Overview
Lesson 1: Introduction to Relationships between Humans and the Environment
Lesson 2: Forest Succession (Primary)
Lesson 3: Native Americans and Berries
Lesson 4: Native Americans and Science
Lesson 5: Dangers to Wild Berries; Responsibility of Peopl
Standards
SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY
SC.05.SI.01—Make observations. Ask questions or form hypotheses based on those observations, which can be explored through scientific investigations.
SC.05.SI.02—Design a simple scientific investigation to answer questions or test hypotheses.
SC.05.SI.03—Collect, organize, and summarize data from investigations.
SC.05.SI.04—Summarize, analyze, and interpret data from investigations.
CD Segments to Play
Background
Scientists follow certain procedures called the scientific method. This is what they do:
Make observations.
Ask questions and make a guess about the answer; this guess is called a hypothesis.
Create experiments to see if their answers are correct.
Look at what happened in their experiment and figure out how to make things better; this is called analysis.
Tell other scientists what they found out and make recommendations on new experiments.
Suggested Strategies
In preparation for this lesson print out the following:
Huckleberry flower HYPERLINK “http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/Faculty/Carr/images/vac_sp_4373.jpg” http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/Faculty/Carr/images/vac_sp_4373.jpg
Photo taken Vaccinium ovalifolium, tall blue huckleberry, vic Mt. Hood, OR, 2002.
Huckleberry color sheet at Huckleberries, HYPERLINK “http://www.nps.gov/plants/color/northwest/imgs/Vame1f.gif”http://www.nps.gov/plants/color/northwest/imgs/Vame1f.gif
Blackberry flower at HYPERLINK “http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/images/veg/Oak_Forest_2/Blackberry-flower_close_up_GK.php?highres=true” http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/images/veg/Oak_Forest_2/Blackberry-flower_close_up_GK.php?highres=true
Blackberries, HYPERLINK “http://www.abcteach.com/Activities/blackberries.htm”http://www.abcteach.com/Activities/blackberries.htm
Raspberry flower, HYPERLINK “http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/Faculty/Carr/images/rub_sp_fl.jpg” http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/Faculty/Carr/images/rub_sp_fl.jpg
Raspberry color page HYPERLINK “http://www.nps.gov/plants/color/northwest/imgs/Rule1f.gif”http://www.nps.gov/plants/color/northwest/imgs/Rule1f.gif
Flower diagram, HYPERLINK “http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/images/gardening_with_children/flower_diagram.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/gardening_with_children/popups/flower.shtml&h=680&w=559&sz=21&hl=en&sig2=SU6BJp35VSAoa6bqle91Zg&start=1&tbnid=Fp1SrIEA5DgiCM:&tbnh=139&tbnw=114&ei=se_QRaqHFK_UJLGC9dID&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dflower%2Bdiagram%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4TSHB_enUS209US209%26sa%3DX” http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/images/gardening_with_children/flower_diagram.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/gardening_with_children/popups/flower.shtml&h=680&w=559&sz=21&hl=en&sig2=SU6BJp35VSAoa6bqle91Zg&start=1&tbnid=Fp1SrIEA5DgiCM:&tbnh=139&tbnw=114&ei=se_QRaqHFK_UJLGC9dID&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dflower%2Bdiagram%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4TSHB_enUS209US209%26sa%3DX, or you may have one that you normally use; any simple flower diagram will do.
Also purchase a small amount of blackberries, raspberries and huckleberries (blueberries might be easier to find) buy them fresh if seasonally available or frozen will be fine (defrost prior to class).
Activities
1. Research
Flower and Berry Experiment
One of the things that scientists need to know is how shrubs grow and how the fruit develops. Over the years, there are special scientists called botanists who have done research and reported their findings; these findings have been tested and re-tested so now there is a body of knowledge within the botany field that is accepted as true. Botanists have discovered that some plants have similarities and place them in plant families. Within each plant family are the genus name which are plants that have more characteristics in common and the species name which identifies the plant(s) that have even more characteristics in common, some species have varieties which makes them different from other plants in their species. These names are written in Latin; the genus is always capitalized and both the genus and species are italicized. Botanists throughout the world use these same names which are called scientific names. An example of this can be illustrated by a strawberry. The strawberry is in the plant family Rosaceae, the genus is Fragaria, there are two species one is virginiana which is the wild strawberry, the other species is chiloensis which is the coastal strawberry. Botanists are able to go out in the field and identify plants based upon characteristics of the plants and there are books called Floras which list the different characteristics.
