Kristen A. Borsari
All of the ecosystems, habitats and species mentioned in the discussion of each region maintain themselves by cycling energy through the food chains and food webs. Although geographic distance separates these very diverse habitats, they are not at all isolated. The students may have difficulty seeing how the changes made in one region can significantly impact the ecosystems of another region. The children will probably need some assistance to see how they do have an effect on another. By giving the students one or two examples of how one region relates to another region they will be able to find other relationships on their own. For example, the fishing industry in the New England and the Middle Atlantic supplies fish all over the country, if the Atlantic ocean was over fished there would be a significant loss of a protein source around the country. Another example is when forests are taken down for logging and farming, the animals that once lived there are homeless, they usually die or have to move into surrounding areas. This movement of animals changes and displaces the animals in these surrounding areas. This creates a chain effect which introduces new animals to each other; in many cases these animals have no adaptations to one another resulting in the elimination of some species or changes of others.
Lesson 4
Once the children begin seeing and making connections and relationships within and between regions they are ready to address the essential question head-on. At the end of study for each region the students should write an expository essay responding to the question: How have the food chains in this region affected the way humans live and how have humans affected the food chains of the region in which they live? The first time the students are completing this assignment they will need a great deal of assistance and modeled writing. Use the five paragraph format for expository essays: Introduction, Body Paragraph 1, Body Paragraph 2, Body Paragraph 3, and Conclusion. For the first time, the introduction can be written as a class; the introduction should first include an attention getter to grab the readers interest, however it is wise to begin with writing the thesis for the essay, that is what are they writing about, what they will be explaining. By using a brainstorming technique (webbing, listing, etc.) the students will begin to see which themes and words are used again and again by the class and a thesis statement can be formed. Using the brainstorming, ask the students to highlight with a bright marker the idea that support or explain the thesis statement, each idea will become a body paragraph. An example of this for the New England region: (Thesis) Food chains in the New England region are found in forests, grassy areas, the ocean, streams and ponds, and even our backyards! People here use the natural resources and they can change the way the land looks and the way animals live. (Three supporting ideas) In New England boating and fishing are important industries, Massachusetts grows more cranberries than any other state, and New England attracts many tourists each year.
The three supporting points are main ideas for the three body paragraphs. It is helpful for the students to do some short brainstorming on all three of these points as they will need to elaborate them into a full paragraph. The body paragraphs for the first time can be only three or four sentences long but by the end of the year the students should strive for seven or more sentences per body paragraph. As a class, have the students help take the main points from the introduction and turn them into topic sentences, then take one of the topic sentences and model for the students how to add detail sentences to make a paragraph. The students can then take the two remaining topic sentences and turn them into paragraphs.
The attention getter can be added before or after the body paragraphs are completed. An attention getter can be a sound, feeling, thought, action, question or anything that serves to get the reader to want to read on. An example of an attention getter for the essay about New England might sound like: I love watching the boats sail by the light house while I chase birds on the beach. Or: Crackle, crackle. Under my feet and above my head are beautiful brightly colored autumn leaves. Attention getters create a feeling, they do not have to stick strictly to the thesis and are a great place for children to learn how to use a variety of new adjectives and descriptive verbs.
Once the students have completed the three body paragraphs, the conclusion can be written as a class; restating the theses and three main ideas in different wording and then adding a final zinger. The final zinger adds to the feeling of the paper and leaves the reader wanting more. A final zinger can also relate back to the attention getter but does not have to. An example of a final zinger: Autumn in New England is a great time, in fact I'm about to go apple picking, I can already smell the apple pie cooking!
For each subsequent region, more and more of the writing can be released to the students until by the end of the year, they need no guidance at all. They will become familiar with the format of the prompt and will begin thinking towards this question throughout their studies.