BIO: Ecology - Resources

I am often asked how I put my unit studies together, or what they look like. In an effort both to share that information and to keep better personal records on resources we've used, I've put together a fairly comprehensive list of the books, videos, and websites we used in our latest Ecology unit study. There is a good chance I have missed a book or site or two, but I've kept track of probably 95%.

These first three books we learned from together as I read them aloud. It's a good idea for every unit study to have at least one read aloud. The Last Egret is a true story from the journals of Charlie Pierce, written in an adventurous chapter book.

As you'll see later, chapter books/read alouds are accompanied by stacks of nonfiction. This particular unit was geared toward kids between the ages of 12 and 17. Some things were a bit over the 12-year-old and I adapted them. I did use some picture books; I value them and they work. Assignments and discussions then are tailored to ages and capabilities, obviously going deeper and expecting more from older kids.

We are so blessed in this era to have easy and free access to fabulous video content. YouTube has enhanced unit studies tenfold! Though not everything of value is there (like Planet Earth, which I highly recommend) there is a wealth of goodness to be found there, such as the video below.

Colleges and universities have put a wealth of information and educational resources on the Internet, along with high school teachers, museums, foundations, etc. They often have pages for children with games, video, worksheets, experiments, slide shows, and more. I definitely like using those. I was super excited to find ProCon.org, too, and will probably use it for critical thinking, debate and discussion on other topics. For this unit, we discussed at length the arguments ProCon had on Climate Change.

Without further ado, here is the full list of  Ecology resources we used.

Books

Ecology from DK Eyewitness Science

Ecology and Plant Life, A Prentice Hall Illustrated Dictionary

Water, a Natural History by Alice Outwater

Wetlands (Learning About the Earth) by Holly Endres

Biomes - Wetlands by Duncan Brewer

Welcome to Everglades National Park by Nadia Higgins

Let's Take a Trip--The Everglades by Cheryl Koenig Morgan

Everglades by Jean Craighead George

Deadly Waters:  A Mystery in Everglades National Park by Gloria Skyrzynski **

Last Egret:  The Adventures of Charlie Pierce by Harvey E. Oyer III **

The Great Salt Lake by William Lee Stokes

Seductive Beauty of Great Salt Lake by Ella Sorensen

Forest (FL Inside Guide) by David Burnie

There's an Owl in the Shower by Jean Craighead George **

The Book of North American Owls by Helen Roney Sattler

Biomes Atlases Tropical Forests by Tom Jackson

Animal Homes by Tammy Everts and Bobbie Kalman

DK Animal Homes by Barbara Taylor

Who Really Killed Cock Robin? An Eco Mystery by Jean Craighead George **

The Amazing Honey Bee from Reading Discovery Nature Series

The Honey Makers by Gail Gibbons

Several various pamphlets on pollination and properties of honey from local honey specialty store

The Water Hole by Graeme Base

A River Ran Wild by Lynne Cherry

National Parks Coloring Book by Peter Copeland

Rangers Activity and Sticker Book from the National Park Service

The Story of Smokey Bear by Robin Bromley

**Fiction/Chapter Book based on ecological principles

Video

Planet Earth from BBC

Nature Works episodes from New Hampshire Public Television

Nature Boom Time episodes from National Geographic Kids

Burmese Pythons in Florida

Eden at the End of the World - National Geographic

Odzala:  Islands in the Forest - National Geographic

USEPA videos

We're Even Polluting Space

Websites and Online Articles

Instant Hawaii - Meddling with Mongoose

Silent Spring information

History of DDT

Polychlorinated Biphenyl information

Monocultures and Affect on Bees

How a Bee Sees Flowers

Rainforest Foundation

Rainforest Alliance for Kids

Missouri Botanical Gardens - Biomes

Biology Junction Ecology Unit

Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences - Environment & Ecology

Pro & Con Arguments of Climate Change

Graph of Earth's Temperatures for Past 2000 Years

History of the Environmental Protection Agency

Illegality of Beekeeping in Utah

Cotton Picking-- Hands-On Activity for Unit on Slavery/Civil War

Whether you want your children to understand the cotton factor in slavery and the Civil War in United States history, or you simply think they should know where their T-shirts come from, here is a great hands-on activity you can get from Cotton Classroom. Your kids will never forget it.

Order the amount of raw cotton you need for the number of students you have. The "Cotton Sample" was plenty and then some for my family.

Divvy out piles to your children and tell them they need pick out all the seeds and burrs and particles.

