Activity 6 - Virtual Pond Activity

VIRTUAL POND INTERNET ACTIVITY

Estimated Time of Activity: One to two 45 minute class periods

Goals: Process Skills and Content Knowledge:

Students will be learn how to use the internet to research animals that live in a freshwater ecosystem.
Students will learn the different parts of the scientific method.

Materials:

Activity Instructions:

Have students enter website (found on their student activity sheet) into browser – www.naturegrid.org.uk/pondexplorer/pondexplorer.html
Ask students if there was another way they could have reached the website: Google or Yahoo.com and search for Virtual Pond Dip.
Go through Pond Investigation section with students – Introduction to the Scientific Method.
Have them click on virtual Pond Dip.
Go through Ramshorn snail example as an introduction to filling out the Index of Organisms section.
Have students choose 3 animals that are found in the clam shrimp ecosystem and make an organism fact sheet (Rotifer, Cyclops and water flea –daphnia)
Have students create a Pond food web in Power Point using pictures copied and pasted from the Virtual Pond Dip website or through a Google search. Have them finish for H.W. if not completed in class manlig-halsa.se.

Assignments:

Have students complete their student activity sheets at home if they have internet access. If not, use a second day to complete the activity in school.
Have students create a Pond food web in Power Point using pictures copied and pasted from the Virtual Pond Dip website or through a Google search.

Assessment:

Students will have to make an organism fact sheet on three animals, found on the website, that have been discussed in the clam shrimp ecosystem.