Summary of the project: GO WILD in PRAGUE

Transcription

1 Summary of the project: GO WILD in PRAGUE PLANTS With 88 protected areas, Prague provides children and their families with the opportunity to explore natural habitats and learn about them. In this chapter, we will learn about trees and plants and get familiar with trees and plants that grow in Prague. We know that the cool shadow of a tree in Stromovka during a hot summer day is very pleasant but can we explain in a scientific way why the air is cooler under a tree? Plants are also a fundamental source of food and nutrients for people and many other animals. And don t forget the wonderful colors some of them display, either on their leaves or flowers, over the seasons! (Did you know tulips bloomed in the Royal Garden in Prague in 1554 and from here they spread in the whole Europe including Holland?) In this chapter teachers will find a variety of information about city plants that can be included in classroom activities. For example, students can learn about the process of photosynthesis, identify the different parts of a tree bark and understand their functions or learn how to grow a tree from an avocado seed. Children can also learn about the parks closest to their school or home and how to get involved in taking care of trees or get gardening. A walk through the Royal Gardens of Prague will become a way to learn how to identify different types of trees, Another strategy to awake students motivation about plants and connect the topic to their own knowledge is to teach them to identify the various plant s parts they eat everyday. For example, students are rarely aware that carrots, beets, radishes are plant roots, that asparagus, celery, leeks are stems or that broccoli and cauliflower are flowers. In this way, students can learn about the function of each part of the plant by relating them to what they eat. What edible plants we can find in Prague s parks? Where we can find fruit trees in the city? Do plants move? Are they intelligent? Which are their tricks to attract animals and get pollinated? How can human activities introduce alien species? Can we find any invasive species in Prague? Let's begin this adventure together. Let's learn about the marvelous world of plants and discover Prague with different eyes. After this chapter, I am confident the city will not look the same for us.

2 ANIMALS Prague is a city of animals. Starting with city pets, for example. In some of Prague s parks it is possible to observe a variety of animals such as raccoons, squirrels and different types of birds. You can run into them when walking in the city parks, marshes and open fields. And not to mention the million rats that live among us, or other synanthropic species as pigeons, crows and bats. This chapter contains fun and relevant information about Prague s animals that can easily be integrated into inquiry classroom projects. Students can research, for example, the important role animals played in the history of the city of Prague (animal markets, slaughther house, etc). They can conduct a field trip to their local park in order to find animal tracks or engage in bird watching. And they can also investigate what they can do to protect city fishes and their aquatic environments or join in a program to grow and study fishes in school. It is not difficult to connect the topic of animals to students daily lives, as many children usually own pets and take care of them at home. Students who own the same kind of pet can engage in an informed debate (based not only on their own experience but on their research on the topic) about their pets characteristics and the best way to take care of them. Moreover, a research could be carried out by students about which are the most common pets in their neighborhood. There is also a maths trail to Prague s ZOO, giving an opportunity to integrate the Maths curriculum into this subject. Finally, this chapter also aims at studying the ways in which urbanization change animal behaviour and the dangers it poses to several species. (Did you know some birds sing louder to adjust for the noise of the city?)

3 BUGS Looking nasty or amazingly beautiful, bugs are everywhere in Prague. Most of us are familiar with walking through Stromovka or Letna Park during a summer s afternoon inside a cloud of flying insects. Some of them are not easily visible, such as the mites in everybody s eyebrows. Others, like cockroaches, can be very difficult to get rid of. In fact, we share our city with a variety of insects and spiders that play a fundamental role in sustaining the city natural environment. Bees, wasps and butterflies, for example, pollinate plants and without them there would be no fruits, vegetables or flowers. Other bugs are the main source of food for many birds and frogs. And finally, many bugs contribute to keeping the city clean by eating and thus decomposing leaves, bark and garbage. This chapter includes fun facts about bugs and their lives in the city that can be incorporated in classroom projects. For example, students can learn about the different roles that insects and arachnids play in the environment and create a food web using that information. They can investigate when cockroaches appeared on Earth and how they arrived to Europe, while also learning about the different cockroach species that live in Prague and their potential danger for human health. Along these lines, different groups of children can be assigned specific insects or spiders and asked to do research about its anatomy, physiology and habitat and create a presentation for their peers. Children frequently think of bugs as less important than bigger animals because of their tiny size, and are usually amazed to know that bugs constitute the largest proportion of animal species. Moreover, students understanding of the key role insects and spiders play in the environment, and how life as we know it would not be possible without them becomes essential to develop their awareness of the importance of preserving all kinds of living species in order to sustain our natural environment. Finally, Prague holds a great diversity of bug species, mostly of which students can observe in their daily lives. Students can conduct a photographic research study investigating the different types of bugs that live in their communities, including their homes, parks, schools, etc. and develop a photo exhibit of Prague s bugs to be presented to their parents or to the rest of the school community.

