

Overview:
At the North Carolina Zoo, we are committed to protecting wildlife and other natural resources. Through the International Conservation portion of our Living With Nature Live! events, our goal is to show middle and high school students the many ways we work to conserve.
The post-event activities for this event are focused on collaborative practices with groups or classes and an optional suggestion to team up with and interact with students from across the globe.
Much like the Zoo aims to collaborate with others across our state and across the globe, we hope that through this event, we can encourage collaboration between students, schools, districts, counties and even countries.
Date of Event: March 26, 2019
Designed For: Middle School and High Schools Students (see NC Standard Course of Study alignments below).
Objectives:
The student will be able to identify and describe international conservation practices as offered by the North Carolina Zoo and in his/her own community/region.
The student will be able to create plans for international conservation projects in his/her own community.
The student will be able to craft persuasive and argumentative texts in reference to international conservation.
The student will participate in a collaborative group to complete projects related to regional conservation.
The student will participate in a collaborative International Conservation conversation with students from another country.
To Register: This event has past, the recording is posted below.
Teacher Information
Our International Conservation portion of our Live will be broadcast via Zoom on Tuesday, March 26 at 10 am (rain/weather date is March 29). It will last approximately 1 hour.
In order to set the foundation for the material we will cover when live, we encourage you to use the pre-event activities. This will help prime the learning pump for students. These activities are optional but will allow your students to begin considering what they may be able to do to support international conservation.
You can use the International Conservation site to inform yourself of what is already happening at and with the North Carolina Zoo. This will give you good background knowledge prior to the event.
Please note: While there will be plenty of opportunity for interaction with our live event hosts, we ask that you work with your students before and after the event to keep the learning and exploration going!
Compare and contrast North Carolina conservation efforts with another state. Then, compare/contrast US conservation efforts with your choice of foreign country.
How do we in the US depend on other countries for conservation efforts and support? Do we need to conserve differently (e.g., deforestation)? How do other countries depend on the US for conservation efforts and support?
Solutions and Problems - Where can we learn how to fix these issues?
Watch the live stream (or recording if necessary). Use the participation guides to keep students engaged, encourage questions, and offer reflection time.
Consider teaming up with a classroom from another country to discuss conservation techniques and expand your students’ 21st Century communication skills.
EPALS is a fabulous resource for connecting safely with another school.
Argument/PSA/Letter to the Editor - Encourage others outside of US (and within) to participate in conservation efforts. Using the format of students’ choice, create a letter, an argumentative essay, or a video Public Service Announcement. Remember to use persuasive techniques (video).
For submissions questions or further information email schoolprograms@nczoo.org.
6.L.1 Understand the structures, processes and behaviors of plants that enable them to survive and reproduce.
6.L.1.1 Summarize the basic structures and functions of flowering plants required for survival, reproduction and defense.
6.L.1.2 Explain the significance of the processes of photosynthesis, respiration, and transpiration to the survival of green plants and other organisms.
6.L.2 Understand the flow of energy through ecosystems and the responses of populations to the biotic and abiotic factors in their environment.
6.L.2.1 Summarize how energy derived from the sun is used by plants to produce sugars (photosynthesis) and is transferred within food chains and food webs (terrestrial and aquatic) from producers to consumers to decomposers. North Carolina Essential Standards 6-8 Science Essential Standard Clarifying Objectives biotic and abiotic factors in their environment.
6.L.2.2 Explain how plants respond to external stimuli (including dormancy and forms of tropism) to enhance survival in an environment.
6.L.2.3 Summarize how the abiotic factors (such as temperature, water, sunlight, and soil quality) of biomes (freshwater, marine, forest, grasslands, desert, Tundra) affect the ability of organisms to grow, survive and/or create their own food through photosynthesis.
W.6.1. Write claims about topics or text. a. Write a claim about a topic or text. b. Write one or more reasons to support a claim about a topic or text
W.6.2 Write to share information supported by details. a. Introduce a topic and write to convey ideas and information about it including visual, tactual, or multimedia information as appropriate. b. Provide facts, details, or other information related to the topic.
W.6.5 Conduct short research projects to answer a question.
7.L.1 Understand the processes, structures and functions of living organisms that enable them to survive, reproduce and carry out the basic functions of life.
7.L.1.1 Compare the structures and life functions of single-celled organisms that carry out all of the basic functions of life including: • Euglena • Amoeba • Paramecium • Volvox
7.L.1.2 Compare the structures and functions of plant and animal cells, including major organelles (cell membrane, cell wall, nucleus, chloroplasts, mitochondria, and vacuoles).
