use of common organisms in the science class
DESCRIPTION
USE OF COMMON ORGANISMS IN THE SCIENCE CLASS. Mississippi Science Teachers Association October 29, 2012. Using common organisms in the science classroom can:. Enable students to participate in “real science” Result in individual observations and follow-up experimentation - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
![Page 1: USE OF COMMON ORGANISMS IN THE SCIENCE CLASS](https://reader035.vdocuments.mx/reader035/viewer/2022062315/568165fa550346895dd929b2/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
USE OF COMMON ORGANISMS IN THE SCIENCE CLASS
Mississippi Science Teachers Association
October 29, 2012
![Page 2: USE OF COMMON ORGANISMS IN THE SCIENCE CLASS](https://reader035.vdocuments.mx/reader035/viewer/2022062315/568165fa550346895dd929b2/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
Using common organisms in the science classroom can:
• Enable students to participate in “real science”• Result in individual observations and follow-up
experimentation• Participate in real inquiry• Formulate and write hypotheses and
procedures• Use graphic or chart forms• Draw conclusions
![Page 3: USE OF COMMON ORGANISMS IN THE SCIENCE CLASS](https://reader035.vdocuments.mx/reader035/viewer/2022062315/568165fa550346895dd929b2/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
Other benefits include:
• Gathering data• Recording results• Identifying variables• Carrying out original research and “doing” real
science
![Page 4: USE OF COMMON ORGANISMS IN THE SCIENCE CLASS](https://reader035.vdocuments.mx/reader035/viewer/2022062315/568165fa550346895dd929b2/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
Some suggestions for use of common organisms include:
• Use of common land snails to measure the amount of lettuce they consume in a 24 hour period (study of metabolism).
• Study of the effect of garlic on the growth rate of grass seeds (allelopathy). Allelopathy is a biological phenomenon by which an organism produces one or more biochemicals that influence the growth, survival, and reproduction of other organisms.
![Page 5: USE OF COMMON ORGANISMS IN THE SCIENCE CLASS](https://reader035.vdocuments.mx/reader035/viewer/2022062315/568165fa550346895dd929b2/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
Ants
• Study of ant colonies can be carried out in the schoolyard by working in groups of 2-3 students, writing 5-10 observations about ants and their behaviors. Questions to consider include: how often ants go out from the ant hill, how far do they travel, and do they act differently in the sun as opposed to the shade?
![Page 6: USE OF COMMON ORGANISMS IN THE SCIENCE CLASS](https://reader035.vdocuments.mx/reader035/viewer/2022062315/568165fa550346895dd929b2/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
Further studies can be carried out indoors:
• Dig up a portion of the ant hill and place the contents in a large pan or bucket. Remove the neck and shoulder of a clear 2-liter bottle and spoon a quantity of ants and dirt inside. Spread a collar of vaseline around the outside edge of the opening to help prevent the ants from escaping. Cover the outside of the container with black construction paper held in place by rubber bands to simulate darkness. The ants will create tunnels along the outer walls, visible when the black paper is removed.
![Page 7: USE OF COMMON ORGANISMS IN THE SCIENCE CLASS](https://reader035.vdocuments.mx/reader035/viewer/2022062315/568165fa550346895dd929b2/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
After spending a week of observation:
• Students should return the ants to the area from which they were removed.
![Page 8: USE OF COMMON ORGANISMS IN THE SCIENCE CLASS](https://reader035.vdocuments.mx/reader035/viewer/2022062315/568165fa550346895dd929b2/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
Bees
![Page 9: USE OF COMMON ORGANISMS IN THE SCIENCE CLASS](https://reader035.vdocuments.mx/reader035/viewer/2022062315/568165fa550346895dd929b2/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
Bees
• May be collected in the field, • Obtained from beekeepers, or• Ordered from science supply houses.• They may be stored in a freezer until needed.
![Page 10: USE OF COMMON ORGANISMS IN THE SCIENCE CLASS](https://reader035.vdocuments.mx/reader035/viewer/2022062315/568165fa550346895dd929b2/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
Place a frozen specimen in a Petri dish and:
• Ask students to write 10 observations of bees, noting that bees have 6 legs, 4 wings, compound eyes, antennae, hairy bodies, jointed legs, claws at the end of the legs, and 3 body divisions (head, thorax, and abdomen).
• Have students share their observations and read resource information about bees. Make sure all students have observed the same structures.
![Page 11: USE OF COMMON ORGANISMS IN THE SCIENCE CLASS](https://reader035.vdocuments.mx/reader035/viewer/2022062315/568165fa550346895dd929b2/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
Students should look for specific structures such as:
• Antenna cleaner• Hooks on the wings• The pollen brush• The stinger• The auricle• The pollen basket• Encourage students to formulate a hypothesis
for the function of each structure.
![Page 12: USE OF COMMON ORGANISMS IN THE SCIENCE CLASS](https://reader035.vdocuments.mx/reader035/viewer/2022062315/568165fa550346895dd929b2/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
Ask students to then design their own experiment with bees:
• They should use scientific methodology.• They might investigate the color and/or height of flowers more
frequented by bees as they move about a flower bed.• Record how many bees come to a sugar dish in a specific time period.• Students could gather data over a week and then share results on
Friday. • Extension activities on their observations might be explored such as
honey color being determined by types of flowers nectar is obtained from.
