Biology and Ecology at the Poles

Students often have misconceptions regarding which polar animals live where, and they sometimes perceive the poles as lifeless. desolate places. Resources in this section will help you turn your students on to the amazing biology and ecology of the polar regions.

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Life in the cold and dark http://passporttoknowledge.com/polar-palooza/pp0901.php

This lesson contains two activities, The Blubber Glove and Create a New "Antarctic Adaptable." MSP full record

Blue planet : frozen seas http://school.discoveryeducation.com/lessonplans/programs/BP_frozenseas/

This activity has students research a poster presentation regarding either an Arctic or Antarctic organism. The lesson includes whole-class discussion as well as individual student research. Web sites are provided for student research. MSP full record

Build an arctic tern http://sierraclub.ca/bc/programs/education/educators/resources/Lesson%20Plans/Arctic%20Tern.pdf

Though intended for upper elementary, this activity can be adapted to the middle school level. It is a modeling activity; however, the emphasis is not on re-creating a lifelike image, but on conveying the various adaptations. Take an inquiry approach by making assessment of the student-built models focus on how students represented the various tern adaptations. They could be required to have a written report or an oral presentation that explains how and why their choices of materials are good representations of the tern's adaptations. MSP full record

Polar-palooza: background soundscapes http://passporttoknowledge.com/polar-palooza/pp01.php

Toward the bottom of the page, click on the link of your choice: Adelie Penguins, Calving Glacier Ice, Elephant Seals, Emperor Penguins, Weddell Seals.
MSP full record

Polar bears international http://www.polarbearsinternational.org/photo-and-video-gallery/

Here you will find intriguing interviews with researchers regarding the life and times of polar bears. Consider previewing an interview and developing a couple of questions for your students, which you can present as a hook before playing the interview segment. Alternatively, students could be assigned to listen to a given interview and report what they learned, what was most surprising, and what they want to know more about and why. MSP full record

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Copyright March 2008 — The Ohio State University. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0424671. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.