Adaptations: Secrets to Survival - San Elijo adaptation that enables the lizard to avoid being seen...

Adaptations: Secrets to SurvivalTeacher’s Guide • Grade 3–4 • Supplemental Curriculum & Field Experience

Photo: Jo Quinn

San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy | Adaptations Teacher’s Guide | Page 1

We developed the activities in this packet to support your field trip.

Pre-VisitActivities 1 and 2 are designed as pre-visit activities. We recommend you use these to familiarize your students with the concept of adaptations and lagoon organisms. This will help them understand what they will see at the San Elijo Lagoon and learn about from your onsite leader (naturalist).

Activity 3 is an optional activity focusing on reproduction and the life cycle of a common lagoon organism, the Fiddler crab. This activity will familiarize your students with life cycles, adaptations the fiddler crab possesses at different stages of development, and some of the habitats you will see during your visit.

Post-VisitActivity 4 is designed as a post-visit activity that will help your students review what they learned and observed at the San Elijo Lagoon.

TABLE OF CONTENTSActivity 1: What Is An Adaptation? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Activity 2: How do Adaptations Compare? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Activity 3: Fiddler Crab Life Cycle* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Activity 4: What Adaptation Would You Want? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Student Worksheet for Activity 3: Fiddler Crab Life Cycle Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Student Worksheet for Activity 3: Fiddler Crab Life Cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Appendix 1: Lagoon Organism Adaptation Cards (print back to back) . . . . . . 30

Appendix 2: Common Core Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

*optional life cycle and reproduction focus aligned to NGSS

ACTIVITY OVERVIEW


ObjectivesFrom the information and activities in this packet, students will gain:

• An understanding of what adaptations are and their role in an organism’s survival.

• An awareness of several San Elijo Lagoon habitats and the adaptations of plants and animals that enable them to survive in those habitats.

• Greater familiarity with some of the plants and animals that live at the lagoon.

• An appreciation for our role in protecting lagoon organisms and habitats by always disposing of waste properly.

California Performance Expectations and Dimensions Note: This program can assist with meeting the following Performance Expectations

and Dimensions from California’s Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for grades 3 and 4. (For connections to Common Core Standards, see Appendix 2, pg. 37)

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

3-LS4-3 Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all. (Grade 3)

3-LS4-4 Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes and the types of animals that live there may change. (Grade 3)

4-LS1-1 Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior and reproduction. (Grade 4)

4-LS1-2 Use a model to describe that animals receive different types of information through their senses, process the information in their brain and respond to information in different ways. (Grade 4)

TEACHER OVERVIEW


IntroductionWhat is an adaptation?

Pick up something, such as a pen or piece of paper. Watch how your hand works, in particular your thumb and fingers. The human hand (and those of most other primates) is adept at picking up and manipulating objects because of an adaptation — the thumb. Our thumbs are independent of and opposite our other fingers, which enables us to do a variety of amazing things from writing to acrobatics.

All living things have adaptations. An adaptation can be a body part or structure, such as our thumbs, or a behavior that enables an animal or plant to survive in its environment.

To survive, organisms must collect or capture food and other nutrients, obtain fresh water, hide from or elude predators, and maintain an optimal temperature (not too hot or too cold). Structural and behavioral adaptations help an organism survive the conditions of its environment so it can reproduce and continue the species. Every organism is adapted to or shaped by its environment.

Adaptations of Western fence lizards

You often see Western fence lizards (Sceloporus occidentalis) running across a path or sunning on a fence. These lizards eat insects and spiders. In a lizard’s mouth are small, needlelike teeth for holding on to a hard beetle or wiggly spider. The teeth are an adaptation. To catch its prey, the fence lizard sits very still, then dashes out and grabs a meal. Its ability to run fast is a structural adaptation, while sitting still and dashing after food are behavioral adaptations. But lizards don’t run very fast when they’re cold. Because a lizard’s body temperature changes with the surrounding temperature, after a cold night, a fence lizard must bask in the sun on a rock or fence to warm up. That’s another behavioral adaptation. Another adaptation helps protect the lizard when it’s warming up out in the

TEACHER OVERVIEW continued

Science & Engineering Practices

Disciplinary Core Ideas

Crosscutting Concepts

Developing and Using Models

Analyzing and Interpreting Data

Engaging in Argument from Evidence

LS2.C: Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning and Resilience (Grade 3)

LS4.C: Adaptations (Grade 3)

LS4.D: Biodiversity and Humans (Grade 3)

LS1.A: Structure and Function (Grade 4)

LS1.D: Information Processing (Grade 4)

Patterns

Cause and Effect

Systems and System Models - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Connections to Nature of Science


open. Body color and patterns are often similar to the surroundings. Camouflage is a body, or structural, adaptation that enables the lizard to avoid being seen by predators. If a predator does get too close, the fence lizard relies on its fast reflexes to run away.

Adaptations of Snowy Egrets

Snowy Egrets (Egretta thula) are common in the lagoon’s shallow waters. They are medium-tall white birds with long legs and yellow feet. The bird’s long legs enable it to hunt in shallow water, while the yellow feet attract fish, like a lure. When the bird spots a food item, such as fish, worms, crabs and other crustaceans, snails, lizards, and snakes, its long bill strikes out and captures the meal. An egret’s legs, feet, and bill are all body adaptations for survival. Snowy Egrets use several behavioral adaptations when hunting, too, such as walking and stirring up mud, or rapidly opening and closing its bill under water making bubbles to attract prey.

Adaptations and habitats

The fence lizard and Snowy Egret look different because they are different kinds of animals, but also because they have different adaptations that help them to survive in their environments. Animals are adapted to the environments or habitats in which they live and the San Elijo Lagoon has many different habitats. The Western fence lizard is well adapted to the drier conditions of the lagoon, such as the uplands. The Snowy Egret is well adapted to the wetter habitats, in particular the wetlands.

Plants living in the uplands and wetlands have adapted to the different conditions, too. In the uplands, plants must deal with hotter and drier conditions for much of the year. They have adaptations for keeping cool and saving water. Sagebrush (Artemisia californica) has soft, grayish-green leaves that help reflect the sun’s heat, needle-shaped leaves to conserve moisture, and shallow roots to collect water quickly during a rainstorm. The prickly pear (Opuntia species) has waxy pads to keep in moisture and spines to protect it from hungry animals.

