic reticulum (smooth ER)

9.  Cell wall

10. Nuclear membrane

11. Cytoplasm

12. Rough endoplasmic reticulum (rough ER)

13. Centrosome

14. Nucleus

15. Mitochondrion

**Essay:** (25 points)

Answers will vary. Be sure that the students mention that plant cells
are different from animal cells because plant cells have chloroplasts
and cell walls.

![](media/image3.png){width="0.6in" height="0.8346456692913385in"}

Plant Life

With searing heat, dry air, and little rainfall, a desert hardly seems
like a good spot for plant to grow. In many ways it's not. Deserts can
go for years without rain. When it does hit they can receive a year's
worth within hours. This deluge often washes away immediately with only
a little water soaking into the ground where a plant's roots can absorb
it.

The hot sun can raise a plant's internal temperature too high for
photosynthesis to occur and even to the point where the plant's tissues
can literally cook. In a cold desert temperatures can dip to the point
where a plant's inner fluids expand as ice forms and results in
rupturing the plant's cell walls.

All in all, the desert is a challenging place for plant survival. Yet
for thousands of years plant species have adapted and thrived in arid
lands.

It is these adaptations that are the focus of this unit.

This unit will look at other aspects of plants, from their function to
their importance. In the lesson, *Structurally Sound*, students will
identify the basic parts and functions of plants, leaves, and flowers.
The students will gain a greater understanding of the process of
photosynthesis and transpiration in the lesson, *Don't Leaf Out
Photosynthesis*. Students will participate in experiments designed to
encourage observation of various desert plant adaptations. In *To Be or
Not to Be* students will start a plant by means of vegetative
propagation. A field trip will be taken so students can identify trees
through the use of a dichotomous key. In the last lesson, students will
understand the importance of plants in the economy by identifying
various plant byproducts.

![](media/image3.png){width="0.6in" height="0.8346456692913385in"}

Structurally Sound

Properties of leaves, plant, and flower

**Summary:** This lesson is an introduction to the properties of the
parts of leaves, plants, and flowers.

**Duration:** 1 class period

**Setting:** classroom

**Vocabulary:** *Leaf* - lamina, leaf apex, axil, petiole, midrib, vein,
stipule, stem; *Flower-*stigma, style, ovary, sepal, filament, anther,
stamen, carpel (pistil), stem, petal, whorls; *Plant* - axillary bud,
terminal bud, flower, flower stalk, axil, lateral shoot, leaf, petiole,
root, root cap, tap root, stem, node, internode, angiosperms,
dicotyledon, monocotyledon

**Standards/Benchmarks Addressed:** SC1-E1, SC3-E1, SC4-E6, SC6-E1,
SC6-E2, SC6-E3, SC6-E6, SC10-E2, SC11-E4, SC11-E5, SC12-E2

**Objectives**

Students will:

-   be able to label the parts of a flower.

-   be able to label the parts of a plant.

-   be able to label the parts of a leaf.

-   be able to describe the plant-seed cycle.

**Background**

# Plant Seed Cycle {#plant-seed-cycle .unnumbered}

> **Seed Dispersal** -- Plants have ways of scattering their seeds. A
> few plants burst open throwing their seeds out while others depend on
> the wind to spread them. Some rely on animals and people to disperse
> the seeds in a variety of ways. Some "hitchhikers" cling to clothing
> or fur. Animals that feed on the fruits disperse the seeds through
> their droppings.
>
> **Germination** -- Seeds need three things to germinate: warmth,
> moisture, and oxygen. Moisture works to soften the seed coat. Once
> softened it will swell and split, allowing the primary root to anchor
> the plant to the ground. As the root system develops, the epicotyl
> grows upward and the stem breaks through the soil. This growth carries
> the cotyledons above the ground. It is then that the seed coat falls
> off. The cotyledons open. This frees a bud called a plumule, which
> then produces the first leaves. Since the seedling now has its own
> developed roots and leaves and can make its own food, it no longer
> needs the cotyledon.
>
> **Pollination** -- When pollen grains are fully developed, the anther
> bursts open. Unable to move by themselves, the pollen grains must be
> carried or moved to the female parts of the flower before they can
> begin fertilization. One way pollen grains find their way to the
> pistil of another flower is by wind. The sweet scent or nectar of some
> flowers attracts insects or birds who will also carry the grains with
> them as they move from flower to flower. The transfer of pollen from
> the stamen to the pistil of the same flower is called
> self-pollination. When the pollen grain reaches the pistil of another
> flower, it is called cross-pollination.
>
> **Fertilization** -- As soon as the pollen lands on the pistil, a very
> thin tube begins to grow down to the ovary. It grows through the ovary
> wall and reaches the ovule inside. When the pollen tube touches the
> ovule, fertilization begins and a seed develops.

# Flower Structure: Flowers vary in shape, size, and color. Fragrances of flowers range from sweet ones to those that smell like rotten meat. Flower shapes also vary among species. Flowers are the reproductive structures of angiosperms, plants whose seeds develop from fertilized ovules. Flowering plants are divided into two classes: Dicotyledon and Monocotyledon. Approximately seventy-five percent of flowering plants are dicots. This includes flowering trees, shrubs, annual, and perennial plants. Most flowers consist of four structural parts, which are attached to the flower base in whorls. The outer whorl consists of the sepals; followed by the petals, then the stamens, and the inner most whorl is the pistil. At the base of the pistil is the ovary which envelops the ovules, and this is where fertilization occurs. The outer two whorls, sepals and petals, serve to protect the inner parts of the flower and attract pollinators to the flowers. Flowers which contain all four whorls are considered "complete." Flowers lacking one or more of the four whorls are termed "incomplete." {#flower-structure-flowers-vary-in-shape-size-and-color.-fragrances-of-flowers-range-from-sweet-ones-to-those-that-smell-like-rotten-meat.-flower-shapes-also-vary-among-species.-flowers-are-the-reproductive-structures-of-angiosperms-plants-whose-seeds-develop-from-fertilized-ovules.-flowering-plants-are-divided-into-two-classes-dicotyledon-and-monocotyledon.-approximately-seventy-five-percent-of-flowering-plants-are-dicots.-this-includes-flowering-trees-shrubs-annual-and-perennial-plants.-most-flowers-consist-of-four-structural-parts-which-are-attached-to-the-flower-base-in-whorls.-the-outer-whorl-consists-of-the-sepals-followed-by-the-petals-then-the-stamens-and-the-inner-most-whorl-is-the-pistil.-at-the-base-of-the-pistil-is-the-ovary-which-envelops-the-ovules-and-this-is-where-fertilization-occurs.-the-outer-two-whorls-sepals-and-petals-serve-to-protect-the-inner-parts-of-the-flower-and-attract-pollinators-to-the-flowers.-flowers-which-contain-all-four-whorls-are-considered-complete.-flowers-lacking-one-or-more-of-the-four-whorls-are-termed-incomplete. .unnumbered}

> **Leaves:** A leaf is a part of the plant where most of its food is
> made. Most leaves have two parts, the blade and the stalk. The lines
> or ridges on the leaf are veins. Veins hold tubes like those in the
> stems. Some of these tubes in the veins transport food from the leaves
> to the stems. Other tubes in the veins carry water and minerals from
> the stems to the leaves. Plants get air from openings on the underside
> of the leaf. These openings are called stomates. The stomates can be
> opened and closed. Air also moves in and out through tiny slits in
> stems. Plants with flat leaves like those found on flowering plants
> are called broad-leaved plants. There are two types of broad-leaved
> plants; those with simple leaves and those with compound leaves. A
> simple leaf has a single blade attached to a stalk. A compound leaf
> has one stalk with several blades attached. A conifer has leaves that
> look like needles, so they are called needle-leaved plants. These
> leaves have a tough outer covering that keeps the plant from losing a
> lot of water.

**Materials**

Different types of leaves

Several plants (flowering and non)

Flowers (preferably large flowers such as day lilies or tiger lilies)

Black construction paper

Flour

Celery stalk

Container

Water

Food coloring

**Procedure**

***Warm up:*** Begin class by passing around different plants, leaves,
and flowers for student observation. Have students examine the flower.
Ask students to identify the feature of the flower that allows the
pollen to attach to the stigmas. Next, ask students to name the
different parts of the plants. Write their responses on the chalkboard.
Show students a label list of all the different parts of the plants and
explain to them that they will be participating in an activity that will
allow them to identify the parts of a plant and a leaf. Explain that
they will also be dissecting a flower in order to better understand the
parts of a flower and their function.

***Activity***

1.  Students will work in pairs.

2.  Give each student copies of *Label the Plant, Label the Flower,* and
    *Label the Leaf.*

3.  Give each group a plant, a flower, and some leaves.

4.  Have students run their hands up the stem (also called the pedicel)
    until they reach the top portion of the stem. Here the students
    locate the outer whorl of three-petal-like structures or sepals.
    Instruct students to tear off the sepals carefully, keeping them
    intact.

5.  The next whorl of three parts is the petals. Have students tear off
    the petals.

6.  The reproductive parts are in the center of the flower. Have
    students locate the stamens. Have students tear them off and look at
    them through hand lenses. Direct students to locate the two parts of
    the stamen (filament and anther). What is produced in the anther?

7.  The last structure in the center is the pistil. Ask students to
    locate the three parts of the pistil (stigma, style, and ovary). The
    stigma is the top part of the pistil and receives the pollen during
    pollination.

8.  Have students remove the stigmas from the flowers and view them with
    a hand lens. Instruct students to lightly touch the tips of the
    stigmas. How do they feel?

9.  Students will then sprinkle some white flour onto pieces of black
    construction paper, then gently tap the stigmas into the flour.

10. Students should then view the stigmas (with a hand lens) to
    determine which part of the stigma is capable of holding pollen
    grains. What is the purpose of the sticky area on the stigma?

11. Students should then cut longitudinally through the pistil. The
    long, thin section below the stigma is the style. At the base of the
    pistil is the ovary which holds the ovules.

12. Have students use the hand lenses to locate the ovules and count how
    many they find. Why are the ovules hidden in the base of the ovary?

13. Students will then turn their attention to the plant structure.

14. Students will remove the plants from the container. They should
    shake off excess soil in order to examine the root structure. The
    root is a plant structure that obtains food and water from the soil,
    stores energy, and provides support for the plant. Is it a taproot
    or is it fibrous? Students should note the ends of the roots and
    identify the root cap, which is the protective covering over the
    actively growing region.

15. Students should then work their way up the stem, which is the part
    of the plant that supports the leaves, flowers, or cones. Students
    will cut a stem in order to examine the tubes that carry food,
    water, and minerals to all parts of the plant. Placing a celery stem
    in a container filled with water and food coloring can show this.
    After several hours the leaves of the celery should be the same
    color as the food coloring.

16. Students should continue along the stem of the plant until they come
    to the first node. This is the part of the stem of a plant from
    which a leaf or branch grows. A plant has many nodes.

17. The students will then follow the lateral shoot, an offshoot of the
    stem of a plant, to the petiole. The petiole is a leaf stalk that
    attaches the leaf to the plant. Students may identify a stipule in
    this area, which is the small, paired appendage that is found at the
    base of the petiole of leaves of many flowering plants.

18. Students will identify the area between two nodes as the internode.

19. Students should now locate the angle between the upper side of the
    stem and a leaf, branch, or petiole and identify it as the axil.
    Students should try to locate an axillary bud, which is one that
    develops in the axil.

20. Students should identify the flower stalk, the structure that
    supports the flower. Students should also look for a terminal bud
    that would be located at the apex (tip) of the stem.

21. Students will then turn their attention to the leaf. Students should
    understand that the blade of the leaf is also called the lamina.

22. They should locate the petiole again and follow it up to the midrib,
    which is the central rib of the leaf.

23. From there they should note the veins which provide support for the
    leaf and transport both water and food through the leaf.

24. At the tip of the leaf the students will find the leaf apex with is
    the outer end of the leaf (opposite of the petiole).

***Wrap Up:*** As a class, students should discuss what they have
discovered about plants.

**Assessment**

Students will label the parts of a plant, flower, and leaf.

Name \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

# Label the Plant {#label-the-plant .unnumbered}

**Directions:** Correctly label the following plant parts:

***axillary bud, terminal bud, flower, flower stalk, axil, lateral
shoot, leaf, petiole, node (2), internode, stem, tap root, root, root
cap***

![](media/image8.png){width="5.604166666666667in"
height="5.916666666666667in"}

**Label the Plant: Key**

**Directions:** Correctly label the following plant parts:

***axillary bud, terminal bud, flower, flower stalk, axil, lateral
shoot, leaf, petiole, node (2), internode, stem, tap root, root, root
cap***

![](media/image9.png){width="5.604166666666667in"
height="5.916666666666667in"}

Name \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

# Label the Flower {#label-the-flower .unnumbered}

**Directions:** Correctly label the following flower parts:

***anther, petal, filament, ovary, sepal, stem, stigma, style***

![](media/image10.png){width="6.246527777777778in"
height="4.259722222222222in"}

**Label the Flower: Key**

**Directions:** Correctly label the following flower parts:

***anther, petal, filament, ovary, sepal, stem, stigma, style***

![](media/image11.png){width="6.122916666666667in"
height="4.251388888888889in"}

Name \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

# Label the Leaf {#label-the-leaf .unnumbered}

**Directions:** Correctly label the following leaf parts:

***axil, lamina, leaf apex, midrib, petiole, stipule, stem, vein***

![](media/image12.png){width="7.127777777777778in"
height="5.228472222222222in"}

**Label the Leaf: Key**

**Directions:** Correctly label the following leaf parts:

***axil, lamina, leaf apex, midrib, petiole, stipule, stem, vein***

![](media/image13.png){width="6.0in" height="4.740277777777778in"}

![](media/image3.png){width="0.6in" height="0.8346456692913385in"}

Don't Leaf Out Photosynthesis

***What exactly is photosynthesis?***

**Summary:** Fall is a wonderful time of year to teach about the process
that gives life to trees. In this lesson students will use hands-on
methods to explore photosynthesis.

**Duration:** 1 class period

**Setting:** Classroom

**Vocabulary:** photosynthesis, chlorophyll, pigment

**Standards/Benchmarks Addressed:** SC1-E1, SC2-E1, SC3-E1, SC4-E1,
SC4-E3, SC4-E5, SC5-E2, SC6-E1, SC6-E2, SC6-E3, SC6-E6, SC7-E2, SC7-E3,
SC9-E1, SC11-E1, SC11-E2, SC11-E3, SC12-E2

**Objectives**

Students will:

-   be able to identify the various pigments often found in leaves.

-   be able to explain the process of photosynthesis.

**Background**

Producers obtain food (complex organic compounds) from inorganic
materials and an energy source. Producers form the first level of an
ecosystem. Producers most familiar to us are green plants. Their energy
source is the sun, and they convert energy to food through reactions of
photosynthesis. Less than 1% of the sunlight reaching the Earth's
atmosphere is transformed by photosynthesis. The rest is reflected back
into space, absorbed by the atmosphere, or absorbed by the Earth.

Photosynthesis is the process by which plants, algae, and a few bacteria
capture this tiny fraction of the sun's energy and convert it into
stored chemical energy for their biological processes. Photosynthesis is
the process plants use to produce their own food. The chemical formula
for photosynthesis is: 6CO~2~ + 6H~2~O + light C~6~H~12~O~6~ + 6O~2.~
What sustains life for all non-photosynthetic species is the ability to
use that stored energy. The glucose and other food molecules produced by
plants can be broken down by animals into water and carbon dioxide in a
process called respiration. Respiration is photosynthesis in reverse.
During respiration, the stored chemical energy captured originally by
the plant is released for use by the plant eater. It is during this
process that the leaves release oxygen, which become part of the air
that we breathe.

Plants use photosynthetic pigments to capture radiant energy by
converting carbon dioxide and water into glucose. Photosynthesis can
take place only in the presence of chlorophyll, the green pigment that
is found in all green plants. Chlorophyll absorbs the sunlight needed
for photosynthesis. Plants contain several pigments, including
chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is the most abundant pigment and causes most
plant leaves to appear green. Did you know that most leaves are orange
and yellow even in the summer? This is because most leaves include the
pigments of all three colors. The other pigments, xanthophyll (yellow),
carotene (orange), anthocyanin (red and/or purple) are present but in
much smaller quantities. As winter nears plants receive less sunlight
and less water. Soon the photosynthesis process shuts down until spring.
It is this process that allows to experience the "turning of colors" in
the fall.

![](media/image14.bmp)

1.  Light strikes the leaf and is trapped by chlorophyll.

2.  Inside the leaf, light changes part of the water to hydrogen and
    oxygen.

3.  Carbon dioxide from the air enters the leaf through stomates located
    on the underside of the leaf.

4.  The hydrogen joins with carbon dioxide to make food for the plant.

5.  Oxygen is released through stomates.

**Materials**

Leaves

Small jars

Plastic wrap

Rubbing alcohol

Coffee filters

Shallow pan

Hot tap water

Tape

Pen

Plastic spoon

**Procedure**

***Warm up:*** Ask students if they have ever been outside and picked up
something that had been sitting in a grassy area for a few days. If so
what had they noticed? If they saw an area of yellowish, wilted-looking
grass, they have witnessed how light (or lack of light) affects color
development. Explain that the activity for today will allow students to
recreate this phenomenon and help them to better understand the process
of photosynthesis.

***Activity:*** Students will work in groups to complete this
experiment.

> Step 1 - Chop leaves into very small pieces and place them into small
> jars. Be sure to label the jar with the name of the leaf.
>
> Step 2 -- Add enough rubbing alcohol to cover the leaves. Use the
> plastic spoon to stir and grind the leaves in the alcohol.
>
> Step 3 -- Cover the jars and allow them to sit in a shallow tray
> filled with 1 inch of very hot tap water.
>
> Step 4 -- Allow the jars to sit for at least 30 minutes or until the
> alcohol has become colored. Replace the hot water if it cools off.
> Twirl the jars gently about every 5 minutes.
>
> Step 5 -- Using long strips of coffee filter paper, place one in each
> jar so that one end is in the alcohol and the other bends over the
> edge of the jar. Secure the lid.
>
> Step 6 -- After approximately 1 hour students should be able to see
> the various colors traveling up the paper.
>
> Step 7 -- Remove the strips and let them dry.

***Wrap Up:*** Discuss the findings.

**Assessment**

Participation and discussion

**Extensions**

Students can complete the same activity using fall leaves that have
already changed colors. Steps 4 and 6 will take longer. Have them
compare the results.

![](media/image3.png){width="0.6in" height="0.8346456692913385in"}

**Am I Leaking?**

***Where is the Water?***

**Summary:** Using the scientific method, students will complete a
hands-on experiment that will allow them to discover that cacti lose
less water through transpiration than broad-leaf plants do.

**Duration:** 2 class periods

**Setting:** Classroom

**Vocabulary:** transpiration, stomata, photosynthesize

**Standards/Benchmarks Addressed:** SC1-E1, SC1-E2, SC2-E1, SC2-E2,
SC2-E3, SC3-E1, SC4-E1, SC4-E3, SC4-E5, SC5-E1, SC5-E2, SC6-E1, SC6-E2,
SC6-E3, SC6-E4, SC6-E5, SC6-E6, SC11-E1, SC11-E2, SC11-E3, SC12-E2

**Objectives**

Students will:

-   design an investigation to answer questions about transpiration.

-   compare the rate of transpiration of a cactus to that of a leafy
    plant.

**Background**

Photosynthesis is the process by which plants, algae, and a few bacteria
capture a tiny fraction of the sun's energy and convert it into stored
chemical energy for their biological processes. Photosynthesis is the
process plants use to produce their own food. The chemical formula for
photosynthesis is: 6CO~2~ + 6H~2~O + light C~6~H~12~O~6~ + 6O~2.~

What sustains life for all non-photosynthetic species is the ability to
use that stored energy. Animals can break down the glucose and other
food molecules produced by plants into water and carbon dioxide in a
process called respiration. Respiration is photosynthesis in reverse.
During respiration, the stored chemical energy captured originally by
the plant is released for use by the plant eater.

During the respiration process, small pores (stomata) on a plant's
leaves and stems open to absorb CO~2~ from the air and in return release
oxygen (O~2~). Each time the stomata open, some H~2~O is lost. This
water loss process is called transpiration. For some plants losing a
large amount of water isn't a problem. But, for desert plants, replacing
this lost H~2~O is not easy with so little annual moisture. If the H~2~O
can not be replaced, the desert plants will die. In order to survive
some plants such as evergreens, cacti, and many plants that live in the
dry climates have acquired special adaptations that limit the amount of
water they give off.

