• Assess the general knowledge of the class through large-group discussion and pair-shared discussion.

• Observe student engagement during the field trip to a nature area to see whether students understand the importance and significance of living things and how they are dependent on nonliving things in a wetland environment.

• Listen to student and partner responses to the guided questions during the Read Alouds to check for accuracy.

Bring in a local frog, such as a bullfrog, for students to observe (note its coloring, skin covering, and attributes that allow it to live in a wetland). You might locate one in a local stream/river, ask older students to collect one, or see if a middle school or high school science teacher has one in his/her classroom that you could borrow. After observing the bullfrog, ask students to draw and then label the frog’s body parts. (You might want to use a step-by-step drawing book or a Web site to help students detail their illustrations, or invite your school’s Art teacher to help teach students how to draw a frog.) Make sure the specimen is placed back in its habitat.

Day 1

Say, “During our next two lessons we are going to investigate local aquatic plants and animals from Pennsylvania and how they are dependent on nonliving things to survive. The word aquatic means water. So the lessons will center on plants and animals that are found in some of our local wetlands. Let’s review what we have already learned about water environments by reviewing the ‘Water Environments’ KWL Chart.” Review and discuss student responses, pausing to check for students’ understanding.

“Today we are going to focus on wetlands. What do you already know about plants and animals that grow in wetlands?” List students’ responses on a KWL chart. (e.g., wet + land = wetland; two types of wetlands—freshwater and coastal; bog, marsh, swamp, seasonal wetlands; numerous amphibians live there; land holds water, usually located near a stream or river; some animals live there only for part of their life, and some animals that live there are fish, tadpoles, insects, snakes). List all responses, including incorrect thinking. You will mark through the incorrect thinking on the KWL chart as students investigate and learn about this topic.

“There are two types of wetlands, like swamps and marshes, where the land is wet all the time and seasonal wetlands. In Pennsylvania, we have many seasonal wetlands. Seasonal wetlands are lands that are wet most of the time, but they may dry up for short periods of time.”

“There are different types of plants and animals along with nonliving things (water, air, soil, rocks) that make up the wetland and that we will be focusing on during the next few days. I want you to explore with your family some of our local conservation areas and look for wetlands.” (Suggest local areas to students.) “Then look closely to see what living and nonliving things you observe and how they interact. The best time to observe seasonal wetlands is March through May. What would be the reason?” (In the late winter and early spring our area gets run off from the snowmelts and more rainfall during the spring and early summer. During the early spring you can see the various life cycles of insects and amphibians: adults, egg masses, and larvae.)

Select a Read Aloud such as Leapfrogging Through Wetlands by Karen Stephenson, Nancy Field, and Margaret Anderson, and/or Wetlands by Pamela Hickman, with the class and stop periodically for partners to discuss by checking for meaning and understanding. Select one or two students each time to share what they and their partner discussed. Guide students’ thinking to understand why water is essential to life in the wetlands, and to understand the importance and significance of living things and how they are dependent on nonliving things in a wetland environment

Day 2

Review with students the KWL chart. Discuss with students the type of wetland habitat and animals that may be found in wetlands. Focus students on a possible career they might be interested in pursuing when they get older, such as an aquatic ecologist. “If you wanted to study animals in this type of environment, you might be interested in becoming an aquatic ecologist like Michele M. DePhilip, who works for the Pennsylvania Nature Conservatory. She is the director of freshwater conservation in Pennsylvania. She spends most of her time investigating the Susquehanna River. Let’s see what she has to say.” Direct students’ attention to the Web site: http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/pennsylvania/people/art23712.html and read the questions and DePhilip’s answers or use the resource, Internet Article: Improving Freshwater Ecosystems (S-K2-11-3_Internet Article.doc). Stop periodically during the interview for students to discuss and share meaning with a partner. Select one or two students after each question to share their responses.

Watch the video Pennsylvania Forest & Freshwater to discuss with students how wetlands impact their drinking water and the impact of the aquatic animals along the way:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehtZkhPMU4Y&feature=player_embedded

View the Pennsylvania nature field guide to seasonal pools. This is a 14-slide presentation on plants and animals: http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/pennsylvania/files/vernalpoolbook.pdf

View the Nature Conservancy Web site that has a short slide presentation on plant and aquatic animals in a Pennsylvania forest seasonal pool:

http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/pennsylvania/howwework/art30915.html

Place students with a discussion partner. Students will discuss how this new learning has changed their thinking of wetlands and wetlands’ significance to our lives (clean water is essential to ALL life). Students will come up with an idea on how they can make a positive impact on local wetlands (e.g., design public awareness posters, write stories for newspapers, or write a skit or play to share during an environmental day at a local nature center).

Read The Web at Dragonfly Pond by Brian “Fox” Ellis with the class and stop periodically for partners to discuss and to check for meaning and understanding. Select one or two students each time to share what they and their partner discussed. Guide students’ thinking to understand why water is essential to life in the wetlands and how life evolves around cycles (life cycles, moon cycles, and the water cycle).

Extension:

• Students who might need an opportunity for additional learning can make a wetlands poster and label living and nonliving things. Students can also identify the plants and animals around the edges, living above the surface or below the surface of the wetland.

• The following activities are for students who are going beyond the standards:

• Create and use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast a swamp and a marsh. Then students can write a short paragraph explaining the difference between the two and share the paragraph with their classmates.

• Provide students with further practice identifying local aquatic plants and animals by completing the Local Aquatic Plants and Animals worksheet (S-K2-11-3_Local Aquatic Plants and Animals Worksheet.doc)

• Take students on a local field trip using the school grounds, the neighborhood, a local nature center, a state park, or a museum site for a more in-depth understanding through personal observations (use an observation log).