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=**Checkpoint one: Wetlands and Everglades Tic Tac Toe**= = =

**Lesson Topic: Wetlands, featuring the Everglades Grade level: 8** **Length of lesson: 3 hr (3 60 minute class periods)**

**3.02 Explain structure of the hydrosphere including water distribution on earth** **3.05 Health of water systems** **3.08 Recognize that good health of environments and organisms requires stewardship** || Students will understand: The importance of wetlands to humans and wildlife. How human activities threaten wetlands. || **Essential Question(s):** Students will be able to: **Please see attached menu** || **Other Evidence:** Pre-assessment day one || Day one: Pre-assessment and discussion Prezi on wetlands (w/video clip) and discussion **Everglades:** Have student volunteers come to front of room and locate FL on Google earth globe on board: __[]__ Silent reading p. 76-77 in textbook Video clip : __[]__ Short discussion, key points
 * **Stage 1 – Desired Results** ||
 * **Content Standard(s):**
 * **Understanding (s)/goals**
 * What is a wetland?
 * Why are wetlands important to humans?
 * Are wetlands important enough to save? ||
 * **Student objectives (outcomes):**
 * Describe the three common types of freshwater wetlands
 * Explain important functions that wetlands serve
 * Identify human activities that threaten the Florida Everglades ||
 * **Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence** ||
 * **Performance Task(s):**
 * **Stage 3 – Learning Plan** ||
 * **Learning Activities:**

Everglades video (4 minutes): __[]__ **Ask/answer questions**

**Day 2:**

Egypt engineered wetlands video (5 minutes): __[]__

Hand out copies of tic-tac-toe (attached).

For the rest of day 2 and day 3 students will work on choices from tic tac toe. ||

__Freshwater Wetlands: Featuring The Everglades__ Choose any three activities below—they should form a tic tac toe (a straight line up or down or diagonally through the center). **With your buddy, choose ONE invasive species to investigate (use the internet or the reference section) and write answers to these questions:** **Why is my species a problem for native species, humans or the environment? What could we do to stop its spread?** **Example: Burmese Python, Mynah bird, Fire Ant.** || **2** **Create a foldable (using paper, markers, colored pencils) that depicts and identifies each of the three types of wetlands we discussed. Your foldable should be in a format that is attractive and useful as a study aid.** || **3** **Create a Powerpoint or Prezi for Mrs. Hanks' 6****th** **grade class on one of the following topics:** **Be sure your presentation is appropriate for 6****th** **graders and includes attractive visual aids and at least six accurate facts.** || **Draw a cross-section of freshwater marsh vegetation and label the different parts of the plant and explain how each part works to clean water. Explain in 2-3 sentences why people say wetlands are Earth's “kidneys”.** || **5** **FREE CHOICE (PLEASE WRITE YOUR PLAN IN THE SPACE BELOW AND GET TEACHER OK). You may work alone or with a buddy.** || **6** **Investigate the proposed Titan cement plant which is scheduled to be built in Eastern NC:** __[|**http://www.wwaytv3.com/group_protests_titan_cement_monday_meeting/04/2009**]__ **Choose a side (for or against) and write a letter to the editor.** || **With your small group (up to three other students)watch this video again:** __[|**http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/environment/going-green-environment/conservation-in-action/everglades.html**]__  **Discuss with your group members and then share with the class: What are the coral reef activist's concerns? Are they valid?** || **8** **Compose an email or a letter to one of our state's US senators (Kay Hagan or Richard Burr) expressing your concern for our nation's wetlands and explaining why it is important to preserve them. Contact:** __[|**http://burr.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm**]__ __[|**http://hagan.senate.gov/?p=contact**]__ || **9** “**River of Grass”** **With your buddy, compose a poem, rap or song that captures your knowledge and feelings about the Everglades. Are they worth saving? Use your notes, textbook, or the internet to include at least four correct Everglades facts. Be ready to perform your creation for the class.** || I choose activities (circle the numbers): **1 2 3 4 5 6** 7 **8 9** I will complete my three activities by (date) _: _
 * **1**
 * **What is a Wetland?**
 * **Wetland Animals**
 * **The Everglades**
 * **4**
 * **7**

__**Justification for Pedagogical Choices:**__ **Opportunity/choice of working with a partner: activities 1, 5, 7, 9.** “Students also consistently highlighted the relevance of being able to interact with peers and how it supported their connection to, and enjoyment of, the class. Favorite class sessions involved working in groups.” Beverly S. Faircloth. 2009. Making the Most of Adolescence: Harnessing the Search for Identity to Understand Classroom Belonging. // Jo ////urnal of Adolescent Research.// 2009. 24; 321. p.20

**Authentic activities that tap into student's reality: activities 5, 6, 8.** “ When instructional planning is guided by worthwhile purposes and goals, curricula will feature content that students can appreciate as worthwhile and activities that they can appreciate as authentic.” Brophy, J. 1999. Toward a Model of the value aspects of Motivation in Education: Developing Appreciation for Particular Learning Domains and Activities. // Educational Psychologist // (34) 2. p.80

**Visual/Spatial: 2, 3, 4.** **Linguistic/verbal: 1, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9.**
 * “ Teachers need to create flexible, yet focused learning experiences that recognize the diversity of learning approaches.” Abruscato, J. and DeRosa, D. (2010). // Teaching Children Science: A Discovery Approach. // Boston: Allyn & Bacon.


 * Varying student mode of expression takes advantage of differing student learner profiles according to Gardner's Multiple Intelligences. Tomlinson, C., 2001. // How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed Ability Classrooms // . Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson., (p. 65 fig. 10.2)

**Choice, self-determination: inclusion of free activity that student can design.** “ With respect to choice, all but two of the students specifically stated that the opportunity to choose their topics and the encouragement to choose a topic that was meaningful to them were the most important curricular aspects of the project.” Fairbanks, C. 2000. Fostering Adolescents' Literacy Engagements: "Kid's Business" and Critical Inquiry. // Reading Research and Instruction, ////40(1)35-50//

**Use of technology: 1, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9.** Not all students in my classes have computer/internet access, so the opportunity to research a topic and/or create a presentation on the computer usually has high appeal.

**Tasks are at varying levels of complexity to match student readiness.** “Readiness differentiation of content has as its goal matching the material or information students are asked to learn to a student's capacity to read and understand it.” (Tomlinson, C., 2001. // How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed Ability Classrooms // . Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.)

**Small group discussion/debate, application of learning to make value judgments (6, 7, 9).** Bloom's taxonomy: I'm asking students to apply what they've learned in the lesson to make an argument balancing protecting the environment (wetlands) with economic realities (activities 6 and 9). Activity 7 addresses concerns of two different environmental groups (one protecting the coral reef and one interested in restoring the Everglades).