Wolves of Yellowstone | Videos & Worksheets
- June 12, 2020
- 2 minutes read - 313 words
Overview
Here’s a popular case study on the Wolves of Yellowstone that helps students understand ecosystem stability through trophic cascades.
Materials
Worksheets, student laptops (optional)
Preparation
If you have access to student laptops, you may share the video links beforehand. Students may work in pairs to re-watch the videos.
Review the teacher’s guide beforehand, as some questions may confuse students on what to do. The guide also offers some neat extension activities if you have extra time. Please note, the Vimeo link in the guide no longer works.
Resources
Pacing
Suggested Pacing
Day 1 - introduce wolves case study | work on part 1
Day 2 - finish part 1 and 2 | review and discuss answers on board
Pacing w/ Teacher Notes
Day 1 - I start this lesson with a warmup question asking students how they think animals can change the environment around them. Typically, responses will focus on minor environmental changes. Transitioning from our discussion, I show them how wolves could change rivers and I introduce the worksheets attached.
When I introduce Part 1, I model a sample answer to help guide their responses. If you have access to laptops, students can pair up, watch the video, and work on the questions together.
Day 2 - Depending on how well students understand the material, the worksheets could be assigned for homework or worked on in class. After they finish both part 1 and 2, I ask them to write their answers on the board. We go over the questions together and you may have students peer-grade their work and/or discuss any confusing questions.
Credits: PBS, Passion, The Nature Conservancy. Cover image by Eva Blue via Unsplash .
