Scenario
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 |
Marylanders love crabs, but if we don't take care of
the Chesapeake Bay, we won't have any left!
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Crab harvests reached a record low of 52 million pounds in 2001 down
from 113 million pounds caught in 1993. In 2002, the state of
Maryland enacted a 15 percent harvest reduction requirement for watermen
to help slow the decline of the crab population. This has
helped to stabilize the number of crabs in the bay, but their population
is still lower than normal.
|
| Since you have just
finished studying about the interdependence of organisms in the
environment, the governor has asked YOU for
suggestions to improve the quality of life for the blue crabs in the
Chesapeake Bay. |
 |
Essential Questions:
What factors are important to the survival of the blue crab in the
Chesapeake Bay?
What can we do to help improve the Chesapeake Bay environment to
better suit the survival needs of the blue crab?
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|
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Task and Product
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First, partners will work together to research information about:
| the characteristics of
the blue crab's life |
| the environmental needs
of this organism |
| past protection programs
for the blue crab |
Then, you independently write:
|
a letter to the governor of Maryland with specific suggestions to
improve the quality of life for blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay
|
Finally, you will work
together again to create one of the following visual products:
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a Power Point presentation of your ideas for the governor to show the
legislators in Maryland
|
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an informational brochure with your ideas to be distributed at
community information booths during town or community fairs
|
|
Assessments
|
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Questions
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Essential Question:
What factors are important to the survival of the blue crab in the
Chesapeake Bay?
What can we do to help improve the Chesapeake Bay environment to better
suit the survival needs of the blue crab?
|
|
Subsidiary questions to think about:
Characteristics of the blue
crab's life cycle:
| What are some
characteristics of the blue crab? |
| How long do blue crabs
live? |
| How soon are they mature
enough to reproduce? |
| At what time of year do
crabs mate and spawn? How often? |
| How many crabs are
spawned at a time? |
Environmental needs of the
blue crab:
| What kind of water
environment do blue crabs prefer? |
| What oxygen and salinity
levels are best for crabs? |
| What living organisms do
blue crabs eat? |
| What other animals,
besides humans, eat blue crabs? |
| How does the current
status of the Chesapeake Bay suit the needs of the blue crab? |
Protection programs:
| How has the blue crab
population changed in the last ten years? |
| What legislation has been
passed already to protect the blue crabs? |
| What protection programs have been
tried in the past? |
| What are some other ideas
to protect the blue crab? |
| How can scientists
continue to monitor the blue crab population? |
|
Gather and Sort
|
Sort your research
findings using a
graphic
organizer. Be sure to avoid
plagiarism and
keep track of your resources for a
bibliography.
|
|
Organize
|
|
Analyze your findings.
| How is the blue crab's
life cycle related to its needs? |
| How well does the current
status of the Chesapeake Bay suit the needs of the blue crabs? |
| Which elements of the
Chesapeake Bay environment are harmful to the blue crab's survival? |
| Which past protection
programs were successful or not and why? |
Synthesize your findings.
| Which elements of the
Chesapeake Bay environment could be improved for the blue crab and how? |
| What are some new
protection program ideas that could be tried to improve the Chesapeake Bay
environment for the blue crab? |
Evaluate the effectiveness of your research for the task.
| Have you gathered sufficient details
about the blue crab, its needs, and its environment to
evaluate the effectiveness of crab protection programs?
|
| Are your new protection
program ideas based on your research information? |
|
Conclusion
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Reflection and/or Extension Activities:
| What did you learn about
the relationship between a living organism and its environment from this
activity? |
| How do humans impact the
environment and the survival of its organisms both negatively and
positively? |
| As a result of your
research, what will you do differently to help the Chesapeake Bay
become a healthier environment for the blue crab? |
|
Last update: July, 2004
Created by Lynne Shue
BCPS Research Module, Copyright
2004, Baltimore County Public Schools, MD,
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