Desert plants are unlike most plants that carry out photosynthesis
during the day and lose a large amount of H~2~O through transpiration.
If transpiration occurs during daytime hours, high temperatures can
cause water to evaporate quickly. If the process can occur at night,
less H~2~O is lost. One type of adaptation desert plants use is known as
Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM). In CAM plants, the stomata are only
open at night, when the temperatures are much lower. Many plants in the
desert environment have this method of photosynthesis, which is
distinctly different.

Plants do not only lose H~2~O through their pores; they also lose it
through the cell walls on their leaves. The leaves and stems of many
desert plants have a thick covering that is coated with a waxy
substance, allowing them to open and absorb CO~2~.

Desert plants have developed many adaptations in order to conserve the
small amount of water they receive. The two adaptations discussed will
be evident in the following experiment which shows how the waxy outer
skin of a cactus helps it conserve water.

**Materials**

One plant (for each group of students)

One cactus (for each group of students)

1 clear plastic bag for each plant

String or tape

Mirror

**Procedure**

***Warm up:*** Breathe on the mirror and then quickly hold it up and ask
the students what they see. They should answer moisture. Explain to the
students that in much the same manner, leaves give off moisture. How do
we know this? How can we see this? Do all plants give off the same
amount?

***Activity:*** Review the background information with the class. Have
students work in small groups of three or four. Each group should
develop a step-by-step plan for trapping water vapor given off by their
plants and for determining which plant lost the most water.

For example, some groups may decide to place their plants in direct sun
while others may choose to place them in indirect sun or shade. The
groups should identify the conditions that should be kept the same for
both plants. Rather than sealing an entire plant in a bag, the groups
may use intact limbs for the experiment. If so, they should tightly
secure their plastic bags so that no water vapor can escape. Teachers
should point out that this method is one of many desert survival
techniques humans (hikers) use to extract water from plants.

Have the groups design and conduct their experiment. Students will keep
a journal of their experiment. It should include such things as start
and completion time of the experiment, observation notes, etc.

***Wrap Up:*** Have each group explain their procedure and results.
Discuss how this would help the desert plant save water.

**Assessment**

Scientific Procedure Project Report

Am I Leaking Rubric

Am I Leaking?\
Scientific Procedure Project Report

# Title: \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ {#title-__________________________ .unnumbered}

Purpose:
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Hypothesis:\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Materials:\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Procedure (Step-by-Step
Directions):\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Each student is required to attach a copy of their journal, which will
include dates and times of their observations, observation notes, etc.
In addition to this record how else will you record your data?

Data:\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Results:\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Conclusion:\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Am I Leaking?\
Scientific Method Rubric

+----------------------------------------+--------+----------+----------+
| # Transpiration Projec                 | **     | **T      | **Co     |
| t {#transpiration-project .unnumbered} | Self** | eacher** | mments** |
|                                        |        |          |          |
|                                        | **     | **Eval   |          |
|                                        | Evalua | uation** |          |
|                                        | tion** |          |          |
+----------------------------------------+--------+----------+----------+
| **Visual:**                            |        | **/12**  |          |
+----------------------------------------+--------+----------+----------+
| Includes display of leaf samples to    |        |          |          |
| illustrate the type of plants tested.  |        |          |          |
+----------------------------------------+--------+----------+----------+
| Presentation board is visually         |        |          |          |
| attractive (fills the board, colorful, |        |          |          |
| neat).                                 |        |          |          |
+----------------------------------------+--------+----------+----------+
| Display identifies each step of the    |        |          |          |
| scientific process (title, hypothesis, |        |          |          |
| purpose, materials, procedure,         |        |          |          |
| conclusion, results).                  |        |          |          |
+----------------------------------------+--------+----------+----------+
| **Written:**                           |        | **/12**  |          |
+----------------------------------------+--------+----------+----------+
| Students provide a completed           |        |          |          |
| *Scientific Procedure Project Report.* |        |          |          |
+----------------------------------------+--------+----------+----------+
| Information is accurate.               |        |          |          |
+----------------------------------------+--------+----------+----------+
| Proper grammar, spelling, etc.         |        |          |          |
+----------------------------------------+--------+----------+----------+
| **Presentation:**                      |        | **/8**   |          |
+----------------------------------------+--------+----------+----------+
| Presenters followed appropriate        |        |          |          |
| speaking rules (eye contact, voice,    |        |          |          |
| enthusiasm).                           |        |          |          |
+----------------------------------------+--------+----------+----------+
| Presentation quality, organization,    |        |          |          |
| information, appeal                    |        |          |          |
+----------------------------------------+--------+----------+----------+
| **Teamwork:**                          |        | **/4**   |          |
+----------------------------------------+--------+----------+----------+
| Are the efforts of each team member    |        |          |          |
| clearly demonstrated, or did it appear |        |          |          |
| to be the work of one or two           |        |          |          |
+----------------------------------------+--------+----------+----------+
| **Responsibility:**                    |        | **/4**   |          |
+----------------------------------------+--------+----------+----------+
| Turned in on due date and presented in |        |          |          |
| class with visual.                     |        |          |          |
+----------------------------------------+--------+----------+----------+

4 -- no mistakes 3 -- few mistakes 2 -- many mistakes 1 -- incomplete
(however is present) 0 -- not evident or not included

Visual \_\_\_\_\_\_ Written \_\_\_\_\_\_ Presentation \_\_\_\_\_\_
Teamwork \_\_\_\_\_\_ Responsibility \_\_\_\_\_\_ Overall\_\_\_\_\_\_

![](media/image3.png){width="0.6in" height="0.8346456692913385in"}

**One Tough Dude**

***How does plant life survive such harsh desert conditions?***

**Summary:** This lesson provides a discovery approach to learning about
desert plant life. Students will complete three simple experiments in
order to gain a greater knowledge of how plants adapt to desert life.

**Duration:** 1 class period

**Setting:** Classroom

**Vocabulary:** photosynthesis, transpiration, adaptation,
drought-deciduous

**Standards/Benchmarks Addressed:** SC2-E1, SC3-E1, SC4-E1, SC4-E3,
SC4-E5, SC5-E2, SC6-E1, SC6-E2, SC6-E3, SC6-E4, SC6-E5, SC10-E2,
SC11-E1, SC11-E2, SC11-E3, SC11-E4, SC11-E5, SC12-E2

**Objectives**

Students will:

-   explain how plants adapt to harsh desert environment.

-   explain the concept of transpiration as it applies to desert plant
    life.

**Background**

For plants dependent on water for their basic life processes the dryness
and heat of the desert make survival difficult. Unlike animals, plants
cannot set out in search of water, they cannot retreat to a different
location in order to avoid the intense heat of the sun. In response to
these limitations, plants have developed several strategies for dealing
with the harsh conditions of the desert. Plants use a variety of means
to survive. Some have tough outer coatings while others depend on a
rapid rate of growth after a rainfall. A large number of plants survive
by their extensive shallow root systems. Other plants such as the
mesquite tree have long taproots that may grow 100 feet deep to reach
the water table. Some plants store water in their pulpy trunks or roots.
Many desert plants have small, thick leaves with waxy coatings and will
even shed their leaves during intense drought to further reduce water
loss. Cacti carry out photosynthesis not in leaves, but in their thick
stems. Thick stems are less likely to dry out. These stems have less
surface area than broad, thin leaves. A cactus's spines are actually
modified leaves.

For a more detailed explanation of the various adaptations see *Tricks
of the Trade.*

# Materials {#materials .unnumbered}

Station #1 -- Aloe Vera plant, a cactus, and a cutting instrument

Station #2 -- wax paper, water droppers

Station #3 -- sponges, dishpans, and a measuring cup

Station #4 -- plastic water bottles (One with holes in the bottom the
size of pins. The other with holes in the bottom the size of a pencil.),
tub of water

**Procedure**

***Warm up:*** Students will be asked to brainstorm words they think of
when we say the word desert. Discuss why these particular words come to
mind.

Ask students to brainstorm various adaptations of desert plants. Explain
to the students that they will be looking for similar adaptations as
they complete the following series of activities.

***Activity:*** Students will work in four groups and the groups will
rotate from station to station.

> **Station #1 -- The Pulpy Insides:** At this station students will
> examine a desert plant (the Aloe Vera) and the cacti. Before they
> start the activity, students are asked to draw what they think a
> desert plant looks like on the inside (don't forget to include the
> root system). As they cut open the plants students should be examining
> the amount of moisture, the look, and the feel of the plant.
>
> Students should be prepared to discuss the following questions as a
> class.

1.  How would you describe the texture of the plant skin?

2.  Why do you feel the plant was able to hold the amount of moisture it
    held?

3.  Describe the stems (thick, thin, rounded, flat).

4.  Compare your drawing with the actual plant.

> **Station #2: How the Waxy Skin Works**

1.  Students will use the water droppers to squeeze a few drops of water
    onto wax paper.

2.  Students should observe how the water reacts on the wax paper (does
    the paper absorb or resist the water?)

> After completing this station, students should write a brief response
> to, "What type of adaptation does this activity represent?"
>
> **Station #3: The Spongy Roots**

1.  Students will dip the sponge into the tub of water.

2.  Students should observe how the sponge soaks up the water.

3.  Students will then squeeze out the water into a measuring cup in
    order to determine the amount of liquid the sponge was able to hold.

> After completing this station, students should write a brief response
> to, "What type of adaptation does this activity represent?"
>
> **Station #4: Pore Size Matters**

1.  Students will fill the plastic containers with water (one container
    should have tiny holes poked in the bottom and the other should have
    larger holes poked in the bottom) by submerging the two bottles into
    a tub of water and then pulling them out by the neck of the bottle.

2.  Students should observe the different rate at which the bottles
    drain.

> After completing this station, students should write a brief response
> to, "What type of adaptation does this activity represent?"

***Wrap Up*:** Bring students back to the whole group. Group discussion
should focus on the findings as a result of the previous experiments.

Students will then be asked to create a desert plant survival guide.
This guide will consist of identifying six different Chihuahuan Desert
plants, their specific adaptation(s), the way in which the adaptation
helps the plant, and an illustration of each plant. Teachers may choose
to have students research other types of plants depending on location or
field of study.

**Assessment**

Evaluate the student's survival guidebook by looking for a variety of
adaptations. Students should also be able to explain how each adaptation
helps the plant.

Students will receive three copies of the Desert Plant Survival Guide. A
cover may be created with construction paper or may be computer
generated.

**Tricks of the Trade... How Desert Plants Survive\
One Tough Dude Activity**

How do desert plants save water?

Desert plants work hard to make use of what's available. They use the
sun's energy to convert carbon dioxide (CO~2~ ) and water (H~2~O) into
sugar, a process called photosynthesis. During this process, small pores
(stomata) on a plant's leaves and stems open to absorb CO~2~ from the
air and in return release oxygen (O~2~). Each time a plant opens its
pores, some H~2~O is lost. This is called transpiration. Replacing this
lost H~2~O is not easy with so little annual moisture. If the H~2~O
cannot be replaced, the desert plants will die. Desert plants have
acquired special adaptations that help them in reducing H~2~O loss.

-   **Smaller, fewer, and deeper pores** -- Many desert plants have very
    small, fewer, and deeper pores. With such pores, hot and dry winds
    are inhibited from blowing directly across the pores and reducing
    H~2~O loss.

-   **Waxy cover** -- Plants do not only lose H~2~O through their pores,
    they also lose it through the cell walls on their leaves. The leaves
    and stems of many desert plants have a thick covering that is coated
    with a waxy substance, allowing them to still open and absorb CO~2~.

-   **Nocturnal** -- Unlike most plants that carry out photosynthesis,
    plants lose a large amount of H~2~O through transpiration, and if
    transpiration occurs during daytime hours, high temperatures can
    cause water to evaporate quickly. If the process can occur at night,
    less H~2~O is lost. Many plants in the desert environment have a
    method of photosynthesis that is distinctly different. It is known
    as Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM). In CAM plants, the stomata
    are only open at night, when the temperatures are much lower.

-   **Little leaves** -- Most desert plants have small leaves or no
    leaves at all. The smaller or fewer leaves a plant has, the less
    H~2~O is lost during transpiration since it has less surface area
    exposed to the sun and wind. For desert plants with small leaves or
    none at all, the twigs and stems help carry out photosynthesis.

-   **Hide and rest**-During the hottest part of the day many desert
    grasses and other plants "roll" their leaves to reduce the amount of
    surface area exposed to sun and wind. Some plants simply position
    themselves so they have less exposure to the climatic elements on a
    hot, sunny day. Some plants grow best if they sprout under a "nurse"
    plant. The "nurse" plant shades the young plants from damaging sun,
    drying winds, and animals that might trample it.

-   **Drop 'em in drought** -- Some desert plants grow leaves during the
    high moisture period of the year and then shed them when it becomes
    dry and hot again, such plants are called drought-deciduous. These
    kinds of plants will carry out photosynthesis only during the moist
    period.

How do plants get water?

One way desert plants, trees, and shrubs suck up as much water as
possible is by growing very deep taproots. Sometimes these roots can get
to be more than 100 feet long. The above ground plant parts may remain
small for years simply because the plant puts most of its energy into
developing its taproot system. Desert plants may have a huge, tangled
network of shallow roots that spread out from the plant in all
directions. The roots can be as long as the plant is tall, and can
quickly absorb water from the slightest rainfall.

Why do plants shrink and swell?

Desert plants can soak up water, store it, and prepare to use it during
drought. For example, cacti and many other desert plants store water in
their fleshy leaves and stems. Desert plants may also have other
adaptations for water storage, such as pleats or folds that will allow
the plant to swell with added water when it can. The pleats or folds can
almost disappear if the plant soaks up a lot of water; then the plant
can shrink, and its pleats or folds can become visible again as drought
sets in and the plant makes use of water it has stored. Though many
desert plants die to the ground during the hottest part of each year,
the water they have stored in underground roots, tubers, and bulbs will
sustain them until the next moist period.

Why do plants grow hairs and spines?

The hairs and spines that grow on desert plants help reduce moisture
loss by breaking the effects of the wind. They also help cast minute
shadows on desert plants, which can protect them from the sun. The light
colored hairs and spines can even serve to reflect the sun's rays away
from the plant. Lastly, hairs and spines can help protect plants from
hungry animal predators.

Why do plants produce special chemicals?

Scientists believe that desert plants may produce and give off chemicals
from their leaves or roots that keep other plants from growing nearby.
It is thought that plants do this to reduce competition, especially when
water is scarce.

Why do seeds of plants sleep?

Some desert plants cope with the desert's dryness by not coping at all.
As a result, during drought they are present only as seeds in the soil.
For months, years, or even decades these seeds "sleep" to wait out the
dry spell in a dormant state. When the right amount of rain falls and
soaks into the soil, they sprout and bloom. When this happens the
desert's dry brown landscape can quickly change into colorful fields of
wildflowers, herbs, and grasses. Most of these fast-growing desert
plants do not last very long. So aside from having seeds that are
adapted to drought, they have few or no special adaptations to desert
conditions. This is why desert plants of this kind sprout, flower, and
leave behind a generation of seeds as quickly as possible. Short-lived
desert plants are called ephemerals. With little water available to help
them grow, dormant ephemerals are covered and protected by natural
chemicals called inhibitors. The primary function of inhibitors is to
keep seeds from germinating until enough moisture and specific
temperatures are present. Once the inhibitor has been washed off, the
seeds can sprout.

Desert Plant Survival Guide

Plant Name (common and scientific):
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Description (color, size, location, etc.):
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Adaptations:
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Plant Name (common and scientific):
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Description (color, size, location, etc.):
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Adaptations:
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Desert Plant Survival Guide Rubric

+--------------------------------------+--------+----------+------------+
| # Desert                             | ##     | **T      | **         |
|  Plants {#desert-plants .unnumbered} | Self { | eacher** | Comments** |
|                                      | #self  |          |            |
|                                      | .unnum | **eval   |            |
|                                      | bered} | uation** |            |
|                                      |        |          |            |
|                                      | **     |          |            |
|                                      | evalua |          |            |
|                                      | tion** |          |            |
+--------------------------------------+--------+----------+------------+
| **Visual:**                          |        | **/4**   |            |
+--------------------------------------+--------+----------+------------+
| Illustrations are accurate,          |        |          |            |
| colorful, and fill the page.         |        |          |            |
+--------------------------------------+--------+----------+------------+
| **Written:**                         |        | **/12**  |            |
+--------------------------------------+--------+----------+------------+
| Provides the common and scientific   |        |          |            |
| name of the plant.                   |        |          |            |
+--------------------------------------+--------+----------+------------+
| Identifies an area in which each of  |        |          |            |
| these can be found.                  |        |          |            |
+--------------------------------------+--------+----------+------------+
| Identifies the adaptations utilized  |        |          |            |
| by the various plants.               |        |          |            |
+--------------------------------------+--------+----------+------------+
| **Presentation:**                    |        | **/8**   |            |
+--------------------------------------+--------+----------+------------+
| Organization of information,         |        |          |            |
| quality, etc.                        |        |          |            |
+--------------------------------------+--------+----------+------------+
| Presenter follows appropriate        |        |          |            |
| speaking rules (eye contact, voice,  |        |          |            |
| enthusiasm).                         |        |          |            |
+--------------------------------------+--------+----------+------------+
| **Responsibility:**                  |        | **/4**   |            |
+--------------------------------------+--------+----------+------------+
| Turned in on due date and presented  |        |          |            |
| in class.                            |        |          |            |
+--------------------------------------+--------+----------+------------+

4 -- no mistakes 3 -- few mistakes 2 -- many mistakes 1 -- incomplete
(however is present) 0 -- not evident or not included

Visual \_\_\_\_\_\_ Written \_\_\_\_\_\_ Presentation \_\_\_\_\_\_
Responsibility \_\_\_\_\_\_ Overall\_\_\_\_\_\_

![](media/image3.png){width="0.6in" height="0.8346456692913385in"}

To Be or Not to Be

***What is asexual reproduction?***

**Summary:** This activity introduces the concept of asexual
reproduction. While utilizing the scientific method, students will
choose a plant, research it, choose a method of propagation, and keep a
scientific journal of its treatment.

**Duration:** Activity time approximately 6 weeks

**Setting:** Classroom

**Vocabulary:** vegetative propagation, alternation of generations,
antheridia, archegonia, antheridium, marchegonium, dicotyledon,
monocotyledon, dormant

**Standards/Benchmarks Addressed:** SC1-E1, SC1-E2, SC2-E1, SC2-E2,
SC2-E3, SC3E1, SC4-E1, SC4-E3, SC4-E5, SC5-E1, SC5-E2, SC6-E1, SC6-E2,
SC6-E3, SC6-E4, SC6-E5, SC10-E1, SC11-E1, SC11-E2, SC11-E3, SC11-E4,
SC11-E5, SC12-E2

**Objectives**

Students will:

-   understand the different methods of plant propagation.

-   successfully start a new plant by any means of vegetative
    propagation.

-   keep a laboratory journal on the progress of the plant.

-   use the scientific process in order to complete an experiment on
    propagation.

**Background**

Whenever plants reproduce asexually by any means, either natural or
induced, the term vegetative propagation applies. It simply means that
vegetative tissues (non-reproductive tissues) are used to reproduce new
plants. All members of the plant kingdom have some means of reproduction
whether it produces sperm and eggs or spores. In the mosses and the
ferns, the sexual structures are called antheridia and archegonia. The
antheridium produces sperm and the marchegonium produces one or more
eggs. These plants also have a spore-producing asexual phase.

Alternation of generations is a term that describes the life cycle of
most plants and some algae. In most plants, meiosis and fertilization
divide the life of the organism into two distinct phases or
"generations." The term generations is misleading since it refers to two
different phases that make up a single life cycle. Sexual reproduction
involves the two alternating processes of meiosis and fertilization. In
one phase, the plant is known as a gametophyte or gamete-bearing plant
and produces sex cells called gametes. Gametophytes can produce male
sperm cells, female egg cells, or both. In fertilization, the nuclei of
two gametes fuse, raising the chromosome number from haploid to diploid.
When a sperm cell and an egg cell unite, they form a zygote (fertilized
egg). The zygote develops into the next phase of the reproductive cycle.
In this phase (meiosis) the plant is known as a sporophyte or
spore-bearing plant and produces reproductive cells called spores. The
chromosome number is reduced from the diploid to the haploid number.
Then spores develop into gamete-producing plants, and the cycle begins
again.

