| Introduction to Biogeography and the Human Dimensions of Global Change: Instructor's Guide to Activities |
Goal
The goal of the activities associated with Unit 1 is to help students
place themselves in the biosphere and help them recognize how closely dependent
on, and tightly interwoven with, the natural environment humans really
are. Even though a perception of this interdependence is hindered by our
apparent removal from the natural environment through life style, location,
technology, and culture, the dependence on natural resources and the impacts
on the natural environment are present nonetheless. They are epitomized
in the human causation of global change and in the impacts of global environmental
change on society.
Learning Outcomes
After completing the activities associated with this unit, students
should be able to:
Choice of Activities
It is neither necessary nor feasible in most cases to complete all
activities in a unit. Instead, select at least two or more from each unit,
covering a range of activity types, skills, genres of reading materials,
writing assignments, and other activity outcomes. For this unit, the following
activities are offered (note that not every activity is accompanied by
a Student Worksheet):
| Activity 1.1 Which biome are you in? | --Relating items to biomes (in-class) |
| Activity 1.2 What's this got to do with me? | --Determining biomes and environmental impacts of land use |
| Activity 1.3 Film "Preserving our Global Environment" | --Film-viewing and discussion; reaction paper (optional) |
| Activity 1.4 Field trip | --Field observation and report |
| Activity 1.5 Writing a biome biography/drawing a biome profile | --Out-of-class project and presentation of results in class |
Suggested Readings
The following readings are recommended to accompany the activities
for this unit. Choose those readings most appropriate for the activities
you select and those most adequate for the skill level of your students.
A hand-out on how to take good notes from readings is provided in the Supporting
Materials section. We recommend strongly that students use this hand-out
and make note-taking a permanent habit.
| Activity 1.1 Which biome are you in? |
Goal
The goal of this activity is for students to realize how they as individuals
are linked to biomes; it also links their daily lives to the scientific
concepts introduced in this first unit. The activity thus serves well as
a short class opener.
Skills
Time Requirements
In-class: 15 minutes
Task
Before you do this activity, ask each student the next time they come
to class to bring in something from home that illustrates something about
a biome of their choice. In a small class, students can show items individually;
in larger classes, divide the students into biome groups. You may ask students
to tell in a few sentences how their item relates to the biome and how
they personally use the item. For example, a student may bring in a potted
cactus to represent the desert biome and may say the plant is well adapted
to store water against dry conditions. For the student the cactus may be
a collector's item, a decoration, or a hobby.
Encourage students to be creative and to search their homes for the most interesting article(s). This may range from bananas and other fruits, to nuts, to rubber goods, to fur items, to plush animals, etc. A safety reminder is in order should students bring in live pets. One of the module contributors had the experience of a student bringing in his live boa constrictor in a duffle bag!
You may want to have a world map of biomes in your classroom to help students locate the biomes that are represented by their items. This will begin to build students' geographic knowledge of biomes and make them realize how they are linked to distant regions.
| Activity 1.2 What's this got to do with me? |
Goal
This activity is a variation on Activity 1.1 in which students also
recognize the connections they have with various (some quite distant) biomes.
Students identify biomes through a number of items representing them. The
activity can be used as a starting point for a class discussion on sustainable
use of different biomes.
Skills
Time Requirements
In-class: 10 minutes per biome; 1 hour for 5-6 biomes
Task
The instructor brings to class several "biome trash bags," i.e., bags
full of items that represent a certain biome (the example of a rainforest
trash bag is presented below). If your class is small, give each student
one item; if the class is large divide the class into biome groups and
give each group one trash bag. Students should brainstorm about where (i.e.,
what biome) the item(s) came from and how environments were affected in
its production. Example: Collecting nuts is not intrusive whereas cutting
down trees to make furniture can be.
If students or individual groups cannot make the connections between the items in each biome bag, assist them with leading questions or ask the rest of the class to suggest ideas. If students have some background information on different biomes, this will go much faster. If the activity is presented as a detective story, students usually have a lot of fun. To make the task more challenging, you may add to each bag one "red herring" item which does not belong to the biome the bag represents. Students need to identify that item and explain why it does not belong in it.
This activity can be used as a lead-in to discussions about the sustainable use of certain biomes or as preparation for Activity 1.5 in which students learn about a biome in depth.
Note: Undoubtedly, many products from the tropics/tropical forests are produced at the expense of the natural environment and at the expense of native peoples and others living there. Many students will bring an already heightened environmental awareness of these issues to the classroom. There are, however, some experimental and some well-established ways to use tropical natural resources (e.g., in integrated agroforestry) that do not degrade the environment or exploit native cultures, indigenous knowledge, or destroy the natural basis for local ways of life. The discussion around these issues can easily become polemic and polarized.
