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Amphibial Pursuits FrogWatch Teachers’ Guide

Secondary, Middle

Description

Amphibial Pursuits is the teachers’ guide to Frogwatch a program through which students learn to identify frogs by sound and contribute valuable scientific information to a national amphibian monitoring program.  This guide is a multi-disciplinary resource that explores the physiology and ecology of frogs and toads, examines the role of population biology in assessing threats to different species and illustrates how amphibians are used to measure the health of ecosystems.

The resource begins with an overview of frogs and toads followed by a detailed examination of three key topics related to their health and distribution:

  • Natural factors-dispersal, carrying capacity, extinction.
  • Human factors- invasive species, ecosystem change, species interactions.
  • Food chains and pyramids, predator and prey, ecological niche, trophic level, biomass and taxonomy.

Student activities include constructing graphs, using graphing tools, role-playing, researching, background information, preliminary discussion questions and suggestions for debriefing accompany the activities within each topic.

General Assessment

What skills does this resource explicitly teach?

  • Graphing data
  • Data analysis and comparison
  • Data interpolation & extrapolation
  • Communicate scientific data
  • Data interpretation
  • Sampling procedures
  • Inquiry  
  • Problem-solving 
  • Decision-making abilities,
  • Recording data
  • Observation of data
  • Identification of species
  • Measuring of data

Strengths

  • Offers an effective and interesting way to have students use math and science to help protect species. 
  • There is excellent support information for the students and teachers. 
  • The resource is easy to use.
  • There are additional web links for further research.

Weaknesses

  1. Includes web links that are out of date but are not necessary for completion of the project.
  2. There are no evaluations tools.
  3. Students are not allowed to design questions and choose elements of the activities.
  4. Simulated data is used instead of real data.
  5. Many of the action-orientated activities are provided as extensions.

 

Recommendation of how and where to use it

These lessons will be very useful for teachers looking to integrate science and math into their lesson plans. 

Relevant Curriculum Units

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Themes Addressed

Ecosystems (3)

  • Appreciating the Natural World
  • Biodiversity
  • Endangered Species

Sustainability Education Principles

Principle Rating Explanation
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives Good

The resource covers population dynamics and the role of science in understanding human impacts on ecosystems.

Consideration of Alternative Perspectives:
  • Satisfactory: absence of bias towards any one point of view
  • Good: students consider different points of view regarding issues, problems discussed
  • Very good: based on the consideration of different views, students form opinions and  take an informed position
Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions Good

The ecological aspects are well covered. The social and economic viewpoints are touched upon.  For example, the benefits of bullfrogs to society are examined from a different point of view.

Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions:

Effectively addresses the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the issue(s) being explored.

  • Satisfactory: resource supports the examination of  these dimensions
  • Good:  resource explicitly examines the interplay of these dimensions
  • Very Good:  a systems-thinking approach is encouraged to examine these three dimensions
Respects Complexity Very Good

The complexity of problems is well respected.

Respects Complexity:

The complexity of the problems/issues being discussed is respected.

Acting on Learning Good

Students have the opportunity to participate in the FrogWatch program.

Acting on Learning:

Learning moves from understanding  issues  to working towards positive change — in personal lifestyle, in school, in the community,  or for the planet

  • Satisfactory: action opportunities are included as extensions 
  • Good: action opportunities are core components of the resource
  • Very Good: action opportunities for students are well supported and intended to result in observable, positive change
Values Education Satisfactory

Students are not explicitly given an opportunity to clarify their own values. There are some introductory questions and debriefing ideas that might allow some students to reflect on how they feel.

Values Education:

Students are explicitly provided with opportunities to identify, clarify and express their own beliefs/values.

Empathy & Respect for Humans Poor/Not considered
Empathy & Respect for Humans: Empathy and respect are fostered for diverse groups of humans (including different genders, ethnic groups, sexual preferences, etc.).
Personal Affinity with Earth Good

This resource encourages an appreciation for the value of frogs and toads.

Personal Affinity with Earth:

Encourages a personal affinity with -the natural world.  

