Happy Halloween!

Lesson 9:

Ecological Succession

Learning Target

Students will be able to...

explain how ecosystems change over time by describing the stages of ecological succession and showing how disturbances start the process.

Success Criteria

I am successful when I can...

1) Engage in a turn & talk.

2) Explore the different events that cause ecological succession

3) Explain by designing a comic book strip that portrays ecological succession.

4) Elaborate my knowledge of ecological succession to new situations.

Standard

HS-LS2-6: Evaluate the claims, evidence, and reasoning that the complex interactions in ecosystems maintain relatively consistent numbers and types of organisms in stable conditions, but changing conditions may result in a new ecosystem.

Reminders

Ecology End of Unit Exam on Tuesday, October 7th

Tutoring Wednesdays from 3-4 pm in A-301.

Agenda

Activity 1) Warm-Up

Activity 2) Engage: TN'T x 3

Activity 3) Active Reading

Activity 4) Ecological Succession Comic

Activity 5) Something looks sus'

Activity One

Warm-Up

(5 min)

Niche: A niche is an organism’s “job” or role in its environment. It includes what it eats, what eats it, where it lives, and how it interacts with other living things. If two organisms, occupy the same niche, they will compete and only one will win. The loser will move or die.

Invasive species: An invasive species is a plant or animal that moves into a new place where it doesn’t naturally belong. It spreads quickly and often harms the native plants and animals that already live there. It has no natural predator to keep its population in check.

Activity Two

TNT x 3

(10 min)

Round 1: Turn & Talk with your groups about these images and the question:

The images show a timeline.

Explain what happened to the biodiversity from image one through eight?

Round 2: Extend the conversation with a 2nd Turn & Talk response to that image using one or more of the following terms:

Explain what happened to the biodiversity in the forest from image one through eight?

Round 3: Turn & Talk for a 3rd time creating a series of three statements using the following set of conjunctions:

“Because… But… So…”

Explain what happened to the biodiversity from image one through eight?

Example: Mr. Pinho is tired BECAUSE he was up late making an awesome lesson for his students, BUT it's ok since they appreciate him SO it was worth it.