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Project Description

 

Everything in our environment affects us.  Whether it’s a small insect or a large flower, everything has a place in society. Urbanization has destroyed many indigenous species of plants and insects.  As part of Mayor Daley’s Urban Garden Project and the Illinois State Prairie Project, student will recreate a prairie on school property, in order to maintain an awareness of how important our surroundings are to humans and our survival.   

 

Project Goals

 

Essential Question:

How do we protect and preserve our environment?

 

Specific Questions:

  • What are the characteristics of those plants, animals, and insects living in the Prairie?
  • How are those animals, plants, and insects are interacting in order to survive in the Prairie?
  • Have prairie animals, insects and plants made some adaptations in order to survive?
  • What can we do?
  • How do we restore small areas of land to natural biomes?
  • How do we introduce native species to the natural biomes?
  • How do we impact the community in order to gain resources and support?
  • How does the individual’s involvement affect the environment?
  • How does an individual maintain the restored areas?
  • What is a prairie?  What are the characteristics of a prairie?
  • What is the role of fire on the prairie?
  • Are there different kinds of prairies in Illinois?
  • What environmental conditions affected the Illinois prairie?
  • How did community development and expansion unto prairie lands impact the Illinois prairies?
  • What conservation efforts are currently being undertaken to protect Illinois prairies?
  • What plants and animals are native to the prairie?
  • What plants, insects, and animals live in the prairie? In order to restore and protect our prairie today?
  • What major roles will the prairie have on the future of Illinois?

 

 

Illinois and CPS Standards

Science
State Goal #    CAS letter CSF #
SG:8:ll A 1,2,3,6
SG:8:l2 B 1,2
SG:8:l3 A 7

Language Arts
STATE GOAL 10: A 1
STATE GOAL 7:  A 7
STATE GOAL 5: A 1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9

  

Fine Arts
Grade 8 A 1

         

PRE UNIT PRE REQUISITES

 

 

·        Language Arts Lesson in Written Reports Preparation

·        Preparation of a Bulletin Board with Prairie Information.

·        Lesson in the Use of the Internet.  (Pre-Internet Activity)

·        Field trip to Museum, Parks, and Gardens

o       Notebearst Nature Museum

o       Avondale Park

o       Dominick’s Flower Shop

o       Chicago Botanic Garden

·        PowerPoint presentation as a review

o       Las Praderas and The Tallgrass Prairie

·        Use word processor.

·        Prepare a questionnaire to determine student’s knowledge of subject.

·        Visit the public library to find information about prairies.

·        Search information on the Internet about animals, plants, and insects in the prairie.

·        Field trip to the Peggy Nortbaert Nature Museum and the Chicago Botanical Garden.

·        Divide classes in categories: animals, plants, insects and reptiles in the prairie.

·        Each student will choose a particular plant, animal, reptile or insect, which they will report about.

·        Research their topic; present the research to the class and determine how they are related in the ecosystem.

 

 

Performance Tasks

 

Access:

  • Investigate the native species of plants, butterflies, and birds that are found in our region, including migratory butterflies and birds.
  • Inspect different web sites to gather data on prairies.
  • Survey the student and community population about their knowledge of prairie.
  • Construct questions to guide their research.
  • Collect and record information to answer their questions
  • Prepare an overview of content to locate relevant questions.
  • Utilize different resources (library, human and electronics resources)
  • Locate and utilize web sites.
  • Present written and oral report using the information researched. 

 

Interpret: 

  • Evaluate the location and health of the plants that have been planted.
  • Judge the location of plants and insects in the prairie. 
  • Combine information gathered from web sites, libraries and human resources.             
  • Analyze the relationship between animals and plants.
  • Integrate individual reports of animal, plant or insect chosen into a class written report.

 

Produce: 

  • Create a map of existing plants.
  • Create a plan for future plantings.
  • Compose a research paper of their chosen plant or animal.
  • Build a presentation on their chosen topic.
  • Design and display a wall mural of their plants or animal.

 

Communicate: 

  • Debate the questions necessary to report on attitudes and knowledge of the community.
  • Describe the garden as it is now and how it will be at the end in a scale drawing.
  • Persuade parents and other students to care for the prairie garden.
  • Present their knowledge to other classes using the mural.

 

          Evaluate:

  • Teacher evaluation of written and oral presentation based on depth of understanding, and clarity of written papers
  • Critique own work and work of others using rubrics.
  • Check the accuracy of the scale drawing.

 

 

Performance Assessment Plan

 

A checklist will be utilized to determine the complexities of their research. Written and oral presentations will be scored on a rubric to determine student performance.  A checklist will be used for self and group evaluation. Final display of mural for the appreciation of teachers, students and community.

 

Teacher Resources

  

Books

Armento, Nash, Salter, Wixson, A more perfect union, Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, pp 1-15.

Chadwick, Dougls, The American Prairie, Roots, National

Geography Society, 1999.

Duffey, Eric, Grassland life, Robert B. Clarke, Danberry

Press, Division of Glorier Enterprises, Inc., 1975, pp1-139

Haley-James, warren Stewing, English, Houghton Mifflin Co.,

Boston, pp 160-177

Helmus, Toppin, Pounds, Arnsdorf, Estados Unidos Ayer y Hoy

Silver, Burdett & Ginn, Inc., USA, pp 54-75

Illinois Deparment of Natural Resources, Educational Services State Symbols Fact Sheets, Springfield, Il., pp1-15

McClain, William E.. Illinois Prairie: Past and Future: A Restoration Guide. Illinois Deparment of Conservation Division of Natural Heritage: 1986.

Siy, Alexandra, Native Grasslands, Dillon Press, Macmillan

Publishing Co., 1991, pp 1-68

Stone, Sally F. (of Nature Association of Young Naturalists) , and heide J. Selig, for the Illinois Deparment of Conservation, Illinois Natural Heritage Conservation Education Kit 3., Springfiled, Il. Copyright, 198

 

Web sites

http://www.prairiepages.com/#prairie

http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/~kenr/prairiewhatis.html

http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/~kenr/prairietypes.html

http://www.campsilos.org/mod1/teachers/r_index.shtml#animals

http://www.allaboutnature.com/biomes/grassland/prairie.shtml

http://www.museum.state.il.us/exhibits/midewin/mammals.html

http://www.museum.state.il.us/exhibits/midewin/spdiversity.html

http://www.museum.state.il.us/exhibits/midewin/dolprairie.html

http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/~kenr/prairieplants.html

http://www.prairiepages.com/#where

http://www.museum.state.il.us/exhibits/midewin/plantadapt.html

http://www.ncrel.org/mands/FERMI/prairie/Prairie_Res/intro.html

http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/~kenr/prairierestoration.html

 

Project Prairie Review (A POWER POINT ACTIVITY)

 

     Using a power point presentation prepared by the teacher titled “Las Praderas” and "The Tallgrass of the Prairie", students will review the information obtained through different resources as textbooks, books, and resources in their school and community libraries about prairies

 

 

 

 

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