In the lagoon, plants have adaptations to deal with salt water. Pickleweed (Salicornia virginica) can tolerate high concentrations of salt (which is toxic for most plants). As the plant grows, it concentrates the salt in new growth tips and then discards those tips when the salt concentration becomes too high.

Adaptations of generalists and specialists

Some animals and plants do very well in a variety of habitats. A raccoon (Procyon lotor) can move from wetlands to uplands to neighborhoods and feed on a variety of foods. The raccoon is a generalist. Generalists usually can adapt to rapid changes in their environment by changing their behavior. In fact, sometimes they adapt so well that they become pests. Humans are generalists and adapt quickly, too, mostly through behavioral adaptations. When we feel cold, we put on a sweater; when we’re hot, we take the sweater off.

Other animals and plants have trouble living outside their particular habitat because their adaptations are very specific for where they live. These



are specialists. The Belding’s savannah sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis beldingi), for example, is a small songbird that lives its entire life in coastal salt marshes. It is an endangered species in California because of the loss of its habitat. When humans change an environment, a mismatch between an organism’s adaptations and its environment can endanger a species’ survival.

Unfortunately, the proliferation of trash and debris around our planet is another way that human behavior can negatively change environments. Trash and pollution that litter our streets end up polluting important coastal habitats, like the San Elijo Lagoon. Winds blow trash into the lagoon, and waste on our streets often flow into the lagoon through watersheds and storm drains. Watersheds are areas of land that drain water flowing through them to common bodies of water, like streams or creeks, which flow into larger bodies of water, like rivers or estuaries, and eventually flow into the ocean. Everyone lives in a watershed and we are all connected to coastal habitats through our watersheds.

As a coastal wetland, the San Elijo Lagoon serves many important functions beyond being an important habitat for a multitude of plants and animals. Water slows as it moves though a wetland, which allows particles within to settle, cleaning the water before it empties in the ocean. Some wetland organisms also take up pollutants in the water or sediment and decompose many toxic substances. By slowing water, wetlands also help control coastal flooding. Since we are all part of a watershed, we all affect the quality of the water in our watersheds. Fortunately there are many things we can do on a daily basis to help conserve and protect wetlands like: never litter, limit the amount of waste created and always dispose of it properly, and take part in a beach, lagoon, school and/or community cleanups.


feathers to stay dry and keep warm

bright yellow feet to lure fish

wings for flying

stirs up mud with feet to find prey

opens and closes its mouth under water to attract prey

builds nest in trees to avoid predators

long bill to catch food

Look closely at the adaptations of two common San Elijo Lagoon animals — a Western fence lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis) and a Snowy Egret (Egretta thula).

teeth like needles to catch and hold prey

scales to protect body

warms its body in sun

freezes in place when frightened

runs away quickly when frightened or chased

camouflage to hide

male's bright blue belly patches to attract a female

long tail can break off to help escape predators





Vocabulary adaptation a physical structure or body part and/or a behavior that enables an

organism to survive in its environment Note: This guide often uses the terms body part and structure interchangeably.

behavior the way an organism acts in a certain situation

camouflage body coloration that helps an organism blend with surroundings

environment all the living and non-living things that surround and affect an organism

generalist a species able to survive in a wide variety of environmental conditions

habitat a specific type of environment inhabited by particular animal and/ or plant species; the place where an animal or plant lives

lagoon a body of water cut off from another larger body of water by sand, coral, or reef

organism a living thing, such as an animal, plant, or fungus

predator an animal that hunts and eats other animals

prey animals eaten by other animals

reproduce to have offspring or produce more of the same kinds of individuals

salt marsh a type of wetland habitat growing in or near salt water

specialist a species able to survive in only a narrow range of environmental conditions

species a group of the same type of living things that can mate and produce other living things of the same kind

structure a complex part of a living thing, such as a hand or mouth or tree roots

survive to continue to live through hardships; to remain alive

upland area of land that’s higher than the surroundings, such as hills

watershed an area of land that drains rain falling onto it or water running through it into a common body of water, such as a creek or stream, which flows into a larger body of water, such as a river, lake, or estuary, and eventually flows to the ocean

wetland an area that is covered by water during all or some part of the year


References and Suggested ReadingsFor more information, look for these references at a local library or online.

Baders, W. & Carnine, D. 2007. Houghton Mifflin California Science. Orlando, FL: Houghton Mifflin.

Encyclopedia of Life; Fiddler Crab Life Cycle –www. eol.org/pages/15178/details

Fiddler crab information website. www.fiddercrab.info

Goodman, S. 2001. Claws, Coats, and Camouflage: The Way Animals Fit into Their World. Brookfield, CT: Millbrook Press.

Monterey Bay Aquarium Education Department, 2010. Seahorse Life Cycles: A Father Knows Best. Monterey, CA: Monterey Bay Aquarium. www.montereybayaquarium.org/PDF_files/teaching_activities/Seahorse_Life_Cycles.pdf

San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy website: www.SanElijo.org

San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy Animal Guide: www.sanelijo.org/animalguide

Slader, S. 2008. What Do You Know About Animal Adaptations? New York, NY: Powerkids Press.

Stienstra, T. 2000. California Wildlife: A practical guide. Emeryville, CA: Avalon Travel Publishing, Inc.

Townsend, J. 2005. Would You Survive? Animal and Plant Adaptations. Chicago, IL: Heinemann-Raintree.



Teacher’s AidActivity IntroductionAn adaptation can be a body part (or structure) or a behavior that enables an animal, plant, or other organism to survive in its environment. Adaptations help with obtaining food and water, hiding from or eluding predators, maintaining an optimal temperature (not too hot and not too cold), and dealing with other daily environmental conditions. During this activity, your students will learn what an adaptation is and how to identify the adaptations of lagoon plants and animals. This will help prepare them for their visit to the San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve.

This activity has two parts. Part 1 helps students learn the meaning of adaptations and how they help animals and plants survive. Part 2 shows students examples of adaptations using the illustrations of the fence lizard and egret from the Introduction.

Time & Materials• This activity should take about 60 minutes to complete. You can conduct this over two class periods.

• Students work as a group for Part 1 and in teams or individually for Part 2.

