Matthew D. Cacopardo
Outer Island Field Trip
Begin the unit with a trip to Outer Island. More Information on this site can be directed the Center for Education and Research at Outer Island (CEROI) website: http://www.ctstateu.edu/ceroi/ceroi.htm. This would be great beginning of the year trip that can be quite effective in developing an understanding of proper sampling techniques and introducing typical flora and fauna of a natural habitat. There is an Outer Island video that can be sent to schools for free by contacting Dr. Breslin. His website is: http://www.southernct.edu/programs/utpp/breslin/ .
Have students make a list of the organisms that they observed in the field. A good book that can be used to identify these animals is the Peterson Field Guide to the Atlantic Seashore. With the use of the list of organisms assign an organism to each student or group of students to write a short paper on how the "Five Characteristics of Living Things" are observed in their model organism.
By using a plankton net you could have students cast out into the water and collect samples of plankton which could be brought back to the classroom to introduce the use of the microscope. At this time the teacher should introduce the concepts such as autotrophs and heterotrophs and producers and consumers. The importance of biological illustrations can then be implemented by having the students draw their observations. By using colored pencils they will begin to see a color trend in the producers and autotrophs. The teacher could then use this knowledge to begin to discuss photosynthesis and cellular respiration.
