Wetlands Curriculum

Understanding Wetlands Curriculum Guidelines 2009
Preface
Hello, and welcome to EnviroEds Understanding Wetlands curriculum. This program was first written and utilized by volunteers in Harvards EnviroEd program, partnering with Citizen Schools and Boston Public Schools, in the spring of 2009. It was the fifth semester in which we were a partner with those organizations and our fifth success introducing environmental concepts to the 5-8 graders in the schools that we taught in. The program was designed as a once a week after-school program that culminated in a final presentation in May. During that presentation the students presented their calendars to a small panel of school members and community members and had an excellent evening. Over the course of the ten weeks that we taught we feel the students learned a great deal and enjoyed the program. The return of several of the students to the program is a testament to this fact. It is our hope that this curriculum proves as useful and successful for you, in whatever form you decide to use it, as it did for us. Good luck! July 22, 2009 A. Patrick Behrer & Christopher Behrer, EnviroEd co-directors
Copyright 2009 EnviroEd
Introduction:
In 1975 UNESCO published the Belgrade charter which called for the development of environmental education as one of the most critical elements of an all-out attack on the worlds environmental crisis. This document also established the goal of environmental education to be the development of a world population that is: aware of, and concerned about, the environment and its associated problems, and which as the knowledge, skills, attitudes, motivations and commitment to work individually and collectively toward solutions of current problems and the prevention of new ones. In the 30 years since that declaration there has been an incredible expansion of environmental education programs, both internationally and in the United States. Continuing the expansion of these programs and increasing their efficiency and scope is one of the best ways we have of taking steps to slow and stop the multitude of environmental problems currently facing the world. From Global Warming to continual deforestation none of these issues can be effectively combated if the general public does not have a basic level of environmental literacy. As educators, activists, community members and volunteers this processes of increasing environmental literacy falls to each of us. Programs like this Understanding Wetlands promote increased environmental literacy as well as a sense of personal involvement and a feeling that individual actions can make a difference. Finally, as numerous handbooks and reports on the subject have attested, environmental education is good education. It involves the students and forces them to actively participate in the learning process. Often times it is concerned with issues of local importance that students can relate directly to their own lives and it typically avoids rote memorization activities in favor of comprehensive projects and involve and encourage critical thinking and problem solving. In short, environmental education is education that is necessary not only for the benefits that increased environmental literacy will have for the planet and human living standards but because it is also beneficial for the students educational experience. It can and should be integrated across curriculums and this project presents one of many ways in which that can be done.
How to use this curriculum:

The Understanding Wetlands curriculum was designed for, and first implemented in, an after school program in inner city middle schools in the Boston Public School District. The lessons are each meant to be approximately an hour and half and the project was meant to last for ten weeks with one lesson taught each week. The final week was a meant to be a presentation of the project. Because it was designed as an after school program it takes advantage of the flexibility that this allows to conduct some teaching outside as well as in locations off campus. It also is very heavy on hands on activities as a way of keeping the students engaged after a normal school day. Some of the activities therefore my not be appropriate for a more formal class setting. Educators are encouraged to use this curriculum as a guideline in developing their own activities and to add or take away where they feel it is necessary. Each classroom is different and what works in one may not work in another. Whether this curriculum is used in its entirety or in part the ultimate goal should be increasing students understand of global warming and how everyone contributes to that phenomenon.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank both Citizen Schools and the Boston Public School district for their logistical support and for allowing us to first teach this curriculum in their programs. Boston Public Schools provided the classrooms and students while Citizen Schools gave classroom support and organized the final presentation of the WOW! at the schools. Citizen Schools also provided classroom funding where necessary. The student teaching groups who first taught and provided feedback on this curriculum also deserved to be thanked. From Harvard University and Boston College we would like to thank Elizabeth Shope, Aleksandra Jachtorowicz, Sean Forster, and Amie Harris.
Table of Contents Lesson 1: What Are Wetlands Lesson 2: Building Wetlands Lesson 3: Global Warming Lesson 4: The Importance of Wetlands Lesson 5: Wetland Loss and Wetland Preservation Lesson 6: Planet Earth Lesson 7: Environmental Advertising Lesson 8: Debate Lesson 9: Field Trip Day Lesson 10: WOW! Rehearsal and Run-through Sources: 6 22 26 40 43 46 47 58 63 64 67
Lesson Plan I: What Are Wetlands? Lesson Objectives: By the end of the lesson, the students will have learned: 1. What wetlands are 2. What foods come from wetlands 3. Different types of wetlands 4. Which, and how, animals, ecosystems, and wetlands interact Agenda: Post in the room for students to see. Even appoint a student, responsible for writing the agenda on the board. 1. Introduction 10 minutes a. Today is the first day of teaching, and the first time that you will meet your students. Feel free to be creative with the introduction, but cover names, where everyone is from, why they are excited about the apprenticeship, and anything else you want to add. b. Go over classroom rules have kids write them on a poster and put it up in the room. 2. Activity: Opening Ritual Time: 20 minutes 3. Activity: What Wetlands Are Time: 45 minutes 4. Teach Back and Calendar Page 15 minutes Lesson By Activity Activity #1: Opening Ritual Food Introduction * This will be your opening ritual for the rest of the semester. * Bring in a food that is grown in a wetland environment, pass it out to the kids (they dont have to eat it if they do not want to), and explain how and why this specific food grows in a wetland. * Examples: Cranberries, blueberries, persimmons, shrimp, rice, mint, watercress, and several species of fish, which might be hard to bring in, unless you want to try sushi. California rolls could be a grand finale at the end of the semester, combining rice, fish, and other wetland foods. * Stress the importance of these foods, and thus wetlands. For example, rice provides 20% of the worlds dietary energy supply, and it is predominantly grown in wetlands.
Activity #2: What Wetlands Are * Definitions: Use these as a basis to work with the kids towards a definition that they can understand. - From the EPA: wetlands are lands where saturation with water is the dominant factor determining the nature of soil development and the types of plant and animal communities living in the soil and on its surface. - From the Clean Air Act: those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or groundwater at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions. Wetlands generally include swamps, marshes, bogs and similar areas. * Pictures: Several pictures follow this lesson. Ideally a projector would be used to display the pictures to teach the students about the following types of wetlands. - Tidal Marshes - Non-tidal Marshes - Forested Swamps - Shrub Swamps - Bogs - Fens * Animals: Define ecosystem (below) and consider animals as the inhabitants of wetlands using the other pictures following the lesson outline. * Matching Game: Play a jeopardy style matching game, matching the following animals with one of the types of ecosystems. Materials and Equipment: 1. Projector to display images 2. Slides of images 3. Dried cranberries (the wetland food of the week) Teach Back and Calendar Page: Have the students chose an image or item from the lesson today to be used in the calendar for the WOW. Have them come up with two important facts that they learned about wetlands today that will go on the calendarmake sure to write them down. As part of the teach back, also ask them how their facts fit in with the rest of the lesson.
Teacher Handout I
Measures of the Importance of Wetlands
Agricultural Importance of Wetlands * Between 300 and 400 million people worldwide live close to and depend on wetlands. * Rice provides 20% of the world's dietary energy supply. This is predominantly grown in wetlands. * One billion people rely on fish as their main or sole source of protein and many more consume fish regularly. When wetlands become polluted, the fish can die or become poisonous and make the people eating them get sick. * Two-fifths of fish species come from freshwater habitats. There is one species per 6 mi2 of freshwater, as compared to one species per 40,000 mi2 of seawater. * Wetland-related fisheries make an important contribution to local and national economies. It is estimated that capture fisheries dependent on coastal wetlands alone contribute $34 million to gross annual world product. * In Malawi 70 to 75% of the total animal protein consumed by the population comes from fisheries associated with inland wetlands. The Role of Wetlands in Water Management * Wetlands act as a natural filter on our fresh water supply. They clean out fertilizer and nitrate runoff before it reaches rivers and allow sediments to settle out of the water. * Wetlands filter phosphorus out of water supplies which prevent algae blooms in lakes and rivers. Algae blooms are areas with high levels of algae in an area and can kill the fish there. * Wetlands help reduce flooding damage by capturing a large part of the flood waters in the wetlands, rather than allowing them to spread out over traditionally dry land. * Wetlands help reduce erosion by slowing the flow of water into rivers and retaining runoff water. * Wetlands act to stabilize the shore in coastal areas and act as a buffer between ocean storms and inland areas. Many people think that the damage from Katrina could have been reduced if more of the wetlands around New Orleans had been preserved. Habitat Diversity * Because of the unique combination of water and terrestrial habitats in wetlands, they provide homes for a large variety of birds, fish, amphibians and terrestrial animals. * The density of plants provides a valuable shelter and nesting area for birds like egrets, herons and other wading birds. * The filtering role of wetlands means that they capture a large number nutrients and serve as a very rich source of food for many species. * The shelter that they provide is also very important for migratory birds as it provides a place for terns, geese and other birds to stop on their migrations.
Teacher Handout II
Images of Wetlands
Tidal Marsh Edisto, South Carolina Tidal Marshes are located along coasts and estuaries and their water characteristics are determined by the tidal flows of the nearby ocean. These types of marshes have various degrees of salinity and the type (salt or fresh) and amount of water is determined by the sea level.
Non-Tidal Marsh Non-Tidal Marshes are the most prevalent type of marsh in North America and are typically found along streams in areas that cannot drain well. These are typically fresh water marshes with water levels between several inches and several feet. These wetlands are typically made up of sands, silt and clay and have lily pads, reeds, cattails and bulrushes.
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Forested Swamp A swamp is a wetland dominated by woody plants and are characterized by heavily saturated soils dying the growing period and standing water at other times during the year. Forested Swamps are present all over the United States. They have heavy vegetation than other swamps. Examples of types of these plants include: Red Maple, Pin Oak, Overcup Oak, Cypress, Willows and Western Hemlock.
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Shrub Swamp Like a forested swamp shrub swamps are areas heavily inundated with water. However shrub swamps typically are located near slow moving streams rather than stationary water and the vegetation in shrub swamps is smaller and there are fewer trees. Instead shrub swamps include buttonbush, willow, dogwood and swamp rose. Mangroves are a type of shrub swamp that dominates southern Florida.
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Teacher Handout III