  • Satisfactory: connection is made to the natural world
  • Good: fosters appreciation/concern for the natural world
  • Very Good: fosters stewardship though practical and respectful experiences out-of-doors 
Locally-Focused Learning Good

Participation in the FrogWatch survey provides for locally-focused learning.

Locally-Focused Learning:

Includes learning experiences that take advantage of issues/elements within the local community. 

  • Satisfactory: learning is made relevant to the lives of the learners
  • Good: learning is made relevant and has a local focus
  • Very Good: learning is made relevant, local and takes place ‘outside’ , in the community 
Past, Present & Future Satisfactory

Promotes an understanding of the present and future frog population.

Past, Present & Future: Promotes an understanding of the past, a sense of the present, and a positive vision for the future.

Pedagogical Approaches

Principle Rating Explanation
Open-Ended Instruction Good
Open-Ended Instruction :

Lessons are structured so that multiple/complex answers are possible; students are not steered toward one 'right' answer.

Integrated Learning Good
  • math
  • science
  • biology
Integrated Learning:

Learning brings together content and skills  from more than one  subject area

  • Satisfactory: content from a number of different  subject areas is readily identifiable
  • Good:  resource is appropriate for use in more than one subject area
  • Very Good:  the lines between subjects are blurred 
Inquiry Learning Good
Inquiry Learning:

Learning is directed by questions, problems, or challenges that students work to address.   

  • Satisfactory: Students are provided with questions/problems to solve and some direction on how to arrive at solutions.
  • Good: students, assisted by the teacher clarify the question(s) to ask and the process to follow to arrive at solutions.  Sometimes referred to as Guided Inquiry
  • Very Good:  students generate the questions and assume much of the responsibility for how to solve them.  . Sometimes referred to as self-directed learning.

 

Differentiated Instruction Good

Activities address a range of learning styles/multiple intelligences.  There are no accommodations made for people with learning difficulties.

Differentiated Instruction:

Activities address a range of student learning styles, abilities and readiness.

  • Satisfactory:  includes a variety of instructional approaches
  • Good: addresses  the needs of visual, auditory &  kinesthetic learners
  • Very Good: also includes strategies for learners with difficulties
Experiential Learning Satisfactory

Although the experiences used in the lesson plans are engaging, they are restricted to simulations.

Experiential Learning:

Authentic learning experiences are provided

  • Satisfactory: learning takes place through ‘hands-on’ experience or simulation
  • Good: learning involves direct experience in a ‘real world context’
  • Very good: learning involves ‘real world experiences’ taking place’ beyond the school walls.
Cooperative Learning Satisfactory

Students work in groups.

 

Cooperative Learning:

Group and cooperative learning strategies are a priority.

  • Satisfactory:  students work in groups
  • Good: cooperative learning skills are explicitly taught and practiced
  • Very Good: cooperative learning skills are explicitly taught, practiced and assessed
Assessment & Evaluation Poor/Not considered

There are no assessment tools provided for students or teachers.

Assessment & Evaluation: Tools are provided that help students and teachers to capture formative and summative information about students' learning and performance. These tools may include reflection questions, checklists, rubrics, etc.
Peer Teaching Satisfactory

Peer teaching might only occur through incidental teaching in group work or during the role play.

Peer Teaching:

Provides opportunities for students to actively present their knowledge and skills to peers and/or act as teachers and mentors.

  • Satisfactory: incidental teaching that arises from cooperative learning, presentations, etc.
  • Good or Very Good: an opportunity is intentionally created to empower students to teach other students/community members. The audience is somehow reliant on the students' teaching (students are not simply ‘presenting')
Case Studies Good

Case studies are used to represent real situations based on artificial data.

Case Studies:

Relevant case studies are included.  Case studies are thorough descriptions of real events from real situations that students use to explore  concepts in an authentic context.

Locus of Control Poor/Not considered
Locus of Control: Meaningful opportunities are provided for students to choose elements of program content, the medium in which they wish to work, and/or to go deeper into a chosen issue.

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