Gretchen Brinza
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What Affected the Trout Population?  Explaining the Mystery...

6/13/2017

 
With all the presentations complete, ALL groups claimed that both abiotic and biotic factors affected the trout population from the 1930s-2000s.  Students used quantitative and qualitative evidence to back up their claims.  Check out each of the group's presentations!  Way to go 6th grade!  I will certainly miss you next year!

Group #1

This group did a "talk show!"

Group #2

This group did a presentation...
Along with a song that was rewritten to the tune of Justin Beiber's "Baby!"

Group #3

This group did a presentation and sang some songs, too.  We don't have the songs digitally, though.

Group #5

This group rewrote the lyrics to Maroon 5's "Sugar" and the .pdf below was set to move at each beat in the song!

Group #7

And this group did a musical script! (many songs in one)!

Group #4

We had students become a "Magic School Bus" rendition here, making a play with Ms. Frizzle!

Group #6

And here we have a presentation along with some slides that show all the evidence (with the help of Google Drawings making it more clear)!
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Group #8

This group used Google Drawings and Google Slides to explain the trout mystery!

Group #9

And last but not least, we've got a movie!

Trout Word Clouds!

6/13/2017

 
And while the presentations roll in, we did another technology challenge to summarize our learning!  We made some word clouds that accentuate key scientific vocabulary from our life science unit!

Life Science Memes

6/13/2017

 
As we wait for our presentations to be finished regarding what affected the trout population, sixth graders were challenged to make a meme on one of the following themes as they relate to our Life Science Unit.  Students were to make a meme on one of the following:

​Table 1: Predator/prey relationship
Table 2: Competition
Table 3: Stable populations
Table 4: Food Webs
Table 5: Structure/function 
Table 6: Abiotic factors
Table 7: Bioaccumulation

Bioacumulation and Dioxin...YIKES!

6/7/2017

 
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Something's a little fishy here...

We are pretty much in agreement that the sea lamprey's invasion into the Great Lakes explains the decline in the trout population starting in 1945, but what we aren't so sure about what the rapid decline of the sea lamprey in 1960.  What's causing this decline?  Is it a biotic factor like food supply?  Or can it be abiotic, like pollution?

We learned a bit about a chemical called dioxin and its effects on a food we through bioaccumulation.  Here is some data Mrs. Brinza got her hands on...
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We started to put two and two together that the dioxin had an impact fairly deep.  Our understanding of bioaccumulation would also help explain why the sea lamprey, who as an invasive without any predators, would end up with the most dioxin in its body, and therefore, see the greatest dip in its population.

​As this student's meme points out...
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All this makes us wonder though...what happened to keep the sea lamprey population so low and the trout population rebound in the 1980s?  Was this when lampricide was introduced and a limit to the production of dioxin as a waste product? 

​Check out this website which gives great information on the usage of lampricides!

Claiming What the Invader Eats!

6/1/2017

 
Using the computer model to simulate an invasive and the effects that its arrival has on a stable ecosystem, students determined what an invader ate.  They used the graphs and the data to see how populations of organisms fluctuated over time and how competition between organisms affected population size, too!

Students then took to Google Drawing to make their evidence that much clearer to the reader.  Check out the three examples of the evidence they collected above.  Way to go sixth grade!

Using Computer Models to Help Explain Questions that Arise from the Data

5/23/2017

 
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Everyone in the sixth grade claimed that the invasive sea lamprey had an impact on the trout's population.  Its advantageous structures (mouth, teeth, gills, swimming ability and total number of eggs) prove it to be a predator, but some of the data we found doesn't match up with that claim.

By 1980, the trout population was on the rise, and we would expect that the invasive sea lamprey's population would follow en suite.  But it didn't...and we see a steady decline to where it almost disappears by the time 2000 rolls around.  What other factors can be causing the trout's population to rebound while the lamprey's population to decline?

We did some research to learn of human impact to reduce the sea lamprey's success, like with the development of some barriers and chemicals to aid in a reduced population.  But is is possible that another organism can be competing with the lamprey for either its food, or maybe another resource it needs, like water or space?

Our best bets at figuring this out are to use a computer model that shows population changes between three organisms.  As these organisms compete for food and space, what happens?  We'll be using a computer based model to help explain this!
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Claiming the Sea Lamprey's Impact on the Trout

5/21/2017

 
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After a careful examination of the trout and lamprey's structures that could give them an advantage or disadvantage, sixth graders are using all the evidence they've gained to support a claim to the question:  Could the Sea Lamprey have a major impact on the trout population?  

They also spent time building physical models this week...it really gave insight into how each of the organisms' structures aided in its success or failure!  

We're still wondering if we have the whole picture to this trout mystery though, as there are points in the graph that don't match up with the whole predator/prey claim.  Hmmmmmmmm....

The best way to learn about the trout and sea lamprey is to...

5/10/2017

 
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DISSECT THEM!

We'll be figuring out how various structures on both the trout and the sea lamprey could have aided in each of their successes or declines in their populations. Since the supply company didn't have trout or sea lamprey, we'll be using two similar organisms (perch and hagfish).  It's an exciting time in science for sure!

The Invader

5/10/2017

 
With the help of some fisherman's journal and some data collected on an invasive species, students are wondering if the trout's fluctuating population size may be more than an issue with it's natural predators or prey.  

INVADER ALERT!  THE SEA LAMPREY!
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Connecting Food Options!

5/4/2017

 
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So while sixth graders were uncovering what makes something food, they were also wondering just what the trout eats!

If they could figure out what the trout consumes, and at the same time figure out their predators, they could possibly determine what is causing a fluctuating trout population.

The big finding:  there are so many connections in the Great Lakes Food Web that the trout population can quite possibly be affected by one of MANY organisms.  By identifying both direct and indirect connections, students are gaining insight into this complex situation!
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    Lake Michigan

    I love that this unit hits so close to home with the Great Lakes!

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