Pictures of Wetland Species
Tidal Wetlands
Snowy Egret
Bald Eagle
Long-billed Curlew
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Non-Tidal Wetlands
Wood Duck
Osprey
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Beaver
River Otter
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Mink
Northern Janaca
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Forested Swamps
American Alligator
Pearl Crescent
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Prothonotary Warblers
Skunk Cabbage
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Shrub Swamp
Raccoon
Swamp Hare
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Swamp Rose
Buttonbush
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Eastern Mud Turtle
Bengal Tiger
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Lesson Plan II: Building Wetlands Lesson Objectives: By the end of the lesson, the students will have learned: 1. How wetlands work 2. The role that wetlands play in filtering freshwater Agenda: Post in the room for students to see. Even appoint a student, responsible for writing the agenda on the board. 1. Opening Ritual Wetland Foods 10 Minutes 2. Activity: Wetlands and Erosion Time: 25 minutes 3. Activity: Wetlands as a Filter Time: 40 minutes 4. Teach Back and Calendar Page 15 Minutes Lesson By Activity Activity #1: Wetlands and Erosion * Students should discuss the functions of wetlands outlined in last weeks lesson. * They will then create a mini-experiment that will illustrate the impact of wetlands on preventing erosion. * See Teacher Handout IV. * Take pictures while the students are doing this activity. Activity #2: Wetlands as a Filter * Here students will create a second experiment which will demonstrate how wetlands clean our water. * They will make a filtration system similar to the natural systems in wetlands and then pour a mixture of dirty water through the filter and observe how the filter works. * See Teacher Handout IV. * Take pictures while the students are doing this activity.
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Materials and Equipment: Attached lesson guidelines Means for transferring photos to laptop 5x 9 rectangular pans Clay containing silt and sand Small Cups Gallon size container Food coloring Newman Os cookies (Oreos) Styrofoam Cups Coffee filters Gravel Litmus Paper
Digital camera Laptop Strips of indoor/outdoor carpeting Water Soil Vinegar Vegetable Oil Cotton balls Paper Towels Sand Charcoal
Teach Back and Calendar Page: Have the students chose a picture from the lesson today to be used in the calendar for the WOW. Have them come up with an important fact that they learned about wetlands today that will go on the calendar, as well as a description of todays activity and what it taught them about wetlands make sure to write them down.
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Teacher Handout IV
Wetland Erosion & Filtration Activities
From: Wetlands: An Interdisciplinary Exploration
Experiment Procedures Wetlands Erosion 1. Review the function of Wetlands: a. Store Water b. Buffer against erosion during flooding c. Natural filter of pollutants d. Breeding ground for birds, fish and insects e. Natural habitat for wildlife f. Feeding and resting ground for migrating birds 2. Give students one of the rectangular pans and have them build a small sloping hill out of clay in one end of the pan. If they like they can carve rivers in the clay. 3. Using cups have the students slowly pour the water down the pan and watch how it flows into the lake at the other end of the pan. 4. Once they do this, place a strip of the carpet firmly in the edge of the clay to represent a wetland. Slowly pour the water down the slope again. Students should note how the wetland decreases the rate of flow into the lake and absorbs some of the water. 5. Pour off only the water from the model leaving the carpet and the clay in the pan. Now add some loose soil to the water to make it muddy and slowly pour it down the slope. Students should note how the wetland absorbs the dirt from the muddy water. 6. Discuss how this activity demonstrates the water storage, natural filtering and erosion buffering that wetlands provide. Have students discuss how difficult it would be for humans to replicate the natural function of wetlands. Wetlands as a Filter 1. Prepare the following in advance of the class and do not tell the students the ingredients. Mix together in a clean gallon size container: 1 gallon water, 1 cup vinegar, 15 drops of food coloring, 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, and 1 or 2 crushed Newman Os cookies. 2. Have students build a filter system that cleans this dirty water. Give groups of students a styrofoam cup and instruct them to build a filter system from any of the materials provided (gravel, sand, charcoal, cotton balls, coffee filters, etc) that will clean the water (look clean visually) and leave it pH neutral (not acidic when tested with the litmus paper).
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3. Let students fill their cups with the materials they think will filter the water. 4. Instruct them to puncture a hole in the bottom of their cups and let the water drip into a clear cup. 5. Have students share with others in class their filter systems and the resulting water. 6. Discuss the difficulty in creating a filter system to accomplish what wetlands accomplish naturally. Discuss the difficulty wetlands would have removing unnatural pollutants such as oil (represented by the vegetable oil). Compare and contrast this method of cleaning water with water filtration systems, city water/sewer facilities, etc.
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Lesson Plan III: Global Warming Lesson Objectives: By the end of the lesson, the students will have learned: 1. The mechanism of climate change. 2. Effects of climate change on wetlands, specifically the loss of coastal wetlands due to rising sea levels, and the release of previously sequestered carbon. 3. What an opportunistic invasive species is. Agenda: Post in the room for students to see. Even appoint a student, responsible for writing the agenda on the board. 1. Opening Ritual 10 minutes 2. Activity: What is the greenhouse effect? picture activity Time: 25 minutes 3. Activity: Global Warming Wheel Card Time: 10 minutes 4. Activity: Whats happening to the wetlands? Brainstorming Time: 10 minutes 5. Activity: Lecture Time: 20 minutes 6. Teach Back and Calendar Page 15 minutes Lesson By Activity Activity #1: Visual Demonstration * Using either the classroom board (chalk or dry-erase), or white poster paper and markers, elect student artists for each of the following: o Earth (with atmosphere) o Sun o Water vapor o Carbon dioxide o Methane o Nitrous oxide * To illustrate the relative impact of each gas, instruct each artist as to how many gases they should draw (H2O should be the most, by far)
Role of Atmospheric Greenhouse Gases (man-made and natural) as a % of Relative Contribution to the Greenhouse Effect
Based on concentrations (ppb) adjusted for heat retention characteristics
Percent of Total 95.000% 3.618%
Water vapor (H2O) Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
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Methane (CH4) Nitrous oxide (N2O) Other misc. gases (CFCs, etc.)
0.360% 0.950% 0.072%
Once the students are finished, draw arrows representing the suns infrared rays to illustrate how the greenhouse gases act as a blanket, keeping our planet warm. (Use the following image as a guide.)
The end product should look something like this:
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Make sure to include greenhouse gas key. * Include a small summary of the perceivable effects/proof of global warming; emphasizing how even a small change in the composition of the earths greenhouse gases can lead to noticeable changes in climate. (See teacher resources.) Take picture for WOW! Calendar.
Activity #2: Using the EPAs Global Warming Wheel Card * http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/wheel_card.html * Quickly pass around Wheel Card so students can see how individual actions contribute to climate change and what they can do to improve their familys carbon footprint. Activity #3: Effect of Global Warming on Wetlands * Have students brainstorm answers to the following prompts, encouraging them to reason out a cause and effect relationship based on what theyve already learned: o How do expanding ocean water, melting mountain glaciers, and polar ice sheets slipping into the ocean affect coastal wetlands? o If some wetlands are submerged, doesnt that mean more wetlands are created further inland? o What if those are places where people live? o How will climate change affect rates of photosynthesis and
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changes in vegetation? (increased CO2, increased/decreased precipitation, temperature changes, etc.) Mention invasive species. o How will this affect the wetland ecosystem? (relate back to interconnectivity) o How will inland wetlands (such as vernal pools and prairie potholes) be affected be increased rates of evaporation? o What will happen to the carbon and methane stored in wetland soils if temperatures rise? o How will increased temperatures affect permafrost wetlands? o How will it affect montane wetlands? Write student responses on the board, even if there are conflicting hypotheses.
Activity #4: Lecture * Answer student debate with facts from teacher resources. Make sure hit upon the following points and any effects students were unsure about: o Rising sea levels (estimates range from 2 7 feet) will flood coastal wetlands. The formation of wetlands further inland depends on whether or not those areas are developed by humans. o Changes in temperature and precipitation rates can weaken native species and open the window for invasive species, such as the cane toad, phragmytas australis (common reed), or mynahs. (The U.S. Department of Agricultures Natural Resources Conservation Service defines invasive plants as introduced species that can thrive in areas beyond their natural range of dispersal. These plants are characteristically adaptable, aggressive, have a high reproductive capacity, and their vigor combined with a lack of natural enemies often leads to outbreak populations. Invasive species can be devastating to the entire ecosystem.) o Inland wetlands may dry out as temperature rises, evaporation rates increase, and precipitation rates either decrease or remain the same. o Permafrost wetlands will melt with increased temperatures. Much of the carbon usually sequestered in peat and ground soil, as well as the methane most wetlands contain, will be released into the atmosphere, further fueling the greenhouse effect. o Montane wetlands, since they are usually isolated geographically, will have little opportunity for species migration as niches change
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with temperature and precipitation. Encourage any more questions that arise after the lecture. A powerpoint presentation/ image slideshow may be helpful, if projector is available.