Tell the class, today we are going to identify plant families and which berries belong to which plant family; based upon their flower structure, but we are only going to use their common names. Divide the class into small groups. Pass out the pictures of the blackberry, huckleberry and raspberry flowers.
Have each group follow the scientific method:
Have them look at the flowers. (Observation).
Write a hypothesis about which berries come from which flower.
Do research. Imagine they are going out into the forest to look at the berries; hand a small amount of each of the berries in paper plates for each group to look at.
Give them this information:
Pass out the Flower Diagram. Have the students label the pink as 3 petals.
The fruit develops after the ovule has been fertilized.
A fruit develops from the ovary.
There are only two different kinds of fruit types in the plate.
A simple fruit has only one ovary.
An aggregate fruit develops from a flower with many pistils.
A pistil is the area of the flower that is the female part it includes the ovary and stigma.
The Rosacease plant family has 5 separate petals.
The Rosaceae plant family has many stamens.
Plants in the Ericaceae plant family have 4-5 joined petals and often look like a tube.
A raspberry has a hollow area when pulled off of the stem.
Scientists often create experiments to prove or disprove their hypothesis. Scientists also use research to prove or disprove their hypothesis. Based upon the information provided, categorize each berry to its correct plant family and type of fruit; either blackberry, huckleberry or raspberry.
Analyze their data. For instance, count the petals, the stamens, look at the fruit and determine plant family and fruit type.
Report their findings. Have each group present their results to the class and make recommendations on improving plant identification.
Tell the class they have now followed the generally accepted scientific methodology.
2. Discuss
End today’s lesson by talking about Traditional Ecological Knowledge or the Native American scientists from long ago. Long before there were scientists and long before there was a United State of America, the Warm Springs, Wasco and Paiute Tribes had to know when the berries were ready to pick, since they had to travel to get there. They also had to know how to take care of the berries, and learn that small fires helped the environment; the berries and the wildlife. This type of information is called Traditional Ecological Knowledge. Remember that the Tribes had a very defined area of land that generation after generation lived upon and were dependent upon for survival. Much like the Flower and Berry experiment which was based upon today’s scientific knowledge, native people:
Made observations;
Made guesses (hypothesis) based upon these observations;
Through experimentation either proved or disproved the hypothesis;
Changed methods of gathering, harvesting, hunting, fishing, etc. based upon the results of their experiments;
Through their oral traditions reported the findings to the next generation.
Ask: What are the differences between today’s scientists and the way that Native Americans practiced science in what is called today Traditional Ecological Knowledge.
Lesson 5: Dangers to Wild Berries; Responsibility of People
Standards
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
EL.06.RE.05—Demonstrate listening comprehension of more complex text through class and/or small group interpretive discussions across the subject areas.
EL.06.RE.06—Listen to, read, and understand a wide variety of informational and narrative text.
EL.06.RE.26—Draw conclusions about reasons for actions or beliefs based on an analysis of information in the text.
EL.06.WR.02—Discuss ideas for writing with classmates, teachers, and other writers, and develop drafts alone and collaboratively.
CD Segments to Play
Background
Native blackberries are very small and they grow very low to the ground. The blackberries that people think of are large patches of blackberries that grow very high in big bushes. These blackberries are considered an exotic species. When these blackberries start growing, they grow over the native blackberries that grow very close to the ground; the non-native blackberries shade the smaller berries and drink all of the water and nutrients found in the ground. Non-native species are a very big danger to berries and to many other plants.
Suggested Strategies
In preparation for this lesson, you will need some small balls of string; one ball for each pair of students
Activities
1. Play a game
The Food Web Game
Tell the students to imagine these five groups are all that exist: mouse, bear, berry bush, birds, and caterpillar.
The bears eat the berries and mice.
The birds eat the berries and the caterpillars.
The caterpillar eats the leaves on the berry bush.
The mice eat the berries and the caterpillars.
The berry bush converts the sun’s energy into useable energy.
Make sure each group understands what they eat, you can have them write the name of what they are and attach it to their shirt so everyone can identify what they are. Each pair of students needs a small ball of string or yarn. Have the class stand in a circle with each pair of students standing together. Let one of the pair begin, they are looking for something that they can eat. One of the pair walks over and encircles their prey (only have them encircle one of the pair) with the string and return to their partner. Whomever they just encircled, the other of the pair needs to find something to eat, again walking with the string and encircling one of the pair and returning to their partner. This continues, getting trickier because of the multiple strings wrapped around the students. It is important to only have one of the pair wrapped in string and the other free to wrap their food. Very quickly there will be a very interconnected web. Have the students look at the interdependence of the various organisms.