The cotton must go from this:

to this:

It's tedious, time consuming, will likely make their fingers sore, and it will give them a new real-life perspective on slave tasks, the cotton gin, and work. They also might stop taking clothing for granted.

In addition to the educational reading/helps at Cotton Classroom, here are some videos I used to further understanding.

"Understanding the Cotton Plant and its Physiology"

"Cotton Picking Time Down South"

PBS has a classroom video on the Cotton Gin

Georgia Stories has a video on King Cotton and the Cotton Gin

For a longer video that connects current cotton harvesting with the past, check out Modern Marvel's "The History of Cotton"

What I've Been Reading, Round 2

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg--This was my second go at this book. The first time I read it I was really disappointed. Almost disgusted. I could not for the life of me see what all the fuss was about. (This is a Newberry Award book that makes every reading list and is touted as being wonderful.) As a mother I was appalled at a 9-year-old and a 12-year-old running away...especially into New York City! (I am now very aware that any time I begin a book or movie with high expectations I will be let down. Very little seems to live up to my expectations. When I back off and wait and read or view again, after being disappointed, I often find the book or movie to be better than I initially thought. Is the lesson to have no expectations? To begin with an open mind? Not sure.) I recently revisited this book by reading it aloud to my kids, after reading Deconstructing Penguins, for the purpose of teaching them about deciphering literature, and looked at it with a fresh (and informed) eye. I still can't say that I like this book, but at least this time I could find a way to appreciate it. And my kids did see and get the theme as well and we were able to have a good discussion, though none of them loved the book, either. But in the course of it we did take a little aside to learn something of the Renaissance, Michelangelo, and the Sistine Chapel, so there was value in whole thing.

Washington City is Burning by Harriette Gillem Robinet is a quick historical fiction read for youth set during the War of 1812 when the British marched on Washington and burned down the White House. It has a lot to do with slavery. I consider this a less-than-flattering glimpse at Dolley Madison, but real history cannot flatter anyone all of the time. Full of courage and action, this book has betrayal and loyalty and does give you a little something to think about.

Stout-Hearted Seven:  The True Adventure of the Sager Children Orphaned on the Oregon Trail in 1844 is not an especially cheery book. These kids had one twisty-turned trial after another. Still, it's a good book in that it accurately portrays the reality of the time period, emigration on the Oregon Trail, and settling in Western territories. (I asked my kids to write a little bit about how they would feel if they were one of the Sager children.) It's also a testament to the influence of parents, even after they are gone, and made me think a lot about the blessings of siblings. 

When I discovered, after reading Narcissa Whitman's journal, that she was upset that her family had published it, I felt kind of guilty for reading it. Too late. 

My Journal is the daily record Narcissa Whitman kept to send to her family as she traveled what would become the Oregon Trail. As a brand new bride, Narcissa Whitman was the first white woman to travel from the East across the continent. She and her husband went to build a mission to minister to the Cayuse Indians in the Walla Walla, Washington area (but they traveled all the way to Vancouver for supplies, etc. first). 

After reading the Stout-Hearted Seven I wanted to know more about Narcissa. It is detailed journals like hers that allow us to know so much about history. This isn't a particularly exciting read, but I came away admiring this good, faithful woman. 

Love, love, love By the Great Horn Spoon! The story of a boy and his butler heading to California during the Gold Rush in an effort to save the boy's aunt's family home, this is one clever story. It's a great read for historical fiction, but it's also a good story to illustrate how resourcefulness, creative thinking, problem-solving, optimism, good manners, and work win the day. I read this aloud to the family during our unit study and everyone enjoyed it. Now if I can just get one of my boys to turn out as brilliant as Praiseworthy...

Jacob Hamblin was an early convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (baptized 1842) who went West with the Saints to the Salt Lake Valley. He was a frontiersman who settled the Santa Clara area of Southern Utah and explored much of Utah and Arizona.  (We toured his home in Santa Clara a few years ago.) He faithfully served President Brigham Young as a missionary to the Indians and was the peacekeeping force between numerous Native American groups and the Mormons, as well as other immigrants and government officials.

While some parts of this book are written rather dryly, it is full of fascinating accounts of the many singularly unique experiences Jacob had in his life with the Spirit, with prophecy, with priesthood blessings, with faith and answered prayers. It inspired me to want to be ever more faithful and closer to the Spirit. It is also an honest look into the hearts, minds, and cultures of the Native Americans with whom Hamblin dealt--both the bad and the good. I believe every member of the Church should read this, as well as those interested in Utah and/or Native American history.

