Life in the Arctic tundra: take students on an imaginary expedition to the frozen desert of the Arctic tundra.Getting Started Set up a wintry win·try also win·ter·y adj. win·tri·er also win·ter·i·er, win·tri·est also win·ter·i·est 1. Belonging to or characteristic of winter; cold. 2. reading display of tundra-themed books (see "Arctic Resources," page 47). Add laminated articles or photos from magazines such as National Geographic Kids National Geographic Kids is an award-winning children's magazine published by the National Geographic Society. [1] Its first issue was printed in September of 1975 under the original title: National Geographic World and Science World, and props such as toy animals, furry earmuffs Earmuffs are objects designed to cover a person's ears for protection. They consist of a thermoplastic or metal head-band, that fits over the top of the head, and a pad at each end, to cover the external ears. , mittens, ski goggles goggles, n the protective eyewear worn by dental personnel and patients during dental procedures. goggles see periocular leukotrichia. , maps, and a globe. Then introduce your unit with the Animals of the Arctic Tundra Reproducible on page 48. Invite students to record their questions and discoveries in "Arctic Field Journals," decorated with their own drawings of tundra animals. You can also create a KWL KWL Guilin, China (Airport Code) KWL Kernkraftwerk Lingen KWL what I Know/what I Want to know/what I've Learned (education) KWL Kaduna Writers' League chart by having students add sticky notes to an Arctic map. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Bundled in Fur Many Arctic animals, such as musk oxen oxen adult castrated male of any breed of Bos spp. , wolves, and foxes, grow two layers of fur to help insulate in·su·late tr.v. in·su·lat·ed, in·su·lat·ing, in·su·lates 1. To cause to be in a detached or isolated position. See Synonyms at isolate. 2. them in subzero winter temperatures. The animals shed this extra layer each spring, when temperatures rise and the extra layer is no longer needed. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Activity: To demonstrate how extra fur benefits animals, fill the bottom of a cooler or tank with ice. Invite students to take turns putting on a pair of cotton garden gloves, which represent a single coat of fur. On one hand, slide a large leather glove A leather glove is a fitted covering for the hand with a separate sheath for each finger and the thumb. This covering is composed of the tanned hide of an animal (with the hair removed), though it is not uncommon in recent years for the leather to be synthetic. over the cotton glove to represent an animal's additional coat of fur. Then have the student hold both hands above the ice for a minute or two. Which hand stays the warmest? Why? Give each student a chance to try this experiment. Camouflage Coats Many tundra animals (such as foxes, hares, wolves, and polar bears polar bear, large white bear, Ursus maritimus, formerly Thalarctos maritimus, of the coasts of arctic North America. Polar bears usually live on drifting pack ice, but sometimes wander long distances inland. ) and tundra birds (such as snowy owls snowy owl White or barred brown-and-white typical owl (Nyctea scandiaca, family Strigidae) of the Arctic tundra, sometimes found in Europe, Asia, and North America. Snowy owls are about 2 ft (60 cm) long and have broad wings and a round head without ear tufts. and terns) grow white outer fur or white feathers to help camouflage them on the snow-covered winter landscape. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Activity: To help students understand how camouflage works, add a tundra ecosystem model Ecosystem models, or ecological models, are mathematical representations of ecosystems. Typically they simplify complex foodwebs down to their major components or trophic levels, and quantify these as either numbers of organisms, biomass or the inventory/concentration of to your Arctic reading center. Fill up a plastic swimming pool with white quilt batting and crumpled crum·ple v. crum·pled, crum·pling, crum·ples v.tr. 1. To crush together or press into wrinkles; rumple. 