Outdoor Experiential and Ecological Education Activity Plan

Activity Title:​ The Mating Game

Grade:​ 7
Subject/Strand​: Interactions in the Environment
Activity Description ​(What are you teaching? How does it fit into the context of a lesson or within a unit?
What are the big ideas/essential/enduring understandings?)
Big Ideas: Ecosystems are made up of biotic and abiotic elements, which depend on each other to survive.

- Animal communication within an ecosystem - depend on one another to survive and mate
- Mating calls and responses will depend on the environment the animals are in (forest vs wide open plains)
- Animal communication can be beneficial for mating but also lethal as it exposes the animal to predators
- Different landforms can affect the accessibility of animals to one another (i.e. rivers, cliffs, mountains, trees)

- This game is one component of interactions in the environment. The interactions of producers, consumers, and
decomposers could come next.

CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS
Ontario Curricular Overall Expectations ​(numbers from documents and details)
pg. 126
2. Investigate interactions within the environment, and identify factors that affect the balance between different
components of an ecosystem

3. demonstrate an understanding of interactions between and among biotic and abiotic elements in the environment.
Ontario Curricular Specific Expectations​ and ​Achievement Chart Categories
(Numbers from documents and details) selected & listed from the Ont. Curriculum, (refined when necessary): realistic number of expectations (1 or 2),
connect to assessment. ​ ​Indicate category in brackets beside specific expectation :Knowledge and Understanding( K ) Thinking (T); Communication
(C); Application(A)
pg. 127
2.4 use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including ​sustainability​, b
​ iotic, ecosystem​, ​community​,
population​, and ​producer​, in oral and written communication
3.1 demonstrate an understanding of an ecosystem as a system of interactions between living organisms and their
environment.

Learning Goals​ ​Discuss with students: ​What will I be learning today?​ ​(Clearly identify what students are expected to know and be able to do,
in language that students can readily understand.)
By the end of this lesson I can…
- understand a living organism's environment can affect its mating success and communication with other animals
- compare animal accessibility across different environments and how difficult it is for them to find a mate and why
- hypothesize the different strategies animals can use to communicate

CONSIDERATIONS FOR PLANNING

Prior Learning: Prior to this lesson, students will have:
- an understanding of predator/prey relationships and the different types of ecosystems
- an ability to define biotic and abiotic factors and provide examples of them in an ecosystem
- considered how human activities can also affect an ecosystem and they way they would potentially inhibit animal
communication

I.E.P. program implications: Accommodations, Modifications

- hearing impaired students (depending on the severity) could help with the abiotic components - be a tree or
mountain. A modification for the game for hearing impaired could be instead of using an animal mating sound, a
scent or touch mating system could be incorporated
 - students in a wheelchair would be able to participate
- learning disabilities or other disorders should not be affected by this game

Differentiation: Content, Process, Product, Environment, Assessment

- instead of teaching this lesson as a lecture or teaching indoors, we have made the lesson into a game for more
interactive components and to hopefully help the topic resonate with the students

Learning Skills/Work Habits:​ [ x ] responsibility, [ ] organization, [ ] independent work, [ x ] collaboration, [ ] initiative, [ x ] self-regulation
- responsibility: do not cheat
- collaboration: group game with a partner
- self-regulation: must be engaged and in a state of excitement (can’t be sleepy or stressed)

Vocabulary:​ ​(for word wall addition or reference and/or to develop schema for this lesson. To be addressed in lesson)
- abiotic
- biotic
- mating
- ecosystem
- biodiversity

Resources and Materials /Technology Integration:​ ​List ALL items necessary for delivery of the lesson (you can include these at the
end of document). Include any attachments of student worksheets used and teacher support material that will support communication of instruction.
Include the use of Information Technology (ICT) in your lesson plan where appropriate.
- blindfolds - is this resource available to us or do we need to tell the class to bring a t-shirt?
- rattles or shakers
- spices or fabric (if using other senses)
- rope for inaccessible areas (i.e. human development, canyon, etc)

