Lisa+McGee+Interactions+and+Ecosystems

Subject:** Science
 * Julie Ramsay - Peer Editor
 * Grade:** 7
 * Topic A:** Interactions and Ecosystems
 * Lesson:** #2

During today’s lesson students will be working on a handout that will focus on the burrowing owl. Students will use the Internet to find out key information about the burrowing owl and a large part of this lesson will be focusing on teaching the students how to narrow down their results when they search using the Internet.
 * Purpose:** This will be the second lesson of this topic. During the first lesson students read and discussed the book “Hoot” by Carl Hiasen. The definition of endangered versus extinct was discussed.

__**Science 7 Curriculum Outcomes Addressed**__ __General Outcome(s)__ Students will… 4 Describe the relationships among knowledge, decisions and actions in maintaining life-supporting environments

__Specific Outcome(s)__ Students will… 4.1 Identify intended and unintended consequences of human activities within local and global environments (eg. Changes resulting from habitat loss, pest control or from introduction of new species; changes leading to species extinction).


 * __ICT Outcome(s)__**

C.1- Students will access, use and communicate information from a variety of technologies. 3.2 refine searches to limit sources to a manageable number 3.4 access and retrieve information through the electronic network

C.4 - Students will use organizational processes and tools to manage inquiry. 3.1 create a plan for an inquiry that includes consideration of time management 3.2 develop a process to manage volumes of information that can be made available through electronic sources 3.3 demonstrate the advanced search skills necessary to limit the number of hits desired for online and offline databases; for example, the use of "and" or "or" between search topics and the choice of appropriate search engines for the topic

- Computers - Pen/Pencil - Paper
 * __Materials Needed__**

__**1. Introduction (//5 minutes//)**__ - Review the book “Hoot” that was read last class (who were the main characters, what was the problem and solution?) - What is the difference between endangered and extinct?

__**2. Teaching/Learning Strategies //(20 minutes)//**__ __Class Discussion__ - How many people have used an online search engine before? - What search engine(s) have you used before? - What is a search engine? - What are some of the problems with a search engine?
 * Focus on Search Engines**

__Class Activity__ - Different types of search engines A. General Search Engines (Yahoo and Google are the most popular) B. Kids Search Engines (Ask Jeeves for Kids, Yahooligans, Kids Click) C. Educational Search Engines (EduHound) D. Meta Search Engines (SurfWax, DogPile) - Describe the search engines and what each is best used for - Students will go to any one of the Kids Search Engines that was discussed and put in the word Owl (before students actually search ask what they think will be the results of this search) - What is the first result to come up? - What could we do to refine this search? - Describe to the students the use of quotations, plus sign, minus sign to limit the search to what you want to find - Students can use any of the designated search engines to find the information needed to fill out the worksheet. - Students will use the remainder of the class to work on the Owl Worksheet

__**3. Closure //(10 minutes)//**__ - students will be asked to go to the Google homepage as they will be playing a searching game to see who in the class can find the answer the fastest. Rules: - Once you have completed the search and have found the answer put up your hand. The teacher will look at your computer to make sure you have actually preformed a search, and not just though up an answer.

//Question #1:// Name one other animal in Canada that is on the endangered species list. //Question #2:// Find a definition for endangered. //Question #3:// What is the scientific name for the burrowing owl?

- Quick Review of searching techniques - Clean-up and log off computers

Formative: assess students understanding through class discussions
 * Today’s Assessment**

 **__Possible Alternative or Extension Activity:__** The following series of activities could be used as an alternative or extension to this lesson plan if prior inquiry based learning has been pursued by the students.  **__Introduction Extension__** Students continue the dialogue about the difference between endangered and extinct animals by sharing an essential question they have created about conservation issues or strategies they have discovered while reading the book __Hoot__ by Carl Hiaasen.  Students are then asked to self select and organize themselves into small groups which have similar questions or ideas about the conservation issues discussed within the book. Students will be asked to develop a single question that they wish to pursue further as a group. These groups will then be used to move into the Class Activity regarding Search Engines.  **__Class Activity__** Students are encouraged to work collaboratively to answer the questions in the original Search Engine lesson plan. They are then asked to pursue their own exploration and begin researching their group’s essential question. The expectation is that students work together to activate higher order thinking and develop collaborative strategies to process, analyze and compare information found through initial and subsequent web searches. These processes would be addressed through on-going student dialogue, teacher questioning and a series of information harvesting sessions over several days. The lessons culminate in a final project which addresses each group’s inquiry question. 