National Science Standard 3... Life Science

NS.5 - 8.1
Structure and Function in Living Systems
Reproduction and Heredity
Regulation and Behavior
Populations and Ecosystems
Diversity and Adaptations of Organisms

NS.9 - 12.1
The Cell
Molecular Basis of Heredity
Interdependence of Organisms
Matter, Energy and Organization in Living Systems
Behavior of Organisms

Speaker...Ms. Jeanne McCarty
Director of Roots and Shoots
Jane Goodall Institute

Click Here To View Ms. McCarty's Presentation On-line
Live stream or file download options available

Essential Questions

1. Assuming that people take care of the things they care about, how would you inspire people to care for animals that cannot defend themselves?
2. How can people your age teach others to appreciate our natural environment if they have only seen the unnatural world around them? For example, those who live in a large city may never have seen a meadow or a mountain. Some may not understand how development takes away precious habitat.


Lesson Plans

Pre-Presentation:

  • Lessons for Hope...lesson plans translating values into actions
    from the Jane Goodall Institute

  • Opposable Thumb
    Objective: Opposable means that you can cross your palm with your thumb. Chimpanzees have an opposable thumb just as we do...allowing us     to manipulate our environment in ways that other animals can not.
    Materials: masking tape, journals, scissors, paper clips, wrapped candy, pencils, paper
    Activity: Tape the kids thumbs down onto their palms (both hands). Then ask them to:
    Pick up a piece of paper
    Write their name with a pencil on the paper
    Cut a circle out of the paper
    Tie their shoes
    Unwrap and a piece of candy
    Turn the page of a book
     Follow-up: When they have had a chance to get to all the tasks, regroup and ask them the following questions: How did you have to change your approach to the task to accomplish it without your thumbs? How many things in our culture would be different if we didn't have opposable thumbs?

  • Pyramid of Life
    Objective:     To visualize the delicate balance of the food chain.
    Materials: Pieces of cloth, slips of paper, pencils, scarves
    Activity: Ask the students to write the name of a plant or animal that lives in the area. Collect the papers and begin to structure your pyramid based on the names on the slips. Often times, you will receive far more top layer animals than plant eating animals and the base plants themselves. Talk over what you need to make the pyramid better balanced. Once you have a solid base of plants, add the plant eating animals on top of that, followed by small meat eaters and then the larger carnivores. If they can get the pyramid standing, pick out a few students to hand a scarf to. These have been targeted by pollution or deforestation or environmental upheaval. Try making the pyramid stand with these species removed. Have spotters stay by them to keep them safe!
    Follow-up: How fragile is the pyramid? How do we repair a broken one?

Post-Presentation:

  • Lessons for Hope...lesson plans translating values into actions
    from the Jane Goodall Institute
    • Unit Three...Knowledge, Compassion and Action
    • Unit Four...Resilience, Perseverance and Celebration
  • "Jane Goodall's Wild Chimpanzee"...14 activities designed around the film.

  • Extinctless Animals
    Objective:     to consider the effect that habitat has on extinction.
    Materials: blank paper, crayons, markers, etc.
    Activity: Their task is to create an animal that would be resistant to extinction. Have a short discussion about what leads to extinction and then let them brainstorm ideas that might save living things from such a fate. Give them time to draw their newly created animal, giving it a name and habitat. Let them share their designs...and their ideas!!!
    Follow-up:     Ask "Why is it important to preserve environments, just as they exist in nature....without interference from humans?


Additional Educator Resources

Books:

Videos:

Journal Topic

Imagine yourself as a news reporter who has been sent on a job in the Amazon. Until now, you have only read about the area and know that it is important to our planet in terms of oxygen and new discoveries for medicine from rain forest plants. When you get there, you realize that it is a thriving home for people and animals and it is being cut down at an alarming rate. Now, you not only know about the rain forest and the Amazon, but you feel its beauty and want to share your new vision. How will you allow your position as a reporter to be a voice for the rain forest and its inhabitants?
"It is a vision of heaven
It is a child of promise
It is the song of life
It is the river of no regret"

Student Self-Evaluation

1. This speaker emphasized…
2. One fact that surprised me was…
3. I will always remember…
4. The important message I would like to pass on is…

Teacher Evaluation

1. The student used the journal question as a reflection after the program.
2. The student was able to answer the self-evaluation questions.
3. The student created an extinctless animal with an explanation of how that animal will survive in our present and future     world. The explanation will include information about that animal's interdependence with other organisms.
4. The student worked as part of a team to create a Pyramid of Life.

Amazon

There is a river that runs from the mountains
That one river is all rivers
All rivers are that one

There is a tree that stands in the forest
That one tree is all forests
All trees are that one

There is a flower that blooms in the desert
That one blossom is all flowers
All flowers are that one

There is a bird that sings in the jungle
That one song is all music
All songs are that one

It is the song of life
It is the flower of faith
It is the tree of temptation
It is the river of no regret

There is a child that cries in the ghetto
That one child is all children
All children are that one

There is a vision that shines in the darkness
That one vision is all of our dreams
All of our dreams are that one

It is a vision of heaven
It is a child of promise
It is the song of life
It is the river of no regret

Let this be a voice for the mountains
Let this be a voice for the river
Let this be a voice for the forest
Let this be a voice for the flowers
Let this be a voice for the ocean
Let this be a voice for the desert
Let this be a voice for the children
Let this be a voice for the dreamers
Let this be a voice of no regret

...Lyrics by John Denver
Bill
Nye

Standard 1
Amory
Lovins

Standard 2
Jeanne
McCarty

Standard 3
Al
Worden

Standard 4
Thomas
Zung

Standard 5
Tracy
Fisher

Standard 6

John
Passacantando

Standard 6
Richard
Murphy

Standard 7

Curriculum Home Page     Symposium Home Page     Windstar Home Page

The suggested links on the curriculum pages have been recommended by professional educators.
Not all of the sites were created by the Windstar Foundation or our 2004 Symposium Speakers.
Please preview the sites to be sure they are appropriate for your students' age and level.

Curriculum written and designed by Debbie Murphy and Hollie Carter