AN INTEGRATIVE SECONDARY LIFE SCIENCE CURRICULUM USING SELECT ECOLOGICAL TOPICS PERTAINING TO FOREST ECOSYSTEMS OF NORTH COAST CALIFORNIA by Melinda Bailey A Project Presented to The Faculty of Humboldt State University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Degree Master of Science in Biology Committee Membership Dr. Jeffrey White, Chair Dr. Sean Craig, Committee Member Dr. Erik Jules, Committee Member Dr. Susan Edinger Marshall, Committee Member Dr. Michael Mesler, Graduate Coordinator December 2014 ABSTRACT AN INTEGRATIVE SECONDARY LIFE SCIENCE CURRICULUM USING SELECT ECOLOGICAL TOPICS PERTAINING TO FOREST ECOSYSTEMS OF NORTH COAST CALIFORNIA Melinda Bailey Place-based education is an instructional approach that engages students with their local environment, which can enrich the educational experience and improve scientific literacy. This project is a place-based secondary-level life science curriculum incorporating important ecological concepts using select forest types of the North Coast of California, USA. The North Coast has a rich natural history and many schools are situated near forests. This curriculum is multidimensional and includes structured units for middle school and high school students presented in three thematic modules: general forest ecology, coast redwoods, and oak woodlands. Units are preceded by a companion piece for each module that embeds some of the latest scientific research intended to broaden a teachers’ previous knowledge. Information is approached from different spatial and temporal scales and designed for flexibility in order to fit the needs of local educators. Information was routinely sourced from primary scientific literature and professional reports, which often can be difficult to obtain and comprehend by the non-specialist. Components include figures and select data, which are integrated into student lessons that offer a unique conduit between scientists, science teachers, and science students. Evidence reveals students learn best when actively engaged and presented with relevant information. By developing a challenging ii place-based curriculum aligned to new standards that incorporate scientific skills and interdisciplinary connections, both formal and informal science educators will have a useful, informative resource pertaining to local forest types that can enrich the learning experience of their students while connecting them to the place in which they live. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to give special thanks to my husband, Mark Bailey; a lover of science and information, who offered continued support for my project including a keen eye, valuable feedback, and computer generated graphics. A special thank you to Marie Antoine, who edited all of my rough draft manuscripts and to Dr. Stephen Sillett who, as a friend and a scientist, reminded me of the rigor it takes to produce a non-biased, well-researched paper. I extend further thanks to Dr. Sillett for letting me use field data collected in Prairie Creek State Park. I would like to extend a special thank you to my advisor, Dr. Jeffrey White, for his ongoing support since the initial stages of this project. He gave me valuable feedback throughout the process and kept me on the right track. I would also like to extend my appreciation to my committee: Dr. Sean Craig, Dr. Susan Edinger Marshall, and Dr. Erik Jules, for their willingness to support me in this endeavor and for their time and effort. Furthermore, I’d like to acknowledge the Redwood Science Project for providing funds to pay for an editor at the final stages of my project. In addition, I would like to thank all of the other people who contributed to this project. Thanks go out to Michael Kauffmann and Melody Hjerpe, who created either custom maps or a specific drawing to use in my project. Thanks to Lynn Webb, Jim Wheeler, and Jason Teraoka for working with me on appropriate data sets to use in my lessons. Thanks to Deborah Zierten for sharing the latest information on redwood species and for editing one of my teacher keys. Thanks to Andrea Pickart, who gave me permission to use her botanical drawings, and to the following people that allowed me to use their photos or figures in my project: Matt Cocking, Kevin Cole, Thomas Dunklin, iv Shayne Green, Greg Giusti, William Selby, and Robert Van Pelt. I would also like to thank my close friends and family, who had faith in me for finishing such a monumental project and for reminding me of its potential value. v PROJECT SUMMARY The primary purpose of this forest series is to offer both science education professionals and informal educators involved in secondary science education (grades 7-12) a stimulating, place-based, natural history curriculum, strongly steeped in ecological concepts and principles. The targeted region is centered in Mendocino and Humboldt Counties located on the North Coast of California, USA. Throughout this curriculum project, a spectrum of ecological concepts and scientific skills are woven together pertaining to many different ecological themes including: general ecology, population and community ecology, landscape ecology, fire ecology, restoration ecology, and conservation biology. Effort has been made to integrate often difficult to obtain information sourced from peer- reviewed scientific journals and professional reports in order to add depth and improve scientific skills. Science by its nature is an interdisciplinary field and much of the material has students observing, describing, manipulating, and modeling variables. This project integrates many different learning strategies useful in enriching both the classroom and outdoor learning experiences. All lessons contained within each unit are aligned with the disciplinary core ideas of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and apply to the interdisciplinary approach set forth by the Common Core Skills and Standards (CCSS). The entire curriculum series includes three main sections. The first section is an introduction to the curriculum. This is followed by a prelude, which gives a brief overview of California’s natural history, as well as the positive and negative influences humans have had on the landscape. It presents information from a biogeographical perspective intended to vi provide a geographical template useful in gaining a wider perspective about the natural world. Three subsequent thematic units follow the prelude: Module 1: Integrative Forest Ecology, Module 2: Behind the Redwood Curtain, and Module 3: Our Disappearing Oak Woodlands. Each module is multidimensional and comes in two main parts. Part I is a teacher companion, written to expand the background information of local educators wanting to learn more about the forests of the North Coast. It integrates physical and biological science concepts that shape a particular forest type and focuses on the life sciences in particular. Part II encompasses two units of study; one pertaining to 7th grade life science and the other to 10th grade biology. All lessons within each unit include any necessary student worksheets along with answer keys in order to make each lesson useful and time saving for the instructor. The first few pages of each lesson include a unit overview that clearly states the focal learning objectives of each lesson. Each lesson gives a lesson overview that highlights key concepts, required materials, time needed, and interdisciplinary connections. A suggested structured procedure is outlined for the instructor that includes preliminary questions and answers in order to connect students to their prior understanding. Potential links to relevant online information are given and each lesson includes a list of needed materials as well a wide assortment of ideas to use as extension activities. At the end of each module is a comprehensive glossary of key terms useful for building vocabulary and references useful for further research. Real world data are incorporated into several lessons within each module to improve the educational experience and to allow students an engaging lens into the world of vii scientists. By analyzing real world data, students can use quantitative reasoning while integrating many skills and principles relating to Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education, a program widely recognized for preparing students for technology-based careers and becoming well-informed citizens. Evidence shows students learn best when actively engaged and presented with relevant material. By incorporating the latest science, students can be engaged in an important and challenging science curriculum appropriate for learning in the 21st century. In summary, this curriculum project uses forest ecology as a framework for learning scientific concepts and integrates many different lessons at various grade levels to complete various learning objectives. This project is intended to act as a bridge between scientists and science students, and therefore can be pertinent to improving scientific literacy, careers in science, and other science related endeavors. Most of the North Coast is covered by abundant and mixed forest types, which can provide a perfect place for students to explore firsthand where they live while giving relevancy and meaning to scientific concepts. Whether a teacher utilizes a unit in its entirety or hand-picks particular lessons within a particular grade appropriate unit, each lesson is designed to add meaning and enrichment to primary resources used in the classroom and beyond. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ……………………………………………………………….…..…