#### Alternation of Generations {#alternation-of-generations .unnumbered}

**Plant Life Cycle**

multicellular

sporophyte

generation

#  Zygote {#zygote .unnumbered}

Diploid

#  Fertilization (2n) Meiosis {#fertilization-2n-meiosis .unnumbered}

####  Haploid {#haploid .unnumbered}

\(n\)

Gametes Spores

#### multicellular {#multicellular .unnumbered}

gametophyte

generation

In higher plants, the monocotyledon and the dicotyledon, flowers contain
the sexual structures. The sperm are borne in pollen grains produced in
the stamen of the flowers, and the eggs are held in ovules within the
pistils. Some higher plants also have common means of asexual
reproduction which do not involve floral parts. Strawberries, for
example, send out runners, while many trees send up new shoots from
their roots. Black cherry and quaking aspen both send up shoots.

Many plants that do not commonly reproduce asexually can be induced to
do so. For example, stem cuttings of geraniums or jade plants will often
root in water, and can then be planted in potting soil.

## Types of propagation {#types-of-propagation .unnumbered}

Plant propagation can be completed by various means. One method is by
seed. In the wild, seed germination is erratic by design, spanning the
longest possible time in order to eventually strike upon a favorable set
of conditions and there insure continuation of the species. In a
controlled environment, good quality seed is the basis for successful
seed production. Other key factors in successful propagation include;
moisture, pollination, insect control, and temperature. In collecting
seeds from the wild there are many things to consider. Timing of
collection is critical. Seeds should be cleaned of debris. Often seeds
need to be pretreated by means of an acid scarification or hot water
soak. Scarification is the pretreatment used when the limiting factor is
a hard seed coat that prevents water penetration and gas exchange or
physically restricts the growth of the embryo.

Propagation by cuttings is another means of reproduction. The cuttings
from some plants such as the cherry sage or four o'clocks root easily.
Again correct timing and cutting material is essential. When selecting
the plant to propagate it is important to remember that plant material
that has had adequate moisture to produce healthy new growth will root
and grow more rapidly than cuttings that have been dependent solely upon
rainfall.

A third type of propagation is by root cuttings. This method can be used
to propagate arid-land natives with fleshy root systems. Root cuttings
should be taken when the plant is dormant. When using this method it may
take several months for the cutting to form new terminal buds. It is
important not to over-water them.

The layering method entails selecting a healthy lower branch of a plant
and cutting a notch in the stem about ten inches from the tip just below
the node (the point where a leaf is attached to the stem). Bend the stem
down to the ground, loosen the soil where the notched stem touches, and
push the stem into the soil so that the growing tip is exposed but the
notched portion is buried. Pin the stem in place with wire. This method
may take six months to one year to develop a root system.

Dividing established specimens can increase plants that have a matted
growth habit or form offshoots from a central crown. Dig up the entire
plant, split it into sections, and replant where desired. This method is
most successful when the plant is in the dormant stage.

**Materials**

A variety of plants

Variety of potting soils

Pots

**Procedure**

***Warm up:*** Bring in a piece of prickly pear cactus for students to
examine. Ask students to consider whether or not this plant could form a
new one. Write the term "vegetative propagation" on the board and ask
students if they know what the term means. If none of them know the
definition, write it on the board and then explain to the students that
they will be completing an experiment in order to observe vegetative
propagation.

***Activity:*** Students will select a healthy plant to be propagated.
The plant may be a house plant, a landscape plant, or a wild plant.
Students will be required to research the plant paying specific
attention to the proper propagation method for their plant. Once
students have selected the method of propagation they will use the
scientific process to complete their experiment.

***Wrap Up:*** Six weeks after the initial set-up of this project
students will take turns sharing their plant research, progress or lack
thereof, and what they gained from this experience.

**Assessment**

Laboratory journals and project report using the attached rubric.

To Be or Not To Be\
Project Report

# Title: \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ {#title-__________________________-1 .unnumbered}

Purpose:
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Hypothesis:\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Materials:\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Research:\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Procedure (Step by Step
Directions):\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Each student is required to attach a copy of their journal, which will
include dates and times of their observations, observation notes, etc.
In addition to this record how else will you record your data?

Data:\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Results:\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Conclusion:\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

TO BE OR NOT TO BE\
Scientific Method Rubric

+---------------------------------------+-------+---------+----------+
| # Propagation Proje                   | *     | **      | **Co     |
| ct {#propagation-project .unnumbered} | *Self | Teacher | mments** |
|                                       | Ev    | Evalu   |          |
|                                       | aluat | ation** |          |
|                                       | ion** |         |          |
+---------------------------------------+-------+---------+----------+
| **Visual:**                           |       | **/12** |          |
+---------------------------------------+-------+---------+----------+
| Include propagated plant.             |       |         |          |
+---------------------------------------+-------+---------+----------+
| Presentation board is visually        |       |         |          |
| attractive (fills the board,          |       |         |          |
| colorful, neat).                      |       |         |          |
+---------------------------------------+-------+---------+----------+
| Display identifies each step of the   |       |         |          |
| scientific process (title,            |       |         |          |
| hypothesis, purpose, materials,       |       |         |          |
| procedure, conclusion, results).      |       |         |          |
+---------------------------------------+-------+---------+----------+
| **Written:**                          |       | **/12** |          |
+---------------------------------------+-------+---------+----------+
| Students provide a completed *Project |       |         |          |
| Report.*                              |       |         |          |
+---------------------------------------+-------+---------+----------+
| Information is accurate.              |       |         |          |
+---------------------------------------+-------+---------+----------+
| Proper grammar, spelling, etc.        |       |         |          |
+---------------------------------------+-------+---------+----------+
| **Presentation:**                     |       | **/8**  |          |
+---------------------------------------+-------+---------+----------+
| Presenters followed appropriate       |       |         |          |
| speaking rules (eye contact, voice,   |       |         |          |
| enthusiasm).                          |       |         |          |
+---------------------------------------+-------+---------+----------+
| Presentation quality, organization,   |       |         |          |
| information, appeal                   |       |         |          |
+---------------------------------------+-------+---------+----------+
| **Responsibility:**                   |       | **/4**  |          |
+---------------------------------------+-------+---------+----------+
| Turned in on due date and presented   |       |         |          |
| in class with visual.                 |       |         |          |
+---------------------------------------+-------+---------+----------+

4 -- no mistakes 3 -- few mistakes 2 -- many mistakes 1 -- incomplete
(however is present) 0 -- not evident or not included

Visual \_\_\_\_\_\_ Written \_\_\_\_\_\_ Presentation \_\_\_\_\_\_
Teamwork \_\_\_\_\_\_ Responsibility \_\_\_\_\_\_ Overall\_\_\_\_\_\_

![](media/image3.png){width="0.6in" height="0.8346456692913385in"}

**Which is Which?**

***Deciduous or Coniferous -- a lesson designed to differentiate between
the two.***

**Summary:** Through a hands-on approach students will be able to
identify the distinguishing characteristics of the deciduous and
coniferous tree.

**Duration:** 1 day

**Setting:** Outdoors-field trip, classroom

**Vocabulary:** deciduous, coniferous, simple, compound, dichotomous key

**Standards/Benchmarks Addressed:** SC1-E1, SC4-E3, SC5-E2, SC6-E1,
SC6-E2, SC6-E3, SC6-E4, SC10-E2, SC11-E1, SC11-E4, SC11-E5, SC12-E2

**Objectives**

Students will:

-   be able to explain the difference between deciduous and coniferous
    trees.

-   use a dichotomous key to identify types of trees.

**Background**

What is a tree? Trees come in all shapes and sizes, from the bristlecone
pines to saguaro cacti. In North America there are over 800 different
species of trees. Some scientists use size as a way to help define
trees. Yet, when you consider harsh environments such as the Arctic or
deserts, trees can often be smaller than other plants. One way trees are
defined is by the woody roots, trunks, and limbs that provide physical
support. Trees also live longer than most other plants. They are a type
of perennial. Although they become dormant during the winter, the stems,
branches, and roots are still alive and will continue to grow taller and
thicker each year.

Trees are classified according to how they reproduce, what types of
flowers and seeds, how they grow, and how they are structured inside.
Most trees fall into two main plant groups. Gymnosperms, which have
seeds not enclosed in flowers. These seeds are produced on the surface
of the scales of female cones. Conifers are the most common types of
gymnosperms. Angiosperms are the types of plants that have true flowers
and bear their seed in fruits.

Deciduous trees are those trees that shed their leaves at the end of the
growing period, so they are bare for part of the year. This shedding
typically occurs in the months of September and October. They rest
during this part of the year. The trees grow new leaves when there is
enough sun and rain for them to grow. Deciduous trees have two types of
leaves, simple or compound. A simple leaf is one leaf that attaches to
the stem. A compound leaf is two or more leaves, usually many, that
connect to the stem. In North America, most broad-leaved trees are
deciduous, while most needle-leaved trees are coniferous. Coniferous
trees, often called evergreens, keep their leaves for several years and
lose them gradually, while growing new ones, so they are never bare.
Coniferous trees have leaves that look like needles.

From pine leaves to broad palm leaves, all leaves serve the same
purpose: to make food for the tree. Leaves use carbon dioxide from the
air, water from the roots, and the sun's energy to make sugar. This
food-making chemical reaction is called photosynthesis. Photosynthesis
can only take place in the presence of chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is the
green pigment that is found in all green plants. Chlorophyll absorbs the
sunlight needed for photosynthesis. During photosynthesis the leaves
release oxygen which becomes part of the air that we breathe.

**Materials**

Tree samples

Dichotomous key

Grab bag items (might include such things as pencil, magazine, wooden
spoon,

aluminum foil, cork, plastic comb, etc.)

**Procedure**

***Warm up:*** Begin by drawing the students' attention to the classroom
window. Ask, "What do you see when you look out the window?" Answers
will vary. Next, ask, "How many of you look outside and say, "Hey,
that's an evergreen..., a Desert Willow..., a Mesquite ...?" We don't
pay much attention to trees and yet they play an important part of our
world. Today the students will be tying to "key" different leaves found
on an outdoor hike (for example McKittrick Canyon).

Before the trip, make a transparency of *Different Types of Leaves*.
Discuss the shape of each leaf and whether it is compound or simple and
opposite or alternate. Hand out the dichotomous key, or make one of your
own,\* and explain that it is based on the idea of making a choice
between two alternatives. As the student "keys" their leaf, they will
need to decide which phrase applies to the particular leaf being
"keyed."

\*Directions: Pick 6 trees you know you will encounter on your hike,
separate the characteristics, and make a dichotomous key from those
characteristics (see example).

# Activity: Take a field trip (a suggested area is McKittrick Canyon). While there, students should practice using the dichotomous key to identify the various deciduous and coniferous trees. {#activity-take-a-field-trip-a-suggested-area-is-mckittrick-canyon.-while-there-students-should-practice-using-the-dichotomous-key-to-identify-the-various-deciduous-and-coniferous-trees. .unnumbered}

Take students back to the classroom for the next activity. Divide the
class into groups of five. Pass out small branches of leaves to each
group. Students will work cooperatively in groups to identify which
trees the leaves came from. Students will create a poster by
illustrating the leaf sample and placing it on the deciduous side or the
coniferous side.

## When students are done they will share their findings with the group. {#when-students-are-done-they-will-share-their-findings-with-the-group. .unnumbered}

***Wrap Up:*** As a closing activity, students can play a game of "Who
Wants to be a Biologist?" "Who Wants to be a Biologist?" can be played
with a variety of items in a grab bag. Have students choose an object
out of the grab bag and decide whether or not it comes from a tree. Grab
bag items might include such things as, pencil, magazine, wooden spoon,
aluminum foil, cork, plastic comb, etc. Students may also choose to be
asked a question. Examples are listed below.

1.  Name five trees that are commonly encountered in the area
    surrounding our school.

2.  Define the terms "Simple" and "Compound."

3.  True or false: All broad-leaved trees are deciduous.

4.  What are deciduous trees?

5.  What gives plants their green color?

6.  True or false: Evergreen trees never shed their leaves.

7.  Show differences between the terms "Simple" and "Compound."

8.  True or false: Gymnosperms do not produce true flowers or fruit.

9.  True or false: Pine needles are leaves.

10. Why do many deciduous trees' leaves change from green to other
    colors in the fall?

**Assessment**

Classroom participation

Which is Which? Activity\
Dichotomous Key

Their shape, bark, buds, and leaves can identify trees. A key is a
valuable tool that can be used to identify a tree by its
characteristics.

+-----------------------------+----------------------------------------+
| 1\. a. The tree has leaves  | go to 5                                |
+-----------------------------+----------------------------------------+
| > b\. The tree has needles  | go to 2                                |
+-----------------------------+----------------------------------------+
| 2\. a. The needles are in   | go to 3                                |
| clusters                    |                                        |
+-----------------------------+----------------------------------------+
| > b\. The needles are       | go to 4                                |
| > arranged singly on the    |                                        |
| > twig                      |                                        |
+-----------------------------+----------------------------------------+
| 3\. a. If there are 2 or 3  | Pinyon Pine -- Reddish barked tree     |
| needles ¾ to 1 ½ inch long  | that is small and many branched. Cones |
|                             | are about 2 inches long and contain    |
|                             | wingless edible seeds, ½ inch in       |
|                             | length.                                |
+-----------------------------+----------------------------------------+
| > b\. If there are 2 or 3   | Ponderosa Pine -- Large tree with bark |
| > needles approx. 5 inches  | that is dark brown to black turning    |
| > long                      | yellowish-red with age. Immature cones |
|                             | are green and tightly closed, changing |
|                             | to reddish-brown as they ripen.        |
+-----------------------------+----------------------------------------+
| 4\. If needles are          | Juniper -- Bark deeply furrowed and    |
| scale-like                  | checkered with rectangular scales;     |
|                             | branch tips usually stiff; green to    |
|                             | reddish brown cones appear bluish.     |
+-----------------------------+----------------------------------------+
| 5\. a. If leaves are simple | go to 6                                |
+-----------------------------+----------------------------------------+
| > b\. If leaves are         | go to 9                                |
| > compound                  |                                        |
+-----------------------------+----------------------------------------+
| 6\. a. If several main      | go to 7                                |
| veins branch from one point |                                        |
+-----------------------------+----------------------------------------+
| > b\. If leaf has one main  | go to 8                                |
| > vein with smaller side    |                                        |
| > branches                  |                                        |
+-----------------------------+----------------------------------------+
| 7\. If notches are lobed    | Bigtooth Maple -- Leaves are opposite  |
|                             | and typically 2 ½ inches in diameter,  |
|                             | with three broad, blunt lobes. Bark is |
|                             | gray to light brown and may be smooth  |
|                             | or scaly.                              |
+-----------------------------+----------------------------------------+
| 8\. a. If leaves are        | Chinquapin Oak -- Bark is ash gray,    |
| lanced-shaped and approx. 6 | rough and flaky. The fruit or acorn is |
| inches longwith wavy edges  | small and half-enclosed in a cup.      |
| and coarse teeth            |                                        |
+-----------------------------+----------------------------------------+
| > b\. If leaves are small,  | Gray Oak -- a common Shrubby oak of    |
| > oval, smooth margined,    | the Southwest that grows in dry rocky  |
| > and dusty blue-gray in    | sites.                                 |
| > color with star-shaped    |                                        |
| > hairs on both sides of    |                                        |
| > the leaf                  |                                        |
+-----------------------------+----------------------------------------+
| 9\. a. If leaves are        | Honey Mesquite -- A common desert      |
| bipinnate with 2 to 8       | shrub with sturdy branches that have   |
| pinnae each with 12 to 60   | straight thorns.                       |
| leaflets                    |                                        |
+-----------------------------+----------------------------------------+
| > b\. If leaves are         | Mexican Buckeye -- A small             |
| > compound with 5 to 7      | much-branched tree that grows in rocks |
| > leaflets up to 5 inches   | and canyons. It is a member of the     |
| > long with toothed margins | soapberry family.                      |
+-----------------------------+----------------------------------------+

Different Types of Leaves\
(Which is Which? Activity)

![](media/image15.png){width="9.291666666666666in"
height="4.343055555555556in"}

![](media/image3.png){width="0.6in" height="0.8346456692913385in"}

Where in the World?

***What are the various uses of the plants we grow?***

**Summary:** Students develop an understanding that plants are not just
for food but that in fact are found in most everything we use daily.
Students will explore the plant products that they use everyday.

**Duration:** 3 weeks

**Setting:** Classroom

**Vocabulary:** byproduct

**Standards/Benchmarks Addressed:** SC1-E1, SC3-E1, SC4-E5, SC5-E2,
SC6-E2, SC6-E3, SC6-E4, SC6-E5, SC6-E6, SC6-E7, SC11-E5, SC12-E1

**Objectives**

Students will:

-   identify various products that are a byproduct of plants.

-   use research skills to gain information on various types of plants.

**Background**

The Southwest, or more specifically, the Chihuahuan Desert area, has
been chosen for an example of research on byproducts of plants. This
particular region has a rich history of Native American uses of plants.
Although some still carry on their traditions, many desert natives no
longer practice their traditional ways of life.

***Medicines:*** Plants of the Southwest have long been valued for their
medicinal uses. The Desert has a variety of plants that are being used,
not only in traditional, but also in modern day medicines. One such
plant is the Chihuahuan Desert's Sangre De Drago, which contains a
reddish juice traditionally used to treat eye and gum diseases. The
Algerita plant contains the drug berberine, and has been used to treat
toothaches. Native Americans used Creosote bush as a herbal medicine to
cure colds, intestinal discomfort, and stomach and menstrual cramps.
Today, researchers have a scientific basis for many of these traditional
uses. They have identified compounds and resins in the creosote bush
that act as painkillers and dissolve kidney stones. There is current
investigation into its anti-aging effects and its ability to help
control the growth of cancer cells.

***Cosmetics:*** The juices of the desert plants aloe and jojoba are
used in shampoos, burn remedies, lotions, and cosmetics. Jojoba also has
potential uses in lubricants and wax for cars because it doesn't spoil
like other oils. Red chiles lend their fiery color to cosmetics,
including lipstick. Soaptree yucca roots are still peeled and pounded or
boiled to make a gentle soap for washing hair and for cleaning
hand-woven rugs and blankets.

***Beverages:*** Agave is best known for the sugary pulp that is mashed,
fermented, and distilled to make mescal and tequila. Pinon-juniper
berries are used to flavor gin. The red velvety berries of sumac have
long been used to make a beverage similar to lemonade. Mormon tea is a
plant long used by settlers and Indians to treat a variety of ills
ranging from kidney infection to hayfever.

***Clothing and Dyes:*** Agave supplied desert-dwellers in the Southwest
with tough leaf fibers for use in hunting nets, baskets, mats, ropes,
and sandals. Cotton was first cultivated by desert Southwesterners
around 2,000 years ago. Today, New Mexico is the fourth-largest producer
of cotton. Lichens, which are composed of fungi and algae, are used to
furnish dyes for Southwest rug weavers. Algerita is used to produce a
brilliant yellow dye. Brown and red dyes can be extracted from the
netleaf hackberry. Indian paintbrush can produce yellow dye from its
flower and black dye from its roots.

**Other uses:** Aspen can be used for building and is also shredded to
make the excelsior for evaporative cooler pads. Mistletoe, the familiar
Christmas "kissing ball" is one of the few truly parasitic plants that
grow in the Southwest.

Although the Southwest no longer grows the bulk of the nation's supply,
corn remains a traditional Southwest crop. Corn has been a staple in the
Southwest for at least 2,000 years. Corn is eaten fresh, ground into
meal and flour, cooked into mush, or drunk as a creamy high-energy
drink. Corn byproducts are found in the majority of our processed foods
in the form of corn syrup, cornstarch, etc.

Mesquite wood is used today as barbecue flavoring, fuel, and fence
posts.

This list is but a small sampling of the variety of uses of plants in
the Southwest. With research, your students will be able to produce a
comprehensive list of the many byproducts of plants in their chosen
region.

