Overview
Students will discuss the habitat requirements of white-tailed deer, a native Ohio species with high population densities in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. As a class or in groups, they will visit a nearby habitat and do a scientific investigation of the area to determine if it could be a deer habitat.
Standards Addressed
Grade 7, Science — Life Science, Diversity and Interdependence of Life
06-08 Benchmark
C. Explain how energy entering the ecosystems as sunlight supports the life of organisms through photosynthesis and the transfer of energy through the interactions of organisms and the environment.
Y2003.CSC.S02.G06-08.BC.L07.I03 / Diversity and Interdependence of Life
03. Explain how the number of organisms an ecosystem can support depends on adequate biotic (living) resources (e.g., plants, animals) and abiotic (non-living) resources (e.g., light, water and soil).
06-08 Benchmark
D. Explain how extinction of a species occurs when the environment changes and its adaptive characteristics are insufficient to allow survival (as seen in evidence of the fossil record).
Y2003.CSC.S02.G06-08.BD.L07.I04 / Diversity and Interdependence of Life
04. Investigate how overpopulation impacts an ecosystem.
Grade 8, Science — Scientific Inquiry
06-08 Benchmark
B. Analyze and interpret data from scientific investigations using appropriate mathematical skills in order to draw valid conclusions.
Y2003.CSC.S05.G06-08.BB.L08.I03 / Doing Scientific Inquiry
03. Read, construct and interpret data in various forms produced by self and others in both written and oral form (e.g., tables, charts, maps, graphs, diagrams and symbols).
Procedure
Deer pictures are available at www.generationscvnp.org/photos.aspx.
- Begin the class by discussing white-tailed deer facts.
- Use a KWL chart. Ask the students to include physical facts, statistics regarding population, etc., about the animals.
- Students can either read the White-tailed Deer student handout first and then have a discussion or conversely, have the discussion listed below and check their facts with the student handout.
- Discuss and/or brainstorm the habitat requirements for white-tailed deer, such as forest, meadows, fields and city parks.
- Discuss requirements for food. In the summer, they include a variety of leaves, herbs, grasses, corn, acorns, nuts, apples and berries. Food items in the winter might include buds, twigs from trees and shrubs and farm crops such as soy and alfalfa.
- Review the species’ needs for shelter, including tall shrubs, grasses, brushy edges of fields and forests, conifer thickets and even swamps.
- Do the same for water sources.
- Discuss signs of deer habitation, including tracks, droppings, rubs, scrapes, feeding activity and bedded areas. The amount and depth of research can vary dependent upon your time allocation.
- Hand out copies of the White-tailed Deer Habitat Evaluation Worksheet. Ask the students to rate their own community for deer habitation using this sheet. They can do this either individually or as a group. If possible, students might visit Cuyahoga Valley National Park and use the rating tool for this habitat.
- Continue discussion about problems associated with the present overpopulation of white-tailed deer within Ohio, the Cuyahoga Valley and their own community.
- Review the fact sheet about white-tailed deer and discuss possible differences in deer management philosophies between the mayor of a community, for example, and the head of a national park. How do these differences affect the deer? You can also use the Deer Management student handout to continue the discussion.
Evaluation
This activity is meant to foster discussion. You may use the rubric below to evaluate the lesson.
| CATEGORY |
10-8 |
7-6 |
5-3 |
2-0 |
| Level of Engagement in Class |
Student proactively contributes to class by offering ideas and asking questions more than once per class. |
Student proactively contributes to class by offering ideas and asking questions once per class. |
Student rarely contributes to class by offering ideas or asking questions. |
Student never contributes to class by offering ideas or asking questions. |
| Listening Skills |
Student listens when others talk, both in groups and in class. Student incorporates or builds off the ideas of others. |
Student listens when others talk, both in groups and in class. |
Student does not listen when others talk, both in groups and in class. |
Student does not listen when others talk both in groups and in class. Student often interrupts when others speak. |
| Preparation |
Student is almost always prepared for class with assignments and required class materials. |
Student is usually prepared for class with assignments and required class materials. |
Student is rarely prepared for class with assignments and required class materials. |
Student does not engage in activity and/or supplies obvious incorrect answers with no thought process. |
| Class Task (Evaluation Worksheet) |
Student strives to achieve successful completion of all tasks. |
Student completes most of the questions and/or tasks with successful thought. |
Student does not engage in thoughtful answers. |
Student does not engage in activity and/or supplies obvious incorrect answers with no thought process. |
Paragraph Evaluation Rubric
| CATEGORY |
4: Above Standards |
3: Meets Standards |
2: Approaches Standards |
1: Below Standards |
| Evidence and Examples |
All of the evidence and examples are specific and relevant, and explanations are given that show how each site to visit supports the author’s position. |
Most of the evidence and examples are specific and relevant, and explanations are given that show how each site to visit supports the author’s position. |
At least one of the pieces of evidence and examples is relevant and has an explanation that shows how the site to visit supports the author’s position. |
Evidence and examples are not relevant and/or are not explained. |
| Grammar and Spelling |
Author makes no errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content. |
Author makes one or two errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content. |
Author makes three or four errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content. |
Author makes more than four errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content. |
| Capitalization and Punctuation |
Author makes no errors in capitalization or punctuation, so the essay is exceptionally easy to read. |
Author makes one or two errors in capitalization or punctuation, but the essay is still easy to read. |
Author makes a few errors in capitalization and/or punctuation that catch the reader’s attention and interrupt the flow. |
Author makes several errors in capitalization and/or punctuation that catch the reader’s attention and interrupt the flow. |