8-Week Winter Ecology Curriculum
By: Susie Strife
Earth Education Coordinator
Purpose: This experiential program is designed to help students understand the interrelationships that
exist in the natural world by studying local natural history and ecology. The program will introduce
students to the ecology of the winter environment and the affect that snow pack has on subnivean and
supranivean species.
Age Group: 6-8th grade
When: Any school in Boulder Area
Where: BVDS
Date: Spring Semester
Number of Students: 28 or more
Location:
Goals: Students will be able to:
• Understand winter conditions
• Explain how animals adapt to the winter season
• Discuss heat loss and how it affects the body
• explain the changes that occur in a snowpack throughout the winter
• identify the basic track patterns found in the Boulder Creek Watershed
• discuss the stresses on flora and fauna due to winter and adaptations to overcome these stresses
• use their senses to act as a winter naturalist
Objectives: Students will:
• learn the definition of Ecology
• learn why there are seasons
• learn how to identify tracks
• examine the effects of the snowpack on the subnivean world
• learn how to work as a team
• learn how animals, plants and humans adapt to winter conditions
• investigate different floral and fauna
• experience the four major ways that heat is lost from the body and learn how to moderate this loss
Program Outline:
Week 1: Introduction to Earth Education and Ecology
Students will be introduced to Earth Education, their Earth Ed intern, play a game to get to know names
and build teamwork, and learn about ecology
Curriculum:
• Introduction to Earth Education: Students are introduced to the different components of Earth
Education, who we are, why we are here and what we will learn. Have the students brainstorm a list
of all the subjects one can study under “Earth”. For example, geology, biology, botany, ecology, forests.
Stop at ecology and tell the students this is what your focus will be for the fall semester
• Name Game: Have students stand in a circle. Each student shows a movement for their name.
Everyone goes around and says each students name and does the action that goes along with their
name (this only works with groups less than 20) if you have more, think of a creative way for each
student to share their name, do not forget to share yours!
• Define Winter Ecology: The word ecology comes from the Greek word “Eco” which means “home”.
“Ology” means the study of…so tell the students that winter ecology is the study of winter homes.
Whose winter homes? The studens? No! Animals. Have the students brainstorm a list of things that
occur in the winter i.e.) snow, cold temps, shorter days.
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Why do we have seasons? Ask the students why we have seasons. Explain to them that it is the
earth’s axis that causes the seasons to differ. Have one student volunteer to stand in the middle of the
room (with a flashlight) and be the sun. Holding a globe on an axis rotate around the volunteer
showing that the tilt causes North America to sometimes be closer to the sun (summer) and farther
away from the sun (winter) – that is why we have seasons.
Journals: Hand out a previously created journal or 6 pieces of paper per student. Have them fold them
in half to create a journal (which you will tie up in the center with a ribbon) Have them decorate their
journals with their favorite animal and collect these for next time so they can use them next week.
Good-bye: Make sure the students know your name and let them know that you are looking forward
to seeing them next week
Materials: Paper, Crayons, Markers, Globe or ball, flashlight, journals
Week 2: The Water-Cycle:
• Review: Ask students if they remember your name, see how many names you can remember. Also ask
them if they remember what the word “Ecology” means.
• Team-work Activity: Group Juggle (see attached description)
• Introduction to the Water-Shed: Ask the students where our water comes from. Have a volunteer
help you draw a map of Boulder’s watershed on the board with the defining mountains, rivers,
streams, lakes and reservoirs. ( You should look at a map and bring it in to help you) Define
watershed as the basin or bowl that catches all of the area’s water. See if students know where nearby
watersheds are located.
• Water-Cycle: Ask students what is the first word that comes to mind when they think of winter.
Hopefully they will say SNOW! Introduce the water –cycle and relate snow fall as one of the main
sources of precipitation. (See attached water cycle lesson plan for week 2)
• Draw the water cycle: Have the students draw the water cycle in their journals. Explain to them
that the water cycle, especially the snow we receive in the winter, is vital to Colorado’s water supply
• OR Do a play of the water cycle: Break students up into groups of three and have them do a creative
play of the water cycle (younger students much more into this idea)
• Good-Bye: Collect the journals and let students know you look forward to next week.
Materials: Tennis balls, Journals, Art-materials,
Week 3: Survival in Winter Conditions
• Review:
• Group Activity: Silent Line-up. Challenge the students to line up from A-z according to their middle
name – WITHOUT TAKING, gestures or hand signals. They have to work as a team to line-up
according to the first letter of their middle name. Once they have lined up have them say their name out
loud to see how well they accomplished the game.
