What's up with Wetlands?
Author: Sarah Pounders
Overview
Widespread concern for the environment began to grow in the late 1960’s
and is a constant topic in media and policy discussions today. Students
need to learn how to research and interpret current events and gain
an appreciation for the importance of keeping abreast of new developments.
Objective: Students will each find and evaluate
an article concerned with wetland habitat destruction or endangered
carnivorous
plant species
and develop a reaction paper that demonstrates their critical reading
skills.
Standards (Microsoft
Word document)
Materials: Internet access
Background
Introduce students to carnivorous plants, their status as endangered
species, and issues related to the loss of wetland habitats using
these Kidsgardening resources:
Bugs Beware! Exploring Carnivorous Plants
Wondrous Wetlands
Laying the Groundwork
Ask students the following questions:
-
What is a habitat? Name some different habitats
you’ve visited.
-
What is a wetland habitat? What are some of the
plant and animal
species that live there?
-
Why are wetland habitats in danger?
What about the plant and animals that call them home?
Exploration
1. Ask each student to find a recent article
related to wetland habitat loss or endangerment of carnivorous plants.
Here are two online sources for listings of recent news:
Wetland Breaking News
Archived Wetland news from the New York Times
2. Instruct students to write a paper summarizing
the article, and to include a personal editorial reflecting their
thoughts
about the information.
Prompt them with questions, such as:
-
Was more than one point of view represented in the
article?
-
Did the author mention where they got information
to support the
points or claims in the article? Does this encourage
you to trust this information or not?
-
What did you learn from the article? Did it help
you understand the issue better? Did it change your mind about
any aspect
of the topic?
3. Have students share their findings by creating a display of their
articles/reaction papers and/or through brief oral presentations.
Making Connections
Students need to feel empowered to find solutions for the issues they
uncover. Create a chart of issues they’ve identified during this assignment
follow up by brainstorming possible solutions. Visit How
Can I help Save Carnivorous Plants from Extinction? for a starting
point.
Branching Out
-
Expand discussion and research of wetlands using books
from the EPA’s
Wetlands
Reading List
-
Find a local land or water issue to champion
in your area, such as protection of a habitat or watershed, or an awareness
campaign
for pollution control (such as decreasing pesticide of fertilizer
use). Participate in environmental actions such as water monitoring
or litter removal.
-
Create a schoolyard habitat to demonstrate “green” principles
in your own backyard.
-
Write to your senators or representative
to tell them how you feel about the environmental issues you’ve researched.
Image courtesy of Environmental
Concern, Inc.
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