Materials and Equipment: Wetland food of the week. Dry-erase/chalkboard OR three sheets of easel paper Dry-erase markers/colored chalk OR colored markers EPAs Global Warming Wheel Card http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/wheel_card.html (should be constructed/provided to you before class) If possible, projector and powerpoint of images relevant to lecture. Paper for teachback. Teach Back and Calendar Page: Pass out paper. Have students 1.) sum up how the greenhouse effect works, either by drawing their own diagrams or in a few concise sentences remind them/quiz them on what greenhouse gases are; and 2.) list three of the effects global warming has on wetlands encourage specific examples cited in class. Have the students choose one of the diagrams to use in the calendar.
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Teacher Handout V
Global Warming
I. Global Warming
Diagram Explanation 1. Sunlight brings energy into the climate system; most of it is absorbed by the oceans and land. 2. The Greenhouse Effect: Energy, in the form of heat, radiates out from the warmed surface of the earth a. Some of this energy is absorbed by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which re-emit the energy in all directions b. Some of the infrared energy further warms the Earth c. Some of the infrared energy is emitted into space. 3. Amplified Greenhouse Effect: Higher concentrations of CO2 and other greenhouse gases trap more infrared energy in the atmosphere than occurs naturally. The additional heat further warms the atmosphere and Earths surface.
Greenhouse gases. The Diagram below gets all the human-produced gases down, but it leaves out water vapor, the final and most prevalent greenhouse gas:
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- The worlds economy runs on carbon: the fuel in fossil fuels. Coal, oil, and natural gas contribute energy to nearly every human endeavor in industrialized nations, and carbon dioxide (CO2) is a by-product of burning these fuels. Immediately eliminating CO2 emissions would literally stop the industrial world. This graph illustrates how thoroughly fossil fuels and emissions are integrated into American life. CO2 contributes more to the recent increase in greenhouse warming than any other gas. CO2 persists in the atmosphere longer and longer as concentrations continue to rise.
CO2
Leading Causes of Global Warming 1. Greenhouse Gases: Gases, in excess, which trap heat in the Earths atmosphere. This occurs when an ecosystem produces more gas than it can naturally get rid of. 2. Carbon Emissions: Carbon Dioxoide (CO2) is the greenhouse gas most responsible for climate change. 3. Anthropogenic Carbon Emission: Carbon Dioxide emissions caused by humans and the industries and machines they have created.
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Greenhouse gas emissions from industry, transportation (1/3 of total US global warming pollution) and agriculture are very likely the main cause of recently observed global warming. Some of the main sources due to human activity include: * * * * burning of fossil fuels and deforestation leading to higher carbon dioxide concentrations livestock and paddy rice farming, land use and wetland changes, pipeline losses, and covered vented landfill emissions leading to higher methane atmospheric concentrations. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the livestock industry is responsible for 18% of greenhouse gas emissions, a higher share than transportation. refrigeration systems, and use of CFCs and halons in fire suppression systems and manufacturing processes cooling,
Major sources of an individual's GHG include home heating and electricity consumption, and transportation. Global effects of Climate Change
The retreat of mountain glaciers during the past century is one example of evidence that the climate is changing. Rising sea levels are another example of what could happen if the earth warms too much:
Photo courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
1. The Majuro Atoll: If sea level rises 20 inches then 80% of the Majuro Atol will be under water. Many other islands may also be
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submerged if sea level rises. Sea level Rising the ocean rises 1/10 of an inch each year; could submerge coral reefs and even islands! 2. Water Shortages 3rd world resource management problems [e.g., Africa] 3. More Diseases disease spreads easier in warmer weather 4. Ecosystem Changes Earlier springs [between 1936-1998, 36 plant species flowered 7.3 days earlier!] * Keeling Chart: In 1958, American scientist Charles David Keeling began measuring the concentration of the gas carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. This graph presents data gathered on Mauna Loa, a volcano in Hawaii.
Note: the fluctuation in the measurement stems from the wavering CO2 concentrations in the Northern hemisphere, where CO2 concentration peaks in early spring just before plant growth begins and falls off in October when the growing season ends.
Evidence of Climate Change
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(GDFL - Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory model; NCAR - National Center for Atmospheric Research model)
Global averaged temperature projections from two state-of-the-art climate models driven by the same scenario of the future CO2 concentrations give similar results. Both graphed lines show that warming is projected to increase in the next century as greenhouse gas levels rise; Both show that warming will likely be greatest in the northern regions close to the pole; Both show that warming will likely tend to be greater over land than over the ocean.
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II. Effects of Global Warming on Wetlands Increased temperatures, increase or decrease in precipitation, and sea level rise will have severe impacts on wetland ecosystems. Impacts will be particularly great for coastal and estuarine wetlands, which cannot migrate inland due to steep topography, levees, sea walls, or other development. They will also be great for small, shallow wetlands such as vernal pools and prairie potholes, where temperatures and evaporation rates may substantially increase without corresponding increases in precipitation. They will be great for montane wetlands with temperature-sensitive plant and animal species and little opportunity for such species to migrate. They will be great for permafrost wetlands due to melting. Release of stored carbon and methane. Much of the carbon stored in wetland soils in the U.S. and world may be released if wetlands are drained or if permafrost wetlands melt. Bacteria which live in aerated conditions will oxidize the carbon and return it to the atmosphere. Fires will add to releases. Peat lands in the Northern U.S. (e.g., Minnesota, Maine) and Alaska and some other types of wetlands continue to sequester small quantities of carbon. The release of carbon will exceed sequestering if temperatures rise, precipitation levels fall, or if wetlands are drained. Wetlands globally emit significant amounts of methane. This total has been estimated to be in the 15-22% range of total global methane emissions and may be even greater. Most of these emissions are at lower latitudes rather than in the U.S., for example the Amazon floodplain. EPAs conclusions on the effect of rising sea levels on wetlands. 1. Along undeveloped coasts, a rise in sea level drowns the seaward wetlands and allows new wetlands to be created inland as formerly dry land is flooded. However, for the rise in sea level expected in the next century, the area just above sea level available for wetland creation is generally far smaller than the area of wetlands that would be lost. Along developed coasts, there may not be any land available for wetland creation. 2. Sea level rise could become a major cause of wetland loss throughout the coastal zone of the United States. Assuming that current rates of vertical wetland growth continue and that economic development does not prevent the formation of new wetlands, a five-foot rise would result in 80 percent losses of wetlands in both the South Carolina and New Jersey case studies. In the preliminary
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nationwide analysis, a five- to seven-foot rise would result in a 30 to 80 percent loss of coastal wetlands. 3. The coastal wetlands of Louisiana appear to be the most vulnerable to a rise in sea level. The coastal wetlands of the Mississippi River delta are already converting to open water at a rate of 50 square miles per year because of the interaction between human activities, such as construction of levees and navigation channels, and current relative sea level trends caused by land subsidence. Future sea level rise could substantially accelerate the rate of wetland loss and alter the relative advantages of various options to solve the problem. 4. The impact of sea level rise on coastal wetlands will depend in large measure on whether developed areas immediately inland of the marsh are protected from rising sea level by levees and bulkheads. In the Charleston case study, protecting developed areas would increase the 80 percent wetland loss to 90 percent for a five-foot rise. In the nationwide analysis, structural protection would increase the 30-80 percent loss to 50-90 percent. 5. The prospect of accelerated sea level rise does not decrease the need to implement existing wetland protection policies. Numerous federal, state, and local programs are being implemented to curtail the destruction of the nation's dwindling coastal wetlands. Some people have suggested that because these policies protect wetlands that will eventually be inundated, the prospect of sea level rise is a justification for relaxing wetland protection requirements. However, even from the narrow perspective of a particular parcel of land, this justification ignores the biological productivity that these wetlands can provide until they are inundated, as well as the value of submerged aquatic vegetation that could develop after they are inundated. Moreover, from the broader perspective, even if particular parcels are flooded, society has options for ensuring the continued survival of wetland communities as sea level rises, such as allowing them to migrate inland or promoting their vertical accretion. By protecting today's wetlands, existing programs are helping to keep those options open. Climate Impacts on Coastal/Estuarine Wetlands Projected sea level rises of 2/3 of a meter to 2 meters (differences reflecting, in part, assumptions concerning ice sheet melting) by 2100 combined with coastal subsidence will have severe impact coastal and estuarine wetlands, particularly on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. There will be wetland losses, where there is insufficient plant growth and sediment deposition to equal sea level rise and coastal or estuarine wetlands cannot migrate inland. This is a particular problem for deltaic
