Submitted by: Ruth Ann Smith

Subject and Grade Level: Middle School - 7th Grade

Overview: Snow Respect, a winter ecology unit featuring the polar regions and winter adaptations.

Purpose: Provide research instruction and materials toward the goal of a 2 minute writing assignment- also small hands on experiments showing ³cold² studies.

Objectives (Learner Outcomes): Students will carry out a study that integrates literature, science, geography, and personal experiences all based around the above themes polar regions/adaptations.

Resources/Materials: Polar/wintering books. Obtain diary accts of polar explorers. Use science mammals to develop small experiments.

Activities and Procedures: Hands on small demonstrations: Differences in snowshoe styles. Materials comparison of the ³soaking sock² variety. These demos will be on display for several days in the library.

Tying it all together: Culmination project- have students featured as experts on snow adaptations to show knowledge to sixth grade students.

Assessment: Pre and post-tests; help with project evaluation. Question students during ³expert² testimony during the culminating project.

Standards Addressed: Science- Earth and Physical, Reflection, Math-Interpreting Charts, Geography, English

Overview: Winter Ecology Unit featuring the polar regions-Snow Respect

Purpose: Provide students with researching experience through a 9-minute research paper based on the polar regions.

Objectives (learner Outcomes): Students will find information on their chosen topic. Students will compile information in an organized fashion and write a shortened version of a research paper.

Resources/Materials: Information on Arctic and Antarctic peoples and animals

Activities and Procedures:

1. Library will be divided into stations.
2. Two students will be assigned to each station. Each station will have one topic.
3. Students will spend 9 minutes finding information on their topic and recording it in note form.
4. Students will write a short research paper based on the information they gathered.

Tying it all together: Students will also study polar regions when they research polar regions and write a lengthier research paper. Students will also study local adaptations and complete oral history projects which emphasize the adaptations we have made locally. Students will write in journals about various ³winter/snow² topics. Students will also study language (³snow words²) and compare and discuss language differences. They will make their own words for things in their environment which they feel need names

Assessment: Grade final paper with rubric. Pre and post test.

Standards Addressed: Inquiry and research, Depth of Understanding, Ideas in Action

Submitted by: Linda Rulison

Subject and grade level: 7th grade

Overview: Snow Respect - An integrated Polar Region unit

Purpose: To develop an appreciation for and an in-depth knowledge of the diversity and fragility of life in the northern regions, as well as how the geography of an area dictates how life adapts.

Objectives (learner Outcomes):

1. To appreciate our ³snow culture²
2. To appreciate others¹ ³snow culture²
3. To appreciate life on, in and under the snow
4. To appreciate our own biochemistry

Resources/Materials: Varied resource books, videos, guest speakers, interview/research

Activities and Procedures: Group work, research/investigation, and hands on projects, all integrated with other content core classes.

Tying it all together: Integrated with core classes and a culmination project.

Assessment: Varied- paper pencil, i.e. pre/post test, mini-projects, culmination project.

Standards Addressed: Social studies, language arts.

Subject and Grade Level: Integrated Science grade 9/10

Overview: Students will do a 3-wk interdisciplinary unit (science, math, language arts) on winter ecology. In this lesson students will observe different snow crystal structures (2-day activity)

Purpose: To investigate the shapes of snowflakes and why they form differently

Objectives: To be able to identify different snow crystals. To be able to read/interpret a graph with snow crystal formation information.

Resources/Materials: Charts/graphs for Winter: An Ecological Handbook, Half penny and Ozanne pp 38-49. Hand lenses, paper, pencil, clip boards, slides of snow crystals, slide projector

Activities and Procedures: Intro lesson by talking/discussing snow crystals and what students know. Snow slides of different snow crystals and discuss similarities and differences. Hand out snow crystal classification chart and explain. Bring students outside with hand lenses, paperŠ, Have students look at and draw several different snow crystals. Day 2-discuss the snow crystals students saw/identified. Show students graph on water supply air temp, and type of snowflakes formed. Work with the class to understand this graph. In class assignment: Identify crystals found and then write a paragraph describing the conditions that existed in the atmosphere when the crystal formed. Homework/extra credit: additional drawings, snow poetry, stories.

Tying it all together: display drawings

Assessment: see step 9

Standards Addressed: Using Sci. Knowl. In phy sci: effects of cold on matter, energy, changes in matter, waves and vibration.

Subject and Grade level: 9th grade Science-mostly physical science

Overview: A three part series involving heat loss and the physics of snow. Part 1 would involve testing the insulating properties of socks. Part 2 would test surface area/volume heat loss, and Part 3 will be a Quinzhee construction. Included will be information about frostbite, hypothermia, etc.

Purpose: To give the students a better understanding of their surroundings (for 5 months of the year), not only for their own safety, but for appreciation.

Objectives: TLW describe how surface area relates to heat loss. TLW describe why cotton is a poor choice of sock material, and list several materials that are superior. TLW build a useable snow shelter in a cooperative effort with other students.

Resources/Materials: Information about agar and phenol from Seth M. Student sock samples (clean). Student shovels, scoops. ROTC and/or parents to help supervise and run consessions.

