Reanna Reilly

Tried and True: Disrupted food webs—Exploring the relationship between overfishing and dead zones in the Chesapeake Bay

Fri, Dec 07, 2018 1:03 PM
Great Resource!

Coming from the Delaware/Maryland area, this article is something I can truly relate and make a connection to. Through teaching students that also reside in this area, they also can learn a lot about ecology and human impacts and how it has a direct relationship with an area they are familiar with. I like this resource because it explicitly highlights the species found in the area and the problems are they enduring because of the human impacts around them. Students are also able to identify the specific food web of this community and everything revolves around each other. The higher order thinking questions the lesson has students exploring is also very beneficial. It allows students to explore concepts on dead zones, European settler impacts, large-scale fishing, organism abundancy, nutrient levels, pollution, and more importantly, the cause and effect that all these concepts have on the Chesapeake Bay.

Decline in Saltwater Fish Populations (Ecology and Human Impact on the Environment)

Fri, Dec 07, 2018 12:49 PM
Excellent Resource!

I think this is an excellent lesson to introduce to students to the content regarding ecology and human impacts. Not only for the fact it teaches them how to read and analyze graphs, distinguish the cause and effects of human impacts and policy implementation, and creation of a claim and using evidence and reasoning to support the main idea, but also because it takes real world problems and situation that effects their lives and the world around them. I enjoyed how the lesson starts out with background knowledge on the fishing industry and the struggles they have been having with fish species population, both increasing and decreasing. By citing specific fish species, areas around the United States, and actual policies, students can develop a deeper connection to the content. The lesson plan itself is very beneficial! I love how students are also developing a claim, citing evidence by reading and analyzing actually graphs and data, and supporting their evidence with their own reasoning. This lesson plan goes over many cross-cutting concepts with English and Science!