• For the Part 1 behavioral adaptation demonstration, you’ll need a balloon full of air or a large heavy book.

• For Part 2, you will need a blank sheet of paper for each student or student team.

Instructions to Teacher

Part 1

Explain to students that all living things have adaptations. An adaptation is a body part (or structure) or a behavior that helps an animal or plant survive. Adaptations help with collecting or capturing food, getting fresh water, hiding from predators, and maintaining the right body temperature (not too hot or too cold). You can explain this definition before or after the Part 1 activity below.

Instructions to Students (to be given verbally)

Part 1: Introduction

Let’s start by discovering some of the adaptations that humans have. Who has shoes with shoelaces? [Pick a few students for a demonstration.]

I want you to untie your shoes, then tie them the way you normally would.

Next, untie your shoes again. Now, tuck your thumbs into your palms and tie your shoes without using your thumbs.

[Give them a minute or so, then ask the class.] So what happened? [Take answers.]

ACTIVITY 1 What Is An Adaptation?


ACTIVITY 1 continued Rhythm of the Tides

It was very difficult to tie your shoes without using your thumbs. Humans have thumbs opposite their fingers, which we use to tie shoes, pick up food, or play games. Do all animals have thumbs? No. Thumbs are a body adaptation that humans (and other primates such as monkeys) have that help us survive.

Can you name another body adaptation that might help people?

[Examples of adaptations that humans have in common with many other animals: hair to stay warm, eyes to see, ears to hear, legs and feet to walk. Adaptations unique to humans include thumbs, a large and complex brain, special vocal cords and throat structure for talking.]

In addition to a body or structural adaptation, animals have behaviors that help them survive.

For this next demonstration, I’m going to [pop this balloon or drop this book]. When I do that, I want you to pay careful attention to how you react. Now, close your eyes and quietly count to ten.

[When they get to any number you like, pop the balloon or drop the heavy book on the floor. Once your students calm down, ask…]

So how did you react to the noise of the [balloon or book]?

[Take answers: jumped, screamed, wanted to run away]

How would your reactions to the noise of the [balloon or book] help you? [Discuss answers.]

Those are all behaviors or behavioral adaptations. Animals have behavioral adaptations, too. What happens when a mouse sees a cat? [Take answers.] It runs away… that’s a behavioral adaptation that helps the mouse get away from the cat. What happens when a cat sees a mouse? It runs, too, but toward the mouse. That’s a behavioral adaptation to help the cat catch the mouse. Both structural and behavioral adaptations help us and animals and plants survive.

Wrap Up

Any questions about what adaptations are? Or, what the different types of adaptations are: body (or structural) adaptations and behavioral adaptations?

[Explain more if students need more, or go to Part 2 to provide them with more detailed examples.]

ACTIVITY 1 continued What Is An Adaptation?

ANIMAL

Western fence lizard

Body Parts or Structural Adaptations Behavioral Adaptations

• mouth with needlelike teeth to catch food• strong muscles and fast reflexes for running quickly• camouflage color to hide from predators or prey• long tail that breaks off if grabbed by a predator to escape being caught• scales to protect the body and prevent the loss of moisture • male's bright blue belly patches to attract a female

• sits still in the sun to warm up, but also so predators and prey don’t see it• runs quickly and in a zigzag pattern to escape predators• flattens its body to hide in small spaces and escape predators• fights other males to defend its territory

Snowy Egret • long legs for wading in water to find food• large feet for walking on mud • yellow feet that attract fish• long sharp bill to catch food• feathers to protect body and keep warm• wings and feathers to fly

• shuffles feet in the water to stir up prey• opens and closes its bill rapidly under water making bubbles to attract prey



Part 2

Before starting this activity, review with students the concept of adaptations if needed.

Then distribute to each student a blank sheet of paper and have each put his/her name on it.

This is a drawing and labeling activity. With your guidance, students will draw a Western fence lizard and Snowy Egret and label the animals’ adaptations on their drawings. To help your students, we recommend that you draw or trace (using a chalkboard, whiteboard, or overhead projector) a basic outline of a fence lizard and a Snowy Egret. Then have your students do the same on a blank sheet of paper. If there’s enough room, they can draw both animals on one side (make sure they leave room for labeling), or draw the lizard on one side and the bird on the other side of the sheet. Note: See picture of each with adaptations labeled in the Introduction section.

Talk with your students about the structural adaptations these animals have and how they help them survive. Note: See the table below for suggestions. With your students label the body parts, or structural adaptations, of the lizard and then the structural adaptations of the egret.

Next, review with your students the behavioral adaptations these animals have and how they help them survive. Then ask students to label their drawings with a different color the behaviors that help these animals survive in their environment. Talk about similarities and differences they see in the adaptations of the two animals.

ACTIVITY 1 continued Rhythm of the TidesACTIVITY 1 continued What Is An Adaptation?



Part 2: Introduction

This is a drawing and labeling activity. Together we are going to draw a Western fence lizard and a Snowy Egret and label the animals’ adaptations on our drawings. I’m going to draw a basic body shape for both of these animals first (on a chalkboard, whiteboard, or overhead projector). Then when I tell you to, I want you to draw each on your paper. Draw the lizard on one side and the bird on the other side of the sheet.

Before we label our drawings with the animals’ adaptations, let’s talk about them. What are some of the body parts, or structural adaptations, that help the lizard survive? [Take answers and write a list on the board. Add to the list from the table on page 11. Then use the list to label the lizard’s adaptations.]

Following my drawing, label the body parts, or structural adaptations, of the lizard.[Repeat for the structural adaptations of the egret.]

Now, let’s talk about behavioral adaptations. Can anyone think of a behavior that helps the lizard survive? [Take answers and write a list on the board. Add to the list from the table on page 11. Then use the list to label the lizard’s behavioral adaptations. Use a different color for labeling these adaptations.]

Following my drawing label the behavioral adaptations of the lizard. [Repeat for the behavioral adaptations of the egret.]

Wrap Up

What similarities and differences do you see in the adaptations of these two animals? Can you add more adaptations that these animals may have in common? [Discuss]

ACTIVITY 1 continued Rhythm of the TidesACTIVITY 1 continued What Is An Adaptation?