**Materials**

Access to library and or Internet resources

Item(s) that are a byproduct of plants

**Procedure**

***Warm up:*** Bring in an item (anything that is a byproduct of a
plant), such as soda, ask students if they can name some of the
ingredients of the item. Ask students if this item is a byproduct of
plants. Explain that plant products are found in their everyday lives.
Have students name some items that are a byproduct of plants (medicines,
beverages, clothing and dyes, cosmetics and perfumes, snack foods, and
cafeteria food).

***Activity:*** Explain to the students that they have been hired to
promote plant byproducts from various regions. To do this, students will
break up into groups. Each group will choose a region to promote. The
group will then identify plant byproducts from that region. They should
consider the following categories as they research plant products.

-   clothing and dyes

```{=html}
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-   beverages

```{=html}
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```
-   cosmetics and perfumes

-   medicines

Within their groups, students will produce a list of products from their
assigned region. Each student within the group will select a product
from that list to research. The following questions should be addressed
in that research. What plant does your product come from? What part of
the plant does your product come from? Do/Did the native people use your
product? Is your product processed? How is your product processed?
How/When was your product discovered? Does your product grow anywhere
else now?

Each group will create an advertisement for their region. The
advertisement will highlight the researched products and should describe
why consumers would want to use these items.

***Wrap Up:*** Have each group present their advertisement to the class.

**Assessment**

Where in the World Rubric

Where in the World? Rubric

+----------------------------------------+--------+----------+----------+
| # Regional plant products              | **Self | *        | **Co     |
| {#regional-plant-products .unnumbered} | Evalua | *Teacher | mments** |
|                                        | tion** | Eval     |          |
|                                        |        | uation** |          |
+----------------------------------------+--------+----------+----------+
| **Visual:**                            |        | **/8**   |          |
+----------------------------------------+--------+----------+----------+
| Advertisement is visually attractive   |        |          |          |
| (fills the page, colorful, neat).      |        |          |          |
+----------------------------------------+--------+----------+----------+
| Advertisement contains interesting     |        |          |          |
| facts/information about the product    |        |          |          |
| (uses, medicinal purposes, etc.).      |        |          |          |
+----------------------------------------+--------+----------+----------+
| **Written:**                           |        | **/16**  |          |
+----------------------------------------+--------+----------+----------+
| Identifies uses of plants in each of   |        |          |          |
| the four categories (clothing and      |        |          |          |
| dyes, beverages, cosmetics and         |        |          |          |
| perfumes, medicines).                  |        |          |          |
+----------------------------------------+--------+----------+----------+
| Information is accurate.               |        |          |          |
+----------------------------------------+--------+----------+----------+
| Proper grammar, spelling, etc.         |        |          |          |
+----------------------------------------+--------+----------+----------+
| Advertising techniques are evident     |        |          |          |
| (sells this region's products).        |        |          |          |
+----------------------------------------+--------+----------+----------+
| **Presentation:**                      |        | **/4**   |          |
+----------------------------------------+--------+----------+----------+
| Organization of information, quality,  |        |          |          |
| etc.                                   |        |          |          |
+----------------------------------------+--------+----------+----------+
| **Teamwork:**                          |        | **/4**   |          |
+----------------------------------------+--------+----------+----------+
| Are the efforts of each team member    |        |          |          |
| clearly demonstrated, or did it appear |        |          |          |
| to be the work of one or two?          |        |          |          |
+----------------------------------------+--------+----------+----------+
| **Responsibility:**                    |        | **/4**   |          |
+----------------------------------------+--------+----------+----------+
| Turned in on due date and presented in |        |          |          |
| class with visual.                     |        |          |          |
+----------------------------------------+--------+----------+----------+

4 -- no mistakes 3 -- few mistakes 2 -- many mistakes 1 -- incomplete
(however is present) 0 -- not evident or not included

Visual \_\_\_\_\_\_ Written \_\_\_\_\_\_ Presentation \_\_\_\_\_\_
Teamwork \_\_\_\_\_\_ Responsibility \_\_\_\_\_\_ Overall\_\_\_\_\_\_

![](media/image3.png){width="0.6in" height="0.8346456692913385in"}

Animal Life

Desert animals have some impressive ways of handling the challenges of
desert life. These adaptations help the animals escape the harsh desert
heat, retain water, and maintain their body temperature. Carlsbad
Caverns National Park is a safe haven for many animals. It is said that
the park is one of the richest areas in the state for insect life. There
are three large native hoofed animals in the park. Mule deer are
browsers preferring shrubs, such as catclaw acacia and desert willow,
but are adapted for aridity with a flexible diet. The cave swallow is a
very special summer resident in the park. Rattlesnake Springs is a
hotspot for migratory birds. The area attracts 19 species of
flycatchers, 35 species of warblers, and many other species of bird.

This unit will focus on animal classification and the adaptations desert
animals utilize in order to survive in the harsh climate. In the first
two activities, students will be learning about taxonomy or
classification of animals. In the activity, *Why Do We Look the Way We
Do?,* students will participate in a hands-on activity to explore the
adaptations of different types of bird beaks and feet. In the activity,
*Help! I'm Dehydrating!,* students will design experiments in develop an
understanding of how desert animals conserve water. In the activity,
*Designer Animal Adaptations,* students will discover how animals are
designed to survive in the harsh desert climate. In the activity,
*Animals That Live in the Dark,* students will study the special
characteristics and adaptations of cave animals. In the activity, *Build
an Animal,* students are free to design an animal that would survive in
a given environment. The activity, *Nature Detective,* is an optional
field trip opportunity for students to explore and investigate animals
in their natural environment. The final activity, *Build a Desert
Diorama,* allows students to design a diorama to show desert animals in
their natural habitat.

![](media/image3.png){width="0.6in" height="0.8346456692913385in"}

**Sorting Out Species?**

> ***How do we all fit together?***

**Summary:** This lesson is designed to establish criteria to separate
items into groups.

**Duration:** 1 class period

**Setting:** Classroom

**Vocabulary:** classification, taxonomy, evolution, kingdom, phylum,
class, order, family, genus, species

**Standards/Benchmarks Addressed:** SC3-E1, SC6-E2, SC6-E3, SC6-E4,
SC6-E6, SC6-E7, SC10-E2, SC11-E4, SC11-E5

**Objectives**

Students will:

-   design and adhere to established criteria to sort items.

**Background**

Scientists are people who want to know how the world works. Biologists
are people who study living things on our planet. They study how things
evolved, how they are related, how they function, and how many different
species there are. With the nearly 100 million species on Earth it is
very complicated to organize species into their correct groups.

Biologists group animals together using relationships. This organization
and classification of living things is called taxonomy. Karl von Linne
developed this system of taxonomy in 1758. Using this system, every
living thing is given a unique classification.

Taxonomists group similar kinds of creatures together based on their
evolutionary relationships. This may sound simple, but it is not. The
similarities and differences between species can be very subtle.

Taxonomy is a crucial part of our understanding of life on Earth; it
reveals the order and diversity in the teeming life around us. The
system that taxonomists use is based on the relationships of different
groups of organisms to each other.

There are seven major levels of classification. These seven major levels
from largest to smallest are: kingdom, phylum, class, order, family,
genus, and species. Each level can be divided into clusters of organisms
that are most closely related. These clusters form the next level of
classification. For example, each kingdom is divided into a smaller
phylum, each phylum into classes, each class into orders, and so on all
the way down to species.

Another way to describe the different classifications is in terms of
shared genetic material. It is for this reason that an understanding of
species is so important: each species represents a unique and
irreplaceable genetic resource. The concept of biodiversity cannot be
properly understood without an appreciation of the species.

**MATERIALS**

Animal illustration cards

Double stick tape

**Prep**

Copy the animal illustration cards. Each group will need a complete set.

**Procedure**

***Warm up:*** Each student will have a picture of a desert animal taped
to his or her back. Students should not know what animal they are.
Students are to go around the room and ask other students for clues as
to what they are. Students may get only one clue from each person
although they may ask as many people as necessary for clues. (Ex. Am I a
mammal? Do I have horns or antlers?) Explain that scientists use
groupings to sort animals into categories.

***Activity***

1.  Divide class into groups of 2-4 students.

2.  Hand out the sets of animal illustration cards.

3.  Tell students they will be sorting these animals into groups using
    any criteria they choose. They can focus on shape, size, pattern,
    etc. Have students be creative in the ways they sort these animals.

4.  When students are finished sorting their animals they are to share
    with the class the criteria they chose to sort the animals into
    groups.

5.  After all groups share their animal groupings, explain to them that
    scientists also sort animals into groups. They often sort animals
    based on teeth, tail, feet, coloring, skeletal structure, geographic
    region, and habitat. Emphasize that more and more weight is being
    placed on DNA similarities as a major criterion for classification.
    Be sure that the students understand that all the animals that they
    were given can all be grouped together, because they are all
    Chihuahuan Desert animals.

***Wrap Up:*** Ask the students what other criteria they could use to
classify or group animals. Ask students to tell you what they did, how
they did it, and how can they use this information again.

**Assessment**

Teacher observation, participation

+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
| ![](media/image    |   | ![](media/image17.   |   | ![](media/image18    |
| 16.png){width="2.2 |   | png){width="2.625in" |   | .png){width="2.75in" |
| 465277777777777in" |   | height="1.           |   | height="1.           |
| height="1.875in"}  |   | 8777777777777778in"} |   | 8777777777777778in"} |
|                    |   |                      |   |                      |
| # Gamble'          |   | **American Kestrel** |   | #                    |
| s Quail {#gambles- |   |                      |   |  Harris' Hawk {#harr |
| quail .unnumbered} |   |                      |   | is-hawk .unnumbered} |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
|                    |   |                      |   |                      |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
| !                  |   | ![](media/image20    |   | ![](media/           |
| [](media/image19.p |   | .png){width="2.75in" |   | image21.png){width=" |
| ng){width="2.75in" |   | height="2.0in"}      |   | 2.872916666666667in" |
| height="2.00       |   |                      |   | height="1.           |
| 97222222222224in"} |   | ##                   |   | 7597222222222222in"} |
|                    |   | Golden Eagle {#golde |   |                      |
| # Burrow           |   | n-eagle .unnumbered} |   | ## Turk              |
| ing Owl {#burrowin |   |                      |   | ey Vulture {#turkey- |
| g-owl .unnumbered} |   |                      |   | vulture .unnumbered} |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
|                    |   |                      |   |                      |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
| ![](media/image22. |   | ![](media/           |   | ![](media/           |
| png){width="1.5in" |   | image23.png){width=" |   | image24.png){width=" |
| height="2.00       |   | 2.127083333333333in" |   | 2.252083333333333in" |
| 27777777777778in"} |   | height="1.           |   | height="1.           |
|                    |   | 8777777777777778in"} |   | 9861111111111112in"} |
| ## Ca              |   |                      |   |                      |
| ctus Wren {#cactus |   | ##                   |   | # Greater Road       |
| -wren .unnumbered} |   | Common Raven {#commo |   | runner {#greater-roa |
|                    |   | n-raven .unnumbered} |   | drunner .unnumbered} |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
| ![](media/image    |   | ![](media/           |   | ![](media/i          |
| 25.png){width="2.8 |   | image26.png){width=" |   | mage27.png){width="1 |
| 715277777777777in" |   | 2.997916666666667in" |   | .6270833333333334in" |
| height="1.51       |   | height="2.           |   | height="2.           |
| 66666666666666in"} |   | 0055555555555555in"} |   | 0027777777777778in"} |
|                    |   |                      |   |                      |
| # Desert Tor       |   | **Western            |   | # Western Diamondbac |
| toise {#desert-tor |   | Coachwhip**          |   | k Rattlesnake {#west |
| toise .unnumbered} |   |                      |   | ern-diamondback-ratt |
|                    |   |                      |   | lesnake .unnumbered} |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
|                    |   |                      |   |                      |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
| ![](media/image    |   | ![](media/           |   | ![](media/image30.   |
| 28.png){width="2.2 |   | image29.png){width=" |   | png){width="3.125in" |
| 465277777777777in" |   | 2.747916666666667in" |   | height="2.           |
| height="2.13       |   | height="2.           |   | 0097222222222224in"} |
| 47222222222224in"} |   | 1347222222222224in"} |   |                      |
|                    |   |                      |   | ## Ho                |
| # Gila             |   | ##                   |   | rned Lizard {#horned |
|  Monster {#gila-mo |   | Gopher Snake {#gophe |   | -lizard .unnumbered} |
| nster .unnumbered} |   | r-snake .unnumbered} |   |                      |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
|                    |   |                      |   |                      |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
| ![                 |   | ![](media/           |   | ![](media/image3     |
| ](media/image31.pn |   | image32.png){width=" |   | 3.png){width="2.3in" |
| g){width="2.625in" |   | 2.872916666666667in" |   | height="2.           |
| height="2.0in"}    |   | height="2.           |   | 0631944444444446in"} |
|                    |   | 0027777777777778in"} |   |                      |
| ## Collared L      |   |                      |   | # Checke             |
| izard {#collared-l |   | ## Desert K          |   | red Whiptail Lizard  |
| izard .unnumbered} |   | ingsnake {#desert-ki |   | {#checkered-whiptail |
|                    |   | ngsnake .unnumbered} |   | -lizard .unnumbered} |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
| ![](media/image    |   | ![](media/image35.   |   | ![](media/image36.pn |
| 34.png){width="1.8 |   | png){width="1.675in" |   | g){width="2.73125in" |
| 715277777777777in" |   | height="2.           |   | height="2.           |
| height="2.13       |   | 2055555555555557in"} |   | 1277777777777778in"} |
| 95833333333334in"} |   |                      |   |                      |
|                    |   | **Pronghorn**        |   | # Grey Fox {#g       |
| # Mule Deer {#mule |   |                      |   | rey-fox .unnumbered} |
| -deer .unnumbered} |   |                      |   |                      |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
|                    |   |                      |   |                      |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
| ![](media/image    |   | ![](media/image38.   |   | ![](media/image3     |
| 37.png){width="2.4 |   | png){width="2.875in" |   | 9.png){width="2.5in" |
| 965277777777777in" |   | height="2.           |   | height="2.0in"}      |
| height="2.13       |   | 0097222222222224in"} |   |                      |
| 47222222222224in"} |   |                      |   | ## El                |
|                    |   | ## Bison             |   | k {#elk .unnumbered} |
| # Bobcat {#b       |   | {#bison .unnumbered} |   |                      |
| obcat .unnumbered} |   |                      |   |                      |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
|                    |   |                      |   |                      |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
| ![                 |   | ![](media/image41.   |   | ![](media/           |
| ](media/image40.pn |   | png){width="0.925in" |   | image42.png){width=" |
| g){width="1.625in" |   | height="2            |   | 2.252083333333333in" |
| height="1.99       |   | .292361111111111in"} |   | height="2            |
| 30555555555556in"} |   |                      |   | .370833333333333in"} |
|                    |   | ## Ba                |   |                      |
| ## Desert Taran    |   | rk Scorpion {#bark-s |   | # Couch's S          |
| tula {#desert-tara |   | corpion .unnumbered} |   | padefoot {#couchs-sp |
| ntula .unnumbered} |   |                      |   | adefoot .unnumbered} |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
| ![](media/image    |   | ![](media/image44    |   | ![](media/           |
| 43.png){width="2.7 |   | .png){width="1.25in" |   | image45.png){width=" |
| 465277777777777in" |   | height="2.0in"}      |   | 2.872916666666667in" |
| height="2.00       |   |                      |   | height="2.25in"}     |
| 27777777777778in"} |   | **Mexican Gray       |   |                      |
|                    |   | Wolf**               |   | # Mo                 |
| #                  |   |                      |   | untain Lion {#mounta |
| Black Bear {#black |   |                      |   | in-lion .unnumbered} |
| -bear .unnumbered} |   |                      |   |                      |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
|                    |   |                      |   |                      |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
| ![                 |   | ![](media/image47.   |   | ![](media/i          |
| ](media/image46.pn |   | png){width="1.675in" |   | mage48.png){width="1 |
| g){width="2.875in" |   | height="2.           |   | .6701388888888888in" |
| height="2.18       |   | 1215277777777777in"} |   | height="1.           |
| 47222222222222in"} |   |                      |   | 9972222222222222in"} |
|                    |   | ## Javelina {#j      |   |                      |
| # Ringtail         |   | avelina .unnumbered} |   | ## Blac              |
| ed Cat {#ringtaile |   |                      |   | k-tailed Prairie Dog |
| d-cat .unnumbered} |   |                      |   |  {#black-tailed-prai |
|                    |   |                      |   | rie-dog .unnumbered} |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
| !                  |   |                      |   |                      |
| [](media/image49.p |   |                      |   |                      |
| ng){width="2.75in" |   |                      |   |                      |
| height="2.375in"}  |   |                      |   |                      |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
| ## Black-tail      |   | ![](media/i          |   | ![](media/           |
| ed Jack Rabbit {#b |   | mage50.png){width="1 |   | image51.png){width=" |
| lack-tailed-jack-r |   | .6229166666666666in" |   | 3.122916666666667in" |
| abbit .unnumbered} |   | height="2.14375in"}  |   | height="2.           |
|                    |   |                      |   | 1277777777777778in"} |
|                    |   | ## Badger {          |   |                      |
|                    |   | #badger .unnumbered} |   | # Me                 |
|                    |   |                      |   | xican Free-tailed Ba |
|                    |   |                      |   | t {#mexican-free-tai |
|                    |   |                      |   | led-bat .unnumbered} |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
| ![                 |   | ![](media/image53.pn |   | ![](media/image54.   |
| ](media/image52.pn |   | g){width="3.10625in" |   | png){width="3.125in" |
| g){width="2.625in" |   | height="1.           |   | height="1.           |
| height="2.375in"}  |   | 1277777777777778in"} |   | 7527777777777778in"} |
|                    |   |                      |   |                      |
| # Centipede {#cent |   | **Millipede**        |   | # Ba                 |
| ipede .unnumbered} |   |                      |   | nded Wing Grasshoppe |
|                    |   |                      |   | r {#banded-wing-gras |
|                    |   |                      |   | shopper .unnumbered} |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
|                    |   |                      |   |                      |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
| ![](media/image    |   | ![](media/image56.pn |   | ![](media/i          |
| 55.png){width="2.2 |   | g){width="1.28125in" |   | mage57.png){width="1 |
| 465277777777777in" |   | height="2.           |   | .4805555555555556in" |
| height="2.13       |   | 0083333333333333in"} |   | height="1.           |
| 47222222222224in"} |   |                      |   | 9166666666666667in"} |
|                    |   | ## Hone              |   |                      |
| # Pinacate B       |   | y Mesquite {#honey-m |   | ##                   |
| eetle {#pinacate-b |   | esquite .unnumbered} |   | Engelmann Prickly Pe |
| eetle .unnumbered} |   |                      |   | ar {#engelmann-prick |
|                    |   |                      |   | ly-pear .unnumbered} |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
|                    |   |                      |   |                      |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
| ![](media/image    |   | ![](media/i          |   | ![](media/i          |
| 58.png){width="1.5 |   | mage59.png){width="1 |   | mage60.png){width="1 |
| 784722222222223in" |   | .4805555555555556in" |   | .8729166666666666in" |
| height="1.93       |   | height="2.           |   | height="1            |
| 19444444444445in"} |   | 1319444444444446in"} |   | .832638888888889in"} |
|                    |   |                      |   |                      |
| ## Soaptree        |   | ## Spanis            |   | #                    |
|  Yucca {#soaptree- |   | h Bayonet {#spanish- |   | Desert Agave {#deser |
| yucca .unnumbered} |   | bayonet .unnumbered} |   | t-agave .unnumbered} |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+

![](media/image3.png){width="0.6in" height="0.8346456692913385in"}

All In the Family

**Summary:** Like all organisms, animals are named and classified into a
hierarchy of relatedness. In this lesson students will learn the
principles of classification in order to classify animals into their
proper group.

**Duration:** 1 class period

**Setting:** Classroom

**Vocabulary:** class, kingdom, family, phylum, species, genus, order,
animalia, chordata, mammalia, carnivora, canidae, canis

**Standards/Benchmarks Addressed:** SC1-E1, SC2-E2, SC3-E1, SC6-E1,
SC6-E2, SC6-E3, SC10-E2, SC11-E1, SC11-E4, SC11-E5

**Objectives**

Students will:

-   be able to define species.