4 AIR Why do we need air for survival? What would happen if the Earth did not have any atmosphere? Middle school students often have questions regarding the topic of air that can be used to initiate inquiry projects such as investigating the amount of air that we can hold in our lungs, measuring oxygen production by plants or researching the variation of air pressure with height and the effects of a lower pressure of oxygen for mountain climbers. Even if we don t usually realize it, we are surrounded by gas. Our planet is covered by an atmosphere composed mainly by nitrogen, as well as oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide and tiny amounts of other gases. Earth s atmosphere has a profound influence on many phenomena that occur on our planet. For example, it prevents solar heat from escaping, making temperature suitable for the development of life. Air molecules also cause solar light to scatter and make the blue and red colors of the sky. All living things are airbreathing creatures which exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide with the atmosphere. Even the weather can be forecasted by looking at air temperature and pressure. This chapter provides information about air that can be connected in multiple ways to classroom inquiry projects. For example, students can create a weather station to predict local weather conditions, investigate how particles causes light to scatter and originate the sky colors we see at different times of the day, or create a model of the Earth atmosphere. Students can also investigate the main sources of air pollution in the city of Prague and learn how to take care of the air by building a green roof or engaging in a community campaign to promote the use of bicycles. This is a good opportunity to analyze and work with statistic data and see how Prague stands regarding air pollution in comparison with other cities of Europe. Moreover, students can investigate their neighborhood sources of air pollution and calculate how much pollution they are sending out into the atmosphere in their everyday activities such as traveling by car or using an air conditioner. They can later use their knowledge to create a local campaign to make their communities aware of the ways they can improve air quality and the effects of air pollution on human health.

5 WATER Water touches all aspects of human life - from our basic need of water for survival to the agricultural and industrial development of every human civilization. Life on Earth began in water and the connection between life and water remains unbroken, as water is a fundamental part of all living organisms. The need for water has been a driving force of social, economic and cultural development throughout human history. However, residents of a city usually know little about the natural sources of the water they use and drink everyday and how they can contribute to avoid water waste and pollution.. For instance, students can conduct investigations of the long travel of water from its natural sources until it reaches their homes, learn about the hydrologic cycle and research the ways in which water is storaged in their buildings and neighborhoods. Visits to a water treatment plant and to the Museum of Old Waste Water Treatment Plant in Bubenec will also be illuminating experiences. Which was the role of the Vltava river in the design of the city of Prague? What was the importance of the floods, in which often considerable parts of the city were under water, new islands originated and other disappeared? Which are the water courses in Prague? How the contruction of the Vltava cascade affects the temperature regime of the river? How this influence life around? Students usually hold a diversity of experiences with water in the city, including first-hand observations of different bodies of water such as ponds, rivers or creeks. The significance of water courses and reservoirs in the city of Prague is testified by the fact that most natural parks in Prague have a water course as a natural axis, as well as the fact that numerous protected areas in Prague are situated in water course valleys. Children s knowledge about aquatic plants or animals can also become tools for class projects in which students research the characteristics of aquatic ecosystems, including bodies of water located in the school neighborhood. In addition, students usually have many questions about why we need water for survival: Why do we feel thirsty after doing exercise? In which part of our bodies do we keep the water we drink? What may happen to us if the water we drink is not clean? What causes water to be polluted? What are the consequences of polluted water to living organisms? These and other similar questions can become starting points for the development of inquiry projects. Another question to bring into the class is How clean is your

6 water? Students can test different samples of water for pollution and investigate how pollution affects a living organism. Finally, in order to connect this topic with students lives outside of school students can conduct a research study regarding the use of water in their families and communities: How much water do I and my family use every day? How much water can we save? The development of this kind of activities can promote students engagement in direct action, such as changing their own personal habits of water consumption, or promoting their community awareness of the importance of preserving water natural sources.

7 ROCKS Only very few capitals have such diverse bedrock conditions as Prague, consisting mostly of the sediments of three seas which had flooded the Prague area in the course of the geological history of the Earth. In other words, Prague is full of rocks. These rocks come in many sizes, shapes and forms, from the huge plates in the earth s crust to the tiny rock particles we find in soil. How did a place like Pargue end up with so many kinds of rocks everywhere? What kinds of rocks could we find if we dug deep underground? How is soil related to rocks? In this chapter you will find fascinating information about the rocks and soils that are the foundation of Prague. With a bit of tweaking the content presented in this chapter can be integrated into science inquiry projects for your students and you ll have a class full of geologists and soil scientists in no time! Some ideas include students researching what rocks make up the bedrock where they live and/or where their school is. Part of the project could be taking a tour of places in the city where the bedrock is visible from the earth s surface, like Divoka Sarka or the older quartzites of the Skalka on the Dobrotivá base. Students could also take a walk around the block at home or school and record as many different kinds of rocks, in any form, they see around them. Back in the classroom students can pool the data and analyze it for patterns and trends. Another great project is having students make soils and experimenting with how different soil compositions affect plant growth. Students in the middle grades often have much more experience with and knowledge about rocks and soils than they or their teachers may realize. It is likely that they live in buildings made of bricks, limestone or brownstone and see rocks in different forms almost everywhere they go. Students might have experiences visiting parks in their neighborhoods and can talk about soils or rock formations they ve seen. Most of the students have been to playgrounds in Prague, where they ve played in the sand or maybe they are members of a community garden and may have experience composting to make rich soils out of kitchen scraps.