2. To cause to collapse. v.intr. 1. white tissue paper. Or have students brainstorm other materials that they can arrange to resemble the snowy tundra. Then invite them to add photographs, drawings, clay models, and stuffed versions of some of the tundra's permanent animal and bird residents. Once these are all in place, ask students to step back to view the tundra scene they've created. Does the snowy landscape help or hinder their ability to spot the creatures? Why? Wolf Packs and Fox Kits Arctic wolves and Arctic foxes share many traits. Both live in groups (either packs or kits), and have an important part to play in the arctic ecosystem. But wolves are much larger and hunt large mammals, such as caribou Caribou, town, United States Caribou (kâr`ĭb  ), town (1990 pop. 9,415), Aroostook co., NE Maine, on the Aroostook River; inc. 1859. . Activity: Invite your class to form two teams, the Arctic Wolves and the Arctic Foxes. Encourage them to find out how their chosen animal lives and survives. What are its habits, life cycle, and adaptations to the harsh cold? What is the sound of its call? Then as each team presents their new knowledge to the class, have students create Venn diagrams A graphic technique for visualizing set theory concepts using overlapping circles and shading to indicate intersection, union and complement. It was introduced in the late 1800s by English logician, John Venn, although it is believed that the method originated earlier. (labeled "wolves," "foxes," and "both") with words or illustrations. Each team can use their diagrams to write a collaborative book on their animal, complete with a team logo. The Tundra Comes to Life Some Arctic animals and birds have adapted to survive the harsh winters, while others live there only in the summer. These creatures arrive in spring to raise their young and eat the abundant food. In the winter, they migrate southward south·ward adv. & adj. Toward, to, or in the south. n. A southward direction, point, or region. south to warmer climates. Every tundra animal, bird, and plant plays a crucial role in a food chain. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Activity: Ask students to each pick an animal that lives on the tundra and research more about its life cycle. Ask students: When does your animal live on the tundra? How does it fit into an Arctic food chain? Then ask them to illustrate this chain on a large sheet of paper, with a speech bubble drawn beside each animal or plant. Inside the bubbles, have students write a sentence from each organism's perspective describing how the organism contributes to the chain of life. For example, in a chain of a poppy flower, an Arctic hare, and an Arctic fox, the hare's speech bubble could say, "I eat poppies. Sometimes I become food for foxes," while the fox's bubble could say, "I eat hares, lemmings, and fish. My waste fertilizes the tundra soil." Willows in the (Arctic) Wind Tundra willow trees grow to only about 6" tall and hug the ground to escape the fierce Arctic winds, which would topple taller trees. In the winter, snow blankets these0 little trees Little Trees (US) are disposable air fresheners in the shape of an abstract evergreen tree, marketed for use in cars. They are made of a material very similar to beer coasters and are produced in a variety of colours and scents. and protects them from sharp tundra ice crystals. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Activity: Invite students to create models to demonstrate the effect of wind on trees of different sizes. Have them twist two pipe cleaners pipe cleaner, n a small, brushlike device used to clean the spaces between the teeth (used also for other purposes). It should not be inserted all the way between the teeth, but rather just far enough to massage the tissue and remove any plaque. together to create a tree trunk, leaving about 1" loose at one end to represent the roots. Have them attach and shape pipe-cleaner branches that extend in several directions. Then ask students to shape another pair of pipe cleaners into a tiny, short tree with long, low limbs and roots. "Plant" both trees in a mound of clay "soil" and press firmly onto a tabletop. Ask students to blow on the trees as hard as they can. How do the two trees respond? What happens when tall trees For the Hotel in Teesside see Hotel tall trees Tall Trees is a nightclub located on Tolcarne Road in Newquay, Cornwall, United Kingdom. The club has been voted as number 1 club in the south west for the last two years running by the Ministry of Sound magazine are exposed to strong, sustained wind? Growing at the Speed of Summer Summer on the tundra is very short, so plants must make efficient use of the long daylight hours. They photosynthesize pho·to·syn·the·size v. To synthesize by the process of photosynthesis. constantly, using energy from the sun to make food, which allows them to bloom at a fast rate. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Activity: Invite students to explore the effect of extended daylight on the growth of plants. Together with students, prepare two identical pots of soil, and plant the same kind of fast-growing seeds (such as grass or marigolds) in both. Place one pot in an area where the plant will be exposed to the natural pattern of daylight and night, and the other in an area where a fluorescent plant light (available at gardening stores) can shine on it 24 hours a day. Then have students observe and compare the plants daily. Ask: Did extended exposure to light speed the plant's growth rate? Why? Shallow Roots in the Soil Only the top few inches of tundra soil thaw in the summer because the ground beneath it is permafrost permafrost, permanently frozen soil, subsoil, or other deposit, characteristic of arctic and some subarctic regions; similar conditions are also found at very high altitudes in mountain ranges. . Since roots can't penetrate or thrive in frozen soil, they grow horizontally instead of vertically. This is another reason why tundra trees are short--shallow roots don't anchor tall trees very well! Activity: Invite students to try growing their own plants with shallow roots. Have small groups of students each put an inch of soil in a clear container and add fast-growing seeds. As students care for the plants, ask them to observe how long the seedlings thrive in shallow soil, which way the roots grow, and whether or not the plants sprout. The Dark Days of Winter Arctic residents experience a unique phenomenon each year. For a few months every winter, the only source of light is the moon's reflection on the snow, leaving darkness both night and day. But for most of the summer, the sun stays above the horizon, making it bright and sunny throughout both day and night. Activity: Invite students to compare and contrast the facts and myths surrounding this Arctic phenomenon with an imaginative writing activity. First, talk with students about the Inuit, the indigenous people of the Arctic region. Their communities would endure the long winter months of cold and darkness with singing, drumming, games, and story telling, especially of myths and legends Myths and Legends is a Collectible Card Game based on universal mythologies, developed in 2000 in Santiago, Chile. The game now has 0 editions and more than 3,000 collectible cards. . Share with students the Inuit myth of "Crow Brings Daylight," which can be found at www.planetozkids.com/oban/crodayli.htm Then invite them to write their own legends or stories about Arctic darkness using gel pens on black construction paper. Their stories will twinkle on a dark bulletin board! Once students have shared their stories with the rest of the class, reveal the facts with the diagram at www.athropolis.com/popup/sunrise.htm, and the Earth Viewer at www.athropolis.com/links/arctic.htm Compact and Comfortable Arctic animals typically have large, thick bodies (such as musk oxen, caribou, or polar bears) or small, compact ones (such as Arctic hares or Arctic foxes), and most also have short limbs, ears, and noses. This means less surface area of their bodies is exposed to freezing temperatures. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Activity: Students can learn how Arctic animals' bodies retain body heat with this easy experiment. Fill a tall, plastic soda bottle with water at room temperature. Pour the same amount of water into a short plastic tub with a larger diameter. Refrigerate re·frig·er·ate tr.v. re·frig·er·at·ed, re·frig·er·at·ing, re·frig·er·ates 1. To cool or chill (a substance). 2. To preserve (food) by chilling. both containers for about 20 minutes. Then have students measure the temperature of each container and compare. Ask: Did the temperature of the bottle's water drop faster than that of the tub's? Why? ARCTIC RESOURCES BOOKS * Journey into the Arctic by Bryan and Cherry Alexander (Oxford, 2003). * Living in the Tundra by Carol Baldwin Carol Baldwin (née Saunders) was a fictional character on the soap opera Coronation Street. She was played by Lynne Pearson. Character info Carol is the first wife of Danny, and the mother of Jamie. (Heinemann, 2003). * Life in the Tundra by Cherie Winner (Lerner, 2003). * Small Worlds: On the Tundra by Jen Green (Crabtree, 2002). * Biomes of North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. : A Walk in the Tundra by Rebecca L. Johnson (Carolrhoda Books, 2000). WEB SITES * Arctic Information for Kids www.athropolis.com/links/arctic.htm * Biomes of the World: Tundra http://mbgnet.mobot.org/sets/tundra/index.htm * Tundra animal printouts and more www.enchantedlearning.com/biomes/tundra/tundra.shtml * The Arctic Studies Center www.mnh.si.edu/arctic/ RELATED ARTICLE: INSTRUCTOR REPRODUCIBLE ANIMALS of the ARCTIC GUNDRA [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Directions 1. Cut out both circles, then cut out the window shapes on the top circle. Fasten the top circle over the bottom fact circle with a brad. 2. To use the spinner, move the wheel's top circle so that the windows align. Facts about each Arctic animal will appear in the window. 3. Make another animal-fact spinner with new animals! Trace the bottom wheel on paper and cut it out. Draw your own animals, and write facts in the sections. Use the top wheel for the windows. |
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