A Changing Earth

Unit Objectives:

Students will...

Identify and explain ecological succession.
Analyze scenarios to determine if primary or secondary succession has occured based on the definitions.
Analyze the economical, social, and cultural consequences of anthropogenic influences on ecosystem succession.
Interpret and analyze implications for mass extinction in geological history.
Create a geologic timeline with 25 major events (biological, ecological, mass extinctions).

Students will...

Read and take notes using context clues, guiding questions and reading strategies.
Define important vocabulary words using context clues, bilingual glossaries, dictionaries and other provided resources.
Pictorially demonstrate understanding using a graphic organizer and sentence frames.
Participate in class discussion by stating a claim and providing evidence to support their argument using sentence frames.

Step 1: Read the provided reading (Section 5.7 to 5.9) from Botkin's Environmental Science: Earth as a Living Planet.

Step 2: Answer the provided questions (document on right)

Assignment #1: Ecological Succession

Step 1: Complete the following animation using the first link to the right. (In a document, take a screen shot of your final results)

Step 2: Create a Succession comic strip for both primary and secondary succession.

Step 3: In a paragraph, explain how these two comic strips differ and how they are similar.

Simulation Link Button

Step 1: Complete the worksheet provided while watching the provided film.

Step 2: Answer the following writing prompt:

Requirements: At least three paragraphs need to be written in MLA format.

Mass Extinction: Life at the Brink

Step 1: In small groups (no more than 2), compile a list of 25 major geological events.

Include:

Step 2: In a writing prompt or mini-presentation, answer the following question:

Interactive Geologic Timeline

BGS Geologic Timeline

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