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systems such as the Mississippi Delta, where sediment-trapping reservoirs have been constructed along inflowing rivers and subsidence is occurring due to compaction of sediments, oil and gas removal, and isostatic adjustments. Loss of many of these wetlands can be expected with release of the carbon contained the peats and soils to the atmosphere. In other instances, the carbon will be redeposited in new marshes or transported to the open ocean. Climate Impacts on Freshwater Wetlands Climate change will also seriously affect freshwater wetlands due, principally, to temperature rise, increased evaporation, reduced precipitation (for some areas), and increased intensity of storm events. Projected temperature rise of 2-8 degrees F by the end of the century without comparable increases in precipitation will dry out or lower water levels in wetlands in many areas of the nation. Northerly shifts in vegetation and animal species will take place where migration pathways are adequate and there is sufficient time for such migration. Otherwise, temperature sensitive species will be destroyed or their numbers seriously reduced by shifts in temperature and/or shifts in precipitation. Species changes are also expected where growing seasons are elongated, allowing for some insect populations to grow substantially. Plant and animal species that are stressed by draught or warmer temperatures may be further stressed by insects and pathogens that thrive in the changed climate (i.e., bark beetle, spruce budworm). Die off of major plant species (i.e., conifers) can dramatically increase the incidence of wildland fires, which can lead to increased erosion and the degradation of wetlands. Impacts will be particularly great where precipitation decreases. Increases in temperatures and evapotranspiration combined with reductions in precipitation will likely reduce surface and ground water levels in northern latitude wetlands, destroying or reducing in the size many wetlands.
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Teacher Handout VI
Invasive Species
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Lesson Plan IV: The Importance of Wetlands Lesson Objectives: By the end of the lesson, the students will have learned: 1. What metaphors and similes are, and how to construct them 2. How various objects can act as metaphors and similes for the functions of wetlands 3. Some of the important functions of wetlands 4. How some of these functions can become impaired by humans Agenda: Post in the room for students to see. Even appoint a student, responsible for writing the agenda on the board. 1. Opening Ritual 10 minutes 2. Go over agenda 5 minutes 3. Activity: Discussion of metaphors and similes Time: 5 minutes 4. Activity: Making the wetland metaphors and similes Time: 15 minutes 5. Activity: Discussion of Haiku poems Time: 5 minutes 6. Activity: Creating poems about wetlands Time: 15 minutes 7. Activity: Illustrating the comparisons and poems Time: 20 minutes 8. Teach Back and Calendar Page 15 minutes Lesson By Activity Activity #1: Discussion of metaphors and similes * Start by asking the students if they have heard of a metaphor or simile. If they have, ask if somebody can explain what it is. If they seem to have a good comprehension of metaphors, move on to the next activity. If not, explain both metaphors and similes, and stress the difference. Both are tools used for making comparisons, but a simile uses the words like or as, while a metaphor does not. * Simile examples (feel free to use others if you have ideas): - A good book is like a good meal. - The light, shining in my face, was as bright as the sun. - Fast as a cheetah, she sprints to the finish. * Metaphor examples (feel free to use others): - She is a cheetah, gracefully sprinting to the finish. - Life is a journey. - Time is a thief.
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Activity #2: Making the Wetland Metaphors and Similes * Split the class into two or three groups. Pull one object out of the pillowcase at a time, and set a timer for two minutes. Each group has two minutes to come up with a metaphor and a simile relating the object to the wetland. Award two points for a really creative comparison that makes sense, one for an okay comparison, and zero points if they have not properly created the comparison (thus, each team can earn up to 4 points per round). Write their comparisons on the board as they say them. After each round, ask the students how these functions might be impaired by human activities.
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Examples of comparisons and how the functions could be impaired: - Small pillow = resting place. Sometimes humans drain wetlands. This changed environment may no longer be suitable for its old inhabitants, and thus no longer a resting place. - Soap = cleans. A wetland helps to keep water clean, and free from erosion. When humans alter the structure of the wetland, erosion may start to occur. - Sponge = absorbs water. Sometimes humans drain and then pave wetlands. If the wetland is paved, it is no longer a permeable surface (that means water cant get through it, or be absorbed by it). - Coffee filter = filters out bad stuff that you dont want (coffee grinds / pollution). If too much pollution is put into the wetland, it may not be able to filter all of it out. Just like, if you filled a coffee filter all the way to the top with coffee grounds, some would overflow into the coffee, and that would spoil your coffee. - Cereal = provides nutrients. If toxic chemicals were put into your cereal, and then you ate the cereal, you would get sick. If chemicals are put into a wetland, they can contaminate whatever the animals and plants would be eating, and make them sick.
So, a 2-point metaphor might be: A wetland is a pillow, a resting place for a sleepy alligator. A 1-point simile might be: A wetland is like a coffee filter because it filters out things.
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Activity #3: Discussion of Haiku Poems * Quickly explain what a Haiku poem is, and write an example on the board with the syllable numbers by it. Make sure the students understand what syllables are, perhaps by randomly calling on students to ask how many syllables various words have in them (alligator = 4, wonder = 2, silently = 3, go = 1, etc.). Haiku 5 Trampling through marsh lands, 7 Spying white egrets up high, 5 Majestically. Activity #4: Creating Poems about Wetlands * Split the students into pairs, and have each pair write a haiku poem about wetlands. If some groups finish while others are still working, tell them to write another one. Activity #5: Illustrating the Comparisons and Poems * Pass out one sheet of paper to each student. Have each student pick their favorite metaphor or simile from the board or the haiku poem they wrote, and illustrate it. Tell them to try to make them very pretty, because they might be in the calendar! Materials and Equipment: 1. Food materials for opening ritual 2. Pillowcase 3. Small pillow 4. Sponge 5. Soap bar or small bottle 6. Coffee filter 7. Box (or baggie) of cereal 8. Markers and 8.5x11 paper (one sheet per student plus a couple extras). Ask your Citizen Schools helper if they can provide these. Teach Back and Calendar Page: First, have the students vote on their favorite simile/metaphor illustration, and on their favorite haiku illustration. If it seems necessary, remind them that different people have different skills, so that they should not feel bad if their drawing is not chosen. These will be two pages in the calendar. Have them come up with one interesting fact that they learned today about wetlands to go with each picture. Also, have them come up with a short description of how we tied together wetlands and metaphors, and wetlands and poetry. Make sure to copy the facts and the descriptions for the WOW.
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Lesson Plan V : Wetland Loss and Wetland Preservation Lesson Objectives: By the end of the lesson, the students will have learned: 1. How to use fractions and percentages to describe wetland loss 2. The function and importance of wetlands 3. The interests and perspectives of the various parties involved in wetland preservation Agenda: Post in the room for students to see. Even appoint a student, responsible for writing the agenda on the board. 1. Opening Ritual 5 minutes 2. Activity: Wetland Loss: Fractions and Percentages Time: 25 minutes 3. Activity: Importance of Wetlands Time: 10 minutes 4. Activity: Wetland Preservation Debate Time: 30 minutes 5. Teach Back and Calendar Page 10 minutes Lesson By Activity Activity #1: Wetland Loss: Fractions and Percentages * Causes of Wetland Loss: Have the students brainstorm, and if need be direct them to think about the following causes of wetland loss: o Agricultural and Urban development o Natural causes such as; wave erosion, sea level rise, tropical storms and hurricanes o Mining o Deforestation o Intense boating activities * Use the Wetland Loss Data sheet that follows this lesson. The sheet has data on overall wetland loss, as well as a map with the percentage of wetlands lost in each state. The map will provide the majority of the data for conversions. o Example: o In the 1600s, over 220 million acres of wetlands existed in the U.S's contiguous 48 states. Today, there are only about 100 million acres left. o 220 million acres in 1600s 100 million acres now = 120 million acres lost o 120 million/220 million = 6/11ths of wetland have been lost o 6/11 x 100 = 54.54% of wetlands have been lost Activity #2: Importance of Wetlands * This should mostly be a review from last week and previous weeks,
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so make sure that you dont spend more than 10 minutes on it or you will not have enough time to finish the lesson * Review the function and importance of wetlands o Store water o Buffer against erosion during flooding o Natural filter of pollutants o Breeding ground for birds, fish, and insects o Natural habitat for wildlife o Feeding and resting grounds for migrating birds Activity #3: Wetland Preservation Debate * Each student will be assigned a role in the community; if needed students can form teams to represent each interest o resident someone who lives in the community o farmer wants to raise crops o business person wants to use the land for commercial purposes o parks department wants to maintain or increase recreation areas o Nuclear Plant wants to preserve jobs and electrical power o EPA employee wants to control wetland pollution/loss * The class will then have a debate about the proposition to implement a wetlands protection plan for an at risk wetland in their community. The students should discuss in their teams or with the teacher, the positive and negative effect of such a preservation plan on their interest group. Materials and Equipment: Data sheets that follow this lesson. Teach Back and Calendar Page: Take pictures of the students during the debate and have them choose one to use in the calendar Have them come up with an important fact that they learned about wetlands today that will go on the calendar, as well as a description of todays activity and what it taught them about wetlands make sure to write them down.
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Teacher Handout VII

