LONG TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH

Teacher’s Manual

by Marianne Krasny, Cynthia Berger, and Adam Welman

Using this Manual – Note to Teachers.. 4

Long-term Research and the National Science Education Teaching Standards. 4

LTER Education and the National Science Foundation. 5

Student Introduction:. 6

The Long Term Ecological Research Network. 7

Activity 1. 10

Why Conduct Long-term Research?. 10

Background. 10

Note to Teachers. 12

Objectives. 13

National Science Education Standards covered: 13

Materials. 13

Procedure. 14

Suggestions for Further Study. 16

Activity 2. 18

Exploring the LTER Network. 18

Background. 18

Note to Teachers. 19

Teacher’s Notes for PowerPoint Slideshow Presentation. 20

Student Handout: PowerPoint Presentation Questions. 27

Teacher’s Example Answers to “PowerPoint Presentation Questions” Handout 29

Student Handout: LTER site “Virtual Tour” Questions. 30

Objectives. 33

National Science Education Standards covered: 33

Materials. 33

Procedure. 34

Suggestions for Further Study. 35

Activity 3. 36

Long-term Research on Soil and Water Systems. 36

Background. 36

Note to Teachers. 39

Objectives. 41

National Science Education Standards covered: 41

Materials. 42

Procedure. 43

Suggestions for Further Study. 45

Activity 4. 47

Schoolyard LTER.. 47

Background. 47

Note to Teachers. 48

Objectives. 50

National Science Education Standards covered: 50

Habitat Description Sheet 51

Arthropod Data Sheet 52

Bird Data Sheet 53