-   be able to order the taxonomic levels.

**Background**

Scientists are people who want to know how the world works. Biologists
are people who study living things on our planet. They study how things
evolved, how they are related, how they function, and how many different
species there are. With the nearly 100 million species on Earth it is
very complicated to organize species into their correct groups.

One way of making sense of the millions of species in the world is to
organize them into groups based on their relationships. This system of
uniform organization is called taxonomy: the classification of living
things. This systematic organization and classification of living things
was developed by Karl von Linne in 1758.

Taxonomists group similar kinds of creatures together based on their
evolutionary relationships. Using this system, every living thing is
given a unique classification.

This may sound simple, but it is not. The similarities and differences
between species can be very subtle.

Taxonomy is a crucial part of our understanding of life on Earth; it
reveals the order and diversity in the teeming life around us. The
system that taxonomists use is based on the relationships of different
groups of organisms to each other.

There are seven major levels of classification. These seven major levels
from largest to smallest are: Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family,
Genus, and Species. Each level can be divided into clusters of organisms
that are most closely related. These clusters form the next level of
classification. For example, each kingdom is divided into a smaller
phyla, each phylum into classes, each class into order, and so on all
the way down to species.

Another way to describe the different classifications is in terms of
shared genetic material. The creatures at each level share a greater
proportion of genetic material than those at the level below them. It is
for this reason that an understanding of species is so important: each
species represents a unique and irreplaceable genetic resource. The
concept of biodiversity cannot be properly understood without an
appreciation of the species.

Like all organisms, animals are named and classified into a hierarchy of
relatedness. Organisms in the same species are more closely related than
organisms in the same genus, and organisms in the same genus are more
closely related than organisms in the same order, and so on.

**Materials**

Game pieces

Classification reference diagram

**Procedure**

***Warm up:*** Students will be placed in groups of four and given a set
of game cards. They will be asked to place these animals into groups.
After a specified amount of time, ask each group to share how they
grouped their cards. Introduce the concept of taxonomy and categorizing
animals into groups. Refer to background information as needed.

***Activity:*** Students will be given a classification reference
diagram.

In the first column (address analogy) students are to write the country
they live. In the next column (general scientific terms) they are to
note the word kingdom. In the third column explain to the students that
there are two major kingdoms, plants and animals. Ask the students to
look at their game cards and determine which kingdom the pictured
species are in (students should write, Animalia. Animalia are eukarotic,
multicellular, and feed by ingesting other organisms or parts of other
organisms).

In the first column, second row, students should write the state that
they live in. In the second column, second row, students should note the
word phylum (monophyletic assemblage derived from a single ancestor.
Explain to the students that phyla can be sorted into arthropods
(animals without backbones, invertebrates) and chordates(animals with
backbones, vertebrates). Ask the students to sort their cards into the
two categories. In the third column, second row, students should write
chordata (members of this group are characterized by a notochord,
pharyngeal gill slits, a dorsal tubular nerve cord, and a postanal
tail). Students would retain only the animal cards in that category.

In the first column, third row, students should write the name of their
city. In the second column, third row, students should note the term
class. Explain to the students that in the phyla category there are four
classes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Amphibians have moist
skin, lay jellylike eggs and spend part of their life cycle in water.
They are ectothermic (cold-blooded). Reptiles have scales or horny
plates and usually lay leathery eggs. They are also ectothermic. Birds
have feathers and wings. They lay hard-shelled eggs and have no teeth.
Birds are endothermic (warm-blooded). Mammals are at least partially
covered by hair, have specialized teeth, are endothermic, and young are
nursed from mammary glands. Ask the students to sort their cards into
these classes. In the third column, third row, students should write the
word mammalia (members are at least partially covered by hair, have
specialized teeth, are endothermic, and young are nursed from mammary
glands). Students should retain only the cards from that class.

In the first column, fourth row, students should write their street
name. In the second column, fourth row, students should note the term
order. In the mammalia class there are five orders, rodents, primates,
carnivores, omnivores, and herbivores. Rodents are usually small
plant-eaters with gnawing teeth. Primates have five fingers with they
can move separately and have flat fingernails instead of claws.
Carnivores have sharp teeth, paws, claws, and eat meat. Have the
students sort their cards into these categories. In the third column,
fourth row, students will write the word carnivora (any organism that
eats flesh). Students should retain only these cards.

In the first column, fifth row, students should write their street
number. In the second column, fifth row, students should note the term
family. Ask them to divide their cards into families. In the third
column, fifth row, students will write the word canidae. Students should
retain only the cards that fit this category.

In the first column, sixth row, students should write their last name.
In the second column, sixth row, students should note the term genus. In
the third column, sixth row, students should write Urocyon. What card do
you have left?

In the first column, seventh row, students should write their first
name. In the second column, seventh row, students should note the term
species (a group of populations in which genes are actually, or
potentially, exchanges through multiple generations). In the third
column, seventh row, students have students write cinereoargenteus
(scientific name for grey fox).

***Wrap Up:*** Discuss the procedure just completed. Ask students to
verbalize the analogy used with the address being compared to the
classification system of animals. Students may play a game with the
animal cards. Students should create an acronym in order for them to
remember the classification order.

**Assessment**

Teacher can create a Classification Reference Diagram that has certain
terms omitted. Students will fill in the missing words. Teachers can
also name an animal and ask student to classify it.

All in the Family Activity\
Classification Reference Diagram

+----------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| **Address Analogy**  | # Cl                  | **Name**             |
|                      | assification {#classi |                      |
|                      | fication .unnumbered} |                      |
+----------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
|                      | # Kingdom {           |                      |
|                      | #kingdom .unnumbered} |                      |
+----------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
|                      | # Phylum              |                      |
|                      | {#phylum .unnumbered} |                      |
+----------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
|                      | # Class               |                      |
|                      |  {#class .unnumbered} |                      |
+----------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
|                      | # Order               |                      |
|                      |  {#order .unnumbered} |                      |
+----------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
|                      | # Family              |                      |
|                      | {#family .unnumbered} |                      |
+----------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
|                      | # Genus               |                      |
|                      |  {#genus .unnumbered} |                      |
+----------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
|                      | # Species {           |                      |
|                      | #species .unnumbered} |                      |
+----------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+

![](media/image3.png){width="0.6in" height="0.8346456692913385in"}

**Why Do We Look the Way We Do?**

***How do animals adapt to their environment?***

**Summary:** This hands-on lesson is designed to provide students with
the opportunity to explore animal adaptations.

**Duration:** 2 class periods

**Setting:** Classroom/lab

**Vocabulary:** adaptation, flora, fauna, raptors, evolution, survival
of the fittest, Charles Darwin, natural selection

**Standards/Benchmarks Addressed:** SC1-E1, SC1-E2, SC2-E2, SC2-E3,
SC3-E1, SC4-E3, SC4-E4, SC4-E5, SC5-E2, SC6-E1, SC6-E2, SC6-E3, SC6-E6,
SC11-E2, SC11-E4

**Objectives**

Students will:

-   comprehend that birds physically adapt in relation to their food
    source.

-   deduce what beaks are most efficient for given foods by
    experimenting with imitation beaks and hypothetical food sources.

-   describe what would happen to a bird population if its environment
    could no longer support the bird's food source.

-   create a hypothetical bird for a desert environment.

**Background**

A change in physical appearance or behavior that allows an organism to
survive in its natural environment is an adaptation. Animals change over
time to fit the needs of their environment. If an environment changed
the animals in that environment would have to change---adapt---in order
to survive. Darwin's theory of survival of the fittest implies the
individuals with the best combination of inherited traits are most
likely to survive. Darwin's idea of natural selection implies that
organisms best suited to the environment will survive and reproduce,
therefore passing their genes to the next generation.

Animals change over a long period of time to fit their environment. Bird
bills and tongues are modified for a variety of feeding habits and food
sources. For example, the tongue of a woodpecker is barbed for
extracting grubs from the bark of trees. Sapsuckers excavate holes in
trees and use a brushlike tongue for licking the sap that accumulates in
these holes. The tongues of hummingbirds and other nectar feeders are
rolled into a tube and used for extracting nectar from flowers.

It is common practice to group birds by their feeding habits. This is
somewhat artificial because birds may eat different kinds of food at
different stages in their life history, or they may change diets simply
because of changes in food availability. Robins, for example, feed
largely on worms and other invertebrates when these foods are available.
In the winter, however, robins feed on berries.

The appendages of birds have also been modified. Some bones in the front
appendages have been lost or fused to serve as points of attachment for
flight feathers. The rear appendages are used for hopping, walking,
running, and perching. Perching tendons run from the toes across the
back of the ankle joint to muscles of the lower leg. When the ankle
joint is flexed, as in landing on a perch, tension on the perching
tendons is increased, and the foot grips the perch. The automatic grasp
helps the bird to perch even while sleeping. The muscles of the lower
leg can increase the tension on these tendons, for example, when an
eagle grasps a fish in its talons.

**Materials**

**Beaks:**

> 2 eyedroppers
>
> 1 pair of pliers
>
> 5 sets of chopsticks
>
> 4 tweezers
>
> 1 shoestring
>
> 1 sponge strip
>
> 1 straw
>
> 1 wrench
>
> 2 slotted spoons
>
> 1 strainer
>
> 3 tongs
>
> 1 envelope
>
> 1 bar-b-que fork

**Food:**

> Colored water
>
> Gummy worms
>
> Sunflower seeds
>
> Styrofoam
>
> Popped popcorn
>
> Rice
>
> Marshmallows
>
> Loose tea leaves

**Other:**

> Potting soil
>
> Shallow pans
>
> 8 boxes
>
> 8 cups
>
> Graduated cylinder
>
> Tree bark
>
> Data sheets
>
> Pictures of birds
>
> Overhead of beaks and feet

**Procedure**

***Warm up:*** Brainstorm ideas about what students know about birds.
What makes a bird a bird? What do birds need to survive? What kind of
foods do birds eat? Where do birds live? What kinds of birds can you
find by your home or school?

**Activity**

1.  On the overhead, discuss the different bird beaks (cracker,
    shredder, chisel, probe, strainer, spear, tweezer, Swiss Army
    knife), what they look like, what they do, what kinds of birds have
    them; students should be taking notes and drawing the beaks. Do the
    same with the bird feet (grasping, scratching, swimming, perching,
    running, and climbing).

2.  Around the room have the following stations set up:

    a.  A graduated cylinder filled with colored water

    b.  A dish of potting soil with gummy worms buried throughout

    c.  Sunflower seeds spread throughout a pan

    d.  A shallow dish of water with Styrofoam floating in it

    e.  A dish of water with loose-leaf tea

    f.  Popped popcorn

    g.  Rice grains tucked into the bark of a log

    h.  Marshmallows hanging on strings

3.  These stations represent different food sources available. Students
    will visit each station and predict what type of beak and which type
    of feet that particular bird needs to posses in order to eat that
    food source. Have the students write their predictions down.

4.  Discuss the students' predictions on the different stations to see
    if they are correct.

    a.  Nectar -- probing beak, perching feet

    b.  Worms -- Swiss Army knife beak, scratching feet

    c.  Seeds -- cracker or Swiss Army knife beak, feet may vary

    d.  Fish -- strainer or spear beak, swimming feet

    e.  Fine bits of vegetation -- strainer beak, swimming feet

    f.  Flying insects -- tweezer or Swiss Army knife beak, feet may
        vary

    g.  Small insects -- chisel beak, climbing feet

    h.  Meat -- shredder beak, grasping feet

5.  Divide students into groups (there are 8 challenges so divide
    accordingly). Each group will get a challenge. Pass out challenges
    and supplies to each group. After reading their challenge card the
    group should predict which beak (utensil) would work best for eating
    their specific food and write down their prediction on the data
    table. The group will then time (in seconds) how long it takes to
    obtain a given amount of food with each utensil (they must have
    three times for each utensil) and write the times on the data table.
    Then the students should average the three times and graph the
    results.

6.  Discuss the students' predictions and results. Have them write an
    explanation next to their prediction. Was their prediction supported
    with evidence? How do you see things differently after this
    experiment?

7.  Discuss and/or research the following questions: What might happen
    to a bird population if its natural environment experienced a
    natural disaster where all the flora (plants) and fauna (animals)
    were wiped out? What would happen if a farmer used an insecticide
    that killed off all the insects? What would happen to the
    woodpeckers and other birds that eat insects? What would happen if
    the old trees were cut down? Where would eagles and other raptors
    watch for their meals?

***Wrap Up:*** Students will create a bird that feeds on a particular
food source. The students must include adaptations, other than beaks,
that help the bird survive. For example: swimming feet for swimming
animals like ducks and geese. The students will draw the bird and write
a description of the adaptations needed for this bird to survive.

**Assessment**

Teacher observation, participation, notes, research, created birds with
description, complete data table

Bird Feet Adaptations\
Why Do We Look the Way We Do? Activity

+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| **Shape**       | **Type**        | **Adaptation**  | **Example       |
|                 |                 |                 | bird**          |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| ![](me          | Climbing        | Enables the     | # Woodpe        |
| dia/image61.png |                 | bird to climb   | cker {#woodpeck |
| ){width="0.8333 |                 | without falling | er .unnumbered} |
| 333333333334in" |                 | backwards       |                 |
| he              |                 |                 |                 |
| ight="0.625in"} |                 |                 |                 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| ![](me          | Swimming        | Web-lined feet; | Ducks and other |
| dia/image62.png |                 | used like       | web-lined       |
| ){width="0.8333 |                 | paddles for     | swimming birds  |
| 333333333334in" |                 | swimming.       |                 |
| he              |                 |                 |                 |
| ight="0.625in"} |                 |                 |                 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| ![](me          | Perching        | Used to grab    | Robins          |
| dia/image63.png |                 | and perch       |                 |
| ){width="0.8333 |                 | tightly.        |                 |
| 333333333334in" |                 |                 |                 |
| he              |                 |                 |                 |
| ight="0.625in"} |                 |                 |                 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| ![](me          | Scratching      | Used to scratch | Pheasants       |
| dia/image64.png |                 | soil in search  |                 |
| ){width="0.8333 |                 | of food; have   |                 |
| 333333333334in" |                 | nail-like toes. |                 |
| he              |                 |                 |                 |
| ight="0.625in"} |                 |                 |                 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| ![](me          | Grasping        | Have large      | Raptors         |
| dia/image65.png |                 | curved claws    |                 |
| ){width="0.8333 |                 | used to snatch  |                 |
| 333333333334in" |                 | fish from the   |                 |
| he              |                 | water and grab  |                 |
| ight="0.625in"} |                 | prey.           |                 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| ![](me          | #               | Have three toes | Fast running    |
| dia/image66.png | Running {#runni | rather than     | birds           |
| ){width="0.8333 | ng .unnumbered} | four; making    |                 |
| 333333333334in" |                 | them run        |                 |
| he              |                 | faster.         |                 |
| ight="0.625in"} |                 |                 |                 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+

Pictures borrowed from: *The Norman Bird Sanctuary*

**Bird Beak Adaptations\
Why Do We Look the Way We Do? Activity**

  ----------------------------------------------------- ----------------- ----------------- -----------------
  **Shape**                                             **Type**          **Adaptation**    **Example bird**

  ![](media/image67.png){width="0.8333333333333334in"   Spear             Spear-like bill;  Herons,
  height="0.625in"}                                                       adapted for       Kingfishers
                                                                          fishing.          

  ![](media/image68.png){width="0.8333333333333334in"   Probe             Long and slender; Hummingbirds
  height="0.625in"}                                                       used for probing  
                                                                          flowers for       
                                                                          nectar.           

  ![](media/image69.png){width="0.8333333333333334in"   Swiss Army Knife  A multipurpose    Crows
  height="0.625in"}                                                       bill; allows the  
                                                                          bird to eat       
                                                                          fruit, seeds,     
                                                                          insects, fish,    
                                                                          and other         
                                                                          animals.          

  ![](media/image70.png){width="0.8333333333333334in"   Cracker           Short, thick      Sparrows,
  height="0.625in"}                                                       conical bill;     Cardinals
                                                                          used for cracking 
                                                                          seeds.            

  ![](media/image71.png){width="0.8333333333333334in"   Chisel            Long and          Woodpeckers
  height="0.625in"}                                                       chisel-like       
                                                                          bills; used for   
                                                                          boring into wood  
                                                                          to eat insects.   

  ![](media/image72.png){width="0.8333333333333334in"   Tweezer           Thin and pointed  Warblers
  height="0.625in"}                                                       bills; used to    
                                                                          eat insects.      

  ![](media/image73.png){width="0.8333333333333334in"   Shredder          Sharp curved      Hawks, Owls
  height="0.625in"}                                                       bills; used for   
                                                                          tearing meat.     

  ![](media/image74.png){width="0.8333333333333334in"   Strainer          Long, flat bill;  Ducks
  height="0.625in"}                                                       used to strain    
                                                                          small plants and  
                                                                          animals from the  
                                                                          water.            
  ----------------------------------------------------- ----------------- ----------------- -----------------

Pictures borrowed from: *The Norman Bird Sanctuary*

# Why Do We Look the Way We Do? Challenges {#why-do-we-look-the-way-we-do-challenges .unnumbered}

# *Challenge #1 *You have been given a graduated cylinder of water as a food source. You have also been given sample beaks: 1) a shoestring, 2) a medicine dropper, and 3) a sponge tip. Your challenge is to find out how many seconds it takes each "beak" to get 10mL of water from the graduated cylinder to the cup. Try several trials with each "beak." Record the three times in the data table provided. Calculate the average time for each "beak." Construct a bar graph of the averages. {#challenge-1-you-have-been-given-a-graduated-cylinder-of-water-as-a-food-source.-you-have-also-been-given-sample-beaks-1-a-shoestring-2-a-medicine-dropper-and-3-a-sponge-tip.-your-challenge-is-to-find-out-how-many-seconds-it-takes-each-beak-to-get-10ml-of-water-from-the-graduated-cylinder-to-the-cup.-try-several-trials-with-each-beak.-record-the-three-times-in-the-data-table-provided.-calculate-the-average-time-for-each-beak.-construct-a-bar-graph-of-the-averages. .unnumbered}

## *Challenge #2 *You have been given gummy worms as your food source. You have also been given sample beaks: 1) a straw, 2) chopsticks, and 3) a wrench. Your challenge is to find out how many seconds it takes to remove the gummy worms from the dirt using each "beak." Use multiple trials, burying the worms after each trial. Record the times on the data table provided. Calculate the average time for each "beak." Construct a bar graph of the averages. {#challenge-2-you-have-been-given-gummy-worms-as-your-food-source.-you-have-also-been-given-sample-beaks-1-a-straw-2-chopsticks-and-3-a-wrench.-your-challenge-is-to-find-out-how-many-seconds-it-takes-to-remove-the-gummy-worms-from-the-dirt-using-each-beak.-use-multiple-trials-burying-the-worms-after-each-trial.-record-the-times-on-the-data-table-provided.-calculate-the-average-time-for-each-beak.-construct-a-bar-graph-of-the-averages. .unnumbered}

***Challenge #3\
***You have been given floating sunflower seeds as your food source. You
have also been given sample beaks: 1) pliers, 2) chopsticks, and 3)
tweezers. Your challenge is to find out how many seconds it takes each
"beak" to crack the shell and remove the seed inside. Record the times
on the data table provided. Calculate the average time for each "beak."
Construct a bar graph of the averages.

***Challenge #4\
***You have been given Styrofoam squares as your food source. You have
also been given sample beaks: 1) chopsticks, 2) tweezers, and 3) a
slotted spoon. Your challenge is to find out how many seconds it takes
each "beak" to remove all the Styrofoam squares from the water. Try
several trials, returning the squares after each trial. Record the times
on the data table provided. Calculate the average time for each "beak."
Construct a bar graph of the averages.

***Challenge #5\
***You have been given tea leaves as your food source. You have also
been given sample beaks: 1) a slotted spoon, 2) a strainer, and 3)
tweezers. Your challenge is to find out how many seconds it takes each
"beak" to get all the tea from the water. Try this several times,
returning the materials each time. Record the times on the data table
provided. Calculate the average time for each "beak." Construct a bar
graph of the averages.