Teacher’s AidActivity IntroductionDuring this activity, your students will learn to compare and contrast the adaptations of different animals and plants. The Adaptations Cards in this packet show some of the animals and plants that live at the San Elijo Lagoon, along with information about some of their adaptations. Before your visit, we hope you and your students become familiar with these cards. This will help prepare your class for what you will see and learn about during the visit to the lagoon.

Time & Materials• This activity should take about 45 to 60 minutes to complete.

• Students can work in teams or individually.

• You will need a copy of a set of Adaptations Cards for each student or student team.


Make copies of the Adaptations Cards on pages 30-37 and provide each student or student team with the cards.

You are going to have your students sort the cards by adaptations. This will get students familiar with the animals and plants and with their particular adaptations. For example, if you had students sort their cards based on having a bill to catch and eat food, the Snowy Egret and the Mallard would be in one pile. If you sorted the remaining cards based on having teeth to catch and eat food, the coyote, rabbit, and lizard would be in the next pile.


Introduction

This activity will help you think about the adaptations of different plants and animals.

[If needed, use the Snowy Egret and fence lizard examples from the previous activity to remind students about the definition of adaptations. Then distribute the Adaptations Cards.]

Look at the Adaptations Cards. Each card is of an animal or plant that you might see on our field trip to the lagoon. The animal or plant picture is on the front and on the back is a list of some of the adaptations that the animal or plant has to help it survive living at the lagoon.

We’re going to be playing a sorting game. You will be sorting the cards based on the adaptations. Let’s start with an example.

ACTIVITY 2 How Do Adaptations Compare?


ACTIVITY 2 continued How Do Adaptations Compare?

If I ask you to look for all the animals that have feathers to keep warm, which animals would go into that pile of cards?

[Note: you might give students a minute or two to read the cards and build their sorted pile. Answers: Snowy Egret, Mallard]

Now if I ask you to look for all the animals that have fur to keep warm, which animals would go into that pile of cards?

[Answers: raccoon, rabbit, coyote]

Okay, so I will write on the board, Feathers. Underneath that adaptation, I’ll write: Snowy Egret and Mallard. And then, Fur, and underneath that adaptation, I’ll write: raccoon, rabbit, and coyote.

[Check to make sure everyone understands what you’re looking for. Now proceed with other adaptations. Here are some suggested questions.]

Which animals have teeth to catch or eat their food? [Answer: coyote, cottontail rabbit, lizards]

Which animals have a bill to catch or eat their food? [Answer: Snowy Egret, Mallard]

Which animals have scales to protect their skin and bodies? [Answer: Western fence lizard, mullet, rattlesnake]

Which animals have a hard shell to protect their bodies? [Answer: horn snail, fiddler crab]

Which animals have venom to protect themselves? [Answer: rattlesnake, honeybee]

Which animals use camouflage to hide? [Answer: Western fence lizard, female Mallard, rattlesnake]

Which animals have bright colors to stand out? [Answer: honeybee, swallowtail butterfly, male fence lizard, male Mallard]

Which animals have big ears? [Answer: coyote, cottontail rabbit]

Which animals have wings for flying? [Answer: Mallard, Snowy Egret, swallowtail butterfly, honeybee]

Which animals freeze in place when frightened? [Answer: cottontail rabbit, Western fence lizard]

Which animals run away quickly when frightened? [Answer: cottontail rabbit, Western fence lizard]

Which animal has fins for swimming? [Answer: mullet]

Which animals are active at night to avoid people and predators? [Answer: coyote, raccoon]


ACTIVITY 2 continued How Do Adaptations Compare?

Which plants have adaptations to store or save water? [Answer: prickly pear, sagebrush]

Which plants have spines to avoid being eaten? [Answer: prickly pear]

Wrap Up

Which animals have an adaptation that people also have? [Answer: raccoon, coyote, cottontail rabbit]

What are some special adaptations, which people have that lagoon animals don’t have? [Answer: thumbs, ability to speak words, a large complicated brain]

Which animal or plant do you think has the most awesome [or best or baddest] adaptation?

Conservation Focus:

How might some of the plants and animals that we just learned about be affected by trash and pollution in their habitats?

Discuss. [Answers: Organisms can get stuck and/or injured by trash and pollution. Other animals might accidently eat trash, making them very sick, or filling their bellies with things that can’t be digested, leaving little room for the appropriate food items they need to survive.]

What kind of trash do you think ends up in our watershed, lagoon and eventually, the ocean? How do you think that trash gets there?

Discuss with students. [Answer: Any type of trash present on our streets can end up in the lagoon and other important coastal habitats, by flowing through storm drains and through our watersheds (review definition of watershed with students).]

So trash that we see outside our school today can end up polluting our watershed and the lagoon and even the ocean, if we don’t dispose of it in the right way. What are some of the right ways to get rid of trash?

[Answers: Reduce, reuse and recycle. Always put trash in proper receptacles and never litter.]

What are some actions that we can do every single day to make sure our trash doesn’t end up polluting our watershed and the lagoon?

Discuss with students actions they are already taking personally and as class/community to help keep ocean and coastal habitats clean. [Answers: Make sure to never throw trash on the ground (littering), always disposing of trash properly. Take efforts to reduce the amount of trash made (especially single use plastics) and reuse and recycle items that might otherwise get thrown away. Also take part in school and community clean ups, etc.]


ACTIVITY 2 continued

I’m sure that we as a class will do all that we can to make sure that our trash gets thrown away properly and won’t end up polluting our watershed, the lagoon or the ocean.

You now know a little about some of the animals and habitats we’ll see at the San Elijo Lagoon. During our field trip we will get to learn more about them and their adaptations.

Extension

Have students pick an animal or plant that they want to be on field trip. Turn that Adaptations Card into a nametag and have student attend the field trip as that animal or plant. (Note: Because classes are split into smaller groups on the field trip, it is fine for several students to have the same name tag organism. When you divide your class into small groups, just make sure that students with the same Adaptations Card name tag are in different groups.)

How Do Adaptations Compare?


ACTIVITY 3

ObjectivesFrom the information in this activity your students will gain:

• The ability to describe and sequence the four life stages of a fiddler crab’s life cycle.

• An understanding that organisms have adaptations to help them survive throughout all stages of development and growth.

• The recognition of the San Elijo Lagoon as a type of wetland and as an important habitat for the fiddler crab and many other species.