Wetland Loss Data Sheet
In the 1600s, over 220 million acres of wetlands existed in the U.S's contiguous 48 states. Today, there are only about 100 million acres left. - http://www.balance.org/articles/wetlands.html 5% of the US and 60% of Alaska are wetlands What fractions do these represent? In the 1950s and 60s 600,000 acres per year were converted from wetlands to non-wetland, today, only 300,000 acres per year are converted. How much has conversion decreased? 11 million acres were converted from wetlands to non-wetlands from the 1950s to the 1970s, 80% was the draining and clearing of wetlands for agricultural purposes. How many acres is this?
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Lesson Plan Week VI: Planet Earth Lesson Objectives: By the end of the lesson, the students will have learned: 1. About wetlands from all around the world and their importance to the regions where they reside. Agenda: Post in the room for students to see. Even appoint a student, responsible for writing the agenda on the board. 1. Opening Ritual 10 Minutes 2. Review Agenda and Set Context 5 Minutes 3. Activity: Planet Earth Time: 1 hr 5 mins 4. Teach Back 5 Minutes Lesson By Activity Activity #1: Students will watch the fresh water sections of Planet Earth pertaining to wetlands. The individual sections that students should watch will be described when the DVDs are given to the teachers. Materials and Equipment: Planet Earth DVDs Teach Back Ask the students to teach back what they learned about global wetlands in this lesson, as a form of review.
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Lesson Plan VII: Environmental Advertising Lesson Objectives: By the end of the lesson, the students will have learned: 1. Different slogan and advertising techniques. 2. What greenwashing is. 3. How to use slogans and advertising to further conservation efforts. Agenda: Post in the room for students to see. Even appoint a student, responsible for writing the agenda on the board. 1. Opening Ritual Wetland Foods 10 minutes 2. Activity: Analyzing green advertising Time: 25 minutes 3. Activity: Wetland conservation bumper sticker creation Time: 40 minutes 4. Teach Back and Calendar Page 15 minutes Lesson By Activity Activity #1: Advertising and Analysis. * Have the students look at the following advertisements/slogans and answer the following questions. (Either print colored copies and pass around or project if technology is available.) o What is the message in each advertisement? o How does the ad get that message across? Does it use words? An image? o What is the effect of only using words? o What is the effect of only using an image? o What is the effect of using both? o How does it make you feel? (Happy, guilty, angry, hopeful?) o What is the advertiser appealing to? o Which ad is your favorite? Why? Pass out the breakdown of advertising techniques (teacher resources). Have the students place each ad in one of the categories (by general consensus) and explain why. Touch upon the recent surge of greenwashing (teacher resources).
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Activity #2: Wetland Conservation Bumper Sticker Creation * Ask the students what they thought the most effective advertising technique was. * Have the students review the importance of wetlands: store water buffer against erosion during flooding natural filter of pollutants
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breeding ground for birds, fish, and insects natural habitat for wildlife feeding and resting grounds for migrating birds And so on Also review the threats wetlands face: Global Warming (rising sea level, changing evaporation rates, etc.) Pollution Development Have the students design a bumper sticker (or several!) either informing the community of the benefits wetlands provide or as a plea for conservation efforts. Students can use either slogans, or images, or both.
Materials and Equipment: 1. Advertisements (either printed or ready to project) 2. Slogan and advertising techniques handout (attached) 3. Scrap paper (for brainstorming ideas) 4. pieces of white contact paper (cut to the size of a bumper sticker) 5. permanent markers Teach Back and Calendar Page: Have the students share their bumper stickers, explaining what advertising technique they used and why they think it is effective. Also have them explain why their ad is not an example of greenwashing. Have the students choose a bumper sticker slogan that they would like to include as a calendar page.
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Teacher Handout VIII