• Heat Transfers: Discuss the different ways humans and other animals can lose heat. Discuss the
difference between warm and cold-blooded animals and how certain conditions cause more heat loss
than others. Describe convection, radiation, conduction and evaporation (See lesson plan for week 3)
• Activity: Set up 4 stations in the four corners of the room. In one corner set up a fan, in another set up a
bucket of ice, the third station is a cold glass of water and the fourth station is a cold window. Split the
group into four and with their journals they should travel for about 3 minutes to each station and
experience each heat loss station. Convection is where they stand in front of the fan and lose heat
through wind. Conduction is the station where they put their hands on a cold object or window.
Radiation is where the students stand next to a sunny window or heater and feel radiant heat warm
their colder body. The final station is evaporation. This is where students put cold water on their hands
and wait until it evaporates from their skin.
• Heat loss poetry: Talk about how these different ways of losing heat make it hard for animals to survive
the winter. Do the heat loss poetry to help them remember what animals do in these situations. (See
heat loss poetry sheet)
• Good-Bye
Materials:Heat loss poetry sheet, items for heat loss activity, a little fan, a bucket full of water, a
bucket full of ice, journals, spray bottle of water, a sunny window
Week 4: Humans and Preparing for the Winter:
• Review: Review what students learned last week. Tell students that they will be learning about
what humans do to prepare for the winter
• Group activity: Chain of Life: Put a sticker with the name of a plant, animal, or source of energy or
shelter on each student’s back. They first have to find out what they are by asking others yes or no
questions. Once they have figured out who they are, they have to find something that they depend on in
the group and attach themselves with that person. A chain will begin to form. Once everyone is linked,
have students sit down in their order. What if we took away one of these components of your community?
Would it have an affect on others in the community? What would happen if you removed one thing from
this community that we have formed (pollution kills off a bird or mammal population)? Choose one
animal or plant to be affected and tap them on the shoulder, this person should then tap the person that
depends on it and that it depends on- tap should be sent through the chain. Who was affected? (You were
affected if you were tapped on the shoulder.) Show how this can disrupt the chain of life and how
everything is important.
Human Prep for Winter: Discuss how Humans prepare for cold weather.
Build a Winter Naturalist: Act out and demonstrate a severe winter hazards/heat loss situation. Set the
scene as if you had just climbed a mountain and you are now sitting on the summit: no hat, sitting on cold
ground, no wind layer, no water, not enough layers, sweating. Ask the students to give you instructions to
prevent heat loss (keep shivering and getting colder until they give you the correct instructions). What
are we going to have to bring in order to prevent heat loss when we are outside? Students review their
equipment and clothing needs for the field day. Students review their equipment and clothing needs for
the field day.
Good-bye: make sure to thank the students and the teacher
Materials: Chain of life stickers (including sun, aspen, lodge pole pine, serviceberry, elk, lynx,
snowshoe hare, field mouse, black bear, fish, water, eagle, mountain lion), Winter ski clothes, picture
of animals
Week 5: Animals and preparing for the winter Animal Adaptations to Winter:
• Review: Review what humans do to prepare for winter and ask what is different for animals living
outside during the wintertime…exposure!
• Group activity: Traffic Jam Give students the scenario that they have just been put into the middle of
New York City in the heart of rush hour and they have found themselves in a Traffic Jam that they have to
try to get out of. Ask what was challenging about the activity? What helped to overcome these
challenges? (This can take more time than allotted, so give them 10 minutes to see if they can figure it out,
if not- try again next week)
• Animal Adaptations: Transition into animals. Discuss how animals prepare for the winter. Make a
list on the board of different strategies animals have to survive through cold conditions. Talk about
animals that migrate, hibernate, or stay active. Discuss how the animals that stay active do special things
to keep them alive in the winter. For example squirrels collect food in a “mitten” or a cache. Snow-shoe
hares turn white for camouflage.
• Subniviean Habitats: Discuss where certain animals, such as mice, weasels and shrews live under the
snowpack. Because the earth gives off heat, it is warmer under the snowpack than to live up on top of the
snow. Draw a picture of this on the board.
Activities to choose from:
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Species Account: Students should choose a species (plant or animal) or species sign and sketch
it, including specific measurements, colors, notes & details. Students should use the field guides
to supplement their own knowledge and observations. The final product should also include the
specimen’s name, location, date & time found
Hibernation/Migration/Adapt Activity: have students partner up and act out what different
animals do in winter and decide whether they hibernate/migrate or adapt.