• An awareness of people’s role in protecting wetlands.

Activity IntroductionWhat do you call a baby fiddler crab and how does it grow? What adaptations do fiddler crabs have at different stages in their development? Students will discover the answers to these questions during this life cycle sequencing activity. Students will also discuss ways to protect the wetland habitats of the fiddler crab.

California Performance Expectations and DimensionsNote: This program can assist with meeting the following Performance Expectations and Dimensions from California’s Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for grades 3 & 4. (For connections to Common Core Standards, see Appendix 2 on pg. 37)

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

3-LS1-1 Develop models to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles but all have in common birth, growth, reproduction and death. (Grade 3)

3-LS3-1 Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence that plants and animals have traits inherited from parents and that variation of these traits exists in a group of similar organisms. (Grade 3)

3-LS4-2 Use evidence to construct an explanation for how variations in characteristics among individuals of the same species may provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing. (Grade 3)

4-LS1-1 Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior and reproduction. (Grade 4)

Fiddler Crab Life Cycle Activity

Science & Engineering Practices

Disciplinary Core Ideas

Crosscutting Concepts

Developing and Using Models

Engaging in Argument from Evidence

LS1.B: Growth and Development of Organisms (Grade 3)

LS3.A: Inheritance of Traits (Grade 3)

LS3.B: Variation of Traits (Grade 3)

LS4.B: Natural Selection (Grade 3)

LS4.C: Adaptations (Grade 3)

LS1.A: Structure & Function (Grade 4)

Patterns

Cause and Effect - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Connections to Nature of Science



Activity IntroductionFiddler CrabThe fiddler crab is a small crab species found in coastal wetlands, like San Elijo Lagoon. Fiddler crabs dig permanent burrows in the mudflats, where they find shelter from predators and rising tides, and safe spaces to incubate their eggs. You can find these burrows by looking for mud pellets that are scattered around the entrance to their burrows. During winter months, fiddler crabs stay buried in their burrows. All fiddler crabs have jointed legs and two claws, they use for locomotion, digging and feeding. Fiddler crabs’ eyes are also located on stalks which can move all around, allowing the crabs to see in all directions. This is a great adaptation for avoiding predation since these small crabs make a tasty snack for many different types of shorebirds! As adults, male and female fiddler crabs do look different from each other. Male fiddler crabs possess one claw much larger than the other, which they use to impress female fiddler crabs, and intimidate other males during their breeding season (May–August). Fiddler crabs live for about two years and have a unique life cycle. The generalized stages of a fiddler crab life cycle are: egg, larvae, young crab, and adult crab.

Stages of Fiddler Crab Life CycleEgg: A fiddler crab begins its life as an egg in coastal wetlands. The female crab carries hundreds to thousands of eggs under her belly, while the male crabs try to impress the females by waving around their big claw. The female crab will choose the male crab whose burrow is just right for her and her eggs. She lays her eggs in the father’s burrow, where they both protect and incubate the eggs. Inside the eggs little baby crabs, or larvae, are growing. When the eggs are ready, the female fiddler crab will carry them down to the water’s edge where she will release them to hatch. The eggs are small enough to easily be washed out into the ocean – where the next stages of a fiddler crab’s development occur.




Larvae: Outgoing tides carry the fertilized crab eggs out into the open ocean, where they grow and develop into baby crabs, or larvae (also known as zoea). Crab larvae are tiny and look nothing like adult crabs. They have huge eyes (compared to body size) to help them see, small legs and a tail they use to steer with, and feather-like appendages that are used to capture tiny particles of food (plankton). The larvae continue to grow and change out in the open ocean. The amount of time fiddler crabs spend as larvae in the ocean varies, but typically lasts from a few weeks to a few months. As they grow, crab larvae shed their shells, or molt, which allows them to grow bigger. After they molt, they grow a new shell; this is something that adult crabs do as well. At the end of the larval phase, the fiddler crab larvae molt into young crabs and return to land.

Young crab: Young crabs leave the open ocean and return to the lagoon to live the rest of their lives. During this stage both male and female fiddler crabs look the same. Young crabs have many of the same adaptations as their adult counterparts; eyes on stalks allow them to see all around them, claws for protection and feeding, and jointed legs for movement and digging. The young crabs learn to eat and make safe burrows in the mudflats of the lagoon, where they continue to molt and grow.

Adult crab: The last stage of the fiddler crab life cycle is the adult crab stage. As adults, male fiddler crabs grow the one large claw that sets them apart. Adult crabs fertilize and incubate the eggs and the life cycle continues.


Egg

Larvae

Young crab

Adult male crab



Vocabularyadaptation a physical structure or body part and/or a behavior that enables an organism

to survive in its environment

Note: This guide often uses the terms body parts and structure interchangeably

burrow a hole or tunnel dug by a small animal (noun); the act of an animal digging a hole or tunnel (verb)

eggs produced by a female from which young develop, emerge or hatch

habitat a specific type of environment where a particular animal and/or plant species lives; the place where an animal or plant lives and can meet their needs for survival (air, food, water and shelter)

lagoon a body of water cut off from another larger body of water by sand, coral or reef

larvae the newly hatched earliest stages of any type of animal that goes through transformations as it develops; looks and acts different than the adult animal

life cycle the complete life history of an animal or plant from the start (e.g., seeds or eggs) to adult or mature stage

molt the act of shedding an old shell to make room for the growth of a new and larger one

reproduce to have offspring or produce more of the same kind of individuals

watershed an area of land that drains rain falling onto it or water running through it into a common body of water, such as a creek or stream, which flows into a larger body of water, such as a river, lake, or estuary, and eventually flows to the ocean

wetland an area that is covered by water during all or some part of the year




Time & Materials• This activity will take approximately 30 minutes to complete.

• You will need a copy of the short story Fiddler Crab Grows Up (pg. 25-26) and one set of Fiddler Crab Life Cycle Illustration Cards (pg. 27) already cut out.

• Each student will need a copy of the Fiddler Crab Life Cycle Illustration Cards (pg. 27), and a pair of scissors. You may also choose to provide each student or student group with a copy of the short story, Fiddler Crab Grows Up (pg. 25-26).

• Your students will need their notebooks or a blank piece of paper, as well as writing and artwork tools (pens or pencils, crayons, markers or colored pencils).

