Wolf! Distance Learning Summary and Goals Students will develop an awareness of what is myth and what is reality in regards to wolf species. They will interpret literature using critical thinking skills, research factual information on wolves and compare/contrast with fictional tales. Grade Levels Grades 3-5 Engage This activity is designed to start your students in recognizing themselves as researchers and thinking critically about problem-solving. The goal is to teach concepts through discovery and to encourage using scientific thought processes. As with all lessons provided, please feel free to adapt them according to your students abilities. Some of your students may be early readers, in which case you may find it more successful to lead activities and discussions as a whole group rather than using individual Research Plan sheets. Certain scientific vocabulary may or may not be appropriate for your students level of understanding. Take these ideas, make them your own and your students will have a greater chance at success. Over time, has media portrayed wolves in a way that leads people towards or away from wolf conservation? 1. Begin this lesson by telling students that they will be investigating the differences between wolf behavior and how the media portrays the behavior. 2. If your students are familiar with brainstorming and recording their ideas, break them into small groups. If your students need more guidance, work with them as a large group. Engage your students in a discussion of what they predict the answer to the question to be. More importantly, why do they think this? 3. Has the media message about wolves changed over the past 5 years? 10 years? 20 years? How would they find out if it has changed? Explore 4. Continue with the above discussion and encourage the group to come up with ways they could investigate the question and test their predictions scientifically (all suggestions are welcomed). What tools might they need to carry out their suggested explorations? Are there materials that would help them find the answer? Should they be
making observations? What kinds of records will they need to keep? What will they do with the information once they have it? And how will they know that they ve successfully answered the question? Allow a wide variety of ideas and encourage conversation amongst the students to refine the details of their ideas. 5. Wolf Tales a. Brainstorm with students about what they know and feel about wolves. List students responses. Ask students if they know of any videos, movies, books, or articles about wolves. b. Read a few fairy tales involving wolves. Other media such as age appropriate videos, songs or movies can also be used. c. Have the students react to how the wolf is portrayed. Discussion can include the following questions: Do you like the wolf in the story? Why or why not? What words or phrases contribute to this feeling? Why did the author portray the wolf the way he did? Do you think wolves in the wild are like the ones in the story? (If more than one story was read, compare the wolves in each.) 6. Ideas should be recorded on the Research Plan sheets. Small groups can record their own answers or you can record ideas as a group. Explain 7. Explain to the group that they will be participating in our Distance Learning program Wolf! that might help to give them some insight into the situation. 8. This covers topics including physical characteristics and adaptations of the wolf, ranges and behaviors. Expand 9. Ask students to reflect on what they have learned and review their ideas of how to get the information they would need to answer the original research question. Do certain types of media portray wolves differently than others? Is there a point in time when society changed how they felt about wolves? Do your parents feel differently about wolves than you do? How do your grandparents feel about them? 10. Allow students to discuss and plan how they could make the activity more successful. Do they need to gather any additional information before they can answer the research question? Did they think of additional ways to gather information based on the activities they have just completed? 11. Feel free to repeat any of the activities in any number of ways. Assess 12. Monitor your students as they continue to research and develop their method for communicating their results. Make sure to help them continue their discussion on the media s portrayal of wolves and how it affects wolf conservation. Have your students
share their results with the rest of the class. Allow time for student critique and comments. 13. Was the outcome the same as what they had predicted? Did messages about wolves in the media change over time? How long did it take for more positive or negative messages to affect the wolves themselves? Did wolf conservation efforts go up or down during that time period? 14. If the students are working in small groups, observe their work and review what they are writing on the Research Plan. If working as a whole group, fill in the Research Plan together.
Standards Ohio Academic Content Standards Grades 3-5 Life Science Topic: Behavior, Growth, and Changes Offspring resemble their parents and each other Individuals of the same kind differ in their traits and sometimes the differences give individuals an advantage in surviving and reproducing Plants and animals have life cycles that are part of their adaptations for survival in their natural environments Life Science Topic: Earth's Living History Changes in an organism's environment are sometimes beneficial to its survival and sometimes harmful Science as Inquiry Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry Understandings about scientific inquiry Life Science Characteristics of organisms Life cycles of organisms Organisms and environment Science in Personal and Social Perspectives Personal health Characteristics and changes in populations Types of resources Changes in environments Science and technology in local challenges History and Nature of Science Science as a human endeavor Science as Inquiry Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry Understandings about scientific inquiry Life Science Structure and function in living systems Reproduction and heredity Regulation and behavior Populations and ecosystems Diversity and adaptations of organisms Science in Personal and Social Perspectives Personal health Populations, resources, and environments Natural hazards Risks and benefits Science and technology in society History and Nature of Science Science as a human endeavor Nature of science History of science National Science Education Standards Grades K-4 Grades 5-8
Wolf! Supplemental Materials My Research Plan 1. What is my research question? Is it a good question? Over time, has media portrayed wolves in a way that leads people towards or away from wolf conservation? 2. How can I get my information? 3. What will I do with this information? 4. How will I know I did my job well?