• Research the decreases in bee populations that have resulted from viral infections.
• Research the economic impact that bees have due to their pollination activities.
![Page 13: USE OF COMMON ORGANISMS IN THE SCIENCE CLASS](https://reader035.vdocuments.mx/reader035/viewer/2022062315/568165fa550346895dd929b2/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
Grasses
![Page 14: USE OF COMMON ORGANISMS IN THE SCIENCE CLASS](https://reader035.vdocuments.mx/reader035/viewer/2022062315/568165fa550346895dd929b2/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
Grasses
• Grasses cover almost 1/3 of the land area of the Earth and ½ of the area of the United States. However, textbooks give little attention to this important group of plants.
• Grasses and cereals, including wheat, barley, rice, and corn provide much of the world’s food supply. They help to hold soil together and prevent erosion. Cane sugar, starch, alcohol, and other products are derived from grasses
![Page 15: USE OF COMMON ORGANISMS IN THE SCIENCE CLASS](https://reader035.vdocuments.mx/reader035/viewer/2022062315/568165fa550346895dd929b2/html5/thumbnails/15.jpg)
Grasses with their flowers:
• Can be collected in all seasons of the year.• There are over 3,000 species of grasses grown
in the U. S.• A given U. S. locality may have up to 75-100
species of grasses.
![Page 16: USE OF COMMON ORGANISMS IN THE SCIENCE CLASS](https://reader035.vdocuments.mx/reader035/viewer/2022062315/568165fa550346895dd929b2/html5/thumbnails/16.jpg)
Ask students to:
• Observe where grasses grow• Write 5 conclusions from study of each grass• Research grasses in resource books or on the
Internet• Categorize grasses by the season in which they
grow and flower• Describe the type of influoresence, the ligule,
the presence of the auricle, and the grass flower.
![Page 17: USE OF COMMON ORGANISMS IN THE SCIENCE CLASS](https://reader035.vdocuments.mx/reader035/viewer/2022062315/568165fa550346895dd929b2/html5/thumbnails/17.jpg)
Discussion topics might include:
• The value of hybrid corn and how it is obtained
• The concept of monocultures in a lawn or field• How to rid an area of some annual grasses
such as foxtail and crabgrass.• Genetic experimentation involving grass
species.
![Page 18: USE OF COMMON ORGANISMS IN THE SCIENCE CLASS](https://reader035.vdocuments.mx/reader035/viewer/2022062315/568165fa550346895dd929b2/html5/thumbnails/18.jpg)
Follow-up activities might focus on:
• Seed viability• The effect of different fertilizers on grass• How best to grow grasses.
![Page 19: USE OF COMMON ORGANISMS IN THE SCIENCE CLASS](https://reader035.vdocuments.mx/reader035/viewer/2022062315/568165fa550346895dd929b2/html5/thumbnails/19.jpg)
Snakes
![Page 20: USE OF COMMON ORGANISMS IN THE SCIENCE CLASS](https://reader035.vdocuments.mx/reader035/viewer/2022062315/568165fa550346895dd929b2/html5/thumbnails/20.jpg)
Native Species of Snakes
• Many people believe that “the only good snake is a dead snake”. Our students should be educated on the value of native species in ecosystems and food chains of nature. They should also become familiar with native species that are venomous.
![Page 21: USE OF COMMON ORGANISMS IN THE SCIENCE CLASS](https://reader035.vdocuments.mx/reader035/viewer/2022062315/568165fa550346895dd929b2/html5/thumbnails/21.jpg)
Students could be assigned:
• The task of researching the native species that are most prevalent in a particular area of our state and what their specific role is in the ecosystem is.
• What type of reproduction the snake carries out.• Becoming familiar with the anatomy of the typical
snake.• Describing how snakes eat and their specific diets.• Which species are endangered or nearing extinction.• Which venomous species occur in their area of the state
and how venomous snake bites are treated.
![Page 22: USE OF COMMON ORGANISMS IN THE SCIENCE CLASS](https://reader035.vdocuments.mx/reader035/viewer/2022062315/568165fa550346895dd929b2/html5/thumbnails/22.jpg)
Study of common organisms helps students:
• Develop observational and inquiry skills• Build a practical working knowledge of
scientific methods and of current technology• Gain a better understanding of many basic
science concepts and theories.
![Page 23: USE OF COMMON ORGANISMS IN THE SCIENCE CLASS](https://reader035.vdocuments.mx/reader035/viewer/2022062315/568165fa550346895dd929b2/html5/thumbnails/23.jpg)
From these experiences students learn:
• To interpret their experiments and to document them
• Communicate their results in narratives or through PowerPoint presentations.
• This type of “natural science” is also helpful in helping us achieve the National Science Standards.
![Page 24: USE OF COMMON ORGANISMS IN THE SCIENCE CLASS](https://reader035.vdocuments.mx/reader035/viewer/2022062315/568165fa550346895dd929b2/html5/thumbnails/24.jpg)
Reference:
• Carolina Tips, Using Common Organisms, Carolina Biological Supply Company