Green Advertising
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Text: Last year, 16 million gallons of oil were consumed to make plastic water bottles.
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Text: 15km of rain forest disappears every minute
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Teacher Handout IX
Greenwashing
Greenwashing: A pejorative term derived from the term "whitewashing," was coined by environmental activists to describe efforts by corporations to portray themselves as environmentally responsible in order to mask environmental wrongdoings. The term "greenwashing" was originally confined to describing misleading instances of environmental advertising, but as corporations' efforts to portray themselves as environmentally virtuous have diversified and proliferated, so have charges of greenwashing. The term is now used to refer to a wider range or corporate activities, including, but not limited to, certain instances of environmental reporting, event sponsorship, the distribution of educational materials, and the creation of "front groups." However, regardless of the strategy employed, the main objective of greenwashing is to give consumers and policy makers the impression that the company is taking the necessary steps to manage its ecological footprint. What's wrong with greenwashing? 1. Most obviously, greenwashing is misleading. It attempts to deceive us, making us think that a company with an awful environmental track record actually has a great one. Not all environmental advertising is dishonest, of course. But any advertising legitimately labeled as "greenwashing" is dishonest, and that's a problem. 2. Greenwashing could result in consumer and regulator complacency. If one corporation in a particular company gets away with greenwashing, other corporations will follow suit, thereby creating an industry-wide illusion of environmental sustainability, rather than sustainability itself. This creation of the illusion of environmental sustainability could have dire social consequences as consumers will continue to use products and support companies that further environmental degradation and reduce the quality of living conditions for future generations. 3. Greenwashing may also engender cynicism: if consumers come to expect self-congratulatory ads from even the most environmentally backward corporations, this could render consumers skeptical of even sincere portrayals of legitimate corporate environmental successes. Thus wellmeaning companies, companies committed to responsible behavior with regard to the environment, have every reason to be critical of companies that greenwash.
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Teacher Handout X
Slogan & Advertising Techniques
Advertisers place their pictures, slogans, and logos on bumper stickers, TShirts, signs, billboards, sides of vehicles, newspapers, and magazines. Just hearing the name of a product may not make you buy it, so advertisers use a few favorite techniques to convince you that their product is superior to another companys product. Vanity Vanity is a technique that is used to make you believe that using the product will make you more beautiful or more popular. Ads that depict people using a certain toothpaste producer and later being surrounded by beautiful friends at a party are using this technique. Personal Endorsement When famous people (typically athletes or famous actors or actresses) endorse a product, this is attractive to people because they admire the person providing the endorsement and may, therefore, think the product being endorsed by this person is superior or would make them more like this person. It is common for Olympic stars and athletes to endorse food products, footwear and clothing. People wanting to be more like these athletes would likely purchase the products endorsed by them. Statistics Data used in ads help people believe that a product is superior. Numbers can impress some people. For example, if an ad claims that 9 out of 10 doctors recommended the product, consumers are led to believe it is a superior product. Its New and Improved This technique is used to make you believe this product is now much better better than it was before and indirectly better than competitors brands. This is a common technique used in food advertisements and tissue paper ads. Good Looks This advertising technique takes a product and places it in a very beautiful setting to make it look good. For example, automobile manufacturer ads commonly show cars alongside the ocean or with a beautiful mountain scene in the background. Animal food advertisements sometimes depict the food in beautiful crystal bowls.
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More for you Money Most people like to save money, so this advertising technique claims that you are getting more for your value with the product advertised. Examples are enlarged size snack bags, larger boxes of cereal or more soda in pop cans. Concern for the Public Good Because companies like to be though of as caring about people and their health or about national issues, including the environment, they sometimes use advertising techniques that make them seem concerned about these topics. For example, a company may give a percentage of sales to a charitable organization. Another company may cut out fat or cholesterol from a product. Symbols Symbols are used to make products instantly recognizable by the public. Sometimes the symbol becomes so popular in representing a product that people automatically think of that symbol when they think of the product. Therefore, when they go to the store, they automatically pick up the product with that simply. Starkists Charlie the Tuna is an example of this technique. Slogan-writers/advertisers can also appeal to: Humor With a funny image or punch line. Guilt By making you feel as if you are doing something wrong if you dont listen to what they say.
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Lesson Plan VIII: Debate Lesson Objectives: By the end of the lesson, the students will have learned: 1. How a debate works 2. What a vernal pool is 3. Some of the issues that vernal pools face 4. Why different people want to use land in different ways trying to understand different points of view Agenda: Post in the room for students to see. Even appoint a student, responsible for writing the agenda on the board. 1. Opening ritual 10 minutes 2. Activity: Explanation of how a debate works, and what this debate is about Time: 15 minutes 3. Activity: Preparation for the debate Time: 20 minutes 4. Activity: Debate Time: 20 minutes 5. Activity: Debrief the Debate Time: 10 minutes 6. Teach Back and Calendar Page 15 minutes Lesson By Activity Activity #1: Explanation of how a debate works, and what this debate is about. * Ask the students if theyve ever done any debates, and if so, how they worked. Then explain that in this debate, they will read through the summary of the issue as a class. Then, they will be divided into two teams with an equal number of students, as well as a judging group with 2 or 3 students. The judging group will come up with criteria by which to judge the two teams. The two teams will figure out their arguments. One student from each team will present an opening statement, with a summary of their arguments to come. Then students will present the main points, alternating between sides. Finally, one student from each team will give a closing statement.
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Emphasize good public speaking techniquethat its okay to have a small paper with some notes about what they are going to say, but that they dont want to be reading it, and that they need to make sure to project and look at their audience. Then, read through the Debate Introduction. You may want to read it aloud, stopping periodically and calling on a random student to ask what word is next, or read it aloud as a class.
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Activity #2: Preparation for the Debate. * Give the students time to prepare their sides of the debate, and the judging criteria. Try to make the teams evenly matched. Help the teams divide up the speaking roles appropriately depending on how many students are on each team. To help the students come up with arguments, see Teacher Handout V for some examplesdont give this to the students, its just for your reference, but do tell them that they need to have an economic, a scientific, and a legal argument. Activity #3: Debate * Go through the steps of the debate. Toss a coin to decide which side will go first for the opening statement. Then take turns going first for each of the arguments. Each person can have up to 1 minute for their turn speaking. Feel free to rearrange the arguments, or to eliminate an argument if there are fewer than twelve students in the class. - Opening statement from side 1 - Opening statement from side 2 - Economic argument from 2 - Economic argument from side 1 - Scientific argument from side 1 - Scientific argument from side 2 - Legal argument from side 2 - Legal argument from side 1 - Closing statement from side 1 - Closing statement from side 2 * Make sure to take pictures during the debate! Activity #4: Debrief the debate. * See how the students feel about the outcome, about their performances, etc. Materials and Equipment: 1. Digital Camera with a way to transfer the pictures to your computer 2. Laptop 3. A printout for each student of the Debate Introduction. 4. Scrap paper Teach Back and Calendar Page: Have the students pick their favorite picture from today to go on the calendar. Have them come up with a fact about vernal pools that they learned today, and a description of the debate, and how different sides can have different opinions about land use. Copy these down.
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Teacher Handout XI
Debate Argument Examples
Argument Type Economic
Construction Company We have already invested $2 million in this project which will greatly benefit the town. If people took issue with this construction, they should have talked with us about it before we had invested so much time and money.
