1' The Question

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1. The Question

• What is needed for a healthy pond habitat?

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Lesson designed by D. Long HVS/Oakland University
2004
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2. The Task
Your school has just received a special grant
from the Wildlife Society. With this money, a
beautiful new pond will be built in the back of
your school. Your task is to be a Pond Explorer
and find out as much information as you can about
what is needed to make a healthy pond habitat.
You will need to find out the kinds of plants and
animals that would live in a pond. What is
necessary for these living creatures in order to
survive?

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3. The Lesson
To learn all about ponds and the plants and
animals that live there, click on the frog to go
to a website that describes the layers of a pond.
Read the information over with your partner. When
you are done, click on the lily pad to learn
about pond plants and animals. Then go to page 4.
Click here
Click here
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4. The Student Activity

• Click on the turtle below to go to the website,
  Create a Pond.
• With your partner, create your own pond that
  includes animal and pond plants from all levels
  of the pond, including the surface, the
  mid-water, the bottom and the pond margin.

Click here
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5. Assessment

• Get the drawing paper from your teacher.
• 2. Create your own healthy pond by drawing and
  labeling all the plants and animals that live
  there. Use crayons or colored pencils.
• 3. Be sure the drawing includes all the levels of
  a pond.
• 4. Write a description of what plants and animals
  you have used. Explain why they were chosen.
• 5. Finally, explain why your pond is a healthy
  habitat for the creatures that live there.
•       

How will I be graded on my project?
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6. Checklist

Print out a copy of this checklist. Then check
off each item to make sure you have completed it.
Put your name on the paper and turn it in to your
teacher.

• Your pond drawing includes plants and animals
  from all the levels of a pond.
• Your drawing is neatly labeled.
• The drawings are neatly colored.
• Your written description of the pond is complete
  and includes all the plants and animals you drew.
  
• You have stated why these plants and animals are
  needed for a healthy pond habitat.
• Your writing is neat, with all words spelled
  correctly and in complete sentences.
• You used capital letters and punctuation where
  needed.

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7. Enrichment/Differentiation

• The United Streaming video, Animal Profiles
  Frogs, explains the life of a frog. This adds
  additional information for student understanding
  of pond inhabitants.
• Have students explore pond plants and animals
  more in depth. The Enchanted Learning website
  http//www.enchantedlearning.com/biomes/pond/pondl
  ife.shtml has printouts for labeling as well as
  good information on pond creatures.

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8. Standards Benchmarks

• Science-Michigan Core Curriculum
• Describe the basic requirements for all living
  things to maintain their existence
• (III.5.E.3).
• Language Arts-Michigan Core Curriculum
• Use reading for multiple purposes, such as
  enjoyment, gathering information, and learning
  new procedures (1.E.1).
• Identify and use mechanics that enhance and
  clarify understanding. (8.E.1).
• Identify and use resources that are most
  appropriate and readily available for
  investigating a particular question or
  topic.(11.E.2).

Technology Curriculum Basic Operations and
Concepts Use input devices and output
devices to successfully operate computers,
VCRs, audiotapes, and other
technologies. (1.1).
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9. Teacher Tips
You may want to break this lesson into a two day
activity. Partner students together for the
Student Activity and Assessment but have each
student complete and write their own pond
description.

• Good Read-Alouds
• Cherry, Lynn. A River Ran Wild. San Diego, CA
  Harcourt, 1992
• Cole, Joanna. A Frogs Body. New York, NY
  Morrow, 1980.
• Rosen, Michael J. All Eyes on the Pond. New York,
  NY Hyperion, 1994.

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Bibliography
Graphics All pictures were obtained from
Microsoft Office Clip Art Online. Websites
http//www.naturegrid.org.uk/pondexplorer/pond-cro
ss.html http//www.yvw.com.au/newed/juniors/pond/l
ife_in_a_pond.html http//www.geocities.com/Athens
/Atrium/5924/createapond.htm United
Streaming Animal Profiles Frogs. (1991) Rainbow
Educational Media.