CATALPA BIODIVERSITY PROJECT
by Brenda Hunt
8th grade biology teacher
Habersham County
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Catalpa Biodiversity Project is an effort to give teachers, students and park naturalists a way to experience the biodiversity present in nature by using hands-on activities to study the relationships between the Catalpa tree, the Catalpa Sphinx moth at various stages of its life cycle and the parasites that feed on the moth. There are a wide range of reasons for taking advantage of this opportunity when teaching science to children of all ages. One compelling reason is to make an effort to bring the science curriculum in schools closer to achieving the goals of The American Association for the Advancement of Science's "Benchmarks for Science Literacy for All Americans" and the National Research Council's "National Science Education Standards". School systems should keep this in mind while adopting new science texts and are looking for activities to supplement these texts to enable them to address the national objectives as well as the Georgia QCC (Quality Core Curriculum) objectives which are used in the state of Georgia as a guideline for teachers in developing their curriculums.
It is hoped the project and the accompanying activities will grow to encompass primary, elementary, middle and secondary grades. Due to the numerous parasitoids and hyperparasitoids, there are plenty of opportunities for advanced investigations at the secondary level into biodiversity and entomology. The project will begin first with the primary and elementary levels with a series of simple activities and investigations that give students and teachers an opportunity to achieve some of the national science goals.
It is hoped that the Catalpa Biodiversity Project will introduce these activities to teachers in their educational programs. Afterwards, teachers will be able to continue these on their own by growing their own Catalpa trees and rearing Catalpa Sphinx moths and caterpillars for observations in their own schools.
The first step in conducting these activities is to find out what the students and the teacher know about caterpillars in general. And more importantly, how they feel about working with them since they will need to handle them and observe them closely at times for some activities. Students and teachers must be able to overcome their fear of insects or creepy crawly things before they accept and enjoy working with them. Many of these fears are based on unenjoyable previous experiences or a total lack of experience and fear of the unknown; especially for young children. As has been demonstrated by Koballa and Matthews at the University of Georgia in Athens, with recent activities with the"WOW BUGS"Project , students and teachers came into the project with a variety of background, experiences and feelings toward working with insects. They found that a pre-lesson drawing of a wasp and a post-lesson drawing revealed not only content knowledge before and after the project but served as an attitudinal measure. Teachers can use this information to address student"s initial apprehensions and hopefully, help them become comfortable working with the insects. It is an excellent way to assess knowledge levels and attitude in younger students still learning to write, as well as, students that have difficulty with reading and writing or the English language. Therefore, the first lesson plans include a pre-lesson drawing, then discussion to allow students to express their concerns. Teachers or students will want to make a video or take pictures through out the project to allow for students to reflect on what they have learned and to stimulate discussion, drawings or writings to increase communication skills and allow for assessment.
There are five areas covered in the Catalpa Biodiversity Project with lesson plans developed which can be modified for various grade levels.
I. Observations of a Catalpa tree:
- Lesson Plan 1- Leaf Tracings; Why Are They Shaped This Way?
- Lesson Plan 2- Observing the Catalpa Tree
- Lesson Plan 3- What Does the Catalpa Tree Need to Stay Alive?
- Lesson Plan 4- Planting the Catalpa Tree ( optional)
- Lesson Plan 5- Special Adaptations of the Catalpa Tree
II. Observations of the Catalpa Sphinx Moth Caterpillar:
- Lesson Plan 6- Observing the Caterpillar
- Lesson Plan 7- Placing the Caterpillars on the Tree
- Lesson Plan 8- Why Does the Caterpillar Live on the Tree?
- Lesson Plan 9- How is the Caterpillar Adapted to Live on the Tree?
- Lesson Plan10- Make Your Own Adaptive Caterpillar.
