Wind Cave National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior

Wind Cave National Park

26611 U.S. Highway 385

Hot Springs, SD 57747

Teacher Guide

Virtual Field Trip: Prairie, Protecting the Biodiversity

of the Empire of Grass

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Contents Lesson Overview ..................................................................................................................................................... 3

Lesson Objectives ................................................................................................................................................ 3

Next Generation Science Standards and ISTE Standards .................................................................................... 3

Common Core Opportunities .............................................................................................................................. 4

Lesson Progression .............................................................................................................................................. 4

Before Distance Learning Program ................................................................................................................. 4

During Distance Learning Program ................................................................................................................. 4

After Distance Learning Program .................................................................................................................... 4

Materials and Equipment Needed .......................................................................................................................... 4

Before Distance Learning Program ......................................................................................................................... 4

Pre-Lesson Activity: Predator – Prey Activities (3 variations) ............................................................................. 5

Pre-Lesson Activity: Root Growth ....................................................................................................................... 5

During Distance Learning Program ......................................................................................................................... 5

Getting Ready ...................................................................................................................................................... 5

Program ............................................................................................................................................................... 5

Introduction .................................................................................................................................................... 5

Ranger Led Activity: ......................................................................................................................................... 5

About Wind Cave ............................................................................................................................................ 5

Question and Answer Time ............................................................................................................................. 6

After Distance Learning Program ............................................................................................................................ 6

Post Lesson Activity: Picky Eaters ....................................................................................................................... 6

Post Lesson Activity: Prairie Neighbors ............................................................................................................... 6

Vocabulary .............................................................................................................................................................. 6

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Lesson Overview Wind Cave National Park is considered two parks in one. The cave has become world renowned for its

boxwork, the winds at the cave entrance, and the vast length of the cave; currently 150 miles of cave has been

mapped, making it the sixth longest cave in the world. Wind Cave National Park is located where the

grasslands meet the ponderosa pine forests of the uplifted Black Hills. Here the tall grass prairie species of the

eastern Great Plains blend with the short grass species of the western Great Plains. Although grasses provide

the most material (80 to 90% biomass), only 20% of the plant species are grasses. The prairie is home to a

variety of plants and animals. It is a place where deer, coyotes, pronghorn, prairie dogs, eagle, hawks and

other wildlife flourish. The prairie is not only valued for its biodiversity, but for the wide-open space and

magnificent beauty found there.

Orientation Video: Welcome to Wind Cave National Park (6:19 min)

Lesson Objectives Examine the lives of unique species living at Wind Cave National Park

Evaluate unique traits that species have inherited to adapt and survive in the great plains

Investigate the Great Plains interconnected web of life

Assess how human activity has altered the Great Plains and what science ideas can be used to protect

and preserve the national park.

Next Generation Science Standards and ISTE Standards 3-LS1-1 Develop models to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles but all have in

common birth, growth, reproduction, and death.

3-LS2-1 Construct an argument that some animals form groups that help members survive.

3-LS3-1 Analyze and interpret data to provide evident that plants and animals have traits inherited from parents and that variation of these traits exist in a group of similar organisms.

4-LS1-1 Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.

5-LS2-1 Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposer, and the environment.

5-ESS-1 Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the Earth’s resources and environment.

MS-LS2-1 Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for the effects of resource availability on organisms and populations of organisms in an ecosystem.’

MS-LS2-3 Develop a model to describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy among living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem.

HS-LS2-3 Use mathematical representations to support and revise explanations based on evidence about factors affecting biodiversity and populations in ecosystems of different scales.

HS-LS2-7 Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on the environment and biodiversity.

ISTE 7b Students use collaborative technologies to work with others, including peers, experts or community members, to examine issues and problems from multiple viewpoints.

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Common Core Opportunities SL.8.5 Integrate multimedia and visual displays into presentations to clarify information, concepts, and

information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content

6.EE.B.6 Use variables to represent numbers and write expressions when solving a real-world or mathematical problem; understand that a variable can represent an unknown number, or depending on the purpose at hand, any number in a specified set.

Lesson Progression

Before Distance Learning Program

Test Call: It’s important that we do a test call before the program. Please pick a time slot between 8:00 – 4:30

Mountain Standard Time. This call takes less than 5 minutes and allows us to ensure our connection is strong

enough. If we skip this step this takes time away from the program and the students.

Pre-Lesson Activity: 2 provided, complete one or all

Predator – Prey Activities (6 variations)

Time: 20 – 30 minutes

Prairie Plants and Root Growth

Time: 45 minutes for Bottle Column construction; 15 minutes/week observations, measurement,

water

During Distance Learning Program

Ranger Lead Activity: And Then There Were None

Time: 50-60 minutes

After Distance Learning Program

Post-Lesson Activity: 2 provided, complete one or all

Picky Eaters

Time: 20 – 30 minutes

Prairie Neighbors

Time: 15 minutes

Materials and Equipment Needed Computer or IPad with camera, microphone, and internet access

Skype Account

Projector

Pre-Lesson Activity

Ranger Led Activity

Post-Lesson Activity

Before Distance Learning Program The pre-lesson activities are designed to expose students to the dynamics on the pairie.