Instructions to TeacherReview the definition of a life cycle with your students. You may choose to demonstrate by drawing the life cycle of a familiar animal, like a frog or butterfly on the board. Also review the definition of an adaptation (a body part or behavior that helps an organism survive). Then, distribute to each student a blank sheet of paper, or have them open to a blank sheet in their notebooks, and have each student title the page Fiddler Crab Life Cycle.

During this activity, students will be sequencing illustrations of the fiddler crab life cycle, while thinking about the adaptations a fiddler crab has at different stages in its development.

First, have your students sequence the illustration cards prior to learning about the fiddler crab life cycle. Then, as a class, you will read the short story, Fiddler Crab Grows Up, and will describe the four life cycle stages of the fiddler crab. Students will then sequence the Fiddler Crab Life Cycle Illustration Cards again. Lastly, familiarize your students with their upcoming field trip to San Elijo Lagoon and discuss ways they can help protect the lagoon and its inhabitants.

Instructions to Students (to be given verbally)Define Life Cycle and Introduce Fiddler Crab

Does anyone know what a life cycle is? [Take student answers.]

A life cycle begins with the birth of an animal (or plant) and ends with that living thing reproducing, or making more of the same kind of animals (or plants) before it dies. That is why it’s called a cycle.

Today we will be learning about the life cycle of a small crab that lives in the San Elijo Lagoon, the fiddler crab.

Sequence the Fiddler Crab Life Cycle Illustrations Cards

Pass out the Fiddler Crab Life Cycle Illustration sheet.

Before we talk more about the fiddler crab and its life cycle, let’s take a moment and see what we think the life cycle might look like.

The first thing I want you to do is cut each of the illustrations out. Once you have all four pictures cut out, I want you to mix them up so you don’t know which one is first and which one is last.




Demonstrate with the teacher set in front of the class. Give approximately 3 minutes to complete this task.

Now look at the cards and think about how to put them in the right order according to the crab life cycle. Remember a life cycle is the stages a plant or animal goes through from when it is born to when it is fully grown up and makes more plants or animals.

Give students approximately 5 minutes to complete this task.

Be sure that you write down the order you came up with on your page. We’ll come back to those but first we are going to read a story about fiddler crabs.

Read Fiddler Crab Grows Up (pg. 25-26). You may choose to ask students to read portions of the story out loud.

Review and describe the stages of the fiddler crab life cycle. List the names of each stage on the board. Provide students with a brief description of each life cycle stage using the information presented in the story.

STAGE 1 = EGG – Female crabs incubate their eggs in male’s burrows and when the eggs are ready to hatch, the female crab carries them under her abdomen down to the water’s edge , where the eggs get washed out into the open ocean and grow into baby crabs/larvae.

STAGE 2 = LARVAE – This entire stage takes place out in the open ocean, where the tiny crab larvae drift along in ocean currents. The larvae grow and change out in the sea.

STAGE 3 = YOUNG CRAB – Small young crabs return to coastal wetlands, like the lagoon, where they grow and learn to survive. They will spend the rest of their lives in the lagoon.

STAGE 4 = ADULT CRAB – Adult male fiddler crabs have one claw larger than the other which they use to impress the female crabs. These females incubate their eggs in the male’s burrows and the crab life cycle continues.

Sequence Life Cycle Illustration Cards Again

Now that we’ve learned more about the fiddler crab life cycle, let’s see if we can sequence, or order, the illustration cards again. When you are finished sequencing the cards, write the new order next to the first order you wrote earlier.

Give students approximately 5 minutes to complete this task.

Let’s put the life cycle cards in the right order!

Egg Larvae Young crab Adult crab

Great job everyone! Now can anyone give me an example of an adaptation that the fiddler crab has? Remember an adaptation is a body part or a behavior that an organism has that helps it to survive.

Take student answers. [May include: eyes for seeing, claws for protection, legs for moving, flat body for hiding from predators etc.]




What were some body parts that helped the fiddler crab larvae/baby?

Take student answers. [Big eyes to see, legs and tail to help it steer in water, small size so it can float with currents, etc.]

What were some body parts or behaviors that helped the juvenile fiddler crab survive?

Take student answers [Larger body with jointed legs for moving around land. Bigger claws used for digging, finding food, making burrows, protection and communication.]

Making the ConnectionSoon we will be going on a field trip to the home of the fiddler crab, the San Elijo Lagoon. The San Elijo Lagoon is a wetland, which is a special place that is covered by water during all or part of the year. Wetlands are very important homes, or habitats, for many different types of plants and animals, including the fiddler crab.

When we go visit the lagoon, it is important for us to be careful to respect and protect the plants and animals that live there. What are some ways that you think we can protect and respect the lagoon and everything that lives there?

Discuss. [Answers include: by listening to instructions carefully, and by not damaging anything and staying on the trail and by making sure not to leave any waste behind.]

Wrap UpLet’s review what we learned today.

Can anyone tell me what a life cycle is?

[The stages of growth and development that living things go through as they grow up.]

What is the order of the fiddler crab life cycle?

[Eggs, larvae, young crabs, adult crabs.]

What are some adaptations fiddler crabs have as larvae/baby crabs? What about as young/juvenile crabs? What is an adaptation that an adult fiddler crab has to survive?

[Small size to drift in currents, small legs and tail for steering, big eyes to see, feathery appendages used to catch tiny pieces of food (plankton). Eyes on eye stalks, claws, legs for moving around and digging in mud. Males have one big claw they use to attract females, etc..]

How is the fiddler crab life cycle the same as our (human) life cycle?

Discuss with students [May include that people start as babies and then become kids before they grow into adults.]

How is a fiddler crab life cycle different than ours?

[Answers: fiddler crabs don’t grow inside their mothers like people do, fiddler crab babies swim in the ocean without any parents to take care of them.]




Does anyone have any questions about the life cycle of the fiddler crab?

Provide any further explanations that your students might need.

Extensions1) Have students create a life cycle illustration for another animal, like a butterfly, dog or animal of their choice. They can research the animal and create a life cycle illustration to share with the class.

2) Create a Respect Wetlands/Nature Pledge using the suggestions your students’ came up with, and adding any others that need to be included. You can have students review and sign the Pledge before attending the field trip to San Elijo Lagoon, or other natural space.