Scientific
While we understand the importance of biodiversity and the species that live in vernal pools, there is simply no scientific evidence to show that these areas are in fact vernal pools. We have done the science, and these areas are not vernal pools.
Legal
The law says that to be a vernal pool, a depression must fill with water for at least two months on most years. Fifteen out of twenty that the residents have been living here is not most years.
Residents We understand that you are concerned about money but vernal pools have a value, too. They are critical habitat for several different species. Already, many vernal pools have been destroyed, and we simply cant afford to destroy any more. Had you let us know you were thinking about building here, we would have objected sooner, but your plans were practically secret. We have lived 20 years while you have only done scientific research for a year. We have seen with our own eyes that these areas are vernal pools. Some years, they are dry, and this past year when you were doing your study was an especially dry year. That does not confirm anything scientifically. Our local knowledge is far more scientifically sound than your limited research. The law says vernal pools are to be protected if they have important wildlife habitat functionsthese certainly do. We didnt take the steps to get them certified because you made your building plans secret.
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Student Handout I
Debate Introduction
Today, we will debate a case where a construction company wants to build some condominiums in an area that the local townspeople say contains vernal pools, a type of wetland. One group of you will be townspeople, arguing that the construction company should not be allowed to build the condos without doing a lot more research about the area, because you know that these areas are vernal pools since you have lived in this area for twenty years and have seen the seasonal changes in the land. A second group of you will be from the construction company, arguing that you have done the research about these areas, that you have found that they are not vernal pools, and that you should be able to begin construction immediately. Both groups should argue the case from an economic (money) perspective, a scientific perspective, and a legal perspective. A third group will judge the debate, and will work to develop fair criteria by which to judge. Vernal Pools A vernal pool is body of water found in upland hardwood forests in places that used to have glaciers. In summer and fall, vernal pools appear simply as depressions in the forest floor, some as different sized puddle, others as large as a couple of acres. But in the late winter and early spring, they often fill up with water from melting snow and spring rains and maintain their water into summer. The key feature about their formation is that since they are not associated with any running water system and because they dry out periodically, they cannot support fish. Hence, they have become a safe habitat for a variety of wildlife species that rely on these pools for breeding. Animals that live or breed in vernal pools include spotted salamanders, wood frogs, fairy shrimps, marbled salamanders, spring peepers, green frogs, pickerel frogs, spotted turtles, fingernail clams, and flat snails. Vernal pools are important for these species, but sometimes there is not enough snow and rain in the winter and spring for the vernal pools to fill up with water, making them look like regular ground. How Vernal Pools Are Protected in Massachusetts Under the Massachusetts Wetland Protection Act, a vernal pools are defined as confined basin depressions which, at least in most years, hold water for a minimum of two continuous months during the spring and/or summer, and which are free of adult fish populations, as well as the area within 100 feet of the mean annual boundaries of such depressions These areas are essential breeding habitat, and provide other extremely important wildlife habitat functions during non-breeding season as well, for a variety of amphibian species such as wood frog and the spotted salamander, and are
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important habitat for other wildlife species. Vernal pools can thus gain protection if they are shown to have wildlife habitat functions. This is done by going through a certification process. In dealing with laws, the specific wording of the laws is very important, so make sure to pay attention to specific words of the quoted law, such as the part about needing to have water for two continuous months and in most years. Think about the fact that in most years can be interpreted in different ways. Both sides could use this in their arguments. The Case The Crawford Construction Company wants to build twenty-six condo units on a site in Montague, MA. The project will cost $10 million, and they have already invested $2 million in the land purchase, the architectural plans, the building permits, and have worked with a consulting company to assess the environmental impact of the project. An ecologist (who happens to be the daughter of the owner of Crawford Construction) visited the site every two weeks for a year, and found water on only two of her visits in March, and saw no frogs or salamanders in the water. They have thus decided that this project should not be too damaging to the environment, and that these areas are not venal pools. They say the project should benefit the town, because the housing will be esthetically pleasing (that means it will look nice), and spur economic growth in the town. Crawford Construction is all set to begin construction when a group of townspeople comes and begins protesting, creating a lockdown and not letting the construction vehicles into the site. They say that this site has vernal pools that are important breeding grounds for several species, and that it must be protected. The protestors have lived in Montague for twenty years, and say they remember at least fifteen years when this area filled with water, and that it most definitely is a vernal pool. They claim that this year when the ecologist did the site visits was a drought year, and not representative of what normally occurs. They demand that a different ecologist do a survey of the land and do site visits weekly for two years. At the end of that time, they say if the ecologist deems that the sites are not in fact vernal pools, the construction can begin. Otherwise, they want the construction company to find a different piece of land. Your job is to argue this case from your assigned side as best you can, or, if you are a judge, to figure out how to evaluate the debate.
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Lesson Plan IX: Field Trip Day Lesson Objectives: By the end of the lesson, the students will have learned: 1. Be able to explore a wetland and gain first hand experience with the natural environment. Agenda: Post in the room for students to see. Even appoint a student, responsible for writing the agenda on the board. 1. Wetlands Foods 10 Minutes 2. Activity: Curriculum Appropriate Field Trip (see below) Time: 3 hours 3. Teach Back and Calendar Page In transit Lesson By Activity Activity #1: Field Trip * Suggestions: Local wetlands. In coastal areas barrier wetlands or the deltas of nearby rivers. In non-coastal areas bogs, highland or other, can be visited. * The goal is to introduce the students to wetlands and the natural environment. Materials and Equipment: * Buses or other transport * Camera for pictures of the trip Teach Back and Calendar Page: Ask the students to choose the picture(s) that they like the best to be used in the calendar and why they chose them. Ask them to explain what is happening and where in the wetlands they were when the picture was taken. If possible write this down to be included on the calendar.
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Lesson Plan X: WOW! Rehearsal and Run-through Lesson Objectives: By the end of the lesson, the students will have learned: 1. Public Speaking Skills 2. What they will say during the WOW 3. Practiced their WOW Agenda: Post in the room for students to see. Even appoint a student, responsible for writing the agenda on the board. 1. Wetland Foods 10 Minutes 2. Activity: Explain basic rules of Public Speaking Time: 15 min 3. Activity: Have the kids come up with talking points to go with each of the posters Time: 25 min 4. Activity: Do a complete Rehearsal of the WOW Time: 10 min 5. Activity: Go over what the kids did well Time: 20 min 6. Teach Back 5 Minutes Lesson By Activity Activity #1: Go over the basic aspects of good Public Speaking * Ex: proper dress, eye contact, loud & clear speaking, consistent gestures within box. Activity #2: Have the kids come up with talking points for each of the posters * Use this time to have all of them together come up with a short explanation of each of the pictures they chose for the calendars. * These explanations should tell the audience what each picture is, what they learned during that lesson and why it was important enough to include in the calendar. Activity #3: Do a complete Rehearsal of the WOW * Treat this as if it is the real thing. Have the CTs watch and take notes while the kids go through the whole presentation. * CTs should ask questions as if they were the real audience and prepare the kids for presenting to their parents and peers. Activity #4: Go over what the kids did well * The CTs should ask the kids what they thought they did well and could improve on. * Have them make a list of things to work on for the real presentation and include any suggestions that the CTs have if the students do not think of it on their own.
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If there is time left have the kids do another rehearsal and try to fix some of the things discussed. Materials and Equipment: Posters for each of the calendar pictures Guidelines for public speaking (attached)
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Teacher Information Sheet XII

