A visit to a pond is always good entertainment, with a cast of characters that reads like a fairy tale. Damselflies flit about on gossamer wings, giant water bugs lurk under the surface, dragonflies patrol the shoreline, and frogs perch on lily pads. Peering into the pond, one sees a drama unfold where the players face challenges of finding food, getting air, moving about, and evading predators. The many organisms in a pond ecosystem are dependent upon each other and the aquatic environment to meet their needs for survival. Continue reading Pond Life – Background
Category: Pond Life
Pond Life – Activities
FOCUS: The varied environment of a pond provides homes for a rich array of plants and animals. All these pond dwellers face the challenges of life in the water – obtaining nutrients, avoiding predators, moving from here to there, getting air. The many organisms in a pond ecosystem are dependent upon each other and on the aquatic environment to meet their needs for survival.
INTRODUCTION
Objective: To begin to explore and ask questions about pond life.
Standing near a pond, take a minute to stop, listen, and look. Ask children what they notice and wonder about the pond.
A VISIT TO A POND
Objective: To explore a pond, looking for evidence of its inhabitants and noticing the different habitats in which they live.
Pond Profile Poster
Ahead of time, make a large diagram on poster board showing a pond in profile. Continue reading Pond Life – Activities
Pond Life – Puppet Show
Once Upon a Pond
Characters: Tadpole, Frog, Whirligig Beetle, Lily Pad, Damselfly Nymph, Dragonfly Nymph.
Props: water lilies, crown, loop on back of stage to hold up lily prop.
Tadpole Tell me a story, Daddy!
Father Frog Once upon a time there was a fierce dragon who lived at the bottom of a pond.
Tadpole Ooooh, a scary fairy tale. Continue reading Pond Life – Puppet Show
Pond Life – Standards
POND LIFE ALIGNMENT WITH
NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS
The activities in this unit help children understand the basic concepts in the Disciplinary Core Ideas listed here. You can use the following list as a guide for lesson planning. These Disciplinary Core Ideas are taken from Grade Band Endpoints in A Framework for K-12 Science Education. Additionally, our activities give children opportunities to engage in many of the Science and Engineering Practices and reflect on the Crosscutting Concepts as identified in the Next Generation Science Standards. Continue reading Pond Life – Standards
Nearby Nature 