LAKE WORTH LAGOON: SAVING NATURE’S NURSERY Educator’s Guide Author Chris Lockhart Editor Chris Lockhart Curriculum Patricia Dye - Elementary School Shelby Mann - Middle School Elizabeth Cozzi - High School Chris Lockhart – High School Illustrations Creativision Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Production of “Lake Worth Lagoon: Saving Nature’s Nursery” and Educator’s Guide was funded by a grant from South Florida Water Management District and supported by or in cooperation with the following organizations: (listed alphabetically) Florida Advisory Council on Environmental Education Florida Department of Environmental Protection Florida Marine Patrol Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Historical Society of Palm Beach County John D. MacArthur Beach State Park Lake Worth Historical Museum Palm Beach County Channel 20 Palm Beach County Reef Research Team Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management Palm Beach County School District South Florida Science Museum Sunfest of Palm Beach County The Palm Beach Post U.S. Geological Survey West Palm Beach Fishing Club Our thanks also to the following Palm Beach County schools that participated in the video: Hagen Road Elementary School, Forest Hill High School Environmental Academy, and Jupiter High School Environmental Academy Printing Courtesy of South Florida Water Management District For DVD copies of “Lake Worth Lagoon: Saving Nature’s Nursery,” contact: South Florida Water Management District, 1-800-432-2045 Or view at www.HabitatSpecialists.com This Educator’s Guide may be copied for use in classrooms for educational purposes. Any other uses, display, or reproduction requires permission from Habitat Specialists, Inc., P.O. Box 243116, Boynton Beach, FL 33424-3116. Email: [email protected] Original publication date December 1998. Revised November 2010. Web links have been added where more detailed information is available. 1998, 2010 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS How to use the Educator’s Guide . 4 Sunshine State Standards . 5 Objectives . 6 Timeline . 7 Background Information, Part I . 9 Background Information, Part II . 11 Background Information, Part III . 13 Elementary School Curriculum . 15 Middle School Curriculum . 33 High School Curriculum . 48 Appendix A. Vocabulary . 60 Appendix B. Script Summaries . 62 Appendix C. Other Research Topics . 68 Appendix D. Reference List . 69 Appendix E. Evaluation form . 70 3 HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE This Educator’s Guide is designed for use with the video “Lake Worth Lagoon: Saving Nature’s Nursery.” The goal is to provide educators with an informative, user- friendly guide and an entertaining video for students in grades 4 through 12, teaching them about the history, biology, and environmental issues associated with the Lake Worth Lagoon in Palm Beach County, Florida. The video is segmented to reflect the three themes and to allow for classroom discussion and activities. The video segments are available through the Palm Beach County School District Learning Village and online at: www.HabitatSpecialists.com . Part I (history) is 6:45 minutes in length, Part II (biology) is 13:35 minutes, and Part III (issues) is 8:30 minutes. Approximately one week of materials is included in this guide. A list of possible research topics for further study is given in Appendix C. The curriculum materials are geared toward grades 4, 7, and 10, but may be adapted to other grade levels and curricula. The Background Information summaries provide teachers with supplemental information on the topics in this video, and may supplement the high school curriculum. The timeline compliments Part I and presents a sequence of historic events relevant to Florida and Palm Beach County. A glossary of vocabulary words is given in Appendix A to complement the curricula. The script summaries in Appendix B aid students who are absent on video days. A reference list is provided in Appendix D. Additional JPEG graphics will be posted on the www.habitatspecialists.com web site as a separate file. Where the text from the 1998 video differs from current information, you may see “2010 Notes” at the bottom of that section or activity. The Palm Beach Post had granted permission to copy the September 22, 1996 article, “Lake Worth Lagoon: A Century of Abuse” for classroom use, however it is no longer readily available. In lieu of that article, more current resources are referenced. Graphics of the maps found in the video, the food web circle, and the seagrass populations are available in JPEG format for easy PowerPoint use or handouts. They will be made available online separate from this document. These materials can be used to supplement the Palm Beach Post’s Newpapers in Education “Lake Worth Lagoon, Discover a Local Treasure” to be released in November 2010. In partnership with Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management, look for additional resource materials at www.lwli.org. Finally, an evaluation form is enclosed. Your constructive comments and input would be greatly appreciated. We hope that you enjoy the program, and that these materials are useful in providing some local ecological and historical information to your students. 