ACTIVITY 3

Student Worksheet: Fiddler Crab Grows Up

The Life Cycle of a Fiddler CrabWhat an adventure! Young fiddler crab was so excited!

He had just spent the first weeks of his life growing and floating in the open ocean.

And now he had finally returned to the San Elijo Lagoon! There was so much to see and learn.

Just a few weeks ago, when young Fiddler was only an egg, his mother carried him and thousands of his brother and sister eggs, from his father’s home (or burrow) found in the mud of the San Elijo Lagoon, down to the water’s edge. The water in the lagoon swished him and all the other eggs out to sea.

Out in the open ocean, Fiddler changed and grew, although he was still very tiny. From an egg he turned into a baby crab called a larvae. His eyes got big, and he grew a hard shell. Under his belly little legs grew. These helped Fiddler swim in the big blue ocean.

Then Fiddler grew some more! He grew some claws and was starting to look a little more like his parents, the Crabs. Every time he grew, off would come his hard shell so that a new, bigger shell could grow. This was called molting.

And now Fiddler was back at the lagoon, as a tiny young fiddler crab, on land for the first time since he was just a little egg.

“I’m hungry and tired after my long journey,” Fiddler thought. “But I don’t know what to eat or where to sleep.” Fiddler watched the older, bigger crabs very carefully. He saw them search for bits of rotting food in the mud. Fiddler also saw them disappearing into holes in the mud, called burrows.

“Why are the crabs going in those holes? What’s in there?” Fiddler thought. Fiddler crawled into a burrow. Inside he saw that it was a perfect safe place for him to rest.

Fiddler ate and rested and grew! And just like when he was a little baby larvae, every time he grew he molted, or shed his hard shell.

Fiddler was becoming an adult crab. One day, he saw that one of his claws was growing much bigger than the other. “I wonder what this is for,” he thought.

Fiddler watched the older, bigger male crabs wave their big claws at the female crabs. The female crabs were carrying thousands of eggs under their bellies.

“Hey ladies! Come check out my burrow — I’ve got the best spot for your eggs!” one crab called. “No, no! My burrow is much better! Check out my burrow!” called another, waving his claw wildly at the lady crabs.




Fiddler watched the female crabs to see what they would do. He noticed the females choosing the burrows closest to the water.

“I know what to do!” Fiddler thought. “I will dig a burrow right near the water and then the females will choose my home for their eggs!”

And that is just what Fiddler did.

Fiddler was right! The female crabs liked his burrow best. His burrow was close enough to the water for them to carry their eggs to the water at just the right time to be washed out to sea.

And so Fiddler helped the females protect and care for their eggs. Until one night when the females knew the eggs were ready to hatch. So they carried their eggs to the water’s edge, and the water came to wash the eggs out to sea, , where they could grow into crab larvae, or baby crabs. Those crab larvae grew in the open ocean and returned to the lagoon as young crabs. There they grew into adult fiddler crabs, just like Fiddler. And the crab life cycle repeated.

The End



ACTIVITY 3 Fiddler Crab Life Cycle Activity


Teacher’s AidActivity IntroductionIt is important that your students reflect on and process what they learned during their field trip. This activity will help them synthesize what they learned about adaptations of plants and animals at the San Elijo Lagoon.

Time & Materials• This is an individual student activity that could take your students 30 to 45 minutes to complete.

• Your students will need paper and writing tools.

• You may also want to make available the Adaptations Cards, online San Elijo Lagoon Animal Guide and library books showing the species of plants and animals that your students saw at the lagoon.


Have your students talk for a few minutes about their experiences at the lagoon. Which animal and/or plant species did they see? What adaptations did they learn about that were new to them or the most surprising? Did they know that plants and animals had so many adaptations? Which adaptations did they think were the most useful for living at the lagoon?

Now ask students to create an animal or plant that lives at the lagoon wetlands or uplands. This could be a plant or animal that they saw, or they could create a new kind of organism. Have them think about the adaptations that this organism would need to survive. They should think of at least two body parts, or structural adaptations, and one behavioral adaptation.

Now have them write a story about the organism and how its adaptations enable it to live and survive at the lagoon. Have your students share their stories with the class, with other classes, or with parents.

Alternate or Extension

Instead of having students write a story, have them make an animal or plant with at least two body parts, or structural adaptations, from recycled materials from home or school (like: paper towel rolls, tin foil, plastic containers, plastic or paper bags etc.). The adaptations could be for any of the major survival issues that organisms face: collecting or capturing food, hiding from or eluding predators, absorbing fresh water or eliminating salt water, and staying warm or cool.

ACTIVITY 4 What Adaptations Would You Want?


Adaptations Cards(print back to back)


Coyote Cottontail rabbit

Raccoon Mullet


Coyote These are some of my adaptations.

Body Parts:

• fur to keep warm

• sharp teeth to catch and eat food

• long nose to smell for food items, like rodents, lizards, birds, eggs and berries

• big ears to listen for prey

Behaviors:

• active at night to avoid people and predators

• howls to communicate with other coyotes

• changes hunting style to match its food type

Cottontail rabbit These are some of my adaptations.

Body Parts:


• strong front teeth for chewing plant foods

• big eyes and ears for finding predators

• big back legs and feet for jumping

Behaviors:

• freezes in place when frightened

• runs away quickly or jumps when frightened or chased

RaccoonThese are some of my adaptations.

Body Parts:


• front paws like hands for catching food items like; insects, worms, frogs, shellfish, fish, birds, eggs, grubs, snakes, lizards and berries

• big eyes for good night vision

Behaviors:

• active at night to avoid people and predators

• stays in den in a tree to keep warm and safe

• opportunistic feeders that eat most anything available in their habitat

MulletThese are some of my adaptations.

Body Parts:

• scales to protect body

• mucus on scales to protect skin and make it slippery and easier to escape predators.

• gills for breathing in water

• mouths that are ideal at scooping up food, like bottom dwelling invetebrates, algae & decaying plant and animal matter (detritus), from bottom of lagoon

• fins and tail for swimming in water

Behaviors:

• jumps out of water, but no one knows why


Horned snail Fiddler crab

Western fence lizard Rattlesnake


Horned snailThese are some of my adaptations.

