Introduction
Students learn about wetland ecosystems by studying life in a local pond, slough, marsh, fen orbog. Through classroom studies, and studies in the field, students learn about organisms that live in, on and around wetlands and about adaptations that suit pond organisms to their environment. Through observation and research, students learn about the interactions among wetland organisms and about the role of each organism as part of a food web. The role of human action in affecting wetland habitats and populations is also studied.
Task
Start by searching your local library for books that can help you learn about hearing and sound! Sign out 5 books that you can read and understand.
Watch this VIDEO about one Alberta wetland visit.
To get you ready for this unit, spend your first day day reading and exploring the pond section of this website: POND HABITATS
Some useful websites for you to use:
TREAT IT RIGHT - CITY OF EDMONTON
DEFENDERS OF WILDLIFE - WETLANDS
Please choose and complete at least ONE activity for each curriculum outcome.
The Outcomes are numbered (1, 2, 3...)
Activities are listed alphabetically (a, b, c...)
For example you may choose to do activities 1b, 2a, 3a, 3b, 4c etc...
You can do MORE than one activity under each outcome but you must complete at least ONE under each numbered outcome.
Some activities need additional supplies or adult help but you can probably do most of them by yourself.
When you have completed at least ONE activity for EACH outcome, you can do the evaluation!
Process
5-10 Describe the living and nonliving components of a wetland ecosystem and the interactions within and among them.
1) Recognize and describe one or more examples of wetland ecosystems found in the local area; e.g., pond, slough, marsh, bog, fen...
a) Divide a sheet of paper into 5 sections and label the sections "bog", "fen", "marsh", "pond", and "swamp". Read about the five types of wetland ecosystems and take 1-3 word notes on your divided sheet. You should have at least 5 interesting details (10 would be better) about each ecosystem. THEN choose one of the following:
- create an infogram comparing the 5 ecosystems. Some infograms which might inspire you can be found HERE.
- create a matching quiz with at least 5 questions. Each question should have 5 possible choices and 5 ecosytems to match to the choices. For example: "Match the wetland ecostystems to the kinds of plants that are found there."
2) Understand that a wetland ecosystem involves interactions between living and nonliving things, both in and around the water.
a) Choose ONE wetland ecosystem to study in-depth. Read about your chosen ecosystem, watch videos, and if possible, go on a fieldtrip to the ecosystem. THEN choose one of the following:
- Draw a cross-section diagram of your ecosystem. Include the soil types, water, plant life, animal life, and surrounding environment. Label each important detail in the diagram. There should be at least 3 arrows showing how one part of the ecosystem interacts with another (eg. an animal eating a plant or other animal) Some inspirational sample diagrams of ecosystems (not necessarily wetlands) can be found HERE.
- Draw a diargam of the nutrient cycle in your ecosystem. Your diagrom should include both food webs AND the water cycle as related to your specific ecosystem. Excellent learners may also choose to include sources of pollution or damage which might impact the nutrient cycle, as well as details about the soil, and photosynthesis by plants.
3) Identify some plants and animals found at a wetland site, both in and around the water; and describe the life cycles of these plants and animals. Watch this VIDEO.
a) Choose one plant found in a wetland and one animal who has a wetland habitat. THEN choose one of the following:
- Write and illustrate a 2 storybooks about the life cycle from the perspective of the plant and the animal. For example, Your story might start "I am a tiny seed..." or "I am warm inside my little egg...".
4) Identify and describe adaptations that make certain plants and animals suited for life in a wetland.
5) Understand and appreciate that all animals and plants, not just the large ones, have an important role in a wetland community.
a) Create 2 small posters with a picture of your plant/animal in the middle of the poster. Surrounding the plant/animal show other plants/animals/parts of the environment which interact with or depend on the plant or animal you chose. Write short descriptions of how the central plant/animal is important to each other part of the wetland ecosystem.
6) Identify the roles of different organisms in the food web of a pond:
- producers-green plants that make their own food, using sunlight
- consumers-animals that eat living plants and/or animals
- decomposers-organisms, such as molds, fungi, insects and worms, that reuse and recycle materials that were formerly living.
7) Draw diagrams of food chains and food webs, and interpret such diagrams.
8) Recognize that some aquatic animals use oxygen from air and others from water, and identify examples and adaptations of each.
a) Create a Venn diagram. One circle should show animals who use oxygen from the air. The other circle should show animals who use oxygen from the water. There may be some animals in overlapping area who use both.
b)
9) Identify human actions that can threaten the abundance or survival of living things in wetland ecosystems; e.g., adding pollutants, changing the flow of water, trapping or hunting pond wildlife.
a) Watch this VIDEO
10) Identify individual and group actions that can be taken to preserve and enhance wetland habitats.
11) Recognize that changes in part of an environment have effects on the whole environment.
***BONUS***
Learn about wetlands all over the world by watching these videos: PART ONE and PART TWO
Evaluation
Play this QUIZ GAME