Activity Guide and Lesson Plan Dear educators, The Southern Appalachian Mountains Region is not only stunningly beautiful, but one of the most biologically diverse regions in the world. To provide an example, more salamanders are found here than anywhere else on the planet. Unfortunately this biodiversity hotspot is under threat due to pollution, habitat loss and many other issues that affect many of our wild places. Instilling a passion for conservation and good stewardship towards our wild places is much needed and the Amphibian & Reptile Conservancy (ARC)- along with our sponsor, Georgia Pacific- created this packet to help our educators bring more nature into their classrooms and lesson planning . Thank you for your support by downloading this packet and sharing it with your students. We provide these resources for free and only ask for your feedback in return so we may use this information to better our education curriculums and advocate more organizations to support our education efforts. Please provide your feedback here. Southern Appalachian Awareness Campaign created by Mallory Lindsay of Ms. Mallory Adventures Salamanders of Southern Appalachian Mountains Links to digital resources Use the links below to make copies of all of these resources in Google Slides! Teacher Guide (lesson plans and printables): https://bit.ly/387g3qm Student activity slides: https://bit.ly/3kVtBZz Southern Appalachian Mountain Salamanders presentation: https://bit.ly/360KRXp Southern Appalachian Mountain Salamanders presentation video:(includes extra information about each slide!) https://bit.ly/37kJeV6 Permeable Skin Activity video: https://bit.ly/3o3Gv9h Printable coloring pages: https://bit.ly/361OgVC Southern Appalachian Awareness Campaign created by Mallory Lindsay of Ms. Mallory Adventures Teacher's Guide Investigating and Interviewing : Salamanders of the Appalachian Mountains More species of salamanders exist in the southern Appalachian Mountains than anywhere else in the world, and nowhere are they more abundant. Unfortunately, not many know about this incredible, 'backyard' biodiversity hotspot in the southeastern US. Learning about these astonishingly, unique species will leave your students wide- eyed and full of questions to explore for many more hours even after the activities are over. Currently, over 34 species in the southern United States (81 in the entire US) are under threat of extinction. Instilling a curiosity in our future generations is critical in the fight to prevent their decline. We thank you for your passion in educating and fostering a love for the natural world. In these activities, students will: 1 Interview a very peculiar species-the mudpuppy 2. Investigate another southern Appalachian salamander species of their choice 3. 'Discover' their own salamander species. The goal of this activity to strengthen skills in reading comprehension, fact- finding, interviewing, and writing while learning about the incredible world of southern Appalachian salamnders. NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS USED IN THIS ACTIVITY 3-LS3-1: Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits • Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence that plants and animals have traits inherited from parents and that variation of these traits exists in a group of similar organisms. LS3.A: Inheritance of Traits • Many characteristics of organisms are inher- ited from their parents. (3-LS3-1) LS3.B: Variation of Traits • Different organisms vary in how they look and function because they have different inherited information. (3-LS3-1) 3-LS4-3: Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all. 4-LS1-1 Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction. Southern Appalachian Awareness Campaign created by Mallory Lindsay of Ms. Mallory Adventures Teacher's Guide Investigating and Interviewing : Salamanders of the Appalachian Mountains Resources (Act 1) Biokids_Mudpuppy http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Necturus_maculosus/ (Act 1) Tennessee Watchable Wildlife-Mudpuppy http://www.tnwatchablewildlife.org/details2.cfm? sort=aounumber&uid=10040515535810239&commonname=Common%20Mudpup py&DISPLAYHABITAT=&typename=Amphibian&Taxonomicgroup=Amphibian%2 0-%20Salamanders (Act 1) Nat Geo-Mudpuppy: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/amphibians/m/mudpuppy/ (Act 2)NHPBS: Eastern Newt https://nhpbs.org/wild/easternnewt.asp/ (Act 2) U.S. Fish & Wildlife: Hellbender https://www.fws.gov/southeast/wildlife/amphibians/eastern-hellbender/ (Act 2) Herps of NC: Cheoh Bald Salamander: http://herpsofnc.org/cheoah-bald- and-red-legged-salamanders/ (Act 2) Herps of NC: Two-toed Amphiuma http://herpsofnc.org/two-toed-amphiuma/ (Act 2) Reptiles & Amphibians of NC: Salamander Species list http://herpsofnc.org/salamanders/ (Act 3) ARC New Species Discovered: Green Salamander https://amphibianandreptileconservancy.org/discovered-a-new-species-of-green- salamander/ Southern Appalachian Awareness Campaign created by Mallory Lindsay of Ms. Mallory Adventures AMPHIBIAN & REPTILE CONSERVANCY SALAMANDERS OF THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS WORDS TO KNOW Directions: Words can be found forwards, backwards, vertically, horizontally, or diagonally . BONUS: Find the definitions of each word (or how it relates to salamanders) and write it on the back of this wordsearch. AMPHIBIAN SKIN STREAM AMPHIUMA SLIME POLLUTION SALAMANDER LUNGLESS CONSERVATION HELLBENDER LARVA SPECIES WOODLANDS GILLS BIO-INDICATORS NEWT MUDPUPPY TAIL HABITAT WATERDOG Southern Appalachian Awareness Campaign created by Mallory Lindsay of Ms. Mallory Adventures Teacher's Guide g ritin W y 1 ivit Act Investigating and Interviewing : Salamanders of the Appalachian Mountains ACTIVITY 1: Interviewing With A Mudpuppy Activity 1.Before starting the activity, prepare a digital/paper copy of "Interview With A Mudpuppy" article, interview notes, investigation template for each student. 2.Pass out the 'Interview Notes' and investigation template to students first. 3.Read the the description of what a mudpuppy looks like from the article while students complete the first question (sketching portion) on their interview notes. Just like a real sketch artist, everyone must draw their version of the animal before seeing it. Have the students share and compare their drawings. 4.Pass out article to students and provide a picture of real mudpuppy. (See reference links) Discuss how the description in the article reflects the image: flat head for getting under rocks, flattened tail for swimming, feathery gills, etc. 5.Have students continue reading the article “Mudpuppy: The Salamander That Never Grew Up” and finish answering the questions as if interviewing a mudpuppy. Southern Appalachian Awareness Campaign created by Mallory Lindsay of Ms. Mallory Adventures Interview With A Mudpuppy Writing Activity 1 Salamanders of the southern Appalachian Mountains are incredibly diverse and unique. They all have fascinating stories worthy of front page news! You will get the chance to interview a very peculiar species-the mudpuppy- from the salamander hotspot of the world! But first, we must investigate by reading the article below. What does a mudpuppy look like? Mudpuppies are aquatic salamanders that range in color from gray or brownish-gray with dark gray spots. They can grow to be longer than an adult man's foot (up to 16 inches). These salamanders have shovel-like heads to help squeeze into tight places, wide tails for swimming, stubby legs for walking on the bottom of stream beds, and feet with four distinct toes. The mudpuppy may sound like a mythical monster, It is easy to tell a mudpuppy apart from most but it is very real and completely harmless to humans.. terrestrial (land) salamanders because they have bushy, red external gills that look like fluffy feathers on each side of their head. Most Are mudpuppies fish? salamanders will lose their gills as they Even though they spend their entire lives in water metamorphasize from larva* to adults. However, and breathe through gills like fish, mudpuppies mudpuppies never 'grow up.' they are permanent are amphibians.They are related to frogs, toads, larva. Mud puppies also have flat tails to help and other salamanders. them swim in fast currents. Where do mudpuppies live? What do mudpuppies eat? Mudpuppies live out their entire lives in water. Mudpuppies are nocturnal hunters They can not survive on land because their and opportunistic feeders. Crayfish are a major gills must stay in water to breath.- just like a part of their diet, but they also eat insect fish. They can be found in reservoirs ponds, and, larvae, small fish, fish eggs, aquatic worms, large streams with fast-flowing water and rocky. In snails, and other amphibians. addition to the soutnern Appalachian Mountains, they can be found from Canada down to Northern Georgia. How long do mudpuppies live for? Astonishingly, mudpuppies can live to be Logs and rocks are a mudpuppy's favorite hiding up to 20 years old in captivity. spot during the day. They come out at night to eat. Southern Appalachian Awareness Campaign created by Mallory Lindsay of Ms. Mallory Adventures How did they get their names? If they never 'grow up,' They get their name from some people how do they reproduce? saying their squeaky vocalizations sound like a Even though their outside appearance never dog's bark. However, they don't really 'bark' change