Impacts of the Built Environment
Supporting
TEKS Objective
The student is expected to predict the effects of changes in ecosystems caused by living organisms, including humans, such as the overpopulation of grazers or the building of highways.
Essential Understanding
The student knows that there are relationships, systems, and cycles within environments.
Science Background
Wildlife Populations and Road Corridor Intersections: Central Federal Lands Highway Division (PDF) - Learn more about how roads and highways effect wildlife populations from this article.
Signature Lesson
Oh Deer! Nature Bridge (PDF) - Students play active roles to simulate wildlife populations, and learn about the effects of changes in ecosystems. Students should play the original game, followed by the second extension, which introduces a limiting factor (represented by a Nerf ball), such as a construction truck bringing materials for a new road.
- Supporting Lessons
- Extensions
- Assessment Ideas
- Literature Connections
- Related
TEKS - Additional Resources
Supporting Lessons
Analyzing Citizen Science Reports on Roadkill: Teaching & Learning with the New York Times (website) - Students use a map to navigate local roads from the perspective of a common animal, and analyze geographic data collected from animals killed in motor vehicle collisions.
Elaboration Lessons and Extensions
Design an Ecosystem: Access Excellence (website) - Students create a simple, imaginary ecosystem, and describe interrelations among species and their physical environment. This high school lesson easily is adapted for fifth grade. Students should include highways or buildings in their designs and explain their effects on the ecosystem
Design an Ecosystem
Access Excellence, www.accessexcellence.org
Interstate Highways: The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Learn NC (website) - Students learn about the interstate highway system, and consider the various impacts of highway construction and utilization.
Interstate Highways
The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Learn NC, www.learnnc.org
Cities Are Urban Ecosystems: Science NetLinks (website) - This is the first in a series of lessons that addresses the concept of cities as urban ecosystems that include both nature and humans in a largely human-built environment.
Cities Are Urban Ecosystems
Science NetLinks, sciencenetlinks.com
Assessment Ideas
Have students observe the microenvironment in their own backyard or near their homes and compare their observations with similar data obtained around their school. Let them write a compare and contrast paper based on the similarities and differences (organisms and physical characteristics) between the two sites.
Literature Connections
Draw-Write-Now, Book 6: Animals and Habitats: On Land, Ponds and Rivers, Oceans. Hablitzel, Marie; Stitzer, Kim (ISBN-13: 978-0963930767)
Exploring Ecosystems with Max Axiom, Super Scientist. Biskup, Agnieszka (ISBN-13: 978-0736878944 )
Desert Giant: The World of the Saguaro Cactus. Bash, Barbara (ISBN-13: 978-1578050857)
Here is the African Savanna. Dunphy, Madeline (ISBN-13: 978-0977379521)
Journey into the Rain Forest. Knight, Tim (ISBN-13: 978-0199107308)
Additional Resources
Habitats, Home Sweet Home: National Geographic Society (website) - Collection of lesson plans and resources on habitats.
Habitats, Home Sweet Home
National Geographic Society, www.nationalgeographic.com
TEKS Navigation
Grade 5
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