Expected learning outcomes >>
List of Activities for this unit >>
Background for educators >>

Introduction

This module introduces students to the wetland ecosystem. It introduces the different parts of the ecosystem and the different processes that take place within it. Students will study how organisms interact with each other, and adjust to changes in their environment. They will be exposed to the biodiversity that exists in a wetland, with an emphasis on how each organism is specially adapted for life in a wetland. Discussions should emphasize the concept of interdependence - that all things in life are connected to and dependent upon other things.

Effective learning occurs from first-hand experiences, but few of us have intimate exposure to a wetland. Take a classroom poll. How many students have ever visited a wetland? How many think wetlands are enjoyable places to be? How many students would avoid a wetland if they could? Why do the students feel the way they do? Students may know very little about wetlands, or will perceive them as dark, smelly, and even frightening places with swarms of biting bugs. Other students may have had more experience with wetlands but their attitudes may reflect popular views that see wetlands as "waste" land of little value.

This activity guide is created in the hopes of helping to eliminate the fear and fallacies associated with wetlands, and to let students (and educators) see wetlands for what they really are: an incredibly diverse, unique, and essential component of our earth..

The activities in this unit are designed for use in the classroom or school yard. The "Field Study Guide to Wetlands" in this manual contains activities for studying your local wetland.