Now, stop the class have the students wrap up their ball of string and begin again. But this time, once a thing is eaten it must sit down. Take all but one berry out of the group. Let the students find their food source. With only one berry, there will be several things left standing.
Generally there are 5 recognized trophic levels: primary producers (plants); herbivores; omnivores; carnivores; top carnivore (has no predator). The sun is the only energy source that exists. The primary producers (the plants) through photosynthesis convert the sun’s energy into a useable form. Each trophic level must eat more and more of its food source to get the necessary energy. The top carnivore (in this scenario, the bear) must eat much more of its food source to equal the amount of energy it requires to survive. Help the students to understand this concept. If there are students left standing (not eaten yet) ask them what is going to happen to them; they of course will starve to death. You can let them play this game a few times, alternating the number of students per group to see if there is ever a good outcome when the plant numbers decline.
Talk to the class about the Native American perspective on all things being related. Remind them of their belief that they must care for all living things and that all living things care for each other as well.
2. Listen
Re-listen to Sacred Landscape segment, Wisdom of the Elders Radio: Series 3, Program 6, Warm Springs.
3. Discuss
Ask: Does anyone know what Judy BlueHorse-Skelton was talking about when she mentioned the three sisters, corn, beans and squash?
To the native people back east, these 3 plants were planted together. In addition to the nutrients provided to the people, the 3 sisters helped each other to grow. Seeds were planted together in the same mounds and they worked together to help each other grow: the corn provided a stalk for the beans to grow around, the beans provided nutrients to the soil and the squash provided a natural insecticide. Unlike these 3 sisters, the raspberries, blackberries and huckleberries are not planted in a garden and they don’t grow together in the same way; however, to the people of the Pacific Northwest they are very much as important.
4. Share
Have everyone bring out their homework assignment.
Ask: What are some of the dangers to the berries?
Give each student a chance to share their homework with the class.
5. Discuss
Tie the students’ answers to these known threats, or pose questions to them to make them aware of these threats:
Clear cutting (logging an area of all of the trees). While a clearcut does take an area backwards to secondary succession and allows shrubs, like the berries, the ability to come back, non-native (exotic) species are easily able to overpopulate an area. Clearcutting also makes an area of land weak, things like rain and wind cause the soil to leave; this is called erosion. Clear cutting removes all of the different kinds of plants from an area by destroying the native environment.
Plants that don’t normally grow in an area are called exotic species or invasive species. These kinds of plants take over an area of land and don’t allow things like berries to grow. Blackberries are a good example of an exotic species if they live in your area.
Ask: Has anyone been blackberry picking? Where do you go?
People who go out and pick berries for big factories are called commercial harvesters. These people are paid by the pound for the berries, so the faster they can pick the berries, the more money they make. These people aren’t worried about leaving berries for the birds and other wildlife and they don’t worry about if the plant is able to grow again next year with more berries. All they are concerned about is getting as many berries as they can so they can make money to feed their families. The companies that buy the berries are only worried about having enough berries to sell to stores.
There are things called mechanical pickers. These are machines that go out and destroy the berry bushes. This is also part of the commercial harvesting. In some areas, there are laws that prevent the use of mechanical pickers because they know that mechanical pickers harm the berry bushes.
People often hike in areas where berry bushes grow; some people trample the bushes so they can’t grow next year.
Garbage and other pollution destroy the places where native berries grow.
Ask: Why is it important to save the native blackberries, raspberries and huckleberries? Write their answers on the board.
Ask: Is it important to save these berries for Native Americans? Write their answers on the board.
Depending upon their answers, Ask: Is it important for you to have Christmas? What if all the things that your family needs to celebrate Christmas were gone?
Remind the students about the special Huckleberry Feasts. Remind the students of the food web and the dependence that all things have on each other.
Ask: Whose job is it to make sure that blackberries, raspberries and huckleberries are able to grow. Whose job is it to make sure that in 100 years the berries are still here?
By the completion of this series, the students should be able to discuss the importance of berries to people; to the food web and the environment, as well as the cultural importance that these berries have to the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs.
EXTENDING THE LESSON/REFERENCES
Books
Cameron, Anne. Raven Goes Berrypicking. ISBN-10: 1550170368; ISBN-13: 9781550170368.
Carlisi, Alison. The Forest and the Fire. ISBN-10: 094123231X; ISBN-13: 978-0941232319
Huffmon, Betty and Teri Sloat (Illustrator). Berry Magic. ISBN-10: 0882405756; ISBN-13: 978-0882405759
