BEST PRACTICES JANUARY 2007

BEST PRACTICESJANUARY 2007 Using creativity & assessment in the classroom

Getting Student Feedback • Test review & assessment • Students wanted more interactive/hands on assignments • A new character appears to provide more interaction • Comparing the old with the new

The Old WAY • Biome - Terrestrial climax communities with wide geographic distributions. • Usually defined by undisturbed natural plant communities. • Temperature • Precipitation

Nine major biomes • Desert • Grassland • Savanna • Mediterranean Shrublands • Tropical Dry Forest • Tropical Rainforest • Temperate Deciduous Forest • Taiga • Tundra

Desert • Less than 25 cm annual precipitation. • Unevenly distributed throughout the year. • Large daily temperature fluctuations. • Likely to be windy. • Infrequent cloud cover. • Many species, but low numbers. • Most species exhibit specialized adaptations to climate. • Water Conservation

Grasslands • Also known as prairies or steppes. • Receives 25 -75 cm of annual precipitation. • Fire regime usually present. • Rainfall sporadic enough to cause droughts. • Historically evolved with large herds of migratory grazing mammals. • Supply fertilizer and discourage invasion by woody species.

Savanna • Receives 50-150 cm annual precipitation. • Unevenly distributed throughout year. • Seasonally structured ecosystem. • Fire is a common feature. • Many trees involved in nitrogen fixation.

Mediterranean Shrublands • Also known as Chaparral. • Receives 40-100 cm annual precipitation. • Wet, cool winters and hot, dry summers. • Typical of Mediterranean coast, coastal southern California, as well as parts of Africa, Chile, and Australia. • Vegetation dominated by woody shrubs adapted to hot, dry summers. • Fire is a common feature.

Tropical Dry Forest • Annual precipitation ranges 50-200cm. • Many exhibit monsoon climate. • Rainfall highly seasonal. • Drought resistant plants.

Tropical Rain Forest • Located near equator where temperature is relatively warm and constant. • Most areas receive 200+ cm annual rainfall. • (Some in excess of 500 cm) • Soil allows high levels of leaching, thus most nutrients are tied-up in biomass. • Multi-layered canopy. • Epiphytic plants • Very high species diversity.

Temperate Deciduous Forest • Receives 75-100 cm annual precipitation. • Evenly distributed throughout the year. • Trees typically lose their leaves during the winter and replace them the following spring. • Mild winters • Long growing season (6 months). • Relatively few species.

Taiga, Northern Coniferous (Boreal) Forest • Receives 25-100 cm precipitation annually. • Short, cool summers. • Long winters with abundant snowfall. • Humid climate • Trees adapted to winter conditions: • Needle-shaped leaves prevent water loss. • Flexible branches

Tundra • Less than 25 cm annual precipitation. • Permanently frozen soil (permafrost). • Short, wet summer. • Waterlogged soils and shallow ponds and pools in spring and summer. • Plants usually less than 20 cm tall. • Alpine Tundra found on mountaintops

The New Way • Introducing

G’Day mates. I’m Ecocharly and I’m a Greenie (Environmentalist). I didn’t pay attention the day we went over biomes in class. I need your help to figure out where I am so I can get back home to my biome. WHICH BIOME IS ECOCHARLY VISITING TODAY?

Answers to biomes#1 • CLUE FOR BIOME # 1 • Ecocharley says, “It’s kind of windy here today but the skies are clear. I’ve seen a few rabbits and a lizard or two but not much else. I’d sure like a drink of water. Can’t remember the last time it rained here. Was hot yesterday but it sure seemed cold last night.” • What biome is Ecocharley visiting? • DESERT

# 2 • CLUE FOR BIOME # 2 • Ecocharley says “lots of legumes here involved with adding nitrogen to the soil. Thought I heard a lion last night but I’m not certain. Sure hope some rains come soon because I can see a grass fire off in the distance. Last month it was really wet here.” • What biome is Ecocharley visiting? • SAVANNA

# 3 • CLUE FOR BIOME # 3 • Ecocharley says, “My, oh my, it’s hot and humid today. When will this stupid rain stop? I can’t remember ever seeing so many species of plants and animals in one place. I’ve seen pineapples, lemons, limes, grapefruit, and tangerines. It’s like living in the produce section of Schnuck’s grocery store. There’s a clearing up ahead. Looks like someone has done some logging in this area as the soil has washed away.” • What biome is Ecocharley visiting? • TROPICAL RAINFOREST

# 4 • CLUE FOR BIOME # 4 • Ecocharley says, “It was sure cool yesterday. Hard to believe it’s July. It’s a little foggy this morning as well. Saw a small bird in a spruce tree yesterday. Man those needles are sharp. I need a snowmobile if I stayed here during the winter.” • What biome is Ecocharley visiting? • TAIGA

# 5 • CLUE FOR BIOME # 5 • Ecocharley says, “I tried to use an axe to get through this ground to put up my tent stakes two months ago up but the ground was as hard as a rock. Needed some firewood last night but only saw a bush but it was only about a foot tall. I walked through a bunch of shallow ponds yesterday and the bugs about ate me up. I could have sworn I heard a wolf last night so I better keep my shotgun and handy boomerang ready.” • What biome is Ecocharley visiting? • TUNDRA

# 6 • CLUE FOR BIOME # 6 • Ecocharley says, “It’s the end of September and we’ve had slightly over 5 cm of rain this month. Yesterday was a beautiful day with 80 degree weather. Glad I wasn’t here during the summer because it was so hot some of the grass caught fire but the woody shrubs were okay. Saw a coyote carrying a rattlesnake in his mouth.” • What biome is Ecocharley visiting? • MEDITERRANEAN SHRUBLAND

# 7 • CLUE FOR BIOME # 7 • Ecocharly says, “I heard that Forrest Gump and his buddy Bubba were out looking for me today. They said that 2 months ago the mud was so thick you could barely walk through it and the rain kept coming night and day. We could use a good rain today. The ground now is as hard as a rock and that sun bakes it harder every day. Lots of species of plants and birds here but not as many as I’ve seen in other biomes.” • What biome is Ecocharley visiting? • TROPICAL DRY FOREST

# 8 • CLUE FOR BIOME # 8 • Ecocharly says, “The leaves are rapidly turning bright colors of red and orange this month and it is a little drier than last month. I guess you all know what’s around the corner in this biome. But in a few short months the flowers will be blooming and the leaves will grow again and everything will be nice and green. I think I see a deer coming and if I’m careful maybe I’ll get him with my bow and arrow now that that is in season. • What biome is Ecocharley visiting? • TEMPERATE DECIDUOUS FOREST

Ecocharly’s home biome is: • GRASSLAND

Meet Dingo Jack and the further Ecoadventures of Ecocharly Ecocharly tries to figure out the difference between K-strategists & r-strategists Ecocharly tries to decide which of his Uncle Bigbuckaroo’s fossil fuel facilities is best for the environment Ecocharly and Dingo Jack try to determine which alternative energy form is the best to invest in for the future

Student Feedback • Immediately after doing the exercise only 2 students felt is was not helpful to them in learning the material – ironically they had the two highest grades on first test • After taking the test over this material • Test scores remained virtually unchanged from first test • 1/3 of students wanted more hands-on activities • 1/3 wanted both hands-on and traditional lecture • 1/3 wanted traditional lecture

BEST PRACTICES JANUARY 2007