Play a game of Camouflage or a Survival Adaptations Race! For the Adaptations race, have
each student with a different adaptation: Straight legs, all fours, hop on one leg,, backwards, no
showshoes, two feet and one are, sideways, hopping, skipping, walking normally with snowshoes.
Students then race to the other end, depending on where the boundaries are set.
Materials: Art supplies for species accounts, animal pictures
Week 6: Winter Tracking:
• Review
• Field Time: If you are allowed, take students outside the class (MAKE SURE YOU CALL AHEAD
AND GET THEM TO WEAR THEIR WINTER CLOTHES!!)
• Group Activity: Alligator Boards (see attached game for week 6)
• Animal Tracks & Signs: Brainstorm a list of possible animal signs. Introduce students to the three
track types (plantagrade, digitigrade, ungulagrade) and the four basic track patterns (zigzaggers,
leapers/hoppers, bounders, waddlers) made by local wildlife. Practice identifying various animal
tracks and signs using journals and field guides.
• Activities: If you do not have time to do plaster tracks, there are numerous activates in the lesson
plans for week 6
• Plaster Tracks: Use the imprints of tracks and fill them with plaster of Paris so each student can go
home with their own mold of a track! THIS WILL TAKE ABOUT ½ hour, get the teacher to help you
Materials: Plaster of Paris, track molds, journals, 4 large cardboards for alligator boards
Week 7: Trees and Plants in Winter Conditions:
Today it would be good to review tree adaptations in the classroom and to adventure outside to do the tree
identification. Have the student’s pair up in threes when they identify and each should bring their
journals!
• Review: Go over what the students learned last week and get them ready for this week’s lesson
• Slope and Aspect: What significance does location/orientation have on animals/human/plant
interactions in winter? Draw a mountain on the board and show how certain slopes, like southern
and western slopes, receive more sun. Ask them how does slope and aspect affect the snow pack??
Why do some trees, like Aspens, live only on southern slopes (they like the sun!) Whereas most ski
resorts are located on the “North Face” because they hold more snow and are colder..because the sun
does not hit them as long. Transition into trees and how they adapt to winter conditions.
• Coniferous vs. Deciduous Trees: Make sure students are familiar with what deciduous (the trees
that lose their leaves in the winter) and coniferous tree (those that have pine cones and keep their
needles) Ask the students to give examples of each (ie: maple, aspen, oak verse spruce, lodgepole, or
juniper
• Tree Keys: Students practice identifying trees and shrubs using the keys (See tree keys). Throughout
the day use tree keys as you come upon different tree and shrub species. Divide the groups into teams
and see who can identify the most species first! Focus on how plants adapt to winter in ways similar
to animals. Follow the journal page dealing with plant adaptations to winter. 1. Dormancy – similar to
hibernation in animals where the plant sends its nutrients from the tips of the branches and leaves
down into the roots. This process makes the tree or shrub look dead but it isn’t. examples: deciduous
trees and shrubs. 2. An exception to most deciduous trees is the aspen, which loses its leaves but does
not send all nutrients to the roots. Instead it continues photosynthesis through the trunk. 3. Continued
Activity – Conifers continue photosynthesizing at a low level throughout the winter through their
needles (Blue Spruce)
Materials: Tree and shrub keys, information on what trees do in the winter, journals
Week 8: Snow Introduction:
• Review
• Introduction to Snow: Ask the students what is snow? Students are introduced to the components
of snow (need water molecules, freezing nuclei, and freezing temperatures). To review their
knowledge of snow Play a game that is similar to “Captain’s Coming!” When you say “Cold
Temperatures!” each person stands by his or herself and has to shiver- they have to stay doing this
until you say “Warm weather!”- even if you call out something else. “Dust Particle!”- 2 people have to
work together to get one person off the dirty dusty ground (their feet cannot be touching the ground.)
“Water Molecules!”- 3 people have to come together and link arms (2 hydrogen, 1 oxygen) “SNOW
CRYSTAL!”- 6 people have to come together and form a snow crystal- each has one hand in the middle
of the circle, one hand out. If there is not the correct number of people in a group, the whole group is
out. If a person stops shivering until you call “warm weather,” then he or she is out.
• Snow Crystal Metamorphism: Explain that once snow falls, it begins to change. Discuss the three
main types of snow crystals (Rounds-Rounds form from destructive processes, meaning they break
down. Newly fallen crystals are broken down and changed to form rounded ice grains. Water vapor
evaporates on the crystal “arms” and move to new positions to form a round shape. Rounds often form
strong bonds with each other, Squares-Squares form from constructive processes, meaning they grow.