This book was handed to me by a friend when my son broke his arm. She wanted me to read the chapter about how to heal broken bones with herbs, suggesting an alternative to surgery. I had about 36 hours from the time my friend handed me the book to when my son's surgery was scheduled, and I felt really pressed for time and stressed out. Still, I read the chapter and was intrigued enough that I read it to my husband, then read it to my son. After some additional research on my son's injury and the proposed surgery, prayer, and discussion with my husband and son, we opted to go the surgery route. But I was interested enough in what the author had to say at that point that I read the entire book as I sat in the hospital during the surgery. It has certainly given me a lot to think about.

Dr. Mom:  Success Stories of an Herbalist Student could really use a professional edit, but there's no doubting the sincerity of the author. This is an inspiring collection of experiences from one year in the life of a mom as she became an herbalist student and worked to heal her family and friends from their surprisingly many and awful accidents and illnesses.

EVERYONE should read Uncle Tom's Cabin! This was a book on my bucket list and I am so, so, so glad that I read it. I didn't get very far into it before deciding that my children all needed to read this book as well, in their high school years. 

Often referred to as the book that started the (American) Civil War, this is an important book for both history and literature studies. It's also an important book for Christians to read, even today, to take a good, hard look at themselves. While Uncle Tom's Cabin exposes the many facets of slavery in 19th Century United States, it is also a commentary on women's rights, the many of the flaws of human nature, and regional traditions. More than that, it addresses liberty and what it really means to be a Christian. 

It does get a little preachy at times, but the bulk of this book is so good, so important, that I will be reading it again.

This nonfiction book is a wonderful companion to Uncle Tom's Cabin. It gives the historical background and setting for how and why UTC came to be written. After addressing the cause, it explains the effect of the book throughout the United States as well as abroad. (Uncle Tom's Cabin was the secondmost-read book on the planet in its time, second only to the Bible!) It tells much about the author, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and her family, as well as other abolitionists and movements of the day. It also contains a brief synopsis of UTC.

I'm in the middle of several additional books and anxious to find time to read a long list of others I hope to share about. I love books!

Abraham Lincoln's Surest Signature

Jim Weiss has been recording history and literature for 27 years. He even tells a story about the painting featured here in his interesting CD "Women in Blue or Gray, True Stories from Both Sides of the Civil War."  (Hint:  Why is there an empty chair?)

The video below is an excerpt of one of the many well-researched and animatedly told stories from "Abraham Lincoln and the Heart of America." These CDs are a couple of resources I'm using for our unit on the American Civil War.

Fort Bridger--Worth a Stop Then and Now

We've been reading about the great Westward Movement in our U.S. history studies. Out of the many options for field trips relating to this era, I spontaneously chose to take a road trip one day to visit Fort Bridger in Wyoming. It was a good choice. Fort Bridger encompasses so much of that time period that it was perfect.

Jim Bridger was, of course, a fur-trapping mountain man. As the end of the mountain man era came to a close, Bridger and partner Louis Vasquez built the fort as a trading post which became a vital supply point on the Oregon Trail, California Trail, and Mormon Trail. Then the U.S. Army established a military post there during the Utah War and Judge Carter and his wife, Mary, had a thriving commercial empire there as Post Traders. The Pony Express had a stop there. And it was here that the first school house was built in Wyoming. What is preserved at Fort Bridger is 40 years of history from the wild, roaming, frontier days and including the migration to and settling of the West.

We went just as things were opening up for the season. Not everything was open and ready, but I didn't mind too much as we were nearly the only ones there and had the whole place almost entirely to ourselves. It was very peaceful.

We were delighted to come across a beaver dam in our wanderings, too, especially since we'd recently learned so much about them. This was a great chance to walk around it a little and study the dam and its effects.

**IF YOU GO, wear walking shoes! It is acres and acres. Keep in mind that the town around Fort Bridger is very small, so you might want to pack a picnic like we did, which was very pleasant to eat as we enjoyed the setting. There are two shops:  one is trading-post-style in the old Fort Bridger with Native American and frontier-type items in it, and the other is a shop in the museum with books and the usual touristy stuff. Also, this is small mammal heaven. Lots and lots and lots of prairie dogs running around and popping in and out of holes and tunnels, and we also saw a marmot and a baby cottontail in addition to the evidence of beaver.