4 CORRELATION OF “LAKE WORTH LAGOON: SAVING NATURE’S NURSERY” WITH THE FLORIDA SUNSHINE STATE STANDARDS I. PRE K-5 SCIENCE CURRICULUM GUIDELINES STRAND G: How Living Things Interact With Their Environment STANDARDS AND BENCHMARKS: 1. The student understands the competitive, interdependent, cyclic nature of living things in the environment. (SC.G.1.2.1 through SC.G.1.2.7) 2. The student understands the consequences of using limited natural resources. (SC.G.2.2.1, SC.G.2.2.2., SC.G.2.2.3) II. GRADE 7 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES: STRAND : How Living Things Interact With Their Environment STANDARDS AND BENCHMARKS: D.2 The student understands the need for protection of the natural systems of Earth. (SC.D.1.3.3, SC.D.2.3.1) G.1 The student understands the competitive, interdependent cyclic nature of living things in the environment. (SC.G.1.3.4, SC.G.1.3.5) G.2 The student understands the consequences of using limited natural resources. ( SC.G.2.3.2 ) III. GRADE 10 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES: The purpose of the curriculum unit is to provide an overview of the estuarine environment and man’s impact upon the survival of such an environment. The unit can be used to 10th grade science, environmental science, or marine science classes. STRAND: How Living Things Interact With Their Environment STANDARDS AND BENCHMARKS: 1. The student understands the competitive, interdependent, cyclic nature of living things in the environment. (SC.G.1.4.2) 2. The student understands the consequences of using limited natural resources. (SC.G.2.4.2) 3. The student applies the knowledge of the nature of science and the scientific habits of mind to solve problems, and employ safe and effective use of laboratory technologies. (SC.H.1.4.1, SC.H.1.4.2, SC.H.1.4.3) 4. The student describes the unique characteristics of the marine environment. (SC.D.1.4.1, SC.D.1.4.2) 5. The student demonstrates a knowledge of marine communities, food webs and food chains. (SC.B.1.4.1, SC.B.1.4.2) 6. The student describes the interrelationships between man and the ocean environment. (SC.B. 2.4.4) 7. The student describes how science interacts with technology and society. (SC.B.2.4.4., SC.C. 2.4.6) 5 OBJECTIVES By viewing this video and participating in the activities and discussions in the Educator’s Guide, the student should gain an understanding of the geography and history surrounding Lake Worth Lagoon, an appreciation of the ecosystems that relate to estuaries in southern Florida, the relevance of science in real world problems, and the issues related to human impacts on natural systems. Specific concepts that students will understand include: Identification of estuaries, barrier islands, and lagoons and how they formed Natural islands of Lake Worth Lagoon Historical aspects of Lake Worth Lagoon, including early Indians and settlers, the Barefoot Mailman, and the Intracoastal Waterway Impacts of a growing human population on wildlife habitat and species richness Ecosystems within Lake Worth Lagoon Food webs and food chains Producers, consumers and decomposers of an ecosystem Types of mangroves in the lagoon and their function Types of seagrasses in the lagoon and their function Estuaries as ‘cradles of the ocean’ Energy flow in the estuary Use of the lagoon by endangered and threatened plants and animals How adaptations of organisms contribute to their survival Differences between freshwater and saltwater environments Current and past sources of pollution in Lake Worth Lagoon Human impacts on water quality Impacts of water quality on seagrass populations Harmful effects and sources of air, water and land pollution Water quality measurements Turbidity - use of a Secchi disk and how to measure suspended solids Preservation and restoration efforts by local agencies Actions that individuals can take to reduce pollution and protect the lagoon 6 TIMELINE Editor’s Note: In partnership with Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management, Lake Worth Lagoon Initiative, an updated timeline is available with other teacher resources at www.lwli.org. 120,000 B.C. Mastodons roamed the area now known as Palm Beach County. 12,000 B.C. The first humans colonize North America and enter Florida. The climate is dry, cool. 9,000 B.C. The Ice Age retreats. Florida’s land mass shrinks as the climate warms and seas rise. 5,000 B.C. The climate stabilizes. Rainfall increases, forming permanent rivers, lakes, and wetlands. Paleo-Indian camps establish along rivers and coasts. 3,000 B.C. Sea levels and coastlines are similar to those of today. Large villages are established. 2,000 B.C. The oldest record of pottery made in Florida. 500 A.D. Agriculture is first practiced in Florida, producing corn, beans, tobacco, and gourds.