IOWA 4-9 SCIENCE PROJECT
TEACHER GUIDE for: Frogs, Bugs, and People Rollin Bannow
ECOLOGY .790 Grades 7-9
CONCEPT OBJECTIVE:
The students will develop an understanding of the interaction of people
with natural ecological systems.
PROCESS OBJECTIVE:
Process skills being developed are classifying, exploring, analysis, and
valuing.
MATERIALS:
One copy per student of "Frog Legs" activity sheet. A "Bye-bye
Bugs" activity sheet for each student in half the class and a "We
Like Bugs" activity sheet for each student in the other half.
EXPLORATION:
Distribute a copy of the "Frog Legs" activity sheet to each student.
When the students have completed the sheet, engage them in a discussion
during which you first determine that they have comprehended the article,
then have them examine the motives of those on each side of the issue and
their own reaction to the issue.
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT:
Distribute the "Bye-bye bugs" activity sheet to half of your students
and the "We Like Bugs" activity sheet to the other half. This
will result in half of the class taking a position supporting the proposed
bug eradication and the others rejecting it.
When the students are finished reading the activity sheets and making some
notes outlining arguments for their position, separate them into "for"
and "against" groups. Appoint a leader and recorder for each group,
and direct the group to compile group lists of points from the individual
lists. Each group should then vote for three members to be their representatives
on the county board.
Conduct a debate among the board members concerning whether or not a contract
should be signed with Bugaway Chemical Co.
APPLICATION:
+ If your school is relatively new, interview someone who was familiar with
the area before the school was built. List ways that the existence of the
school has changed the area.
+ Display and discuss historical photos of the community in which your school
is located. Focus the discussion on how the natural environment was affected
by each change.
+ Arrange with a local contractor to see an environmental impact statement
prepared for a local project. Invite the person who drew up the statement
to class for a discussion.
+ Find a real life situation within the community in which a road, building,
or other construction is projected. Make a class environmental impact investigation
and report.
STUDENT ACTIVITY SHEET:
Bye-bye Bugs
This is a case study in which you will play a role. Suppose that you are
a member of your local county board of supervisors. The chairperson of the
board has just received the following letter:
County Board of Supervisors
Our County, Iowa
Dear Chairperson:
Our company would like to offer an outstanding opportunity to boost the
economy of your county. We have recently developed a miracle insect eradicator
that we promise will totally rid your county of ALL insects within one month
of the beginning of the application program. Think of the benefits increased
crop yields, a housing boom as people flock to the only insect-free county
in the world, a recreation boom in camping and picnicking, and eradication
of diseases spread by insects. I could list many more benefits, but I am
sure that you have already extended the list in your own mind. What's more,
tests conducted right in our own laboratory have shown that our new miracle
spray does not cause cancer or any other serious human or large farm animal
disease that we can think of at this time. Please take advantage of this
opportunity to bring millions of dollars into your treasury by spending
a mere $100,000 to get started on this program. A representative will call
in a few days. Be the first county in the state to sign a contract for a
bug-free and prosperous future.
Sincerely,
B. Hive, president
Bugaway Chemical Co.
You are in favor of signing this contract. Make some notes outlining some
arguments you could use to support your position in a debate.
STUDENT ACTIVITY SHEET
We Like Bugs
This is a case study in which you will play a role. Suppose that you are
a member of your local county board of supervisors. The chairperson of the
board has just received the following letter:
County Board of Supervisors
Our County, Iowa
Dear Chairperson:
Our company would like to offer an outstanding opportunity to boost the
economy of your county. We have recently developed a miracle insect eradicator
that we promise will totally rid your county of ALL insects within one month
of beginning the application program. Think of the benefits increased crop
yields, a housing boom as people flock to the only insect-free county in
the world, a recreation boom in outdoor activities such as camping and picnicking,
and eradication of diseases spread by insects. I could list many more benefits,
but I am sure that you have already extended the list in your own mind.
What's more, tests conducted right in our own laboratory have shown that
our new miracle spray does not cause cancer or any other serious human or
large farm animal disease that we can think of at this time. Please take
advantage of this opportunity to bring millions of dollars into your treasury
by spending a mere $100,000 to get started on this program. A representative
will call in a few days. Be the first county in the state to sign a contract
for a bug-free and prosperous future.
Sincerely,
B. Hive, president
Bugaway Chemical Co.
You are against signing this contract. Make some notes outlining some arguments
that you could use to support your position in a debate.
STUDENT ACTIVITY SHEET Frog Legs
From an article in" The Cedar Rapids Gazette," September 9, 1984
Frog Legs Trigger Ecological Imbalance
Dhaka, Bangladesh - Frog legs, served in chic restaurants in Western countries,
have caused an ecological imbalance in Bangladesh. Their export has led
to a drastic decline in the country's frog population. That, in turn, has
resulted in rising attacks on crops by harmful insects that are usually
eaten by frogs.
Thousands of employees of frozen food exporters catch the frogs during the
mating season when their courtship makes them unwary. The frogs are packed
in bags and processed for export to Europe and the United States. Activists
against cruelty to animals complain that the horror of spending a week imprisoned
in a bag without food and water is surpassed only by the cruelty of processing
the frogs by chopping off their legs before being put to death.
A national wildlife advisory body has proposed a five year ban on frog leg
exports, but a total ban on catching frogs will be difficult to achieve.
The ban's strongest opponents are the exporters and the state-run Export
Promotion Bureau. They point to the 400,000 seasonal jobs and $8 million
income from exporting 5.5 million pounds of frog legs in the past year.
Bangladesh imported 3,000 tons of pesticides last year in an attempt to
save rice crops from insects normally devoured by the frogs. Those pesticides
then seep into rivers and ponds, polluting fish habitat. The newspaper Sanbad
commented, "We are exporting frog legs and importing Pollution."
Imagine that you are a member of the Export Promotion Bureau. How would
you explain to someone that you think that it's ok to export frogs?
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Write a radio jingle for the National Wildlife advisory board which opposes
frog leg exports. You are trying to rally public support for your belief.