Activity Description Identify what the students are expected to think about
or do.
What Teachers Do: Write the lesson description with What Students do: Identify what the students are
enough detail that another teacher could replicate the expected to ​think about or do​ (in terms of learning
lesson without a personal discussion. Prompts and processes).
guiding questions are required in each section.
Minds on: Motivational Hook/engagement /Introduction​ ​(5-15 min)
Establish a positive learning environment, connect to prior learning, set the context for learning, pre-determine key questions to guide lesson.
Time: 8:30-8:40 (Indicate time breakdown of instructional elements)
Hi class, welcome to the next game.
What are some examples of abiotic and biotic factors in an -abiotic: rocks, mountains, rivers; biotic: prey, trees,
ecosystem? predators
What are some ways animals communicate? -dances, sounds, smells, signals, feel
Why is mating important for reproduction? -keep ecosystems alive, animal species can continue,
without it animals would die off
Mingle game: everyone say mingle and when we say get “mingle, mingle, mingle”
into groups of 2 or 3 you do
Now that you are in a group of 2 this will now be your Sit down.
mating partner. Grab a seat.

Action: During /Working on it​ ​(time given for each component, suggested 15-40 min)
Focus is on student interactions with task/peers/teacher. Identify students/groups receiving teacher direction.
Time: 8:40-9:00 (Indicate time breakdown of instructional elements) Students take 2 mins to pick an animal.
In a moment you and your mating partner will pick an animal that would
be preyed upon by wolves, example: squirrel, rabbit.

Look for students who would shine at being the wolf predator. These Take 3 minutes to figure out a mating call and practice it.
students will get a rattle/noise maker that needs to be rattled every time
they move.

Now that you have your animal between the two of you create a mating Students will be go to separate sides of explanation.
call that is distinct. Practice this mating call for 3 minutes.
Mating pairs will be separated to either side of the instruction circle.

-Move mating pairs to opposite sides of the playing field.

Students listen to the instructions and ask questions at the
Once the students are in place, each student will put on
end
their blindfold. Even the wolves are blindfolded
Explain the game:
-the purpose of the game is to locate your mating partner
and once you have found them you can remove your
blindfold and sit down where you are.
-to locate your mating partner you need to use your mating
call. Because you are blindfolded this may be harder than
it sounds.
-to make your mating call you need to pause, kneel down
and make your call
-if you hear a rattle, that means a wolf is nearby and you
need to try and avoid it
-if you are touched by a wolf then you silently remove your
blindfold and move to the sidelines (your mate will still be
looking for you :( )
-this game can be repeated with varying number of wolves
Students put on their blindfolds and play as instructed
Consolidation & Connection (Reflect and Connect)​ ​(5-15 min.)
Help students demonstrate what they have learned, provide opportunities for consolidation and reflection. Close the assessment loop.
Time: 9:00-9:10 (Indicate time breakdown of instructional elements) 1) mating calls
1) How do animals find one another in the woods? 2) listening to footsteps, smells, hearing mating calls
2) What are some hunting strategies for predators? 3) yes, it got confusing when the mating sounds were
3) Are clear and distinct mating calls important? similar as you would move towards a different
4) what senses are most important in mate mating partner. Hearing so many mating sounds at
recognition at long/short distances? once also made it difficult to isolate your own
mating call.
4) long: loud volume of call, timing, listening carefully
(too frequent would mean the wolf would get you);
short: smells, frequent, soft calls

Extension Activities/Next Steps ​(where will this lesson lead to next)

- research a specific ecosystem and design a model including some abiotic and biotic factors involved (specific
expectation 2.2)
In the accompanying paper:
- explain how these abiotic and biotic factors relate to one another
- discuss some predator-prey relationships
- research two different mating pairs and their respective mating strategies

Resources & Materials (include any relevant docs, PDFs, required to facilitate the activity here)