Change Topics Unit Part 6: Ecological Succession Lesson Bundle

This unit consists of 8 lessons of about 50 minutes and 19 page work bundle. The work bundle chronologically follows the entire set of interactive slideshows (hundreds of amazing slides). Students record fill-in notes on the red slides, answer questions, conduct hands-on activities, includes video links, built-in assessments, games, and much more. The slideshows are engaging and interactive throughout. Everything can be uploaded to Google Classroom if you wish.

Extremely Brief Description of Unit - Each lesson is about 50 minutes and corresponding work bundle pages that will be completed through the slideshow.

Lesson #1 Ecological Succession: This slideshow begins having the students brainstorm what would happen to a city street in 1 year, 5 years, 10 years, 50 years, 100 years, and 1000 years if people disappeared. A series of slides then show visuals of a street scene changing over time into a forest. The slideshow then visits Pripyat in the Ukraine to show what happens to city after people leave (Chernobyl Disaster). There's plenty of questions form the students, and amazing visuals and video are provided. Weathering is discussed and how soil is formed. Ecological Succession is then defined as the gradual replacement of one community of living things by another community (Red Slide = Important Notes). Another series of slides shows this gradual change in a step by step process.

Lesson #2 Primary Succession: Primary Succession is then described as succession in an area with no previous life supported (bare rock). Secondary Succession is then described as succession in an area that previously colonized life but is now disturbed. Student then navigate some visuals to demonstrate understanding. A neat picture shows a forest with three different logging disturbances and the secondary growth after each. Reasons why regrowth in secondary succession is usually faster are described with visuals. Student's use the information they gathered in their work bundle to complete a Venn Diagram that shows the similarities and differences between primary and secondary succession. Plant and Animal Succession are then described with visuals. The order of plant succession in a temperate forest is described in a step by step / stage by stage process. A visual accompanies each stage of succession. A slide shows how the notes should be organized and the use of tabs / indents. Students also sketch each stage in their work bundle adding in plants to match the visuals provided in the slideshow. A graph at the end helps to reinforce the gradual replacement.

Lesson #3 Fire Ecology Lesson (50 Minutes): The lesson starts off with a video link that shows some of devastating wildfires and damage caused. the question of whether forest fires are good or bad is presented and the students answer without much knowledge of the subject. Fire adaptation in the plant world is described, and examples such as the serotinuous cone described. Plant regeneration after a fire is described. A case of the study of 1988 Yellowstone wildfires is shown and regeneration of the park afterwards. The "Let it Burn" philosophy is described and and students need to answer some questions afterwards on the slides which corresponds to their work bundle. The wild career of smoke jumpers is described with some visuals of the work requirements which often includes jumping out of a plane into a wildland fire area. An amazing video link (12 min) visit a state park in California and describes the damage caused and regeneration afterwards. A nice set of slides summarize wildland fires. This lesson summarizes that fire is an important and inevitable part of America's Wild Lands. That is now widely recognized that we must restore fire to many areas from which it has been excluded, and wild land fires can produce both benefits and damages - to the environment and to people's interests. Also, by working together, people can maximize the benefits of Wild Land fire and minimize the damages, including threats to publ