Name:  Peter Nelson   

Subject: Biology I

Period: 3rd

Approximate Time: 50 minutes

Objectives:

The student will respond to a reading passage concerning human effects (urban development) in Madagascar (Biology, 7.e).

Materials:

Whiteboard, whiteboard markers, writing utensil, Madagascar handout and worksheet.

Bell work:

Quiz on primary and seconday succesion...poineer species, climax community, lichens etc. Give word bank.

Set:

Write on board as they work on quiz. Also define biodiversity: variety of life in an area.

Written almost 400 years ago...

“No man is an island, entire of itself; . . .

any man's death diminishes me,

for I am involved in mankind,

and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;

It tolls for thee.”   - John Donne (Guildine #7 in assessment instruments)

What is Mr. Donne talking about here? Write down what this means to you. Talking about mankind but could be extended to all species. In a way, he is writing about        interdependency. Today we will be begin talking about human impact on ecosystems and you will examine a case study of Madagascar’s environment.

Procedure:

1. Humans and the environment are linked in a number of ways.  What are some of the ways they are linked that we have talked a little bit about so far? (carbon cycle, food, nitrogen cycle, oxygen cycle)

2. It is important to remember that our surroundings don’t just affect us, we affect our surroundings as well.

3. One way we do this is through urban development. Does anyone know what I mean when I say urban development?

4. Right, so people need places to live, and they compete with other organisms for that space. When large developments are built, many natural habitats are destroyed, and the earth’s biodiversity decreases. Explain what biodiversity means, it should be on the board already.  In fact, biodiversity can happen quickly. Many of the habitats that are still there after urban development are so broken up that they can’t support as many species as larger areas might be able to do. 

5. Today you will be getting a chance to read about the effects of urban development in Madagascar. Pass out the reading comprehension passage. (Guildine #7 in assessment instruments) (10-15 minutes).

6. Go over questions on the back of handout if there is time, otherwise have them turn it in as homework and go over before beginning tomorrow's lesson.

7. Reasons for conserving Madagascar’s environment: Many medications are produced from plants, such as the rosy periwinkle, which is a source of anticancer drugs, and is only found in Madagascar. Pharmaceutical companies have begun looking at other plants to find out if they could be medically important. Madagascar has many unique species of Impatiens, one of the most common and popular garden plants. Animals such as lemurs are fascinating and irreplaceable. If they become extinct we can never bring them back. If deforestation continues in Madagascar, it will cause a crisis in the human population there.

Closure:

Great job today. What does biodiversity mean? How can urban development affect biodiversity? What are some examples of urban development? Today we were able to look at the answers to all of these questions through the example of Madagascar. State objective.  Tomorrow we will continue with human impact on ecosystems. What are some other ways that humans impact ecosystems? (Technology, use of natural resources, ozone, global warming).

Assessment/Evaluation:

Objective: The student will draw information concerning long and short term changes to the environment as a result of human actions from a reading assignment concerning Madagascar’s ecosystem (Biology, 7.e).

Informal: The teacher will supervise (M) the students participation in class and independent questions concerning human effects on the environment (C) throughout the lesson and individual work time.

Formal: The teach will assign a reading comprehension assignment (M) on human effects on the environment in Madagascar (C) that will be graded and recorded in the grade book (D).