Ecosystem Services Lesson Plan - Natural Inquirer

forms for both educators and students are availableon our Web site. We welcome any feedback soplease visit http://www.naturalinquirer.org andcomplete the online evaluation forms. Additionally, youmay contact Dr. Barbara McDonald at the addressbelow with any comments you have.Dr. Barbara (Babs) McDonaldForest Service320 Green St.Athens, GA 30602-2044706.559.4224bmcdonald@fs.fed.us(Please put “Educator Feedback” in the subject line)Educator Resources:Visit the updated Natural Inquirer Web site athttp://www.naturalinquirer.org.From this site, you can read and download lessonplans, word games, and other resources to help youuse the Natural Inquirer in your classroom. You canalso view and download a yearlong lesson planaimed at helping your students learn about thescientific process.Visit the Natural Inquirer Web site athttp://www.naturalinquirer.org.Lesson Plan for EcosystemServices EditionMaterials and Supplies:• Natural Inquirer Ecosystem Services Edition• Copies of graphic organizerNational Science Education Standards Addressed:Content Standards A, C, FA. Abilities Necessary To Do Scientific ThinkingA. Understanding About Scientific InquiryC. Structure and Function in Living SystemsC. Regulation and BehaviorC. Populations and EcosystemsG. Science as a Human EndeavorG. Nature of ScienceClass Period 1:1. Pass out the Ecosystem Services Edition of theNatural Inquirer. As a class, read the “Welcome tothe Ecosystem Services Edition” and preview thetable of contents.2. Divide students into four groups and assign eachgroup one article. (If you prefer smaller groups,divide students into eight groups and two groupswill be assigned to one article.)3. Tell students that they are responsible for readingtheir article and completing the graphic organizer.Each person in the group is responsible forcompleting the graphic organizer. These graphicorganizers will be used to present the article to theclass the following class period.4. Before students begin their assignment also sharewith them the rubric you will use to grade theirwork. Make sure students are clear about yourexpectations before they begin their work.5. Give students the remainder of the class to read thearticle and fill out the graphic organizer.Class Period 2:1. Ask students to get out their graphic organizersand get into their groups. Allow the students 10minutes to review what they did yesterday withintheir groups and prepare to speak to the rest ofthe class.2. Once students are prepared, have groups sharewhat they learned from their article.3. After students have finished sharing about theirarticles, ask students to go back to their groups andreread the “Welcome to the Ecosystem ServicesEdition.” While reading this section, ask studentsto think about how their article fits into the topic ofecosystem services.4. On a piece of paper, students should brieflyanswer this question: Why was my article chosenfor the Ecosystem Services Edition?5. Once all students have had a chanceto answer this question, come togetheras a class and discuss how the articles fitinto the topic of ecosystem services.Time Needed: Two class periods55The Natural Inquirer • Volume 12 Number 1