Drill:

Match the term with its definition Organism Species Ecosystem Ecology Community Environment Habitat

1.
2. 3.

Organism
Species Ecosystem

a. different species living together at

4. 5. 6. 7.

Ecology Community Environment Habitat

the same time in a defined habitat with some degree of mutual dependence b. the study of how living things interact with each other and their environment. c. local environment in which a specified organism, population, or species lives, characterized by physical and chemical features, other species d. Organisms whose members are alike and successfully reproduce among themselves e. physical surroundings of an organism which includes the living and nonliving components f. A living thing

g. A group/community of organisms
interacting with their environment

Objective
When you have completed this investigation, you should be able to identify characteristics of the owl and its ecosystem in order to describe the ecosystem in which the owl lives.

Reread the introduction

What is the overall purpose of the intro?

Activity 1: What can we learn about owls?

1. Read the poems about owls provided by the teacher. 2. List characteristics about the owl based on information contained in the poems.

3. Record the characteristics from the poem you read in chart 1.

Chart 1 Characteristics of Owls

Physical Characteristics

Habits of the Owl

Answer the following question.

4. Explain why owls have been viewed both positively and negatively in ancient folklore. Use characteristics you gathered about owls from the poems to support your response.

Activity 2: What can we learn from owls?

More important than what folklore and literature tells about animals is what we, as scientists, can learn about an ecosystem by studying them. For instance, by looking at an owl pellet, we can identify a wide variety of characteristics about the ecosystem in which the owl lives.

Read the Resource Sheet: Owl Pellets

As you read complete the graphic organizer.

Problem of the Day:

On the top of your handout List 3 characteristics of owls!

Focus
Using the box under Act. 2 Construct a focus question.

What will we be learning about in this unit?

Focus

What can the study of owl pellets tell us about the ecosystem in which the owl lives?

Activity 3
Organize your cards into three groups: What you know about owls and their ecosystem, what you need to know about owls and their ecosystem, and unnecessary information for the focus question.

Complete the KN Chart

What you KNOW about owls and their ecosystem What you NEED to know about owls and their ecosystem

Analysis/Exit Ticket

Match the term with its definition.

1. Organism
2. 3.

4. 5. 6. 7.

a. different species living together at the same time in a defined habitat with some degree of mutual dependence Species b. the study of how living things interact with each other and their environment. Ecosystem c. local environment in which a specified organism, population, or species lives, characterized by physical and chemical features, other species Ecology d. Organisms whose members are alike and successfully reproduce among themselves Community e. physical surroundings of an organism which includes the living and nonliving components Environment f. A living thing Habitat g. A group/community of organisms interacting with their environment