As an undergraduate Biological Sciences teacher, you can use this set of computer-based tools to help you in teaching evolution and behavior, biodiversity, and ecology.
This lesson plan helps students to learn about the current and past habitats of an animal (specifically, squirrels), and how changing habitats can affect the distribution of a species. The activity will also allow learners to examine data and interpret whether climate change can cause changes in habitats and consequently, changes in species distribution.
Thus, the use of this toolkit allows you to integrate the teaching of a climate science topic with a core topic in the Biological Sciences
The tools in this lesson plan will enable students to:
| Grade Level | Undergraduate |
| Discipline | Biological Sciences |
| Topic(s) in Discipline | Biodiversity, Evolution, Ecology, Species and Speciation, Animal Diversity, Chordates, Mammals, Precipitation Patterns, Vegetation, Soil Types, Zoogeography |
| Climate Topic | Climate and the Biosphere |
| Location | North America, United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| Access | Online |
| Approximate Time Required | 120 – 150 min |
| Share | |
| Resource Download |
Here is a step-by-step guide to using this lesson plan in the classroom/laboratory. We have suggested these steps as a possible plan of action. You may customize the lesson plan according to your preferences and requirements.
Video (5 mins)
Now, play the short video (approx. 5 min), “The American Pika: A climate indicator species?”. In this video, Chris Ray from the University of Colorado Boulder talks about her research on the American Pika, a species that is sensitive to climate change. The monitoring of pikas could serve as an indicator of the effect of climate change on biodiversity and ecosystems.
Classroom/Laboratory Activity (90 – 120 min)
Now, explore this topic in an interactive and engaging manner through a classroom/laboratory activity, “What do Squirrels know about Climate Change?”, contributed by Beth Norman, Allan Ashworth, and Russell W. Graham, available on the SERC Carleton website. 2 Step-by-step User Guide This activity will help your students analyze data for past and modern squirrel populations and habitats. They will then determine how climate change may affect habitat changes and species distribution. Students will use actual data from some states in the USA to perform data analysis and interpretation.
Use this lesson plan to help your students find answers to:
| 1 | Reading, Audio | A reading and audio podcast, “Bird populations shift north as climate changes”, from Samantha Harrington, Yale Climate Connections: This can be accessed here. |
| 2 | Video | A video, “American Pika Monitoring”, from the National Park Service (NPS), USA:
This can be accessed here. |
| 3 | Classroom/Laboratory Activity | A classroom/laboratory activity “Climate, Ecoregions, and the Mammals Who Live in Them”, contributed
by Jonathan Hoffman, Beth Johnson, and Mark Merritt, from the SERC Carleton website
This can be accessed here. |
| 1 | Video, “The American Pika: A climate indicator species?” | By Chris Ray, University of Colorado Boulder/td> |
| 2 | Classroom/Laboratory Activity, “What do Squirrels know about Climate Change? | Beth Norman, Allan Ashworth and Russell Graham, available on the SERC Carleton website |
| 3 | Additional Resources | Samantha Harrington, Yale Climate Connections NPS Inventory and Monitoring, USA SERC Carleton |
| Grade Level | Undergraduate |
| Discipline | Biological Sciences |
| Topic(s) in Discipline | Biodiversity, Animal Diversity (Chordates, Mammals), Evolution and Behavior (Species and Speciation), Ecology (Populations; Precipitation Patterns, Vegetation, Soil Types; Zoogeography) |
| Climate Topic | Climate and the Biosphere |
| Location | USA |
| Language(s) | English |
| Access | Online |
| Approximate Time Required | 120 – 150 min |
| Share | |
| Resource Download |
Here is a step-by-step guide to using this lesson plan in the classroom/laboratory. We have suggested these steps as a possible plan of action. You may customize the lesson plan according to your preferences and requirements.
Video (5 mins)
Now, play the short video (approx. 5 min), “The American Pika: A climate indicator species?”. In this video, Chris Ray from the University of Colorado Boulder talks about her research on the American Pika, a species that is sensitive to climate change. The monitoring of pikas could serve as an indicator of the effect of climate change on biodiversity and ecosystems.
Classroom/Laboratory Activity (90 – 120 min)
Now, explore this topic in an interactive and engaging manner through a classroom/laboratory activity, “What do Squirrels know about Climate Change?”, contributed by Beth Norman, Allan Ashworth, and Russell W. Graham, available on the SERC Carleton website. 2 Step-by-step User Guide This activity will help your students analyze data for past and modern squirrel populations and habitats. They will then determine how climate change may affect habitat changes and species distribution. Students will use actual data from some states in the USA to perform data analysis and interpretation.
Suggested questions/ assignments for learning evaluation
Use the tools and the concepts learned so far to discuss and determine answers to the following questions:
Use this lesson plan to help your students find answers to:
| 1 | Reading, Audio | A reading and audio podcast, “Bird populations shift north as climate changes”, from Samantha Harrington, Yale Climate Connections: This can be accessed here
|
| 2 | Video | A video, “American Pika Monitoring”, from the National Park Service (NPS), USA: This can be accessed here . |
| 3 | Classroom/Laboratory Activity | A classroom/laboratory activity “Climate, Ecoregions, and the Mammals Who Live in Them”, contributed by Jonathan Hoffman, Beth Johnson, and Mark Merritt, from the SERC Carleton website This can be accessed here. |
| 1 | Video, “The American Pika: A climate indicator species?” | |
| 2 | Classroom/Laboratory Activity, “What do Squirrels know about Climate Change? | Beth Norman, Allan Ashworth and Russell Graham, available on the SERC Carleton website,here |
| 3 | Additional Resources | Samantha Harrington, Yale Climate Connections; National Park Service (NPS), USA; SERC Carleton |