Guidelines for Public Speaking
While there are no hard and fast rules to public speaking there are some things that students can do to make their presentations better and engage the audience. These are things that the students should practice and remember for any presentation that they will have to give for the rest of their lives. * Make eye contact: Students should memorize their presentations and if they are speaking to more than one person they should shift their gaze between each member of their audience. * Change the pace of their delivery: Students should vary the pace at which they speak. When they want to make a particularly important point they can slow down their cadence and pick up again once they move to the next point. It is important that they remember not to ever speak too fast. * Change the volume of their voice: Like their speed students can vary their volume to emphasize certain points. Remind them that they should not yell at their audience however. * Move around: Students should use their body language to convey their points and the important aspects of what they are saying. They dont need to pace (and shouldnt rock back and forth or side to side) but they can turn to point at the posters when talking about specific things. Unless they are pointing when gesturing with their hands they should keep movements in a box between their shoulders and waist. This allows the audience to see their motions but doesnt block their face. * Keep hands out of their pockets: This will allow them to make gestures and will convey a message that the speaker cares to their audience. * Speak clearly: This is pretty self evident but the students should speak clearly and loudly enough that their audience can easily understand them. * Smile: Smiling will engage the audience and makes the speaker seem like a more interesting and happier person. * Make sure that the audience has their questions answered: Make sure the students ask if there are any questions and allow the audience to ask about anything they are uncertain about.
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Sources Consulted:
http://www.wwt.org.uk/text/683/wetland_food.html http://www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/ http://wetlandextension.ifas.ufl.edu/types/marsh.htm http://www.wildernesscenter.org/images/Ivorybilledhabitat.jpg http://farm1.static.flickr.com/76/190368751_c2214acc99.jpg?v=0 http://www.nrpa.com/wetlands.htm http://legacy.ncsu.edu/classes/nr400001/gradpage/Wetland_Mitigation_Ho me/wetland_importance.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tidal_marsh http://www.eoearth.org/article/Non-tidal_marsh http://www.water.ncsu.edu/watershedss/info/wetlands/wetloss.html http://www.epa.gov/OWOW/wetlands/vital/epa_media/usa.gif
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Wetlands Curriculum

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Wetlands Curriculum

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Understanding Wetlands Curriculum Guidelines 2009

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How to use this curriculum:

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Teacher Handout III

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Eastern Mud Turtle

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Percent of Total 95.000% 3.618%

Water vapor (H2O) Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

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0.360% 0.950% 0.072%

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Photo courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

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Evidence of Climate Change

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Teacher Handout VII

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Teacher Handout VIII

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Text: 15km of rain forest disappears every minute

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Copyright 2009 EnviroEd

Copyright 2009 EnviroEd