Just Waiting for a Drink
Cheryl Everhart
Gardner Elementary School
Gardner Kansas

Overview:

This activity will show students how physical and biological processes interact to produce changes in the environment i.e., wetlands. This particular lesson will give students a chance to understand the environmental diversity of a wetland, including plants, animals, and the ecosystem.


Grade Level: 3 through 6

Time Needed:

Three Weeks. Time needs to be allotted every three days for observation and recording of data.


Geographic Themes:

Human Environment Interaction, Movement, Region.


Kansas Social Studies Standards for Benchmarks, Grade 8-K:

The student will understand the connections among people, places, and environments in the local community, Kansas, the United States, and different nations in the world.


National Geography Standards, Grades K-4:

#8	The geographically informed person knows and understands the characteristics and spatial distribution of ecosystems on Earth's surface.

 

Outcomes:

1. The student will understand how processes interact to produce changes in the environment, i.e. wetland as observing a pond turning into a wetland due to water evaporation.
2. The student will demonstrate an understanding of the importance of wetlands to wildlife and humans in relation to Cheyenne Bottoms located in central Kansas.

 

Performance Objective

Students will be able:

1. to construct a model or drawing of a wetland environment.
2. describe a small part of the diversity of life that exists in a wetland by identifying plants and animals that live there.
3. describe what people can do to be sure wetlands are not damaged or destroyed for future generations.

 

Vocabulary (see Glossary):

ecosystem habitat succession sanctuaries cattails

migration silt wetland extinct

Materials needed:

• Videotape -" Wetland Conservation Cheyenne Bottoms"
• Markers
• Glue
• 8 1/2 x 11 paper
• Book, Squish, a Wetland Walk, (1994). Atheneum Books for Young Readers.
• Book, Magic School Bus Hops Home. A Book About Animal Habitats, (1995). Scholastic, Inc. Poster, "Wetlands, Water, Wildlife, Plants, and People"
• A Wetlands Visit, a choral reading adapted from Alaska Wildlife Curriculum, Wetlands and Wildlife.
• 2 liter plastic bottles
• soil
• grass seed or birdseed water plants
• rulers
• diagram of wetland food chain Kansas map of counties
• Map of North America.

Procedures:

Introduction: (May be used for teacher and/or student information at any point during the lesson-preferably after day 2.)

Marsh, swamp, bog, fen, slough, wet meadow, prairie pothole-each of these names apply to a wetland depending on where the wetland is located and what grows in it.

Wetlands serve many purposes. Migrating birds depend upon food from the wetlands that lie on their migratory route. Insects, spiders, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians depend on the wetlands for their habitat. Wetlands help control floodwaters. Wetlands help to refill and purify ground water reserves by allowing water to slowly filter downward. Plants such as ferns, cattails, and marsh grasses are often found in wetland areas. Pollutants are often filtered through wetlands. Wetlands provide sanctuary for endangered birds. Wetlands are important to the ecosystem, i.e. the food chain for plants and animals. Many people enjoy recreational aspects of the wetlands through fishing, hunting, and observing.

Cheyenne Bottoms is a 19,000 acre wetland in central Kansas near Great Bend. It is one of 5 remaining wetlands in central Kansas. Every year in the United States, 300,000 wetlands are destroyed for future farming or development.

Cheyenne Bottoms is the top shorebird spring migration area in 48 states. Nearly 1/2 of all North American shorebirds migrating east of the Rocky Mountains visit Cheyenne Bottoms each year.

 

Day 1

• 1.	KWL about Wetlands. Find out what students Know. Then find out what students Would like to know.
  2.	Show video, "Wetland Conservation Cheyenne Bottoms." Discuss what children found out about wetlands and what constitutes a wetland.

  
  Day 2

  3.	Read story to class, Hops Home. A Book About Animal Habitats. Discuss the animals and plants of a wetland. Which animals would be found in a Kansas wetland?
  4.	Assign students to each of the parts of A Wetland Visit. Their roles are to say the words in parenthesis whenever their part is mentioned. After the play, explain there is a wetland somewhere near their home.
  5.	Give students white paper. Review the definition of a freshwater wetland. Draw a wetland scene on the paper using the poster "Wetlands: Water, Wildlife, Plants and People." Students will research plants and animals common to Kansas wetlands. They may then cut their plants from the sheet that are common to their Kansas wetland area.
  6.	Discussion... a. What animals would you find near your home? b. In which habitat do you think could you find the other animals? c. What can you say about wetlands and the life they support?

  
  
  Procedure for constructing the wetland experience:

7.	Put a layer of soil in a clear two liter plastic bottle with the top cut off. Make the soil slope steeply from one side to the other. Add water so half of soil is above the water line and half is below the water line.
8.	Sprinkle ten seeds in the container some on dry soil, some on water.
9.	Place plants in water.
10.	Draw a picture on the activity sheet showing what the environment looks like.
11.	Every three days sprinkle then more seeds in container. Measure and record the water level. Do NOT add more water.
12.	Count and record the number of seeds and whether they are alive or dead.
13.	On days 5, 10, and 15, draw a picture of the environment as observed on the activity sheet.

 

Conclusion:

Finish KWL Chart. The L part showing what has been Learned.

Write a two paragraph reaction paper as to what is a wetland, what plants and animals are in one and what people can do to safeguard them.

What happens as a water environment changes to a land environment?

How do seeds spread in nature?

How would pollution change the environment?

Check the Wetland picture to see if plants and animals are correctly categorized?

Assessment:

Note completion of model or drawing?

Observe identification accuracy.

Check completion of paragraphs regarding wetlands.

Resources:

(1996). Cheyenne Bottoms Driving Tour. Kansas Audubon Council.

(1996). Conservation Kansas, Nature Conservancy, Kansas Chapter.

Water Previous Water, Book A; Aims Education Foundation. (1988). Aims Education Foundation, Fresno, CA.

Wetlands Poster. Department of Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, Colorado.

Nature Scope. Wading into Wetlands

Magic School Bus. Hops Home: A book About Animal Habitats. (1995). Scholastic Book Company. New York.

Challard, Helen J. (1992). Disappearing Wetlands. Danbury, Conn.: Childrens Press.

Hirsch, Ron. 1994). Save Our Wetlands. New York., NY: Delacorte Press.

Luenn, Nancy. (1994). Squish! A Wetland Walk. S & S Childrens Press.

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irc staff 11/13/97 (updated kn 06/18/99) judi 04/19/00 Disclaimer