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Course, Subject

Biology/Living Environment, Math, Science & Technology, Science (NYS P-12)

Description

This lesson engages students in critical thinking about the value of botanical, community, and other gardens in preserving biodiversity and in contributing to sustainable communities. It introduces several concepts drawn from system dynamics, including feedback loops, behavior-over-time graphs...and more! This lesson can also be used for AP Biology.

Website(s)

ActionBioscience

Duration

1-3 45 minute class periods

Objective(s)

After completing this activity students will be able to:

• understand the various services different types of gardens provide to humans
• develop the ability to describe changes among factors in gardens using feedback loops
• understand the role of Carl Linnaeus in the history of taxonomy

Preparation

Article Discussion:

Distribute or ask students to download and read the article by H. Bruce Rinker: http://www.actionbioscience.org/biodiversity/rinker2.html Follow the reading with questions about the article, provided below.

Student Handout 1:

• In activity 1, students will make lists of different types of gardens. Encourage the students to be creative and not limit themselves to gardens around their own homes. Refer students to "useful links for student research" in the "educator resources" section at the end of Rinker's article for more information on community, school, and botanical gardens.
• Activity 2 asks students to draw behavior-over-time graphs and to diagram feedback loops (refer to the PowerPoint presentation diagrams, see below). Feedback loops are used to show dynamic relationships among different factors in a system. For example, they can be used to understand the relations between soil quality or seed availability and flower production in a garden. Once students understand these relationships, they can predict how varying one factor will affect another factor. This information can be used to help solve problems, such as how to promote the growth of a particular plant in a garden.
• Activity 3 asks students to research the contributions Carl Linnaeus made to taxonomy and gardens.

PowerPoint Presentation

Teacher Packet

Procedure

1. Have students read the article, "The Weight of a Petal: The Importance of Botanical Gardens." The students can read this for homework or in class.
2. You can have the article discussion in a few ways: you can ask the class the questions from the handout; you can have students get into small groups and answer the questions together; or you can have students answer the questions individually after they are done reading the article.
3. Give each student a copy of Handout 1 (handout 2 if this is for an AP class).
4. Have students follow along with the directions on the handout to complete the rest of the activities.
5. These activities can be done in class, or for a homework assignment. There are 3 activities in all.

Assessment

Students can hand in their work for a class work grade. Use your own grading policies to grade the assignment and the discussion questions if you decide to collect it.

Related Academic Standards

New York State

S.HS.LS.2.1 Students who demonstrate understanding can use mathematical and/or computational representations to support explanations of factors that affect carrying capacity of ecosystems at different scales.

S.HS.LS.2.6 Students who demonstrate understanding can evaluate the claims, evidence, and reasoning that the complex interactions in ecosystems maintain relatively consistent numbers and types of organisms in stable conditions, but changing conditions may result in a

S.HS.ESS.3.2 Students who demonstrate understanding can evaluate competing design solutions for developing, managing, and utilizing energy and mineral resources based on cost-benefit ratios.

MST4.C.LE.LE.6.3 Students explain how the living and nonliving environments change over time and respond to disturbances.

MST4.C.LE.LE.7.3 Students explain how individual choices and societal actions can contribute to improving the environment.