Prospect Park Wildlife Center: High School
Relationship between Living Things
Grade
level: 9th Grade
Learning
standard: National MST Standard 3,5,7
Time
requirement: Three hour of preparation and three 45-minute class periods.
Topic
covered by this Lesson:
Relationship
between living things.
Classification
and the necessity for classification.
Nomenclature
and Taxonomy.
Factors
that effect the survival of a species.
Pre-Visit:
Purpose:
To
demonstrate the benefits of biodiversity and the factors that affect conservation.
Student
will be given a chance to apply concepts learned in the classroom.
Objective:
Student will be able to…
Demonstrate
a working understand of nomenclature and taxonomy by classifying the organism
they encounter into the zoo.
Demonstrate
their ability to use the compound microscope and staining techniques.
Explore
factors that affect the extinction and preservation of a species.
Examine
the importance of habitat.
Material
required:
A
small fee is required to enter the park. Obtain permission from school administration
and parents. Create a worksheet that reflects the following headings: Kingdom,
Phylum, Class, Order, Genus, Species, and Characteristics.
Student
learning Prerequisites:
Familiarity
with the five-kingdom system and taxons.
The
physical and genetic basis for classification.
Students
must have working knowledge of the chemical substances, reactions, and physical
conditions necessary to promote a living system.
The
classroom teacher must stress importance of habitat preservation and conservation.
Visit:
Student
will tour the exhibits of endangered animals. They will also take the wild
life walk that shows an array of different species. If possible, they will
remove a small amount of pond water for observation back in the school laboratory.
Post
Visit:
Student
will attempt to classify the entire organism that they encounter in the zoo.
They will also analyze the pond water for common microorganism. Student will
identify and classify these organisms by stain and mounting pond water samples
on slides for analysis under a compound microscope.
Possible
questions that may be brought up:
What
can be done by students to help to preserve endangered species?
What
does the presence or absence of microorganism in pond indicate about the overall
health of that pond's ecosystem?
What types of internship are available for high school students at the zoo?
MSTEP
Webmaster | NYU
home page | School of Education
| School
of Education Webmaster