Jamie Williamson’s Cooperative Lesson

EDP 621, Summer I, 2002

Title:

Ecosystem Explorations

Goal:

Educate student on the complexity and interconnectedness of different ecosystems, and how environmental pollutants can affect these systems.

Timeline:

One class period each week for 5 consecutive weeks

Target Groups:

7-12 grade Science and Social Studies Classes

Materials:

Students will need access to research materials and the Internet.

Procedures:

Meeting 1:

• Student will be taught about the concept of an ecosystem and the composition of a few ecosystems (forest, grassland, marsh, river)
• Student will be divided into four groups each representing a different ecosystem (Forest, grassland, marsh, river).
• Within each group, each member will be designated to represent one section of that ecosystem, for example animals, plants, and insects.
• The students will then research their particular section of the ecosystem using current research material and the Internet.

Meeting 2:

• Students will meet to discuss their findings.
• Students will develop a 10-15 min group presentation on their findings.
• Teacher will process the day’s activities with the students.

Meeting 3

• Each group will present their collective findings.
• Each group will be given a type of industry on it that has just moved into or near their ecosystem.
• Students will then research the potential ecological damage of any activities or pollutants.
• Teacher will process the day’s activities with the students.

Meeting 4:

• Students will meet with groups to discuss their findings.
• Students will develop a 10-15 min group presentation on their findings.
• Student will then regroup for the last 15 minutes of class to meet with members of the other groups that are assigned to the same section of the ecosystem (i.e. plants, animals, water & soil).
• Teacher will process the day’s activities with the students.

Meeting 5:

• Students will present on their findings.
• Their goal is to determine if that industry produces any pollutants that could potentially damage the ecosystem and what parts of the ecosystem would be most affected.
• Teacher will process the day’s activities with the students.

Evaluation:

Student will be evaluated on two different levels: personal and group. The personal evaluation will consist of a write up of what you contributed to the group and the things that you learned. The group evaluation will consist of evaluating the groups presentation of the information and the depth of the knowledge presented.

Positive Interdependence:

Students will pull together their individual pieces of the project to create one complete presentation, so they must interact in a positive and supportive way to ensure that each member of the team contributes to the project.

Heterogeneous Grouping:

Students should be divided based on a rank ordering of the students, with one student from each quarter: high, high middle, low middle, and low.

Individual Accountability:

Students will be asked to write a one-page summary of their contribution to the project and tell what they learned by participating in the project.

Social Skills

The students must utilize appropriate social skills in order to effectively communicate with other team members and the class.

Face-to-Face Interaction

Student will be required to interact face-to-face in many of the steps along the project. For instance, students will meet to discuss their findings and develop the presentation for the group, and group member will be re-divided into the different ecosystem components.

Processing

There will be processing activities guided by the teacher after every session. This will consist of talking about effective communication strategies, teamwork, supporting team members, and developing a shared vision for the groups.

Considerations

The student’s academic level should be considered with developing the activity. Low-level (7-9^th grades) students should focus on more general environmental/ecosystem issues, and higher-level (10-12^th grades) students should be expected to present on a greater depth of coverage.