Aquatic+Ecology+Unit

Unit Title: Aquatic Ecology Grade level: 11-12 Subject Area: Modern Consumer Science Unit Designer: Cinda Murray Time frame: 8 weeks =Pennsylvania Environment & Ecology Standard:= 4.1.10B Explain the relationship among landforms, vegetation, and the amount and speed of water. 4.1.10A Describe changes that occur from a stream's origin to its final outflow. 4.1.10C Describe the physical characteristics of a stream, and determine the types of organisms found in aquatic environments. =Performance Indicators / Objectives:=
 * Students will describe natural processes and human activities that affect the quality of groundwater.
 * Students will analyze certain physical characteristics of a stream, including velocity, sediment loading, gradient, and discharge.
 * Students will describe how topography influences stream drainage patterns.
 * Students will explain the influence of mountains on precipitation.
 * Students will experiment to explain how vegetation affects the speed of storm runoff and how vegetation affects erosion.
 * Students will identify PA's major watersheds and their related river sstems and delineate these watershed boundaries.
 * Students will describe changes in a river by tracing the river's flow back to its headwaters and identifying major tributaries.


 * Students will identify and categorize the terrestral and aquatic organisms that live in a watershed.
 * Students will describe and explain some of the abiotic factors that affect a stream and the organisms living there.
 * Students will explain habitat needs of some freshwater aquatic organisms.
 * Students will identify some of the orgainisms that live in PA's Uppe Perkiomen Creek on the basis of the streams physical chatacteristics.

=Essential Vocabulary:= evaporation condensation precipitation transpiration runoff groundwater source mouth velocity bed load tributaries topography

watershed divide

autotrophs saprotrophs raptors shredders omnivores carnivores detritvores biotic factors abiotic factors substrate turbidity algal blooms

=Performance tasks:= Graded notebooks Participation points Lab activities Worksheets Lab practicals Homework Quia Quizzes Tests – written and oral Presentations / Projects Web-based Activities

=Writing:= Note-taking Summarizing / reflections Essays Forums Creative writing Descriptive writing Lab reports Chats online

=Thinking:= Analyzing Evaluating Compare / Contrast Synthesizing

=Speaking:= Small group discussions Class discussions Oral Presentations Oral Assessments

=Reading:= Graphic organizers Outlining / note taking Foldables Popcorn read Reading software

=Teaching strategies:= Lecture & discussion Lab Activities Field trips / Outdoor labs Computer simulations VCR/DVD Smart board Guided practice Bell ringers

=Adaptations:= Differentiated materials & as per IEPs

=Open ended Question:=

What affects an ecosystem?

Daily Lesson Agendas can be found @ http://2010modernscience.wikispaces.com/