Ideas for a rainforest trash bag
Rainforest clearing for consumption elsewhere:
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Native Brazilian rainforest; British import to Malaysia
to grow in plantations; issues of slavery; dislocation of natives |
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Chicle for gum |
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"Rainforest crunch" (Ben & Gerry's ice cream);
agroforestry |
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Plantations; slavery; external control of best farm land |
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Cacao beans; plantations |
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Deforestation for plantations; slavery initially; external
control of farm land |
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Ditto |
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Tropical plants provide ingredients for cosmetics and
medicine |
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Topicality of problem; social/environmental problems |
Rainforest trees used to make single-use items
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Production and burning produces CFCs>> stratospheric ozone depletion >> potential human and environmental health effects |
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Original formula contained cocaine |
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Rainforest transformation to rangeland for beef production |
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Rainforests have the largest total species reservoir on earth, especially among the insects |
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Plants as potential sources for new medicines/cures |
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Symbolizes burning of rainforest>> release of CO2 , destruction of the "lung of the world"; increased greenhouse effect |
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Global view: only one earth! |
| Activity 1.3 Film: "Preserving Our Global Environment" |
Goal
This activity raises students awareness for the interconnectedness
of social and environmental concerns in different countries, cultural,
and environmental contexts. Students are asked to take their own position
after viewing the film and discussion the issues in class.
Skills
Note that videos can also be rented via interlibrary loan. Be sure to allow plenty of time to obtain a copy of the film.
Time Requirements
1 class/lab session (53 minutes for viewing the film plus discussion
time)
Task
The film focuses on three urgent global environmental issues: population
growth, biodiversity loss, global warming -- how they interrelate, and
what actions can be taken to protect the environment. These problems are
illustrated through case studies from Africa, Central America, and the
US.
The film provides a good opportunity to alert students to the values
underlying the viewpoint from which these problems are discussed in the
film. How do they compare with other viewpoints students have heard? Do
students agree with the viewpoints expressed in the film? (Other discussion
questions are suggested in the accompanying guidebook that comes with the
film.) Discuss these issues in class and/or ask students to write a short
reaction paper to the film.
| Activity 1.4 Field Trip |
Goal
Field trips are meant to acquaint students with their own environment,
to sharpen students' observational skills, to make learning fun, and to
illustrate the relevance of abstract concepts.
Skills
Time Requirements
one-half to one day
Task
We all live in some biome. Students may know their environment (more
often than not they are rather unfamiliar with it!), but they may never
have looked at it from a biogeographical perspective. This is a good opportunity
to take students outside the classroom and to show them what's typical
and unique about the biome they live in.
Ask students to keep a field trip journal, to take notes of their observations and the explanations throughout the trip, and to write up a two-page summary about the habitats, ecosystems, or portions of the biome that they saw. Encourage them to draw sketches, take photographs, bring field guides and binoculars on the trip, and wear appropriate shoes and clothing.
You might find it helpful to have large maps available to orient students
and to place the site they visit into the larger landscape context. The
field trip may be linked to later activities suggested in Unit 3. Plan
ahead accordingly.
| Activity 1.5 Writing a Biome Biography and Drawing a Biome Profile |
Goal
Students become intimately familiar with a biome of their choice. They
collect as much biogeographical (and related) information as they can and
synthesize and present it to the class in a creative and clear way.
Skills
Time Requirements
1-2 days outside preparation for students
1 class session for student presentations
Task
Students choose a biome, or the instructor assigns them one. The task
for each student is to teach the rest of the class about their biome in
a creative way. If the class is quite large, students should organize
into groups, research and prepare outside the class, and present their
biome collectively. On the assigned day, each biome group has 15 minutes
to present their biome. Generally students will show and describe:
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The quality of this activity can be variable, but it is always great fun and a wonderful learning experience. Students who tested the module said that teaching their classmates was challenging. You may want to give your students some basic guidelines about presentation and conveying this material effectively. Students' creativity can be boundless: they may bring in plants, stuffed or live animals (check for institutional restrictions and give safety reminders!), they may dress up in parkas, play tapes of new age or native music typical in their region, offer baskets of fruits and nuts, bottles of wine; or show slides and tourist souvenirs brought back from trips they have taken.
An interesting resource for students to start out with is the map of Ecoregions of the United States (Supporting Material 1.5) and its accompanying report (see McNab and Avers [1994] and LaRoe et al. [1995] in the annotated bibliography in the Supporting Materials section of this module).
You may want to ask students to prepare a 1-2 page summary of their biome and make these summaries available to everyone after the presentations. The format of that summary could be standarized if you so choose.