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Pre-Lesson Activity: Predator – Prey Activities (3 variations) There are three different predator - prey activities provided; do one or do them all. Each one is active and

focuses on a different aspect of predator - prey relationships. Some activities provide mathematical common

core opportunities.

Pre-Lesson Activity: Root Growth Build a bottle column and watch the prairie grasses grow. This should be started in advance (4 to 6 weeks),

preferably in the fall, to examine the entire life cycle of the grass. Observe the different root strategies for

different prairie species.

During Distance Learning Program

Getting Ready Arrange students so that they are facing the camera. Students should be able to see the ranger either

on the computer screen or projected to a screen in the classroom.

Verify that the microphone and speakers are working and set for the conditions of the classroom.

The ranger will text you through Skype before calling to make sure you are ready.

Print a copy of “Then There Were None” document

Photo copy the animal name tags (one for each student)

Distribute animal population pieces (6 per student)

The teacher must be present in the classroom for the entire program

Program

Introduction

The ranger will welcome students to Wind Cave National Park. The ranger will introduce students to the

National Park Service and review the meaning of the symbols on the park service arrowhead.

Ranger Led Activity:

Teacher assistance is critical for this activity to work. Distribute materials before the Skype session.

Students will pick out an animal card and have 6 pieces of (paper, paperclips, blocks, etc.) to represent

their population. Have a collection bin (or bucket/ bowl) in a central location near all students.

Have all the students standing and make sure they can hear the rangers instructions

There will be a few rounds in the game. As students’ populations decline, they will put their paper

clips in the collection bin. When they get down to 2 paper clips, they are to sit down and say, “I’m in

Big Trouble.”

Please facilitate students standing and sitting so that time is not wasted on that instruction.

After the activity instruct students to be seated and facing the ranger.

About Wind Cave

The ranger will take students on a virtual tour throughout the prairie and southern Black Hills. Students will

get to explore a prairie dog town and see the many species that rely on the blacktail prairie dog for their

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survival; including the rare black-footed ferret. Students will get a close up look at the many animals living at

Wind Cave National Park (bison, elk, and pronghorn to name a few).

Question and Answer Time

Students will have the opportunity to ask the ranger questions. Please help facilitate students coming to the

microphone to ask questions. If the ranger can’t hear the question, it is helpful for the teacher to repeat the

question clearly in the microphone.

After Distance Learning Program The post-activities are designed to show students different relationships within an ecosystem.

Post Lesson Activity: Picky Eaters In this active game, students will investigate the difference between generalist species and specialist species.

Students will be able to explain how the loss of habitat and food can cause animals to go extinct.

Post Lesson Activity: Prairie Neighbors Students will brainstorm ways certain organisms contribute to the prairie community. This activity can be

completed in one lesson or can be added to over several days to analyze multi-complex relationships between

different species in a habitat. This can activity can also be used as an activator for each class.

Vocabulary Abiotic Factors – nonliving factors or components (climate, mineral soil, and moisture) that shape a habitat

Adaptations – a process of change that allows species to be better suited for their environment

Bioaccumulation – the accumulations of substances (usually toxins) being absorbed faster than can excrete

Biodiversity – the variety of living organism in a particular habitat or area

Biomass – the total mass of organisms living in a certain area

Biotic Factors – the living factors, or components, that shape a habitat

Climate – the general prevailing weather conditions in an area

Commensalism – a symbiotic relationship between two organisms where one benefits and the other is not

harmed

Ecoregion – a major ecosystem defined by distinctive geography and has uniform solar radiation and moisture

Ecotone – an area of transition between two habitats

Endangered Species – a species that is categorized as likely to become extinct

Endangered Species Act of 1973 – legislation protecting animals that are threatened or endangered and their

habitat

Exotic – an organism living in a region or habitat that is not its native habitat

Extinct – a species destroyed, rooted out, that no longer has any members remaining on earth

Extirpated - a species destroyed, rooted out, out of a particular region

Forbs – herbaceous flowering plant

Generalist species – species that are able to thrive in a wide variety of environmental conditions and can make

use of a variety of different resources

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Grasslands – an area there the vegetation is dominated by grasses

Groundwater – water held underground in the soil and rock

Insecticide – a chemical toxin intended to specifically destroy insects

Invasive species – exotic species not living in its native environment and causes harm to the new environment

Keystone species – a species on which other species in an ecosystem largely depend, such that if it were

removed, the ecosystem would drastically change

Limiting factor – the presence or absence of a factor that limits the growth of an ecosystem; includes both

biotic and abiotic factors

Mutation – a change in a genetic sequence

Mutualism – a symbiotic relationship between two organisms in which both individuals benefit

Non-native species – exotic species

Non-target species – species not intentionally or specifically targeted as a component of human modification

of the habitat

Parasitism – a symbiotic relationship between two organisms in which one benefits and the other is harmed

Pesticide – a chemical toxin intended to exterminate pests

Population – contains at least two individuals of a given species

Prairie –- are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands

Specialist species – a species that can only thrive in a narrow range of environmental conditions or has a

limited diet

Species Richness Index – the measure of a number of different species found in a given area

Structural adaptations – physical structures that allow an organism to benefit in its habitat

Symbiosis – a relationship between two species

Threatened species – a species that is categorized as likely to become endangered

Elk overlooking the Red Valley