***Challenge #6\
***You have been given popped popcorn as your food source. You have also
been given sample beaks: 1) tongs, 2) a medicine dropper, and 3)
tweezers. A group member will gently toss some kernels into the air.
Your challenge is to find out how many seconds it takes to capture 20
kernels with each "beak." The kernels must be caught while they are
still in the air. Try this several times with each "beak." Record the
times on the data table provided. Calculate the average time for each
"beak." Construct a bar graph of the averages.

***Challenge #7\
***You have been given rice as your food source. You have also been
given sample beaks: 1) a medicine dropper, 2) tongs, and 3) tweezers.
Your challenge is to find out how many seconds it takes for each "beak"
to remove thirty grains of rice from the tree bark. Try this several
times, returning the rice to the tree bark after each time. Record the
times on the data table provided. Calculate the average time for each
"beak." Construct a bar graph of the averages.

***Challenge #8***

You have been given marshmallows hanging from a string as your food
source. You have also been given sample beaks: 1) chopsticks, 2) tongs,
and 3) a bar-b-que fork. Your challenge is to find out how many seconds
it takes for each "beak" to remove five marshmallows from the strings.
Try this several times. Record the times on the data table provided.
Calculate the average time for each "beak." Construct a bar graph of the
averages.

Name \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

# Bird Beak Challenge Data Table (Why Do We Look the Way We Do Activity) {#bird-beak-challenge-data-table-why-do-we-look-the-way-we-do-activity .unnumbered}

Predict which beak (utensil) will work best for eating your specific
food source.

  ------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- -------------
  **Sample Beak **Trial 1      **Trial 2      **Trial 3      **Average**
  Used**        Time**         Time**         Time**         

                                                             

                                                             

                                                             
  ------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- -------------

Was your prediction supported with evidence? Explain.

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

How do you see things differently now that you have completed this
experiment? Explain.

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

![](media/image3.png){width="0.6in" height="0.8346456692913385in"}

**Help! I'm Dehydrating!**

> ***How do animals conserve water?***

**Summary:** This hands-on lesson is designed to help students
understand how difficult it is for animals to conserve water in a desert
environment.

**Duration:** 2 class periods

**Setting:** Classroom/lab

**Vocabulary:** conservation, nocturnal, adaptation, microhabitats

**Standards/Benchmarks Addressed:** SC1-E2, SC2-E1, SC2-E2, SC2-E3,
SC3-E1, SC4-E3, SC4-E4, SC4-E5, SC5-E2, SC6-E1, SC6-E2, SC6-E4, SC6-E6,
SC6-E7, SC11-E1, SC11-E2, SC11-E3, SC14-E3

**Objectives**

Students will:

-   observe a model situation and make inferences about real organisms.

-   communicate their observations relating to specialized organisms
    adapted to dry desert environments.

**Background**

A variety of organisms live in almost any habitat you could name. The
desert, for example, is a challenging habitat for the plants and animals
that live there. Yet for thousands of years plant and animal species
have adapted and thrived in these arid lands. How? Because each organism
has its own way of life which often requires a different environment
from that of other organisms, plants and animals inhabit specific
microhabitats within the environment of a general habitat. This
microhabitat allows them to accommodate their needs and survive the
harshness of the desert. A microhabitat is simply a small, distinctly
specialized habitat.

For some animals their respite is the cool interior of a burrow.
Rattlesnakes, kit foxes, and kangaroo rats spend most of the day resting
in underground burrows. They choose the night for their active period to
avoid the intense dehydrating heat of the daytime sun. During the day,
the cool microclimate of their burrows helps protect them. How cool is
it? While the soil surface up top may be 165 degrees Fahrenheit, their
underground dens may be a livable 80 degrees Fahrenheit. In their cozy
microhabitat, these animals can conserve their energy for nighttime
hunting or seed gathering expeditions. Astonishingly, over half of all
vertebrate animals, including those that live in caves and underground,
are nocturnal.

During the dry times, animals such as the Spadefoot Toad, an amphibian
that lives in the American Southwest, Can be found in a burrow dug with
its spade-shaped back feet. It will continue to lie dormant until the
sound of raindrops hitting the surface awakens the toad. At that point
the race is on. Within approximately 8-10 days the cycle of finding a
mate to laying the eggs to becoming a toad will be complete.

Some plants use combined strategies of dormancy and an accelerated life
cycle. The seeds of the Sand Verbena will remain dormant (sometimes for
years) until there is enough rain. When there is sufficient rain, they
grow quickly, making their flowers and seeds and then dying all within a
period of a few weeks. Some plants bloom at night in order to minimize
water loss.

An arroyo, a ditch carved by water in desert regions, makes for the
perfect microhabitat for Javelinas. When the steep banks erode, shallow
cavities are created that provide warmth in the winter and cool in the
summer. The Javelinas will hide in these shallow cavities to prevent
water loss and stay cool on hot summer days.

Cave entrances can provide microhabitats for a variety of plant and
animal species and provide growing conditions similar to a forest. It is
not uncommon to find a fringe of green around the entrances to caves.
Upon closer examination, evidence of animals such as birds, snakes,
skunks, or mice living in the mouth of the cave can be found.

A variety of microhabitats can be found in any environment. Plants and
animals find "their place" in logs, under boulders, in cacti, or even
under a refuse can. Places such as a shady area under a tree or shrub
are microhabitats because they provide a home for shade loving plants or
respite for the desert lizards.

**Materials**

Sponges

Water

Natural desert materials (brush, vegetation, logs, etc...will be used as
protection from the dry heat)

Balance scales

Desert animal profiles

Data sheet

**Procedure**

***Warm up:*** Brainstorm ideas about what animals do to conserve water.
Write a list of the students' responses. What do desert animals do
during the day? How do they escape from the desert heat? What
adaptations have they made to survive in the harsh desert climate?

**Activity**

1.  Divide students into groups of 2 or 3. Each group will be given a
    sponge saturated with water. This sponge represents a desert animal
    with a very limited water supply. The students are to conserve as
    much of the animal's water as possible. For a 24-hour period the
    group is to care for the "creature" in a way to achieve this goal
    using only natural materials. The creature must remain in the open
    for at least 4 hours (this represents feeding time).

2.  The students should weigh their sponge to get a baseline weight of
    the sponge. Write this weight down to compare to the ending weight
    of that same sponge. Students need to develop a strategy to conserve
    the water in their critter, write it down and make a prediction on
    what they think will happen. During the 24 hour observation time the
    students will make and write down observations as to what is
    happening with their animal. At the end of the time the students
    should weigh their sponges and compare beginning and ending weight.
    Students should make inferences about the results in relation to
    real organisms. (There should be a control sponge that is left out
    for the whole time for comparisons).

3.  Have the students share their plan, predictions, and results with
    the entire class. Have a class discussion on methods, results, and
    how it all relates to adaptations for desert survival of real living
    organisms.

***Wrap Up:*** Students will invent a hypothetical desert animal. They
may either draw or build the animal and write the adaptations the animal
has that help it survive.

**Assessment**

Presentation of experiment results, animal presentation.

Name. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Help! I'm Dehydrating! Data Sheet

  ----------------------- ----------------------- -----------------------
  **Sponge**              **Initial weight**      **Final Weight**

  **Control Sponge**                              

  **My Sponge**                                   
  ----------------------- ----------------------- -----------------------

My strategy to conserve water:

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

### What I think will happen to my sponge:  {#what-i-think-will-happen-to-my-sponge .unnumbered}

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

My observations:

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

My results:

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

How does this relate to real organisms?

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

![](media/image3.png){width="0.6in" height="0.8346456692913385in"}

**Designer Animals**

***Can you create an animal that could survive in a given
environment?***

**Summary:** This lesson is designed to extend the student's knowledge
of animal adaptations. This lesson could lead to the concept of the
survival of the fittest (Darwinism).

**Duration:** 1 class period

**Setting:** Classroom/lab

**Vocabulary:** adaptations, global warming, habitat, ecosystem,
climate, camouflage, mimicry

**Standards/Benchmarks Addressed**: SC1-E1, SC1-E2, SC2-E1, SC2-E2,
SC2-E3, SC3-E1, SC4-E1, SC4-E5, SC6-E2, SC6-E3, SC6-E6, SC6-E7, SC11-E1,
SC11-E2, SC11-E3, SC11-E4

**Objectives**

Students will:

-   recognize animal adaptations.

-   create an animal that would survive in a given environment.

**Background**

Sometimes little things can turn into big things. If global temperatures
rise above normal levels for a few days, it's no big deal---the Earth
will stay more or less the same. But if temperatures continue to rise
over a longer period of time, then the Earth may experience some
problems.

The average global temperature has increased almost 1^0^ F over the past
century; scientists expect the average global temperature to increase an
additional 2 to 6^0^ F over the next hundred years. This may not sound
like much, but it could change the Earth's climate as never before. At
the peak of the ice age (18,000 years ago), the temperature was only
7^0^ F colder than it is today, and glaciers covered most of North
America.

Even a small increase in temperature over a long time can change the
climate. When the climate changes, there may be big changes in the
things that people and animals depend on. These things include the
levels of the oceans and the places we plant crops. They also include
the air we breathe and the water we drink.

Climate change may alter the world's habitats and ecosystems---all
living things are included in and rely on these places. Many of these
places rely on a delicate balance of rainfall, temperature, and soil
type. A rapid change in climate could upset this balance and endanger
many living things.

Most past climate changes occurred slowly, allowing plants and animals
to adapt to the new environment or move somewhere else. However, if
future climate changes occur as rapidly as some scientist predict,
plants and animals may not be able to react quickly enough to survive.

**Materials**

Drawing materials

Animal habitat cards

**Procedure**

***Warm up:*** Brainstorm and list animal adaptations. Remind students
that adaptations include camouflage, physical features, and behavioral
features that help animals survive in their natural habitats. It is now
the year 3000, humans are now able to design and create their own
animals. The task is to develop an animal that would survive in a given
environment.

***Activity:*** Students will be given 1 animal habitat card. The
students are going to draw an animal and label the adaptations that the
animal has that help it survive in the given environment.

> ***Criteria for animal:***
>
> Size
>
> What does it eat?
>
> How will it catch/get food and water?
>
> How will it keep warm/cool?
>
> Where will it take shelter?
>
> What is the animal's reproduction rate and gestation period?
>
> How do the parents and infants interact?
>
> How will it defend or protect itself from attackers?
>
> Your animal cannot be a top predator (one that can eat everything else
> and survive).

All the above criteria must be labeled on the animal to receive credit.

***Wrap Up:*** Students present and discuss the adaptations that their
animal has in order to survive in the environment they were given.

**Assessment**

Rubric

Designer Animal Habitat Cards

This habitat is dark and cold most of the time. It is very mountainous.
It rains almost all day. Because of the wet, dark conditions, the only
plants that grow well are small mosses and fungi. The animals in this
habitat include a type of mouse, a nocturnal large hunting cat, fish,
and a variety of insects.

This habitat is dry and hot. Most of the surface is flat. Water is
mostly found in underground streams, however there is a little water at
the surface. Most of the terrain is covered in sand, although there are
patches of dry grass. When plants are able to get their roots down into
the water table, they grow into tall trees with leaves at the top but
not along the trunk. Plants not connected to the water table are small
and dry, but they are edible. The animals in this habitat include
insects, a species of bird, which roosts in the high trees, a
sand-colored lizard, and a type of rat.

This habitat is tropical: wet and hot. Most of the terrain is
rainforest. The land is very flat. Water collects in large pools and
lakes, which have water in them all year round. A species of poisonous
plant grows thickly on the ground. The spines of this plant are
poisonous; any animal that steps on one is sure to die. The vegetation
is plentiful, and includes leaves, fruits, and nuts. Animals include
carnivorous snakes, varieties of insects, monkeys, fish, and birds.

This habitat has a moderate climate. It never gets very hot or very
cold, but stays mild all year long. It rains for part of the year and
the water forms pools and lakes that dry up towards the end of the year,
and then the habitat is very dry. The landscape is partly mountainous
and partly flat. Vegetation includes tall trees with high leaves and
fruit, and a smaller plant that bears nuts. However, these nuts are
inside hard shells that need to be removed before the nut can be eaten.
Animals include rats and mice which live underground, insects, birds
that nest in the tall trees, slow moving mammals which also live in the
trees, and a species of carnivorous nocturnal wolf.

Designer Animal Rubric

+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| # De                                         | **Self    | **Teacher  |
| signer Animal {#designer-animal .unnumbered} | eva       | ev         |
|                                              | luation** | aluation** |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| **Animal criteria:**                         |           | /28        |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| Size                                         |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| What does it eat?                            |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| How will it catch/get food and water?        |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| How will it keep warm/cool?                  |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| Where will it take shelter?                  |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| How will it defend or protect itself from    |           |            |
| attackers?                                   |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| What is the animal's reproduction rate and   |           |            |
| gestation period?                            |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| How do the parents and infants interact?     |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| **Overall:**                                 |           | /12        |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| Has the student fulfilled all the parts of   |           |            |
| the task?                                    |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| Has the student chosen appropriate           |           |            |
| adaptations to help the animal survive?      |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| Is the picture neatly presented and labeled? |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+

4 -- no mistakes 3 -- few mistakes 2 -- many mistakes 1 -- incomplete
(however is present) 0 -- not evident or not included

Percentage Animal Overall \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

![](media/image3.png){width="0.6in" height="0.8346456692913385in"}

**Animals That Live in the Dark**

***Can you correctly place cave animals in their place in a cave?***

**Summary:** This lesson is designed to extend the student's knowledge
of animal adaptations. This lesson will explore the life of cave animals
and where they live in the cave system.

**Duration:** 1 class period

**Setting:** Classroom

**Vocabulary:** trogloxenes, troglophiles, troglobites, twilight zone,
variable temperature zone, constant temperature zone, cave

**Standards/Benchmarks Addressed:** SC1-E1, SC2-E3, SC3-E1, SC4-E5,
SC5-E2, SC6-E1, SC6-E2, SC6-E3, SC6-E4, SC6-E5, SC6-E6, SC6-E7, SC10-E2,
SC11-E1, SC11-E2, SC11-E3, SC11-E4, SC11-E5

**Objectives**

Students will:

-   place a group of cave animals into the correct placement within a
    cave system.

-   identify the 3 zones of a cave.

-   define the terms associated with cave life.

**Background**

There is an abundance of life within a cave. The characteristics and
adaptations these animals have depend on the location within the cave
that the animals live. There are three zones within a cave system.

The twilight zone is at the mouth of the cave, where the natural
sunlight still enters the cave. The twilight zone is cooler than the
outside temperature. Animals often take cover from the harsh outside
temperatures in the cool twilight zone. For example, snakes, raccoons,
packrats, skunks, birds, and some green plants grow. These animals are
known as trogloxenes---they are animals that sometimes call caves their
home.

The next is the variable temperature zone. The temperature here does not
change much from the twilight zone. However, it is DARK! Mushrooms,
molds, and fungi grow here. The animals that live in this zone include
bats, crickets, and salamanders. These animals are known as
troglophiles; they are animals that prefer to live in caves (they may
also live other places like bats) most of their life; however, they
leave the cave at night in order to eat. Green plants will not grow here
because they need sunlight to grow.

The final life zone in the cave is the constant temperature zone. It is
completely pitch-black. The air and water in this zone stay a constant
temperature. Some bacteria and mold grow here. Some very strange cave
dwellers live here as well. For example: blind crayfish, copepod, and
blind shrimp. These animals are blind and colorless. They rely on touch,
sound, and taste to find their food. These animals are called
troglobites. They are animals who live only in caves and cannot survive
anywhere else.

**Materials**

Paper

Pencils

Cave animal pictures

**Procedure**

***Warm up:*** Brainstorm and list animals you may find in a cave, as
well as information about caves.

**Activity**

1.  Discuss with students the three zones in a cave system. Discuss the
    characteristics and living organisms of each zone. As you go over
    the information students should take notes.

2.  Have the students draw a cave system and label the zones correctly.
    Then have the students place a list of organisms into the correct
    cave zones.

***Wrap Up:*** Go over the adaptations that the cave animals have in
order to survive in their special habitat. Make a list and discuss how
these adaptations help the animals survive.

**Assessment**

Has the student fulfilled all the parts of the task?

Has the student correctly labeled the three zones?

Has the student correctly placed the living organisms in the correct
place?

Is the picture neatly presented and labeled?

Name \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Animals That Live In the Dark\
Worksheet

**Directions:** Using another piece of paper, draw a cave system, and
label the following cave zones and animals in the correct location.

-   Twilight Zone

-   Copepod

-   Cave Cricket

-   Snakes

-   Cave salamander

-   Constant Temperature Zone

-   Cave swallows

-   Barn owl

-   Blind crayfish

-   Bat

-   Variable Temperature Zone

-   Blind fish

-   Spiders

-   Isopod

-   Skunks

-   Ringtail

-   Bacteria

**Matching:** Identify each animal as trogloxenes, troglophiles, or
troglobites by circling the correct classification.

-   Bats trogloxenes, troglophiles, or troglobites

-   Ringtails trogloxenes, troglophiles, or troglobites

-   Blind Crayfish trogloxenes, troglophiles, or troglobites

-   Skunks trogloxenes, troglophiles, or troglobites

-   Mountain lions trogloxenes, troglophiles, or troglobites

-   Cave Crickets trogloxenes, troglophiles, or troglobites

-   Isopods trogloxenes, troglophiles, or troglobites

-   Cave swallows trogloxenes, troglophiles, or troglobites

-   Blind fish trogloxenes, troglophiles, or troglobites

-   Spiders trogloxenes, troglophiles, or troglobites

-   Copepods trogloxenes, troglophiles, or troglobites

-   Snakes trogloxenes, troglophiles, or troglobites

**Animals that Live in the Dark\
Worksheet Key**

**Matching:** Identify each animal as trogloxenes, troglophiles, or
troglobites by circling the correct classification.

-   Bats trogloxenes, [troglophiles]{.mark}, or troglobites

-   Ringtails [trogloxenes]{.mark}, troglophiles, or troglobites

-   Blind Crayfish trogloxenes, troglophiles, or [troglobites]{.mark}

-   Skunks [trogloxenes]{.mark}, troglophiles, or troglobites

-   Mountain lions [trogloxenes]{.mark}, troglophiles, or troglobites

-   Cave Crickets trogloxenes, [troglophiles]{.mark}, or troglobites

-   Isopods trogloxenes, troglophiles, or [troglobites]{.mark}

-   Cave swallows [trogloxenes]{.mark}, troglophiles, or troglobites

-   Blind fish trogloxenes, troglophiles, or [troglobites]{.mark}

-   Spiders [trogloxenes]{.mark}, troglophiles, or troglobites

-   Copepods trogloxenes, troglophiles, or [troglobites]{.mark}

-   Snakes [trogloxenes]{.mark}, troglophiles, or troglobite

Cave Animal Pictures\
(Animals that Live in the Dark)

These are just some examples of animals you might find in a cave. Look
carefully at the adaptations that these animals possess.

![](media/image75.jpeg){width="2.6194444444444445in"
height="1.8916666666666666in"}
![](media/image76.jpeg){width="2.6215277777777777in"
height="1.9055555555555554in"}

Camel "Cave" Cricket Mexican Long-Nosed Bat

![](media/image77.jpeg){width="2.620833333333333in"
height="1.9597222222222221in"}
![](media/image78.png){width="1.7041666666666666in"
height="1.9208333333333334in"}

Blind Cave Fish Copepod

![](media/image79.png){width="2.748611111111111in"
height="1.8347222222222221in"} ![](media/image80.jpeg){width="2.125in"
height="1.7597222222222222in"}

Harvestman Spider Burrowing Owl

![](media/image3.png){width="0.6in" height="0.8346456692913385in"}

Build An Animal

***Will your animal survive the harsh desert environment?***

**Summary:** This lesson is the culminating activity for the animal
unit. It will bring together the ideas discussed throughout the unit and
tie them together.

**Duration:** 1 to 2 weeks

**Setting:** Classroom

**Vocabulary:** phylum, hypothetical, theoretical, genus, species

**Standards/Benchmarks Addressed:** SC1-E2, SC2-E2, SC2-E3, SC3-E1,
SC4-E5, SC5-E3, SC6-E1, SC6-E2, SC6-E3, SC6-E5, SC6-E6, SC6-E7, SC10-E2,
SC11-E1, SC11-E2, SC11-E3, SC11-E4, SC11-E5

**Objectives**

Students will:

-   design a hypothetical desert animal and construct a model of that
    animal.

-   classify their animal into its correct phylum.

