Summary
In this final lesson of the series, students will explore the impacts of temperature change on bird migration and phenology. Through scaffolded analysis of graphical data and the use of an interactive digital model, students will develop an understanding of (1) how temperature influences bird migration over time, and (2) how long-term temperature changes can cause a mismatch in timing between resource availability and bird resource needs. From these activities they will draw conclusions about the biological significance of the data sets.
Essential Question(s)
How does long-term temperature change affect bird migration? In what ways does a phenology mismatch affect bird carrying capacity?
Snapshot
Engage
Students examine models of temperature change over time to draw conclusions.
Explore
Students compare the effect of temperature on insect and bird migration timing.
Explain
Students take notes about climate and make predictions about the consequences of changes in migration timing.
Extend
Students explore a model of phenological mismatch and discuss the nature of scientific data.
Evaluate
Students complete an exit ticket to explain how bird populations are affected by phenology mismatches.
Materials
Lesson slides
Paper (any variety, 1 per student for exit tickets)
Poster paper (optional)
Markers (optional)
How I Know It handout (attached, 1 per student)
Claim, Evidence, Reasoning handout (attached, 1 per student)
Engage
Show slides 2-4 to introduce the title, objectives, and essential questions.
To begin the lesson direct students to the “Temperature” page of the Shiny app and display slide 5. You can use this slide to orient students to the features of the Temperature model. This page shows a map of the United States with points representing data collection points, and a grid to break the map into regions. Beneath the map is a temperature plot that shows data for a selected region and time period.
Give students time to explore the temperature change over time in various parts of the country. Under “Select Regions,” students can select the “Click map to choose” option to look at data specifically for their state. As with previous activities, they should be looking for patterns and trends in the data. Though this is an informal exploration, consider having students note down their observations for discussion.
After a few minutes of exploration, display slide 6 as a reference, and have students select “Show temperature anomalies” from the “Choose Temperature Plot” drop down menu. Explain the difference between temperature and temperature anomaly. They need to understand the concept of anomaly in order to interpret the model for this activity.
Have students share their observations and discuss the patterns and trends they identified as a group. Be sure to have them compare how trends in observed temperature data differ from the trends in anomaly data.
Explore
After the discussion, return to the Shiny app. This time the students will investigate the temperature variable for both the leaf hopper and the aerial insectivore data sets.
Go to slide 7 to show student how to match up parameters on the Aerial Insectivore and Leafhopper Migration tabs for comparison. Before exploring the models, distribute a copy of the How I Know It handout. Go to slide 8 and present them with the following question: In what ways, if any, are leafhoppers and migratory birds responding to temperature? Give students a few minutes to discuss the question with their neighbors, having each pair or small group generate and write down one hypothesis for leafhoppers and one for migratory birds on their handout. You can choose to have groups share their hypotheses with the class or hold onto them for later discussion.
Go to slide 9 to review how students should use the How I Know It strategy to collect evidence which supports or refutes their hypotheses as they explore the two models. The inferences and conclusions students are drawing from the data comprise “What I know”, and “How I know it” includes the specific evidence from the models that support those conclusions.
After students have had time to collect their data, come together as a class to discuss their results. Begin by asking how well they predicted the effects of temperature on the relationship between insects and migratory birds. To help facilitate a meaningful discussion of their findings, go to slide 10 to present students with the provided guiding questions.
Go to slide 11 to revisit the Driving Question Board. Have students record and share any new questions, and take a moment to answer any existing questions for which students have adequate information.
Explain
Continue to slide 12. Review the definition of climate with students. Two examples of climate zones are included for reference. Go to slide 13 to show students a global climate classification map. The specific abbreviations don’t matter. The point is for students to see the diverse climates found around the world.
Go to slide 14 to clarify for students the difference between variability and change. The latter is relevant to the ongoing discussion about insect and bird migration. Continue to slide 15 to provide examples of ways that organisms can be impacted by long-term temperature changes. Slides 16-18 show range maps for the Scarlet Tanager: their current range, a projected range given a 1.5°C long-term increase in temperature, and a projected range given a 3°C long-term increase in temperature. Red represents places the birds would no longer live in (loss of range), while blue represents new places the birds would begin to live (range gained/range expansion).
Ask students to answer the two questions on slide 19 to wrap up this section.
Extend
In Lesson 1, students learned about phenology as a concept, and now they will investigate what happens when the phenology of organisms become out of sync. Direct students to the “Phenology Mismatch” page of the Shiny app. Go to slide 20 to orient them to how to interpret the graphs the model generates. Explain specifically that the temperature change bar can help us model the rate of temperature change (i.e., one degree increase every 10 years will lead to a warmer temperature after 80 years than a 0.5 degree change would). For additional model details, see the Phenology Guide handout.
Provide students with the Claim, Evidence, Reasoning handout and go to slide 21. Task students with answering the following questions:
How does the rate of temperature change affect the results of the model?
How does life history (i.e., caterpillar and bird sensitivity to temperature) affect the results of the model?
They should spend a few minutes exploring the model to come up with a claim that answers each question. Then, for their evidence they should describe the specific data which led them to make their claims. Finally, their reasoning should explain how the data support their claim, based on the concepts they’ve learned so far. Before continuing, have a few volunteers share out their CER answers.
Go to slide 22 and review the information with students to formalize their understanding of what a phenology mismatch is. Next, slides 23-24 show how we might visualize a mismatch. The graph on slide 23 is structured similarly to the Shiny graphs. The image on slide 24 shows how phenology would become mismatched if spring begins earlier in the year. The birds at the bottom of the figure show the spring migration, breeding season, and fall migration parts of the annual cycle for reference.
Now, go to slides 25-26 and revisit the Driving Question Board and list of Big Ideas one last time to answer any remaining questions and summarize their learning.
Evaluate
Before ending the lesson, have students complete an Exit Ticket to formatively assess their understanding of the content thus far. They should answering the following questions: In what ways does a phenology mismatch affect bird carrying capacity? and What Shiny model do you have the most confidence in, and why? They can use the evidence they collected during their previous exploration(s), to support their answer.
Resources
Bridge, E. (n.d.). Birds, Bugs, and Phenology. Shiny App. https://aeroecology.shinyapps.io/Birds_Bugs_and_Phenology/
K20 Center. (n.d.). Bell ringers and exit tickets. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/125
K20 Center. (n.d.). Claim, evidence, reasoning (CER). Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/156
K20 Center. (n.d.). How I know it. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/144
K20 Center. (n.d.). Research Posters. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/49