The Times of the Prophets

Have you ever looked to see where latter-day prophets fit in the context of United States or World History? Oftentimes I think we separate U.S. History and/or World History from Church History instead of seeing each of them as pieces of the same puzzled story and finding how they fit together. Certainly the individual "pieces" beg some compartmentalized scrutiny, but it's also good to line things up side by side, fit them together, and get the whole picture.

In 1972, the Church's New Era did just that with the chart "The Times of the Prophets." Below is a smaller version of the graphic. (Click on the link for a larger, easier-to-read versions you can print.)

An example of the information in this chart is that it shows that in those relevatory years between the First Vision and the beginning of the translation of the Book of Mormon, Beethoven composed his Ninth Symphony, the Monroe Doctrine was declared by the United States, Quinine was isolated and named as treatment for malaria, skiing was introduced, Rossini composed the William Tell Overture, Braille type was invented, and college sororities and fraternities were founded. 

For more great pictures of the prophets, like the ones at the top of this page, check out Robert T. Barrett's Illustration & Fine Art.

Detecting Beavers

I love beavers. Not only are they some of the most adorable creatures on earth, they are useful and necessary beyond measure in maintaining a healthy planet that can sustain life. Watching them work is both fascinating and inspiring; knowing that they were once nearly hunted to extinction for fashion is horrifying.

Alice Outwater's Water--A Natural History has been on my wishlist for years. I once took a class that explained the gist and some details of the book and it struck and stuck. While this book would be a good basis for a unit study in and of itself, I'm tacking it on to our U.S. History studies. That may seem odd, but in the history of this nation, from fur trapping mountain men to westward expansion with its excessive logging and buffalo hunting, to plowing the plains, etc., we find that much of what we read about is not only the story of people and a growing nation, but also a story of ecosystems and their demise.

Having just finished the chapters on beaver, I wanted to bring it all to life and not leave it as just something we read about in a book. That meant, first of all, a field trip!

We packed some sandwiches and headed to an area where beaver should be. The quest was on and we became beaver detectives.

My hopeful anticipation almost fizzled when we first arrived at our destination because there was so much water. Spring melt had this river rushing! I couldn't see how there could possibly be a beaver dam here. 

We sat and ate our lunch and I studied the area. There were a few places where the current slowed, due to islands in the river forking the water. I walked up and down the bank. One of my sons and I wondered aloud at a particular area, but we weren't sure if what we were looking at was just forest debris caught up on an obstacle. I determined that we should go to the other side of the river where we could see what was on the other side of an island and where we could also traverse farther along the bank. (And we tried not to be so loud as to disturb the lone fly fisherman that was probably wondering why in the heck these kids weren't "in school.")

On the other side of the river we found a lot of evidence of beaver! We KNEW they had to be there, somewhere.

We even found beaver scat--and a lot of it!

We knew from our reading that beavers practice coecotrophy--they eat everything twice to extract the most calories from their high-fiber diet when food supplies are low. This means they eat their poo after the first digestion, when it's a gelatinous, porridge-like substance. After the second digestion, a beaver's excrement is pretty much pure sawdust. I broke one of the discovered poo pellets open and, voila! Sawdust!

We knew we were close; there had to be a beaver lodge nearby. We retraced our steps and looked again and finally one of my kids spotted it, right next to where we'd been standing previously. The lodge was on the bank, and we'd been looking more at the water, trying to find a dam to go with it.

Another of my kids found an entrance to a beaver tunnel several feet away from the lodge.

After finding the lodge, we wanted to see what it looked like from the other side of the river. We were incredulous to find that we had been sitting directly across from it and looking right at it during our picnic. We simply hadn't noticed it because we were looking for a preconceived picture in our heads and expected the lodge to be on the water. (We later read that when the water moves too fast, beavers will put their lodge on the shore next to it.) We noted, though, that the "clump" we had previously wondered about was close to the lodge and was likely the beginnings of a dam as it was already redirecting the current and there were the beginnings of a slower wetland area on the opposite bank.

I'm so glad we didn't spot the beaver lodge right away. It was much more fun, exciting, and meaningful to look for evidence and to search for it.

Later that evening we watched PBS's Nature:  "Leave it to Beavers." It's on DVD, but it's free to stream if you have Amazon Prime. It is really good. Here is a preview:

If you want to see some seriously amateur beaver film, you can check out my post Work Like a Beaver where I philosophize a bit about beavers, families, and work, and share the video I took of a beaver family at work in Alaska.