Content Standard A, Scientific Inquiry: As a result of activities in grades 9-12, all students should develop abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry, including the ability to use technology and mathematics to improve investigations and communications and the ability to communicate and defend a scientific argument.
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Content Standard C, Life Science: As a result of activities in grades K-4, all students should develop an understanding of the characteristics of organisms, life cycles of organisms, and organisms and environments.
Required Software: Microsoft Word 98/2000, Microsoft PowerPoint 98/2000, Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.5 or later, Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 98/2000 What's in this Lesson:
Teacher Guide (including How to Begin) Student Activity, Step by Step:
Step A: Pick a Warmer-Upper Step B: Understand the Science Step C: The Human Touch Step D: Red-Hot Presentations!
Teacher Guide
Summary:
Students investigate various methods that animals use to warm up in cold weather—everything from growing new fur to burrowing in mud—and explore the science principles involved. They then identify a human parallel, discuss what we can learn from nature about staying warm in winter, and create multimedia presentations explaining their findings.
Objectives:
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To identify the many ways in which animals stay warm in winter
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To understand scientifically how warming processes work
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To draw parallels between the animal and human worlds
Prerequisite Skills:
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Familiarity with Microsoft Word
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Introduction to Microsoft PowerPoint
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Ability to conduct research using Microsoft Internet Explorer and the Internet, as well as Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia
Time Allotted:
Two to four class periods
How to Begin:
1.
Familiarize yourself with the Web sites and other materials listed under Resources. You might want to augment these resources with library materials about animals in winter and basic science principles.
2.
This project will involve your students working both individually (in Step A) and in small groups (Steps B-D). Students will team up according to the category of inquiry they are pursuing. Be prepared to redirect students in Step A or split the teams that form in Step B to create manageable working groups for the rest of the lesson.
3.
Download the Warmer-Uppers Worksheet listed under Resources, and photocopy it for each child. Hold the worksheets for distribution later.
4.
Also photocopy the Student Activity for each child and hold the copies for later distribution.
5.
Kick off the lesson by bringing your whole class together for a brainstorming session. Ask students to name all the different ways they know of that animals stay warm in the winter. Encourage them to name specific animals (for example, grizzly bears hibernate, my dog grows thicker fur, and so on). Record all their suggestions on the board.
6.
Hand out the Warmer-Uppers Worksheet. Explain that this sheet lists four main ways in which animals get warm during the winter:
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Bundle Up: Some animals grow more fur during the winter. Others cover themselves in snow or mud.
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Snuggle Up: Some animals huddle together for warmth.
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Gimme Shelter: Some animals hide from the cold in trees, under rocks, or underground.
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Increase the Heat: Some animals seek out warmth by migrating south or locating themselves near heat sources such as warm springs. Others rub their limbs together for friction.
Note that hibernation and dormancy do not appear as Warmer-Uppers. This adaptive strategy involves very different scientific principles—a slowing down of body systems to adapt to cold rather than an effort to increase or maintain body heat. Hibernation and dormancy could be the subject of another lesson altogether.
7.
Have students use the list you created in Step 5 above to add animal and human examples under the appropriate heading on the Warmer-Uppers Worksheet. Check students' work to make sure they understand the concept. Tell students that they will be using this worksheet as they proceed with the lesson.
8.
Hand out the Student Activity sheet, review the steps, and have students begin working individually on Step A.
9.
While students are working on Step A, clear a bulletin board or wall space for them to display their Step A work. This will help students form their groups (based on Warmer-Upper categories) for Step B and beyond.
Description: Animals have lots of ways to stay warm during winter, as you have seen! Now you are going to learn more about how one particular critter does it—including the science behind it all—and think about similar methods humans use to brave the coldest weather. In the end, you'll present your findings to your entire class.
Step A Pick a Warmer-Upper Software: Microsoft Word 98/2000, Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.5 or later, Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 98/2000, Microsoft PowerPoint 98/2000 What to do: Begin by focusing on one method of staying warm in winter and one animal that uses it.
1.
Look over your filled-in Warmer-Uppers Worksheet. Of all the animals listed, which one would you most like to study?
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On your worksheet, circle the animal you choose.
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If you're not that interested in any of the animals listed on the sheet, think of another animal that adapts to cold weather. List that animal under the worksheet heading that best fits, and check with your teacher before proceeding.
2.
Use Encarta Encyclopedia and Internet Explorer to find out more about your animal and how it warms up in winter. Open a new Word document to collect your research notes, graphics, and links. Here are some specific things to look for:
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What is your animal called by scientists?
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Where does it live?
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At what time of year does it begin its winter adaptation? (For example, after the first frost, or at the beginning of fall.)
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Step by step, how does the animal adapt?
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What happens when winter is over?
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How do changes in the environment (for example, warmer winters) affect this animal?
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Try to find at least one picture of your animal in its Warmer-Upper mode.
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Keep a list of the Web links and other research resources you use.
3.
Turn your notes into several simple PowerPoint slides:
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Start PowerPoint, and choose Blank Presentation.
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In the New Slide dialog box, choose Title Only.
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Type in your Warmer-Upper category name (such as Bundle Up or Increase the Heat) and your animal's name as the title. You may need to reduce the font size or increase the title area size to fit.
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Go back to your Word document, and click one of your pictures to select it. On the Edit menu, click Copy.