7.L.1.3 Summarize the hierarchical organization of multi-cellular organisms from cells to tissues to organs to systems to organisms.
7.L.2 Understand the relationship of the mechanisms of cellular reproduction, patterns of inheritance and external factors to potential variation among offspring.
7.L.2.3 Explain the impact of the environment and lifestyle choices on biological inheritance (to include common genetic diseases) and survival.
W.7.1 Write claims about topics or texts. a. Introduce a topic or text and write one claim about it. b. Write one or more reasons to support a claim about a topic or text. c. Use temporal words (first, next, also) to create connections.
W.7.2 Write to share information supported by details. a. Introduce a topic and write to convey ideas and information about it including visual, tactual, or multimedia information as appropriate. b. Provide facts, details, or other information related to the topic. c. Select domain-specific vocabulary to use in writing about the topic.
W.7.5 Conduct research to answer a question based on multiple sources of information.
8.L.3 Understand how organisms interact with and respond to the biotic and abiotic components of their environment.
8.L.3.1 Explain how factors such as food, water, shelter and space affect populations in an ecosystem.
8.L.3.2 Summarize the relationships among producers, consumers, and decomposers including the positive and negative consequences of such interactions including: • Coexistence and cooperation • Competition (predator/prey) • Parasitism • Mutualism
8.L.3.3 Explain how the flow of energy within food webs is interconnected with the cycling of matter (including water, nitrogen, carbon dioxide and oxygen).
W.8.1 Write claims about topics or texts. a. State the claim and provide reasons or pieces of evidence to support it. b. Write reasons to support a claim about a topic or text. c. Use temporal words (first, next, also) to create connections.
W.8.2 Write to share information supported by details. a. Introduce a topic clearly and write to convey ideas and information about it including visual, tactual, or multimedia information as appropriate. b. Write one or more facts or details related to the topic. c. Write complete thoughts as appropriate. d. Use domain specific vocabulary related to the topic. e. Provide a closing.
W.8.5 Conduct short research projects to answer and pose questions based on multiple sources of information.
EEn.2.8 Evaluate human behaviors in terms of how likely they are to ensure the ability to live sustainably on Earth.
EEn.2.8.3 Explain the effects of uncontrolled population growth on the Earth’s resources.
Bio.2.1 Analyze the interdependence of living organisms within their environments.
Bio.2.1.2 Analyze the survival and reproductive success of organisms in terms of behavioral, structural, and reproductive adaptations.
Bio.2.1.3 Explain various ways organisms interact with each other (including predation, competition, parasitism, mutualism) and with their environments resulting in stability within ecosystems.
Bio.2.1.4 Explain why ecosystems can be relatively stable over hundreds or thousands of years, even though populations may fluctuate (emphasizing availability of food, availability of shelter, number of predators and disease).
Bio.2.2 Understand the impact of human activities on the environment (one generation affects the next).
Bio.2.2.1 Infer how human activities (including population growth, pollution, global warming, burning of fossil fuels, habitat destruction and introduction of nonnative species) may impact the environment.
Bio.2.2.2 Explain how the use, protection and conservation of natural resources by humans impact the environment from one generation to the next.
W.9-10.1 Write claims about topics or texts. a. Introduce a topic or text and write one claim and one counterclaim about it
W.9-10.2 Write to share information supported by details. a. Introduce a topic clearly and use a clear organization to write about it including visual, tactual, or multimedia information as appropriate. b. Develop the topic with facts or details. c. Use complete, simple sentences as appropriate. d. Use domain specific vocabulary when writing claims related to a topic of study or text. e. Providing a closing or concluding statement.
W.9-10.5 Conduct research projects to answer questions posed by self and others using multiple sources of information.
W.11-12.1 Write arguments to support claims. a. Write an argument to support a claim that results from studying a topic or reading a text. b. Support claims with reasons and evidence drawn from text. c. Provide a closing or concluding statement.
W.11-12.2 Write to share information supported by details. a. Introduce a topic clearly and write an informative or explanatory text that conveys ideas, concepts, and information including visual, tactual, or multimedia information as appropriate. b. Develop the topic with relevant facts, details, or quotes. c. Use complete, simple sentences, as well as compound and other complex sentences as appropriate. d. Use domain specific vocabulary when writing claims related to a topic of study or text. e. Provide a closing or concluding statement.
W.11-12.5 Conduct research projects to answer questions posed by self and others using multiple sources of information.