III. Observations of a Parasite:
- Lesson Plan 11- Collecting Cocoons of Parasitic Wasp/Hatching the Wasp
- Lesson Plan 12- Are all the wasp the same? Observation & classification
III. Observations of the Catalpa Sphinx Moth Life Cycle:
- Lesson Plan 13- The Caterpillar's Big Surprise
- Lesson Plan 14- Making A Book of the Life Cycle
- Lesson Plan 15- Making a Mobile of the Life Cycle
IV. Observations of the Catalpa Sphinx Moth:
- Lesson Plan 16: Sketch and Observe the Moth
- Lesson Plan 17: Comparing Moths and Butterflies
- Lesson Plan 18: Camouflage
The following is a list of those goals of the framework covered by the curriculum of the project and do not represent all of the goals in each category. Information taken from the Georgia Framework for Leaning Mathematics and Science.
The codes or numbers below were developed to allow coding for the activities.
- Scientific Habits of the Mind [Table 4, p.34]
Primary level:
- Problem Solving-
- 1PS - Ask questions about the world.
- 2PD - Seek answers to questions by observing and using trial and error.
- Communicating-
- 1C - Use various attributes to describe and compare objects.
- 2C - Draw pictures that show features of objects being described.
- Reasoning-
- 1R - Ask and answer the questions, "How do I know?" and "How can I find out?"
- Making Connections-
- 1MC - Explore how science relates to everyday life.
- 2MC - Use qualitative and quantitative estimates.
- 3MC - Use simple scientific instruments such as magnifiers.
- Science Big Ideas [Table 6, pp 43, 46, 47]
Primary level continued:
- The Nature of Science-
- 1N - Everybody can do science and invent things and ideas.
- 2N - Describing things accurately is important in science because it enables people
to compare observations.
- Diversity of Life-
- 1D - Some organisms are very similar to each other, while others may be very
different.
- 2D - Organisms have characteristics which help them adapt to different
environments.
- Interdependence of Life-
- 1I - Living things can be found in a variety of habitats.
- 2I - Animals use other animals and plants for food and shelter.
- Flow of Matter and Energy-
- 1F - Both plants and animals need food and water, but plants need light to make food,
while animals must take in food.
- 2 F - Materials can be recycled and used again, often in different forms.
- Evolution of Life-
- 1E - Plants and animals have unique features that help them survive in different
places.
- Scientific Habits of the Mind [Table 4, p. 34]
Elementary Level:
- Problem Solving-
- E1P - Keep accurate records of investigations and observations.
- E2P - Suggest reasons for findings and consider findings of others.
- E3P - Ask scientific questions based on observation and experience.
- E4P - Plan and conduct a simple scienctific investigation.
- E5P - Use data and experience to construct reasonable explanations.
- Communicating-
- E1C - Explain to others how to solve a simple problem.
- E2C - Make sketches to explain ideas, procedures or results.
- E3C - Record data in a log, journal or data base.
- E4C - Use simple reference materials to locate information.
- E5C - Read and interpret simple tables, charts and graphs.
- Reasoning-
- E1R - Use data to support inferences and predictions.
- E2R - Recognize biased comparisons.
- E3R - Use data, experience, evidence and models to construct a reasonable
explanation
- Making Connections-
- E1MC - Identify how various science concepts interrelate and affect our daily life.
- E2MC - Use simple mathematics in scientific investigations.
- E3MC - Use technological tools such as calculators, computers and other elementary
scienctific instruments in scientific investigations.
- Science Big Ideas [Table 6, pp 43, 46, 47]
- The Nature of Science-
- E1N - The purpose of science is to make sense of the natural world by explaining
observations in terms of general principles.
- E2N - Doing science involves many different kinds of work and engages men and
women of all ages and backgrounds.
- Diversity of Life-
- E1D - Organisms can be grouped based on various observable features.
- E2D - Observing life cycles of organisms help us to understand diversity of life.
- E3D - Plants and animals are different based on food/ energy requirements.
- Interdependence of Life-
- E1I - Some plants and animals in an environment thrive or survive better than
others.
- E2I - Organisms interact in ways other than providing food and shelter for one
another.
- Flow of Matter and Energy-
- E1F - Food for all animals can be traced back to plants.
- E2F - Living organisms need some source of energy to live and grow.
- Evolution of Life-
- E1E - Individuals of the same kind vary, sometimes giving advantages for survival
and reproduction.