-   infer which physical structures help the animal survive in the
    desert.

**Background**

Review background information on these following lessons:

-   Why Do We Look The Way We Do?

-   Help! I'm Dehydrating!

-   Animals That Live in the Dark

-   Sorting Out Species?

-   All in the Family

-   Make a Desert Diorama

**Materials**

Colored paper

String

Colored clay

Pins

Straws

Buttons

????, Be creative on material for the animals. Be sure not to include
perishable items.

**Procedure**

***Warm up:*** Review animal adaptations in reference to their
environment.

**Activity**

1.  Review information on deserts, animal classification, and animal
    adaptations needed to survive in the desert.

2.  Decide what your hypothetical desert animal would look like (be
    creative -- make it look strange and different from anything you
    have ever seen). What special adaptations would it have?

3.  Name the animal using proper *genus* and *species* format and
    classify it in a real (APPROPRIATE) phylum. Example: a person is a
    *Homo sapien.*

4.  Describe in writing the animal's behavior, including the way it
    obtains food, the kind of dwelling it prefers, reproduction, its
    defensive behavior, and how it moves and gets oxygen.

5.  Use a variety of materials to create a model of the animal and
    answer the questions in the assessment section.

***Wrap Up:*** Students create the model of their animal and review
their writing. Both paper and animal will be turned in for a grade.

**Assessment**

> **Questions:** (Due at the same time as the animal model)

1.  Describe the specific physical conditions that exist in your
    animal's environment; include climate and landforms (temp, wind,
    rain, soil, and sunshine)

2.  For each condition above, describe a characteristic of your animal
    that makes it well-suited to the environment.

3.  State the characteristics that enable you to classify the animal in
    the phylum you selected.

> **Animal Grading Criteria**
>
> See rubric

**Extensions**

Create a story about the life of this animal and the future it may face.

Create a photo collage of animals dealing with dangers.

Make a short "documentary" video of an animal's habits and behaviors.

Name \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Build an Animal Assessment Questions\
Due at the same time as the animal model!

1\. Describe the specific physical conditions that exist in your
animal's environment, include climate and landforms (temp, wind, rain,
soil, and sunshine).

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

2\. For each condition above, describe a characteristic of your animal
that makes it well-suited to the environment.

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

3\. State the characteristics that enable you to classify the animal in
the phylum you selected.

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Name \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Classification Reference Diagram\
(Build an Animal Activity)

+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| **Address Analogy**   | # Clas                | **Name**              |
|                       | sification {#classifi |                       |
|                       | cation-1 .unnumbered} |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
|                       | # Kingdom {#k         |                       |
|                       | ingdom-1 .unnumbered} |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
|                       | # Phylum {#           |                       |
|                       | phylum-1 .unnumbered} |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
|                       | # Class {             |                       |
|                       | #class-1 .unnumbered} |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
|                       | # Order {             |                       |
|                       | #order-1 .unnumbered} |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
|                       | # Family {#           |                       |
|                       | family-1 .unnumbered} |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
|                       | # Genus {             |                       |
|                       | #genus-1 .unnumbered} |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
|                       | # Species {#s         |                       |
|                       | pecies-1 .unnumbered} |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

Name \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Build an Animal Rubric

+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| **Build An Animal**                          | Self      | Teacher    |
|                                              | e         | evaluation |
|                                              | valuation |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| **Animal criteria:**                         |           | /16        |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Animal created could survive in a desert   |           |            |
| > environment.                               |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Adaptations are appropriate for desert     |           |            |
| > survival.                                  |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Animal is classified into an appropriate   |           |            |
| > phylum.                                    |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Animal is named in the appropriate genus   |           |            |
| > and species format.                        |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| ## Writing: {#writing .unnumbered}           |           | /8         |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| Describe in writing the animal's behavior,   |           |            |
| including the way it obtains food, the kind  |           |            |
| of dwelling it prefers, reproduction, its    |           |            |
| defensive behavior, and how it moves and     |           |            |
| gets oxygen.                                 |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| Proper use of grammar                        |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| **Overall:**                                 |           | /12        |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Has the student fulfilled all the parts of |           |            |
| > the task?                                  |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Has the student chosen appropriate         |           |            |
| > adaptations to help the animal survive?    |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Has the student correctly answered the     |           |            |
| > assessment questions?                      |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+

4 -- no mistakes 3 -- few mistakes 2 many mistakes 1 -- incomplete
(however is present) 0 -- not evident or not included

Percentage: Animal Writing Overall

![](media/image3.png){width="0.6in" height="0.8346456692913385in"}

The Nature Detective

***What plants and animals live in this habitat?***

**Summary:** This field trip is designed to help students become aware
of their natural surroundings using keen observation skills.

**Duration:** 2-5 hours

**Setting:** Outdoors (nature hike at a National Park or on school
grounds)

**Vocabulary:** riparian

**Standards/Benchmarks Addressed:** SC1-E1, SC2-E3, SC5-E2, SC6-E1,
SC6-E2, SC6-E3, SC6-E4, SC6-E5, SC6-E6, SC10-E2, SC11-E1, SC11-E2,
SC11-E4, SC11-E5

**Objectives**

Students will:

-   discover and use clues to infer what plants and animals live in a
    certain habitat.

-   take field notes about what is discovered.

-   construct a plants and animals field guide.

**Background**

Nature hikes are a very important concept in developing students'
personal relationships with nature. Developing a nature journal as the
students hike is a way for young explorers to observe, participate,
sketch, count, reflect, and write as they interact with nature.
Exploration activities, such as a desert scavenger hunt, encourage
youngsters to see smell, hear, and touch nature in their own intimate
way.

After a hike the students could research one plant and one animal to
include in a nature guide. Below are two nature guide entries that
include the appropriate information and layout (a nature guide would
include a photograph of the plant and animal).

> **Mountain Lion** -- *Puma concolor*
>
> **Size:** Total length about 78 inches, tail about 30 inches; weight,
> 100-200 pounds.
>
> **Habitat:** Almost any habitat with sufficient topographic or
> vegetative stalking cover. In the Southwest, it favors edges of
> rimrock country, where scrub desert ends and forest begins.
>
> **Range:** Throughout the western United States, Mexico, and
> southeastern Canada.
>
> **Also known as:** cougar, catamount (short for "cat of the
> mountains"), puma, and panther
>
> **Similar species:** Jaguar and ocelot have spots. Bobcat is much
> smaller, with a short, stubby tail.
>
> **Discussion:** The mountain lion's range once exceeded that of any
> other American mammal, extending from southeastern Alaska to southern
> South America and spanning the continental United States. Over hunting
> and habitat destruction have confined this secretive and solitary cat
> to large tracts of remote terrain.
>
> The male's territory averages a hundred square miles and may overlap
> with the smaller home ranges of several females. Mountain lions mark
> their territories with "scrapes"---visible mounds of dirt, needles,
> and twigs that are often scented with urine or feces.
>
> Though the habits of mountain lions vary from high mountains to desert
> to tropical jungle, their appearance is similar. As indicated by the
> name *concolor*, the cat's tawny coat is a monotone shade across most
> of its body, with lighter areas under the belly and inside the legs.
> It holds its tail---which is long, cylindrical, and may be tipped in
> black---close to the ground.
>
> This highly efficient predator dines mainly on deer. It stalks its
> prey, pouncing with full weight from close range. After making the
> kill, the lion drags the carcass to a secluded spot to gorge. When
> satiated, it covers the remaining meat with leave and soil, bedding
> near the carcass by day and returning nightly to feed.
>
> **Banana Yucca --** *Yucca baccata,* Agave Family (Agavaceae)
>
> **Description:** As a group, yuccas are generally widespread in the
> northern Chihuahuan Desert and are often the most obvious large plant.
> In *Yucca baccata*, the leaves are very thick, and the trunk is
> usually stout but short. This species flowers from April to June and
> rarely at other times of the year when temperature and moisture are
> adequate.
>
> **Habitat:** Also known as datil, the plants occur in rocky areas
> throughout our region. These plants can be found in Carlsbad Caverns
> National Park, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, and White Sands
> National Monument.
>
> **Discussion:** The edible large fruits, which look something like
> bananas, were eaten by Native Americans. The fresh flowers are also
> edible, and leaf fibers are used to make baskets and similar items.
>
> Rattlesnake Springs and Carlsbad Caverns Nature Trail, part of
> Carlsbad Caverns National Park, are great examples of places to take a
> hike. They are great examples of two different habitats. Rattlesnake
> Springs is a riparian area (an area with a water source) surrounded by
> lush vegetation and wildlife. Many of the animals you can see include
> aquatic life (crayfish, perch, and other fish species) and a variety
> of birds. The Carlsbad Caverns Nature Trail is a wonderful example of
> a desert environment. On the trail you can focus on the plant life of
> the Chihuahuan Desert and look for signs of animal life (tracks and
> scat).

**Materials**

Variety of desert plant and animal field guides

Pens and paper

Clipboards

Camera

**Procedure**

***Warm up:*** Focus the students on the purpose of the trip. We are
going to become Nature Detectives. We will have to closely observe our
surroundings to find clues about the plants and animals that live here.
With the information that we find we will be constructing a field guide.
For instance, in the Chihuahuan Desert we would include rattlesnakes,
Mexican Gray Wolf, Desert Agave, Soaptree Yucca, etc.

**Activity**

1.  Show the students the field guides and how to use them.

2.  Show the students how to set up their field notes and what
    information you want included (sketchings of plants, animals,
    tracks, and scat that you see, as well as descriptions on what they
    see, hear, feel, and smell).

3.  Divide the class into groups of 2. Have the pairs closely observe an
    area for a given amount of time and take notes, draw pictures, and
    take pictures of plants, animals, and things of interest that they
    see.

4.  Review with the students what they found.

***Wrap Up:*** Discuss the information that should be present in a field
guide. Have each student pick (or assign each student) a plant and
animal to research and put into the field guide. When each student is
finished with their research you should assemble them into one
student-produced field guide.

**Assessment**

Research on assigned plant and animal for the field guide.

**Extensions**

Students graph the colors they see while on the trip.

Blindfold the students and take them to a tree. They are to use their
senses of touch, smell, and hearing to learn as much about the tree as
possible. They are returned to a central meeting point and asked to find
their tree. Students can then describe the experience in a journal. What
did they learn about the tree? What was the most difficult part of the
experience?

Name \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Nature Detective Field Guide Rubric

+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| **Nature Detective Field Guide**             | **Self    | **Teacher  |
|                                              | eva       | ev         |
|                                              | luation** | aluation** |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| **Animal criteria:**                         |           | /12        |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Includes a picture                         |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Includes both scientific and common names  |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Includes a detailed summary with a         |           |            |
| > description of animal characteristics and  |           |            |
| > adaptations                                |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| **Plant criteria**                           |           | /12        |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Includes a picture                         |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Includes both scientific and common names  |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Includes a detailed summary with a         |           |            |
| > description of plant characteristics and   |           |            |
| > adaptations                                |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| **Overall:**                                 |           | /12        |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Has the student fulfilled all the parts of |           |            |
| > the task?                                  |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Has the student chosen appropriate         |           |            |
| > adaptations to help the plants and animals |           |            |
| > survive?                                   |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Has the student used proper grammar and    |           |            |
| > sentence structure?                        |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+

4 -- no mistakes 3 -- few mistakes 2 -- many mistakes 1 -- incomplete
(however is present) 0 -- not evident or not included

Percentage: Animal Plant Overall \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

![](media/image3.png){width="0.6in" height="0.8346456692913385in"}

**Make a Desert Diorama**

***What plants and animals live in a desert habitat?***

**Summary:** This activity helps the students share their knowledge of
desert plants and animals and their natural habitat.

**Duration:** 2 class periods

**Setting:** Classroom

**Vocabulary:** microhabitat, desert

**Standards/Benchmarks Addressed:** SC1-E1, SC2-E2, SC2-E3, SC3-E1,
SC4-E5, SC5-E2, SC5-E3, SC6-E2, SC6-E3, SC6-E4, SC6-E5, SC6-E6, SC11-E2,
SC11-E3, SC11-E6

**Objectives**

Students will:

-   design a diorama to show desert animals in their natural habitat.

**Background**

A diorama is a miniature scene with lifelike figures and objects set
against a painted or colored background. The diorama is like a stage set
that has all the props needed to represent the actual habitat (plants
and animals).

Desert animals have some impressive ways of handling the challenges of
desert life. Like plants, they need to beat the heat, get water, stay
warm on cool nights, and stay unburned on sunny days. Unlike plants,
they can't send down a taproot for water or a web of roots to catch
rain. They also do not make their own food using photosynthesis.

Animals do have one advantage: they can move around. Lizards waddle into
the sun to warm up, and then shift into the shade to cool down. Bats
migrate hundreds of miles so they can sip the nectar of many different
plants. A vulture flies high, where the air temperature is cooler and it
can get a better view of the ground.

Moving around is not the only way animals cope with desert conditions.
For many desert animals a meal is both food and drink. Seeds can be
20-50 percent water, enough to quench the thirst of plant eaters. An
animal's body may be as much as 75 percent water, so meat eaters get
water from their food, too. Some animals like the kangaroo rat actually
make water in their bodies, as a by-product of the foods they eat.
Others, like the desert cockroach can extract water directly from the
air.

The big ears of desert hares, rabbits, and foxes help them to keep cool.
Ears, long legs, and bare patches of skin where blood vessels are close
to the surface act as natural radiators. Blood circulating through these
spots radiates heat to the surrounding air. This cools the animal off.

Wet fur or skin can cool an animal even more. That's why kangaroo rats
lick their fur, foxes pant, and birds move their throats to evaporate
water from their lungs and mouths. All these animals make use of
evaporative cooling. The water on their skin absorbs their body heat. As
it evaporates, it takes some of that heat away from their bodies and
into the air.

To guard themselves against unpredictable desert food supplies, some
animals stock up. Harvester ants and kangaroo rats store bushels of
seeds in underground burrows for times of scarcity. Other animals go to
sleep when food is scarce. Pocket mice, kangaroo rats, some ground
squirrels, and some birds enter a state called torpor and may remain in
that state for months. In torpor their breathing and other body
processes slow down, saving energy. By saving energy, they need less
food. Venom also helps desert predators subdue their prey quickly, with
a minimum amount of energy.

**Materials**

Variety of desert plant and animal field guides

Cardboard boxes

Varity of art supplies (paints, markers, colored pencils, etc...)

A collection of natural objects (small rocks, plant material, leaves,
grass, etc...)

Glue

Scissors

**Procedure**

***Warm up:*** Review what the students know about desert plants and
animals. They should have a good understanding of adaptations, and how
these adaptations help the plants and animals survive in the desert.
Students will build a diorama displaying what we have learned about
desert plants and animals.

**Activity**

1.  Discuss what a diorama is and how to create one. Point out that in a
    diorama the background is the bottom of the box. It should be
    colored with a background that depicts the natural desert habitat.
    Then the animal and plant figures can be set in front of the
    background scene.

2.  Have each student pick an animal to research and learn about its
    natural environment.

3.  Give the students a box and have them begin making their dioramas.
    Each diorama must include at least one figure of the student's
    animal. Students can draw the animal, cut out the animal from
    another resource, make modeling clay animals, or use any other
    material they can think of. Encourage the students to be creative.
    Use as many natural objects as possible to help set the appropriate
    tone for the desert environment. Suggest that the students glue the
    objects into the diorama so that the objects do not move or fall out
    when they are carried.

***Wrap Up:*** Students share their dioramas with the class, explaining
the features of their animal's habitat.

**Assessment**

Rubric for diorama.

Name \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Desert Diorama Rubric

+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| **Desert Diorama Rubric**                    | **Self    | **Teacher  |
|                                              | eva       | ev         |
|                                              | luation** | aluation** |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| **Diorama criteria:**                        |           | /24        |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Diorama depicts a desert habitat.          |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Background is neat and depicts a desert    |           |            |
| > habitat.                                   |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Diorama includes at least one figure of    |           |            |
| > the animal.                                |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Diorama shows thorough knowledge of a      |           |            |
| > variety of desert plants and animals.      |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Student has included mirohabitats (places  |           |            |
| > the animal goes to escape the heat).       |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Student uses a variety of natural          |           |            |
| > materials to depict the desert             |           |            |
| > environment.                               |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| **Presentation:**                            |           | /8         |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Presenter followed appropriate speaking    |           |            |
| > rules (eye contact, voice, appeal,         |           |            |
| > enthusiasm)                                |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Presentation quality, organization,        |           |            |
| > appeal, and information                    |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| **Overall:**                                 |           | /4         |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Has the student fulfilled all the parts of |           |            |
| > the task?                                  |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+

4 -- no mistakes 3 -- few mistakes 2 -- many mistakes 1 -- incomplete
(however is present) 0 -- not evident or not included

Percentage: Diorama Presentation Overall \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

**CONTENT STANDARDS WITH BENCHMARKS**

***Science***

**Unifying Concepts and Processes**

*CONTENT STANDARD 1*

Students will understand science concepts of order and organization.

**SC1-E1**

Students will apply information about the predictability and
organization of the universe and its subsystems.

**SC1-E2**

Students will apply prediction to scientific problems and events.

**CONTENT STANDARD 2**

Students will use evidence, models, and explanations to explore the
physical world.

**SC2-E1**

Students will identify and organize evidence needed to predict changes
in natural and artificial systems.

**SC2-E2**

Students will organize phenomena into hypotheses, models, laws,
theories, principles, and paradigms.

**SC2-E3**

Students will design and develop models.

**CONTENT STANDARD 3**

Students will use form and function to organize and understand the
physical world.

**SC3-E1**

Students will explain function by referring to form and explain form by
referring to function.

**CONTENT STANDARD 4**

Students will understand the physical world through the concepts of
change, equilibrium, and measurement.

**SC4-E1**

Students will illustrate that constancy and change are properties of
objects and processes.

**SC4-E2**

Students will illustrate that energy and matter can be transformed and
changed but the sum remains the same.

**SC4-E3**

Students will use elementary scientific devices to measure objects and
simple phenomena.

**SC4-E4**

Students will employ mathematics to quantify properties of objects and
phenomena.

**SC4-E5**

Students will relate the contributions of external and internal forces
to change in the form and function of objects, organisms, and natural
systems.

**Science as Inquiry**

**CONTENT STANDARD 5**

Students will acquire the abilities to do scientific inquiry.

**SC5-E1**

Students will use the scientific method within the classroom and school
environment.

**SC5-E2**

Students will employ equipment, tools, a variety of techniques, and
information sources to gather, analyze, and interpret data.

**SC5-E3**

Students will explain that scientific theories emphasize evidence, have
logically consistent arguments, and use scientific principles, models,
and theories. Well-accepted scientific theories are formulations of
apparent relationships or underlying principles of certain observed
phenomena that have been verified to a very high degree.

**CONTENT STANDARD 6**

Students will understand the process of scientific inquiry.

**SC6-E1**

Students will use different kinds of methods, including observation,
experiments, and theoretical and mathematical models to answer a variety
of scientific questions.

**SC6-E2**

Students will use their own understanding of science to guide their
scientific investigations.

**SC6-E3**

Students will use criteria for sound scientific investigations to verify
the truth of the results of their own and others' investigations.

**SC6-E4**

Students will choose appropriate methods and analytic techniques for
specific science problems and investigations.

**SC6-E5**

Students will use technology and scientific methods to gather evidence
to enhance the accuracy of their findings.

**SC6-E6**

Students will describe the results of investigations with teachers,
peers, parents, and others.

**SC6-E7**

Students will explain that scientific investigations can result in new
ideas, objects, methods, techniques, and procedures for investigation.

**SC6-E8**

Students will explain that in areas where there is not a great deal of
experimental or observational evidence, it is typical for scientists to
differ with one another about the theory, hypothesis, or evidence being
investigated.

**Physical Science**

**CONTENT STANDARD 7**

Students will know and understand the properties of matter.

**SC7-E1**

Students will identify the characteristic properties of elements and
compounds such as density, boiling point, and solubility.

**SC7-E2**

Students will explain that the characteristic properties of an element
or compound are independent of the amount (size) of the sample.

**SC7-E3**

Students will discriminate between elements based on the characteristic
ways in which they react with other elements to form compounds that are
different substances with unique characteristic properties.

**CONTENT STANDARD 8**

Students will know and understand the properties of fields, forces, and
motion.