Body Parts:

• hard shell to protect soft body

• a “trapdoor” that closes shell to keep its body moist (operculum)

• rough, file-like, tongue used for licking decaying plant and animal material (detritus) from the mud

Behaviors:

• stays away from neighbors so there’s food for everyone

Fiddler crabThese are some of my adaptations.

Body Parts:

• hard shell to protect soft body

• eyes on stalks to see all around

• 2 claws used for protection, communication and feeding. Males possess one claw larger than the other

• flat body to fit in cracks

Behaviors:

• male waves the big claw to attract a female or scare off other males

• hides in cracks to avoid predators

• claws and mouths are used to sift detritus (decaying plant & animal material) from the mud; small balls of “cleaned mud” are scattered around their burrows

Western fence lizard These are some of my adaptations.

Body Parts:

• teeth like needles to catch and hold quick moving insect prey


• camouflage to hide

• long tail can break off to help escape predators like hawks, egrets, coyotes, raccoons and snakes

• male’s bright blue belly patches to attract a female

Behaviors:

• warms its body in the sun

• freezes in place when frightened

• runs away quickly when frightened or chased

RattlesnakeThese are some of my adaptations.

Body Parts:


• heat sensors on face to find prey like: rodents, birds, lizards, eggs, frogs, and even other snakes

• fangs to inject venom to kill prey

• camouflage to hide

Behaviors:

• rattles tail to warn predators like hawks and coyotes

• hides from prey


Mallard (male) Snowy Egret

Honeybee Swallowtail butterfly


MallardThese are some of my adaptations.

Body Parts:

• feathers to stay dry and keep warm

• round bill for eating aquatic plants

• male’s showy colors to attract females

• female’s drab color to camouflage on the nest

Behaviors:

• feeds on water plants with head down and bottom up

• spreads special body oil to waterproof feathers

Snowy EgretThese are some of my adaptations.

Body Parts:

• feathers to stay dry and keep warm

• long bill to catch food like small fish, crabs, lizards, snakes and insects

• bright yellow feet to lure fish

• wings for flying

Behaviors:

• stirs up mud with feet to find prey

• opens and closes its mouth under water to attract prey

• builds nest in trees to avoid predators

HoneybeeThese are some of my adaptations.

Body Parts:

• stinger with venom to protect itself


• bright colors to warn predators that it stings

• baskets on legs to carry food (pollen and nectar from flowers and plants)

Behaviors:

• stings to protect itself

• lives and works together with other bees in a hive

• communicates well with other bees in its hive

Swallowtail butterflyThese are some of my adaptations.

Body Parts:


• long tongue to collect flower nectar

• bright colors to warn predators that it tastes bad

Behaviors:

• flies away from predators

• rests with wings folded up to hide


Sagebrush

Prickly pear Willow

Pickleweed


Prickly pearThese are some of my adaptations.

Plant Parts:

• waxy pads (flat stems) to store water

• spines to protect from hungry animals

• spines (small leaves) to save water

• showy flowers to attract bees and other pollinators

• shallow roots to collect rain water quickly

Who eats/uses me?

• Spiders spin their webs within the safety of the sharp spines of the prickly pear plant

• Fruits (tunas) and pads (nopales) of plant are still eaten by people

WillowThese are some of my adaptations.

Plant Parts:

• roots can live covered in water during floods

• seeds are light and fluffy for spreading by the wind

• bark protects plant from diseases

Who eats/uses me?

• Willow trees were extremely important to the Kumeyaay people who used to live around San Elijo Lagoon

• The leaves and bark of the willow tree contain a natural pain killing compound which was used by Native Americans as medicine

PickleweedThese are some of my adaptations.

Plant Parts:

• fleshy leaves to store water

• red stem tips drop off when they collect too much salt

• lives in salt water where fewer other plants can compete

Who eats/uses me?

• Eaten by small mammals and birds

• Primary home for the Endangered bird, the Belding’s savannah sparrow, and the saltwater harvest mouse

Sagebrush These are some of my adaptations.

Plant Parts:

• soft gray leaves to reflect the sun’s heat

• long narrow leaves to save water

• shallow roots to collect rain water quickly

• leaves and stems dry up in summer to save water

Who eats/uses me?

• Eaten by mule deer, small mammals and water fowl (birds)

• Kumeyaay burned sage leaves to keep away mosquitoes and fleas and to disguise their human scent when hunting


Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

APPENDIX 2 Common Core Connections

Third Grade ELA/Literacy

Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.

Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect.

Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur).

Write opinion pieces on topics and texts, supporting a point of view with reasons.

Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories.

W. 2

W. 3

Rl. 1

Rl. 3

Rl. 7

W. 1

W. 8


W. 3Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories.W. 8

APPENDIX 2 continued Common Core Connections

Fourth Grade ELA/Literacy

RI. 1 Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.

Write opinion pieces on topics and texts, supporting a point of view with reasons.

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

RI. 3

W. 1

W. 2


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Compiled by: Education Director Tara Fuad

Contributors:Executive Director Doug Gibson

Education Coordinator Elayna Flanders

Writer/Editor Chris Parsons and Rachael Cohen

Designer Tanya Bredehoft

The following people have contributed to the development of this material by providing invaluable feedback.

Denise Stillinger, Elizabeth Venrick, Kathy Dickey, Barbara Wallach, Carol Rayes, Ed Slater, Kimberly Wesbey, Nancy Kamp, Julianne Clark, Stacey Halboth, Debbie Hannah, Phyllis Krone

Funding for the San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy Teacher Guides has been generously provided by the CA Coastal Commission, CA Coastal Conservancy, County of San Diego, The Escondido Charitable Foundation, Qualcomm, SDG&E, and Union Bank.

© 2017 by San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy. All rights reserved. First edition 2011. These materials may be reproduced, copied, and distributed in their entirety for non-commercial educational purposes, but may not be sold, rented, or otherwise distributed. Neither text nor illustrations may be modified, excerpted or republished into other material without the prior express written consent of the copyright holder. The existing trademark and copyright notices may not be removed or obscured.

The San Elijo Lagoon conservation education program provides unique outdoor experiences that are aligned with Next Generation Science Standards. The goal of the program is for students to connect to nature, become watershed literate, recognize nature’s relevancy, and become confident to take action on behalf of the environment. www.sanelijo.org/ForTeachers

To contact San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy, email: [email protected]

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