Natural Inquirer

Lesson Information

Age: Grades 4-12
Duration: Three class periods of about 30 minutes each; some research and writing as a homework assignment
Group Size: Pairs
Materials: Writing materials; field guides, magazines, library books, and other reference materials
Summary: Students use interview techniques to research and write about an aquatic plant or animal affected by climate change.

Learning Objectives:

Students will:

• get acquainted with a variety of aquatic species and grasp the importance of climatic health in their survival;
• recognize that a wide range of life forms and habitats are threatened by global warming, rising sea levels, lowering lake levels, coastal erosion, extreme weather events, and other phenomena associated with climate change;
• understand the potential impacts of climate change on biological diversity; and;
• realize that the survival of many species depends on their ability to relocate or adapt to shifts in seasons, weather, and temperatures.

Background

The diversity of wildlife and habitats threatened by climate change is incalculable. From molluscs to mammals, salt-marshes to sea ice, the natural world is in a state of upheaval. The purpose of this activity is for students to appreciate the wide range of aquatic life forms in Canada that must adapt, relocate, or perish because of the impacts of climate change.

Procedure

1. Work with your students to establish a researching, interviewing, and reporting format.

   Research: Each pair of students decides what animal or plant to "interview"; writes a series of pertinent questions; and uses magazines, field guides, library books, the Internet, and Ocean Education resources, to find appropriate answers to questions. Provide the class with a list of species affected by warmer temperatures, rising sea levels, lowering lake levels, melting sea ice, and other climatic changes. Suggest that students examine a life form from the present perspective or a speculative scenario 50 to 100 years from now. Their task is to learn how climate change could impact on that species in view of such factors as habitat requirements, life cycles, and interrelationships with other animals and plants.
   Interview: Each pair needs access to an "interviewee." Students may go outside and find the real thing or work as partners — one asking questions as the reporter and the other answering as an aquatic animal or plant affected by climate change. They may take notes, use a tape recorder, and even shoot photos. Advise your students to impart the perspective of the species interviewed and avoid projecting irrelevant human characteristics. Alternatively, pairs can conduct their interviews in front of the class, emphasizing public-speaking skills.
   Report: Now, students organize information gleaned through the research and interview, using this data as the basis for an article, including text and illustrations, about the species.
   
   

2. With the articles complete, either:
• work with your students to publish a print- or Web-based magazine; or
• ask the students to read their articles aloud for everyone to hear.
  
  
3. Hold a class discussion about the diversity of aquatic species threatened by climate change and the risk of an extinction crisis. Ask each student to define his or her understanding of the situation.
   
   

Evaluation

For each category, have students identify aquatic species affected — positively or negatively — by climate change:

• Mammals
• Birds
• Amphibians
• Reptiles
• Fish
• Molluscs
• Plants
• Non-native species