**SC8-E1**

Students will explain that when an object is not being subjected to a
force, the object will continue to move at a constant speed and in a
straight line.

**SC8-E2**

Students will describe quantitatively how an object's position, speed,
and direction explain motion.

**SC8-E3**

Students will compare and contrast gravity to other forces in the world
and universe.

**CONTENT STANDARD 9**

Students will know and understand the concepts of energy and the
transformation of energy.

**SC9-E1**

Students will apply knowledge about energy and energy transformation to
science problems.

**SC9-E2**

Students will explain how chemical reactions can take place in time
periods ranging from less than a second to millions of years.

**SC9-E3**

Students will explain how chemical reactions involve concentration,
pressure, temperature, and catalysts.

**Life Science**

**CONTENT STANDARD 10**

Students will know and understand the characteristics that are the basis
for classifying organisms.

**SC10-E1**

Students will use information about living things including:

-   The roles of structure and function as complementary in the
    organization of living systems.

-   Cells as the fundamental unit of life.

-   The functions of cells which sustain life.

-   Cell division.

-   The use of nutrients by cells.

-   The role of heredity and environment in the characteristics of
    individual organisms.

-   That small genetic differences between offspring and parents may
    accumulate in succeeding generations and may or may not be
    advantageous for the species.

-   Disease as a breakdown in the structures or function of an organism.

**SC10-E2**

Students will categorize organisms according to reproductive and other
characteristics.

**CONTENT STANDARD 11**

Students will know and understand the synergy among organisms and the
environments of organisms.

**SC11-E1**

Students will distinguish among organisms based on the way an organism
regulates its internal environment in relation to changes in its
external environment.

**SC11-E2**

Students will describe how organisms obtain and use resources, grow,
reproduce, and maintain a stable internal environment while living in a
constantly changing external environment.

**SC11-E3**

Students will predict behavior in relation to changes in an organism's
internal and external environments.

**SC11-E4**

Students will use knowledge of population characteristics to distinguish
specific populations.

**SC11-E5**

Students will categorize organisms based on the function they serve
within their ecosystem.

**SC11-E6**

Students will examine the impact humans have had on other species and
natural systems over time.

**SC11-E7**

Students will illustrate the impact that overpopulation might have on
various regions of the world.

**SC11-E8**

Students will analyze consumption of nonrenewable resources based on
population factors (birth rate, death rate, and density).

**SC11-E9**

Students will illustrate the role of personal control of basic needs on
health outcomes.

**SC11-E10**

Students will model responsible health behaviors for peers and others.

**SC11-E11**

Students will demonstrate the impact of nutrition and exercise on
personal health.

**Earth and Space Science**

**CONTENT STANDARD 12**

Students will know and understand properties of earth science.

**SC12-E1**

Students will explain how Earth's materials can be transformed from one
state to another.

**SC12-E2**

Students will experiment with the uses of Earth's materials as
resources.

**SC12-E3**

Students will model natural processes that shape the Earth's surface.

**SC12-E4**

Students will observe, measure, and record weather changes that occur
daily.

**SC12-E5**

Students will explain how fossils are formed and how fossils provide
evidence of the complexity and diversity of life over time.

**SC12-E6**

Students will use a rectilinear coordinate system such as latitude and
longitude to locate points on the surface of Earth.

**SC12-E7**

Students will describe the interaction between the Earth's lithosphere,
hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere.

**CONTENT STANDARD 13**

Students will know and understand basic concepts of cosmology.

**SC13-E1**

Students will model the predictable patterns of the sun and planets in
the solar system.

**SC13-E2**

Students will describe the elements of the universe including stars,
galaxies, dust clouds, and nebulae.

**SC13-E3**

Students will explain various scientific theories for the origin of the
universe.

**SC13-E4**

Students will explain how instruments and vehicles are used for space
exploration work.

**Technology and the History of Science**

**CONTENT STANDARD 14**

Students will know and understand the differences between the
interactions of science and technology.

**SC14-E1**

Students will design and conduct experiments that distinguish between
natural and artificial objects and materials.

**SC14-E2**

Students will demonstrate trade-offs in safety, cost, efficiency, and
appearance related to technological solutions provided through science.

**SC14-E3**

Students will compare and contrast a variety of scientific and
technological solutions to problems.

**SC14-E4**

Students will examine the role of technology, particularly computers and
other electronic advances, in the advancement of science.

**CONTENT STANDARD 15**

Students will know and understand the impact between science and
technology in society.

**SC15-E1**

Students will illustrate the impact that work settings have on
scientific investigations.

**SC15-E2**

Students will demonstrate how the direction for scientific
investigations is related to social issues and challenges.

**SC15-E3**

Students will explain how the benefits of science and technology are
enjoyed by some groups and not by other groups.

**SC15-E4**

Students will compare and contrast the science contributions of people
with diverse interests, talents, qualities, and motivations from a
variety of social and ethnic backgrounds.

**SC15-E5**

Students will predict new areas of scientific inquiry based on previous
research.

**SC15-E6**

Students will analyze the impact of culture, gender, and other factors
on an individual's choice of science as a career.

**SC15-E7**

Students will differentiate between ethical and unethical scientific
practices and research.

**Science in Personal, Social and Environmental Perspectives**

**CONTENT STANDARD 16**

Students will know and understand the relationship between natural
hazards and environmental risks for organisms.

**SC16-E1**

Students will analyze environmental risks for personal and social costs.

**SC16-E2**

Students will determine options for reducing and eliminating
environmental risks and for coping with natural catastrophic events.

**SC16-E3**

Students will predict the human and financial costs of slow natural
events such as drought and rapid natural events such as earthquakes.

**SC16-E4**

Students will develop models for prevention of substance abuse including
tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs, and to reduce the associated
environmental risks.

Biology Glossary

**A**

**Adaptations** a behavior, physical feature, or other characteristic
that helps an animal survive and make the most of its habitat; the way
any living thing is fitted to the life it leads.

**Alternation of generations** life cycle in which haploid and diploid
generations alternate with each other. The haploid-diploid life cycle is
the most complex life cycle and thus has lots of variations. It is also
the most common life cycle among plants since all land plants are
haploid-diploid.

**Animalia** one of the 5 major kingdoms. Contains all animals.

**Anther** the tip of a flower's stamen; contains the pollen.

**Axil** the angle between the upper side of the stem and the leaf or
petiole.

**Axillary bud** a bud that develops in the axil.

**B**

**Bacteria** a unicellular microorganism associated with processes of
putrefaction, fermentation, and causes diseases in plants and animals.

**Biothems** cave bacteria.

**Byproduct** something produced in the making of something else; a side
effect.

**C**

**Camouflage** a means of concealment or a disguise that creates the
effect of being part of the natural surroundings.

**Carnivora** typically flesh-eating animals.

**Carpel (pistil)** is the structure in a flower that consists of the
stigma, a style, and an ovule-containing ovary; the ovule becomes the
seed and the ovary becomes the fruit.

**Cave** a hollow or natural passage under or into the Earth with an
opening to the surface.

**Cell** is a structural and functional unit of an organism; the small
structure capable of performing all the functions necessary for life.

**Cell membrane** a thin layer of protein and fat that surrounds the
cell, but is inside the cell wall, and is semi permeable.

**Cell organelles** small, often membranous, structure in the cytoplasm,
having a specific structure and function.

**Cell wall** a thick, rigid membrane that surrounds a plant cell; gives
a plant most of its support and structure.

**Centrosome** a small body located near the nucleus---it has a dense
center and radiating tubules. The centrosome is where microtubules are
made.

**Charles Darwin** wrote *The Origin of Species*, animals evolved
through evolution.

**Chemolithotrophs** specialized prokaryotes that are able to oxidize
inorganic chemicals as their sole source of energy and reducing power.

**Chlorophyll** green plant pigment that absorbs the sunlight needed for
photosynthesis.

**Chloroplasts** elongated or disc-shaped organelles containing
chlorophyll.

**Chordata** organisms with a backbone; vertebrates.

**Cinereoargenteus** scientific name for grey fox; based on the Greek
words cinereus (ash-colored) and argenteus (silver), in reference to the
color of the fox.

**Class** a taxonomic category ranking below a phylum and above an
order.

**Classification** to sort into groups.

**Climate** weather condition of an area including prevailing
temperature and average daily/yearly rainfall.

**Compound** substance having two or more different elements united
chemically in a fixed ratio.

**Coniferous** a cone-bearing tree such as a pine or fir tree.

**Conservation** is a scientific discipline that seeks to understand the
effects of human activities on species, communities, and ecosystems and
to develop practical approaches to preventing the extinction of species
and the destruction of ecosystems.

**Constant temperature zone** an area in a cave in which the temperature
stays at 58 degrees regardless of weather on the surface.

**Cytoplasm** contents of a cell between the nucleus and the plasma
membrane that contains the organelles.

**D**

**Deciduous** plants that shed their foliage at the end of the growing
season.

**Desert** an area that receives less than 10 inches of rainfall a year
and has a very high rate of evaporation.

**Dichotomous key** a way of identifying unknown organisms by
constructing a series of couplets, each couplet consisting of two
separate statements, by reading the statements from broad to narrower
characteristics only a single choice will remain.

**Drought** a long period of low rainfall.

**E**

**Ecosystem** all the living organisms in a given area as well as their
physical environment---usually made up of many complex interactions.

**Eukaryotic** an organism whose cells contain a distinct membrane-bound
nucleus.

**Evolution** changes that occur in the members of a species with the
passage of time, often resulting in increased adaptation of organisms to
the environment.

**F**

**Family** the category ranking below an order and above a genus in the
taxonomic classification.

**Fauna** animals, especially of a region or period.

**Filament** is the part of the flower that holds the anther.

**Flora** plants, especially of a specific region or period.

**Flower** the reproductive unit of angiosperm.

**Flower stalk** the structure that supports the flower.

**Fungi** any organism that lacks chlorophyll, includes yeast, molds,
smut, and mushrooms. One of the 5 major kingdoms.

**G**

**Genus** category ranking below a family and above species in the
hierarchy of taxonomic classifications.

**Global warming** predicted increase in the Earth's temperature, due to
the greenhouse effect, which will lead to the melting of polar ice and a
rise in sea levels.

**Golgi body** a flattened, layered, sac-like organelle that looks like
a stack of pancakes and is located near the nucleus. It produces the
membranes that surround the lysosomes. The Golgi body packages proteins
and carbohydrates into membrane-bound vesicles for "export" from the
cell.

**H**

**Habitat** the place where an animal lives.

**Hypothetical** an answer to a question based on the best educated
guess possible.

**I**

**Internode** the area of the stem between any two adjacent nodes.

**K**

**Kingdom** the highest taxonomic classification into which all
organisms are grouped.

**L**

**Lamina** the blade of a leaf.

**Lateral shoot** an offshoot of the stem of a plant (branches).

**Leaf** an outgrowth of a plant that grows from a node in the stem.
Most leaves are flat and contain chloroplasts; their main function is to
convert energy from sunlight into chemical energy (food) through
photosynthesis.

**Leaf apex** the outer end of a leaf; the end that is opposite the
petiole.

**Lysosome** spherical organelles surrounded by a membrane; they contain
digestive enzymes.

**M**

**Mammalia** mammals.

**Midrib** the central rib of a leaf---it is usually continuous with the
petiole.

**Microhabitat** a small area where an organism lives that has different
conditions from another small area that might be right next door.

**Mimicry** a superficial resemblance of two or more species; a
mechanism that avoids predation by appearing to be dangerous.

**Mitochondrion** a microscopic structure in nearly all living cells,
containing genetic material and enzymes important for cell metabolism.
Plural **Mitochondria**.

**N**

**Natural selection** mechanism of evolution caused by environmental
selection of organisms most fit to reproduce; results in adaptation to
the environment.

**Nocturnal** most active at night, sleeps most of the day.

**Node** the part of the stem of a plant from which a leaf, branch, or
aerial root grows; each plant has many nodes.

**Nuclear membrane** a membrane that surrounds the nucleus.

**Nucleolus** an organelle within the nucleus; it is where ribosomal RNA
is produced.

**Nucleus** a spherical body containing many organelles, including the
nucleolus; it also controls many of the functions of the cell and
contains DNA.

**Nucleus** a membrane-bound organelle with a cell that contains
chromosomes and controls the structure and function of the cell.

**O**

**Order** the category ranking below class and above family in the
hierarchy of taxonomic classification.

**Ovary** is a female reproductive organ in plants that produces ovules.

**P**

**Petal** is one of the leafy structures that comprise a flower, they
are usually brightly colored and have many different shapes.

**Petiole** a leaf stalk; it attaches the leaf to the plant.

**Photosynthesis** the process by which plants use the sun's energy to
convert carbon dioxide and water into sugar.

**Phylum** category below a kingdom and above a class in the hierarchy
of taxonomic classifications.

**Pigment** a substance, such as chlorophyll, that produces a
characteristic color in the plant and animal kingdom.

**Prokaryotic** cell lacking a membrane-bound nucleus and organelles,
the cell type within the domain Bacteria and Archaea.

**R**

**Raptor** a bird of prey.

**Ribosome** small organelles composed of RNA-rich cytoplasmic granules
that are sites of protein synthesis.

**Riparian** relating to the banks of a natural course of water.

**Root** is a plant structure that obtains food and water from the soil,
stores energy, and provides support for the plant. Most roots grow
underground.

**Root cap** a structure at the ends of the roots, it covers the growing
end of the root.

**Rough endoplasmic reticulum (rough ER)** a vast system of
interconnected, membranous, in-folded, and convoluted sacks that are
located in the cell's cytoplasm. Rough ER is covered with ribosomes that
give it a rough appearance. Rough ER transport materials through the
cell and produce proteins in sacks called cisternae.

**S**

**Sepal** small leaves located directly under a flower---they are the
outermost part of a flower.

**Simple** leaves that are not divided into leaflets.

**Smooth endoplasmic reticulum (smooth ER)** a vast system of
interconnected, membranous, in-folded, and convoluted tubes that are
located in the cell's cytoplasm. Smooth ER transports materials through
the cell.

**Species** a group of similarly constructed organisms capable of
interbreeding and producing fertile offspring; organisms that share a
common gene pool.

**Stamen** in flowering plants, the portion of the flower that consists
of a filament and an anther containing pollen sacs where pollen is
produced.

**Stem** (also called the axis) the main support of the plant.

**Stigma** the uppermost part of the pistil, the female reproductive
tissue of a flower, receives the male pollen grains during
fertilization, when they travel through the style to the ovary.

**Stipule** the small, paired appendages (sometimes leaf-like) that are
found at the base of the petiole of leaves of many flowering plants.

**Stomata** small pores in a tree's leaves and stems that open to absorb
carbon dioxide and release oxygen.

**Style** is part of the pistil, the female reproductive tissue of the
flower; a long tube located on top of the ovary and below the stigma.

**Survival of the fittest** Darwin asserted that in order for a species
to cope with the ever-changing environments and circumstances it is
subjected to, it must not only adapt, but must also be capable of
passing on those adapted characteristics to its offspring.

**T**

**Taproot** the main root of some plants; the taproot extends straight
down under the plant.

**Taxonomy** a branch of biology concerned with identifying, describing,
and naming organisms.

**Terminal bud** a bud located at the apex of the stem.

**Theoretical** answer based on a theory.

**Transpiration** the process by which a tree loses water through
stomata on its leaves and stems.

**Troglobites** are animals that only live in caves. They can't survive
anywhere else.

**Troglophiles** are animals that like to live in caves but also can
live elsewhere.

**Trogloxenes** are animals that sometimes choose caves as their homes.

**Twilight zone** the part of a cave in which some daylight penetrates
(but not direct sun light) and gradually diminishes to zero light.

**U**

**Urocyon** the genus name based on the Greek words oura (tail) and kyon
(dog).

**V**

**Vacuole** a large, membrane-bound space within a plant cell that is
filled with fluid. Most plant cells have a single vacuole that takes up
much of the cell.

**Variable temperature zone** the temperature inside fluctuates with the
weather outside the cave.

**Vegetative propagation** the term given to any asexual means of
starting new plants.

**Vein** one of the many vascular structures on a leaf; they provide
support for the leaf and transport both water and food through the leaf.

W

**Whorls** a group of three or more leaves of the same kind, arising at
the same level on a stem and arranged in a circle, the petals of a
flower or the branches of a horsetail.

Biology Resources

ABC's of Animal Taxonomy. Retrieved July 15, 2002,
*http://www.pcisys.net/\~dlblanc/taxonomy.html*

Alien Explorers. Retrieved July 17, 2002,
*http://www.alienexplorer.com/ecology/topic3.html*

Anatomy and Physiology. Retrieved August 20, 2002,
*http://www.fi.edu/tfi/units/life/anatomy/anatomy.html*

Audubon Society. Retrieved July 17, 2002, *http://www.audubon.org/*

Bigchalk Education Center. Retrieved July 12, 2002,
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Bigchalk: Homework Central Plant Structure and Growth. Retrieved July
10, 2002,
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Biology Century. Retrieved July 7, 2002,
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Bowers, J.E., (1989). 100 Desert Wildflowers of the Southwest. Tucson:
Southwest Parks and Monuments Association.

Braus, J., (1989). Ranger Rick's Nature Scope: Trees are Terrific.
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Cave Animals. Retrieved August 6, 2002,
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Cave Life. Retrieved July 10, 2002,
*http://www.ans.latech.edu/homes/wakeman/caves/cavelife.html*

Cave Life. Retrieved July 20, 2002,
*http://www.nps.gov/maca/cavelife.htm*

Cell Biology. Retrieved July 15, 2002,
*http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/cells/*

Cells Alive. Retrieved August 6, 2002, *http://www.cellsalive.com*

Cells and Cell Structure. Retrieved August 6, 2002,
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Cells Are Us. Retrieved July 20, 2002,
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Crane, C. (2000). Carlsbad Caverns National Park: Worlds of Wonder.
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Cunningham, R.L., (1990). 50 Common Birds of the Southwest. Tucson:
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Desert Adaptation. Retrieved August 6, 2002,
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Desert Diary Desert Adaptations. Retrieved July 7, 2002,
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Desert Plant Survival. Retrieved July 12, 2002,
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Desert USA. Retrieved July 20, 2002,
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Desert Web Quest. Retrieved August 6, 2002,
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Ecosystems, Biomes, and Watersheds. Retrieved July 15, 2002,
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EnchantedLearning.com. Retrieved August 5, 2002,
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Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved July 12, 2002,
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Fischer, P.C., (1989). 70 Common Cacti of the Southwest. Tucson:
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Form and Photosynthesis in Vascular Plants. Retrieved July 10, 2002,
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Gibbons, G., (1993). Caves and Caverns. San Diego: Voyager Books.

Gunzi, C. (1993). Cave Life: A Close-up Look At the Natural World of a
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I Can Do That -- Cells. Retrieved July 15, 2002,
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Mohr, C. E. & Poulson, T. L., (1966). Our living world of nature: "The
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National Geographic.com. Retrieved July 12, 2002,
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Phillips, J. (1987). Southwestern Landscaping with Native Plants. Santa
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Photosynthesis. Retrieved July 10, 2002,
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Photosynthesis: Energy and Life. Retrieved July 17, 2002,
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Plant and Animal Adaptations. Retrieved August 6, 2002,
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Plant and Animal Cells. Retrieved July 6, 2002,
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Plant Structure and Specialization. Retrieved August 5, 2002,
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Plant Structure: leaves, stems, and roots. Retrieved July 9, 2002,
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Taylor, M.R., (1999). Dark Life: Martian nanobacteria, rock-eating cave
bugs, and other extreme organisms of the inner Earth and outer space.
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The Cell. Retrieved August 20, 2002,
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The Cell. Retrieved August 5, 2002,
*http://library.thinkquest.org/3564/*

The Desert. Retrieved July 7, 2002,
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The Electronic Zoo. Retrieved August 5, 2002,
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Tweit, S.J., (1995). The Great Southwest Nature Fact Book. Portland, OR:
Alaskan Northwest Books.

US Fish and Wildlife Service. Retrieved July 8, 2002,
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Virtual Cell. Retrieved July 6, 2002,
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Wallace M.D., (1996). America's Deserts Guide to Plants and Animals.
Golden, CO: Fulcrum Publishing.

West, S. (2000). Northern Chihuahuan Desert Wildflowers. Helena, MT:
Falcon Publishing Inc.