FACTivity – Prairie Dog Days
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The question you will answer in this FACTivity is: How does the decline of prairie dogs affect the prairie food web?
Materials:
- Ecosystem Food Web handout (included)
- Pencil
In the extension activity, create a new food web in which prairie dogs are completely absent. How will their absence affect the other members of the web?
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Prairie Dog Days: How Fleas Transmit the Plague and its Effects on Gunnison's Prairie Dog
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Standards addressed in this Activity:
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are a set of K-12 science education standards emphasizing inquiry-based learning, real-world applications, and integrating engineering practices, aiming to deepen understanding of science while promoting critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
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5-LS2-1
Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.
The Common Core Standards are educational benchmarks in the United States that outline clear expectations for what students should know and be able to do in English language arts and mathematics from kindergarten through 12th grade, aiming to ensure consistency and coherence in education nationwide.
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Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
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By the end of year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the grades 4–5 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
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Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text.
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Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.
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Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area.
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Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears.
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Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
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By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grades 4–5 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
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Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the text.
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Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text.
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Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area.
Social Studies Standards are educational guidelines outlining the essential knowledge, skills, and concepts students should learn in subjects such as history, geography, civics, and economics, aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding of societal structures, historical events, and global perspectives.
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People, Places, and Environments
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Science, Technology, and Society