How "Turtle's Wetland Quest" supports the Life Science Curriculum
Curriculum for Grades 3-5 Life Science (Biology)
Covered in “Turtle’s Wetland Quest”
An original wetland story by Deborah Costine
"ADAPTATION OF LIVING THINGS"
#6. Give examples of how inherited characteristics may change over time as adaptations to changes in the environment that enable organisms to survive, e.g., shape of beak or feet, placement of eyes on head, length of neck, shape of teeth, color. Compare and contrast the physical characteristics of plants or animals from widely different environments (e.g., desert vs. tropical plants, aquatic vs. terrestrial animals). Explore how each is adapted to its environment.
Beaver:
*1. eyes and nostrils on top of head so they are out of the water to see and breathe. The puppet was designed to demonstrate this feature.
*2. teeth orange from the iron in their diet. Always growing and being sharpened
Salamander:
*1. adapts to its environment by staying in moist places so it’s skin won’t dry out. It needs a wetland habitat. This is mentioned numerous times in the script.
*2. When danger is sensed the blue-spotted salamander's tail lashes back and forth and produces a stinky secretion from two glands at the base of its tail. If grabbed the salamander's tail will detach. While the predator is detained by the writhing tail the salamander zips off to safety.
#7. Give examples of how changes in the environment (drought, cold) have caused some plants and animals to die or move to new locations (migration). Investigate how invasive species out-compete native plants (e.g., phragmites and purple loosestrife). Discuss how some native plants die as a result.
The Blandings Turtle is having a difficult time surviving in Eastern and Central MA These rare turtles are vulnerable to changes in their habitat:
*1. They tend to roam about and they don’t begin to reproduce until they are 15 years old. So that’s a lot of years of exposure to roads looking for new habitat. They have not adapted to this, so they are declining in numbers.
*2. Habitat loss: Many wetlands in Massachusetts have been filled and/or polluted.
*3. Blue Spotted Salamander: Habitat loss for same reason as turtle’s.
*4. Beavers, when the young are two years old they must leave the lodge and begin their own new wetland
#8. Describe how organisms meet some of their needs in an environment by using behaviors (patterns of activities) in response to information (stimuli) received from the environment. Recognize that some animal behaviors are instinctive (e.g., turtles burying their eggs), and others are learned (e.g., humans building fires for warmth, chimpanzees learning how to use tools).
*1. Beavers can create the habitat they need by building a dam and a pond for their lodge to be in a safe setting.
*2. Salamander stays under leaves and logs to stay moist.
*3. Blanding the Turtle stays under water for hours if threatened or retreats into shell.
Blanding goes to a nearby high warm sandy place to lay her eggs. The babies upon hatching instinctively move toward the nearest water.
#9. Recognize plant behaviors, such as the way seedlings’ stems grow toward light and their roots grow downward in response to gravity. Recognize that many plants and animals can survive harsh environments because of seasonal behaviors, e.g., in winter, some trees shed leaves, some animals hibernate, and other animals migrate.
*1. Beavers build a dam and lodge for safety and in winter live mostly in the lodge. (They store branches in the mud and sand at the bottom of water to eat bark from branches through the winter.)
*2. Salamander primarily stays in areas that are moist.
*3. Turtle hibernates in mud in bottom of a pond.
#10. Give examples of how organisms can cause changes in their environment to ensure survival. Explain how some of these changes may affect the ecosystem.
* Beaver builds dam and a lodge. Beavers are known as the animal second only to humans who can change their environment.
Beaver:
*1. eyes and nostrils on top of head so they are out of the water to see and breathe. The puppet was designed to demonstrate this feature.
*2. teeth orange from the iron in their diet. Always growing and being sharpened
Salamander:
*1. adapts to its environment by staying in moist places so it’s skin won’t dry out. It needs a wetland habitat. This is mentioned numerous times in the script.
*2. When danger is sensed the blue-spotted salamander's tail lashes back and forth and produces a stinky secretion from two glands at the base of its tail. If grabbed the salamander's tail will detach. While the predator is detained by the writhing tail the salamander zips off to safety.
#7. Give examples of how changes in the environment (drought, cold) have caused some plants and animals to die or move to new locations (migration). Investigate how invasive species out-compete native plants (e.g., phragmites and purple loosestrife). Discuss how some native plants die as a result.
The Blandings Turtle is having a difficult time surviving in Eastern and Central MA These rare turtles are vulnerable to changes in their habitat:
*1. They tend to roam about and they don’t begin to reproduce until they are 15 years old. So that’s a lot of years of exposure to roads looking for new habitat. They have not adapted to this, so they are declining in numbers.
*2. Habitat loss: Many wetlands in Massachusetts have been filled and/or polluted.
*3. Blue Spotted Salamander: Habitat loss for same reason as turtle’s.
*4. Beavers, when the young are two years old they must leave the lodge and begin their own new wetland
#8. Describe how organisms meet some of their needs in an environment by using behaviors (patterns of activities) in response to information (stimuli) received from the environment. Recognize that some animal behaviors are instinctive (e.g., turtles burying their eggs), and others are learned (e.g., humans building fires for warmth, chimpanzees learning how to use tools).
*1. Beavers can create the habitat they need by building a dam and a pond for their lodge to be in a safe setting.
*2. Salamander stays under leaves and logs to stay moist.
*3. Blanding the Turtle stays under water for hours if threatened or retreats into shell.
Blanding goes to a nearby high warm sandy place to lay her eggs. The babies upon hatching instinctively move toward the nearest water.
#9. Recognize plant behaviors, such as the way seedlings’ stems grow toward light and their roots grow downward in response to gravity. Recognize that many plants and animals can survive harsh environments because of seasonal behaviors, e.g., in winter, some trees shed leaves, some animals hibernate, and other animals migrate.
*1. Beavers build a dam and lodge for safety and in winter live mostly in the lodge. (They store branches in the mud and sand at the bottom of water to eat bark from branches through the winter.)
*2. Salamander primarily stays in areas that are moist.
*3. Turtle hibernates in mud in bottom of a pond.
#10. Give examples of how organisms can cause changes in their environment to ensure survival. Explain how some of these changes may affect the ecosystem.
* Beaver builds dam and a lodge. Beavers are known as the animal second only to humans who can change their environment.