Activities and Procedures:

Part 1. will be the surface area/volume heat loss experiment described by Seth M-Houghton H.S. Additionally I will show a grain elevator explosion which demonstrates the increased chemical reactivity of a large surface area of flour.

Part 2. Class discussion of how insulation works, followed by the types of materials students think insulate well. Class then develops a lab (with my direction) similar to the one run by Sara Keinath.

Part 3. A full day Quinzhee construction. I would like to have a guest speaker but can not sure is Dr. Santeford would do another H.S. appearance.

Tying it all together: After doing parts 1 and 2, but before doing the Quinzhee construction we could discuss what we learned and what to wear for the construction. Discussion of layering for working as opposed to snowmobile suits for snowmobiling will be emphasized.

Assessment:
Part 1 (socks) Datatable and graph completed by each student, as well as some follow up questions.
Part 2 (SA/volume-heat loss) Successful completion of lab and associated questions
Part 3 Successful completion of a quinzhee

Standards Addressed: Constructing New Scientific Knowledge, Reflecting on Scientific Knowledge, Using Scientific Knowledge in Physical Science. The other two standards will also be addressed to a lesser degree. I would also like to add a lesson on the effect of color on Radiant Heat. Black and Silver cans of water in the sun with a record of temp change. Discussion can include the black skin of polar bears and the black extremities white body of Angora rabbits. (Incidentally if this rabbits back is shaved and has ice applied the fur grows back black.)

Subject and Grade Level: Grade 8 Michigan/Ojibwa History

Overview: Discover how early Ojibwa and Europeans lived during winter months

Purpose: Understand how early Ojibwa and Europeans adapted to the cold UP winters. This will give students an understanding of how winter life has changed over the years.

Objectives: Research ways the Ojibwa survived the bitter cold of the winter. Compare their way of life to that of early Europeans. Explain how groups adjust in todays society.

Resources/Materials: Forging the Peninsula¹s text book, The Ojibwa, by Basil Johnson, video-Michigans Ojibwa, Video Early Settlers, Claude Monette series on UP communities.

Activities and Precedures:

1. Lecture/discussion on early Ojibwa way of life. Cover adjustements of winter months.
   1. Shelter-explain movement to winter camps for protection.
   2. Family-women, children and elderly remained in winter camps while men often traveled great distances to hunt food.
   3. Food-the autumn harvest was used throughout the winter along with whatever the men hunted.
   4. Daily activities, during winter months.
2. View Ojibwa of Michigan-discuss their way of life in the winter and compre it to early European way of life (discuss similarities and differences between the historic cultures and winter adaptations).

Tying it all together: Make a chart comparing Ojibwa and European life in the winter. This will give them a concrete look at similarities and differences. Add a third column to the explaining how modern day Yoopers adjust to their winter environment.

Assessment: Students will write a two page paper based upon the topic ³Early Ojibwa and European Lifestyle during winter months. I will give them a rubric sheet with the assignment to make sure that they know what needs to be covered.

Standards Addressed: Social studies standard, Geographic Perspective: Human / Environmental Interactions.-Characteristics of ecosystems resources, human adaptation, environmental impact and the interrelationship between them.

Subject and Grade Level: Biology (9th and 10th grade)

Overview: I have designed a mini-unit that will explore how plants, animals, and people cope with the harsh UP winter.

Purpose: To make students aware of the wonderful adaptations that plants and animals have for surviving the winter months.

Objectives:

1. Same as purpose,
2. Students will learn ³living skills² that will be useful to them when they are out of doors during the winter.

Resources/Materials: To be determined

Activity and Procedures:

Activity#1: How to plants and animals deal with the cold? Have students get in groups and brainstorm how different types of plants and animals deal with the winter up here. Have a class discussion on what the groups came up with. Present lesson to students (slides, notes, pictures, etc) on adaptations to snow and cold. Migration vs. Hibernation vs. Resistance Different resistance strategies.

Activity #2: Overwintering Insects: What? -Why? Where? How? When? 1. Go outside and collect arthropods from under the bark. 2. Bring back to class and classify as best we can.

Activity #3: Staying Comfortable in the Cold. 1. Have students design and conduct experiments on what type of socks are better at keeping your feet warm.

Activity #4: Quinzhee Day! 1. Have students spend a day outside building quinzhees. 2. While snow is sintering, come inside and listen to guest speaker on hypothermia and frostbite.

Tying it all together: I have done Quinzhee day for the past three years and the kids really look forward to it. My plan is to make the whole week a Winter Ecology week with each activity being done on a different day with the grand finale being Quinzhee Day.

Assessment: I will give the students a quiz on plant and animal adaptations to cold. On quinzhee Day I will inquire as to whether or not they are wearing socks of the material that tested to be the warmest in activity #3.

Standards Addressed: Constructing New Scientific Knowledge: how we investigate and learn about our world in winter. Using Scientific Knowledge in Life Sciences: winter and its relationship to cells, organization of living things, heredity, evolution, and ecosystems.