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To place the picture, return to PowerPoint, click on your slide, and select Paste from the Edit menu. Use the Picture toolbar to adjust the picture's size and shape. Be sure to credit your source if the picture doesn't already include a credit.
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On the Insert menu, click Text Box, and create a space on your slide to record each of your facts. Be sure to cite your sources.
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If your slide gets too crowded, create a new slide by selecting New Slide from the Insert menu and repeating Steps 3a through 3e.
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Save your work under your name plus your animal's name (for example, JennySnowshoeHare). Print it, and show your teacher what you've done so far.
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Post your printouts on the bulletin board area your teacher has set aside for this project. Read through your classmates' work, and pay particular attention to the other animals in your Warmer-Upper category. You will be seeing them again soon!
Step B Understand the Science Software: Microsoft PowerPoint 98/2000, Microsoft Word 98/2000, Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.5 or later, Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 98/2000 What to do: Now you'll join forces with some of your classmates for further exploration:
1.
Form a team with your classmates who focused on the same Warmer-Upper category that you focused on. If your team is too big, your teacher may split it into two or more teams.
2.
Gather around a computer and show one another the simple PowerPoint presentations you created in Step A. Note the similarities and differences among the animals you explored.
3.
Next, open a new Word document, and together make a list of the questions your team has about the science of your animals' adaptation. For example:
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How exactly does fur keep an animal warm?
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Why is a small, enclosed space warmer than a big, open one?
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How does body contact affect body temperature?
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Divide up the work of doing research to answer these questions. You can do this in one of several ways. For example, you could assign a team member to explore each of the resources your teacher has assembled for you and try to answer all of your research questions. Or you could have each team member tackle a different question and come back with the answer from several sources.
5.
However you decide to structure the research work, your goal will be to gather enough information so that your group can understand and explain the science behind your animals' winter adaptations. Here's how:
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Have each team member present his or her findings to the whole group. Ask questions and take notes.
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Discuss common points among the different presentations.
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Use the information gathered from your discussions to describe the basic scientific process or principle that explains how your Warmer-Upper really works. The following slide shows an example.
6.
Launch PowerPoint, and create one or more simple slides explaining the scientific concept. Illustrate your slides using clip art (on the Insert menu, click Picture and then Clip Art), the drawing tools (on the View menu, click Toolbar and then Drawing), and/or the animal pictures your team members gathered in Step A.
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Show your slides to your teacher, who can help you check the science behind your thinking.
8.
Finalize your slides based on your teacher's feedback, and save your work.
Step C The Human Touch Software: Microsoft PowerPoint 98/2000, Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.5 or later, Microsoft Publisher 98/2000 What to do: Now that you understand the science of staying warm for animals, it's time to look at how it works for people:
1.
With your team, brainstorm several ways in which human beings use the Warmer-Upper method you studied to keep themselves toasty in winter. Be sure to look for all of the following:
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Natural functions of the human body (such as storing fat for insulation or growing a beard for warmth)
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Human-made parallels to animal adaptations, such as thick sweaters and home insulation
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Human behaviors that remind you of animal adaptations (such as going to Florida for winter vacations!)
2.
Create several simple slides that show these human Warmer-Uppers.
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There's another side to the human touch: the negative impact that humans can have on animals' natural habitats and processes:
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As a team, talk about the possible ways in which things like global warming, pollution, and urban sprawl might affect your animals' Warmer-Uppers.
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When you have identified one or more possible effects, use your research resources to find out more.
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Create several new slides to communicate what you discover, and what steps humans should take to solve the problems they may have created.
Step D Red-Hot Presentations! Software:Microsoft PowerPoint 98/2000 What To Do: Now it's time to bring all of your research together into one great show!
1.
As a team, assemble your printed slides—including those you created individually in Step A—and lay them out on a table or the floor.
2.
Decide together the best order for presenting all of your information. A suggested outline might be:
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Title slide, presenting the name of the Warmer-Upper category and listing the team members' names
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Agenda slide, indicating the topics that follow
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The science slides, explaining how your Warmer-Upper works
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Your individual animal slides, arranged in alphabetical order
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Your human parallel slides
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Your human impact slides
3.
Look for places where the information is repeated; you may be able to edit out pieces of information or even whole slides. Also look for information gaps that need to be filled.
4.
On the computer, start PowerPoint, and open a new presentation. You might choose one of the Design Templates (such as Nature or Sunny Days), or create your own by selecting Slide Master from the View menu. Here you can define the fonts and font colors you want to appear in the presentation. You can also add a graphic element that will appear on each slide by choosing Picture from the Insert menu.
5.
Create your title slide and agenda slide.
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Open the science presentation that you created in Step B. On the View menu, click Slide Sorter. Then on the Edit menu, click Select All and then Copy.
7.
Return to your new presentation. On the View menu, click Slide Sorter, and place the insertion point after the agenda slide. Then, on the Edit menu, click Paste. Your slides should integrate into the template design.
8.
Repeat with your other slides. Save your work.
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Add transition effects, sound, and animation if you choose. For example, you might want to create a fade transition between two pictures of a snowshoe hare, showing how it looks before and after its winter transformation.
10.
Go through your presentation and proofread, correct, fine-tune, and save again.
11.
With your teammates, decide who will cover which slides when you present to the class. Practice giving your presentation as a slide show.
12.
Now present your slides, and show your classmates how much you know!