Water molecules are transferred from crystal to crystal. Snow crystals build up in layers and form
angular shapes. They do not bond well together, Melt-Freeze- When melting occurs, water moves
between crystals . Later freezing bonds the crystals, increasing the strength of the snowpack. The
weight of the snowpack can force crystals closer together). Dig through the snow and examine
examples of different types of snow crystals. Practice identifying.
• Avalanche Tests and Awareness: Review with students how slope, angles, wind direction, aspect,
snow stability and group dynamics all play a role in traveling safely in the backcountry. What would
make a snowpack more stable? Less stable?
• Make Snow: Please see attached activity for week 8 ONLY CAN DO THIS IF THERE IS SNOW ON
THE GROUND OR IT IS SNOWING OUTSIDE
Materials: Pictures of snow flakes, crystal clear can, glass plate, journals
Week 9 Wrap up – Interconnectedness:
• Web of Life: Students review the connections they have learned about by passing a ball of yarn
around the circle as they each name a local living thing and explain how it is connected to the previous
living thing mentioned in the web: source of air, source of food, competition for space, food or water,
shelter, etc… By passing the string around, they will create a web of life. Ask students what happens if
you remove one thing (pollution kills off a bird or mammal population). Show how this can disrupt
the web of life and is related to the importance of biodiversity.
• Story: Read the Lorax – Have students discuss the importance of the things they learned
• Overall Review and Evaluations: Hand out evaluations. Let the students keep their journals and
thank both the teacher and the students
Materials: Journals, evaluations, The Lorax, a ball of yarn
Components of the following science standards will be addressed:
Standards 1, 2.2, 3.1, 3.4, 4.3.
STANDARD
1
Investigations/
Methods
DESCRIPTION
General Outcome: The learner will be able to understand the processes of scientific investigation and be
able to design, conduct, communicate about, and evaluate scientific investigations.
The learner will ask questions that guide specific inquiry and investigations.
The learner will create a written plan for an investigation using the scientific processes.
The learner use appropriate tools and technologies to gather and test data and metric-based
measurements.
•
The learner will estimate the degree of uncertainty that is associated with common measuring devices
and procedures.
•
The learner will organize and evaluate scientific information.
•
The learner will generate possible explanations and models using evidence.
•
The learner will think critically and logically about relationships between evidence and explanations.
•
The learner will develop scientific procedures and explanations, and communicate their work in
various ways (i.e. written reports, graphic displays, and/or oral presentations).
General Outcome: The learner will know about and understand common properties, forms, and
interactions of matter and energy.
•
•
•
2
Interaction of
Matter and
Energy
3
Characteristics,
Interactions,
and Processes of
Living Things
and Their
Environment
4
Earth and Space
Systems
Specific Outcome 2.2: The learner will know that energy appears in different forms and can be transferred
and transformed
•
The learner will measure and compare quantitative relationships involved with several forms of energy
(i.e. light, sound, heat, electrical, magnetic, mechanical, and chemical energy).
•
The learner will identify and describe processes associated with the transfer of energy (i.e. conduction,
convection, radiation, and potential to kinetic).
General Outcome: The learner will know the characteristics of living things, the processes of life, and how
living things interact with each other and their environment.
Specific Outcome 3.1: The learner will know the characteristics of living things, the diversity of life, and
how living things interact with each other and their environment.
•
The learner will use and create a classification system based on the structure of organisms.
•
The learner will categorize organisms according to their roles in food chains and food webs.
•
The learner will explain the interactions and interdependence of nonliving and living components
within ecosystems.
•
The learner will recognize limitations that resources place on an environment’s ability to support
populations (i.e. water, space, or the presence of an important nutrient).
Specific Outcome 3.4: The learner will know that species evolve in response to changes in their
environment over time.
•
The learner will describe the role of chromosomes and genes in heredity.
•
The learner will explain that genes occur in pairs in most animals and plants.
•
The learner will describe examples of and evaluate evidence that supports evolutionary change in
species throughout geologic time.
General Outcome: The learner will understand the processes and interactions of Earth’s systems and the
structure and dynamics of Earth and other objects in space.
Specific Outcome 4.3: The learner will know major sources of water, its uses, and importance, and its cyclic
patterns of movement through the environment.
•
The learner will describe major differences in the physical properties of water as a solid, liquid, and a
gas.
•
The learner will describe and compare the distribution of the world’s water in oceans, glaciers, rivers,
ground water, and the atmosphere.
•
The learner will explain the water cycle in terms of how water circulates through Earth systems.