IOWA 4-9 SCIENCE PROJECT

TEACHER GUIDE for: Protective Coloration Lowell Wiele
Ecology.782 Grade 7-8

CONCEPT OBJECTIVE:
The concept developed allows students to recognize the value of protective coloration to living organisms.

PROCESS OBJECTIVE:
The thinking skills developed in this cycle are predicting, interpreting, inferring, reporting, and recording.

TEACHER BACKGROUND:
This learning cycle is open ended and can lead to further study of adaptation and behavior of living organisms. This activity works best in an out of doors setting, but may be adapted to the classroom. If the activity is adapted to the classroom the yarn should include several shades of yarn that will blend with the floor covering. Prior to the class the teacher scatters the 600 pieces of yarn (worms) throughout the predetermined grassy area (feeding area).

MATERIALS:
An outdoor grassy area minimum of 15 meters square. 600 pieces of biodegradable colored yarn (5 cm long), 100 pieces each of 6 different colors (include 2 colors of brown, 2 colors of green, and 2 bright colors), and 3 sheets of poster paper marked 1st Feeding, 2nd Feeding, and 3rd Feeding.

EXPLORATION:
The students are brought to the feeding area and the boundaries are explained. The students will take the role of a flock of birds who will arrive at the feeding area in search of a yarn worm. When the teacher signals they will have 15 seconds to run into the area, find a worm, and carry it to the poster paper marked 1st Feeding. They may return to the feeding area for a second worm if time remains but must stop hunting at the end of the 15 second time period. They will then leave the feeding area and return to the side line.
The students (birds) hunt for worms is repeated two more times each for 15 seconds. The collected worms for each hunt are carried to the poster marked 2nd and 3rd Feeding. The number of worms of each of the six colors is counted and recorded for each of the three feedings.

CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT:
As the students return to the classroom, the collected data for each feeding can be examined. Students should rank the colors of worms collected during each feeding from most to least numerous.
Through a class discussion the concept of protective coloration in nature can be examined.
After the discussion the class should be divided into groups of 4-5 students. Each group will develop a chart involving feeding data on the back of a poster used for the feeding trials. It should include a vertical column containing the six colors of worms and a horizontal column containing the three feeding trials. Students may work individually, or with a partner, and complete the activity sheet if group work is not desired by the teacher.

| | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | |
| WORM COLORS | Feeding | Feeding | Feeding | Total |
| | No. % | No. % | No. % | No. % |
|==========================================================|
| | | | | |
| Dark Brown | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| Light Brown | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| Dark Green | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| Light Green | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| Red | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| Yellow | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | |
|===========================================================
| | | | | |
| TOTAL | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | |
|==========================================================|

Activity Sheet Procedure:
1. Record the total number of worms collected during each feeding.
2. Calculate the percentage of each color of worm collected during each feeding.
3. Record the total number of worms of each color in the total column on the right of the chart.
4. Divide the number of worms of each color by 100 to calculate the percentage of the available worms that were collected.
5. The percentage of all available worms collected can now be calculated by dividing that number by the total number of available worms, 600.

APPLICATION:
. Students explain the results of the food finding activity. Show this by constructing a bar graph that explains the results of the activity.
. Students invent an animal and a background that demonstrates protective coloration (camouflage).
. Many animals rely on protective coloration to hide from predators. Students research organisms that rely on protective coloration for protection, for camouflage, for hunting, and for other reasons.

EVALUATION:
Evaluation of this cycle could be based on teacher observation and examination of student data.