=20

Arcti= c=20 Resources

SUBJECT
Habitats and Ecosystems, Teacher Tips and = Strategies, Antarctica

GRADE
K-8

COLLECTION
Winter= Fun=20

=20

Instructor=20 Magazine
Six issues per year filled with = practical, fun,=20 teacher-tested ideas for your classroom. Keep up with classroom = trends,=20 get expert teaching tips, and find dozens of resources in every = issue.=20
=

Life in the Arctic Tundra

Take students on an imaginary expedition to the frozen desert of the = Arctic

By Mackie Rhodes | January , 2004

Getting Started Before you begin your Arctic = studies, set=20 up a wintry reading display of tundra-themed books (see "Arctic = Resources"). Add=20 laminated articles or photos from magazines such as National = Geographic=20 Kids and Science World, and props such as toy animals, furry=20 earmuffs, mittens, ski goggles, maps, and a globe. Then introduce = your unit=20 with the Animals of the Arctic Tundra Reproducible, = below.=20 Invite students to record their questions and discoveries in "Arctic = Field=20 Journals," decorated with their own drawings of tundra animals. You can = also=20 create a quick and easy KWL chart by having students add = sticky notes=20 to an Arctic map.

Camouflage Coats Many tundra animals (such as foxes, hares, wolves, = and polar=20 bears) and tundra birds (such as snowy owls and terns) grow white outer = fur or=20 white feathers to help camouflage them on the snow-covered winter=20 landscape.
Activity: To help students understand how = camouflage works, add a tundra ecosystem model to your Arctic reading = center.=20 Fill up a plastic swimming pool with white quilt batting, white paper = strips,=20 and crumpled white tissue paper. Have students brainstorm additional = materials=20 that they can arrange to resemble the snowy tundra. Then invite them to = add=20 photographs, drawings, clay models, and stuffed versions of some of the = tundra=B4s=20 permanent animal and bird residents. Once these are all in place, ask = students=20 to step back to view the tundra scene they=B4ve created. Does the snowy = landscape=20 help or hinder their ability to spot the creatures? Why? =

Wolf=20 Packs and Fox Kits Arctic wolves and Arctic foxes share many traits. = Both live=20 in groups (either packs or kits), and have an important = part to=20 play in the Arctic ecosystem. But wolves are much larger and hunt large = mammals,=20 such as caribou.
Activity: Invite students to form = two=20 teams, the Arctic Wolves and the Arctic Foxes. Encourage them to find = out how=20 their chosen animal lives and survives. What are its habits, life cycle, = and=20 adaptations to the harsh cold? What is the sound of its call? As each = team=20 presents their new knowledge to the class, have students create Venn = diagrams=20 (labeled "wolves," "foxes," "both") with words or illustrations. Teams = can use=20 the diagrams to write collaborative books on their animals, complete = with team=20 logos.

Bundled in Fur Many Arctic animals, such as musk oxen, wolves, and = foxes,=20 grow two layers of fur to help insulate their bodies in subzero = winter=20 temperatures. The animals shed this extra layer each spring, when = temperatures=20 rise and the extra layer is no longer needed. =
Activity: To=20 demonstrate how extra fur benefits animals, fill the bottom of a cooler = or tank=20 with ice. Invite students to take turns putting on a pair of cotton = garden=20 gloves, which represent a single coat of fur. On one hand, slide a large = leather=20 glove over the cotton glove to represent an animal=B4s additional coat = of fur.=20 Then have the student hold both hands above the ice for a minute or two. = Which=20 hand stays the warmest? Why? Give each student a chance to try this = experiment.=20
Shallow Roots in the Soil Only the top few inches of tundra soil = thaw in the=20 summer because the ground beneath it is permafrost. Since roots = can=B4t=20 penetrate or thrive in frozen soil, they grow horizontally instead of=20 vertically. This is a key reason why tundra trees are short-shallow = roots don=B4t=20 anchor tall trees very well!
Activity: Invite = students to=20 try growing their own plants with shallow roots. Have small groups of = students=20 each put an inch of soil in a clear container and add fast-growing = seeds. As=20 students care for the plants, ask them to observe how long the seedlings = thrive=20 in shallow soil, which way the roots grow, and whether or not the plants = sprout.

Willows in the (Arctic) Wind Tundra willow trees grow to only about = 6" tall=20 and hug the ground to escape the fierce Arctic winds, which would topple = taller=20 trees. In the winter, snow blankets these little trees and protects them = from=20 sharp tundra ice crystals.
Activity: Invite = students to=20 create models to demonstrate the effect of wind on trees of different = sizes.=20 Have them twist two pipe cleaners together to create a tree trunk, = leaving about=20 1" loose at one end to represent the roots. Have them attach and shape=20 pipe-cleaner branches that extend in several directions. Then ask = students to=20 shape another pair of pipe cleaners into a tiny, short tree with long, = low limbs=20 and roots. "Plant" both trees in a mound of clay "soil" and press firmly = onto a=20 tabletop. Ask students to blow on the trees as hard as they can. How do = the two=20 trees respond? What happens when tall trees are exposed to strong, = sustained=20 wind?
The Dark Days of Winter Arctic residents experience a unique=20 phenomenon each year. For a few months every winter, the only source of = light is=20 the moon=B4s reflection on the snow, leaving darkness both night and = day. But for=20 most of the summer, the sun stays above the horizon, making it bright = and sunny=20 throughout both day and night.
Activity: Invite = students to=20 compare and contrast the facts and myths surrounding this Arctic = phenomenon with=20 an imaginative writing activity. First, talk with students about the = Inuit, the=20 indigenous people of the Arctic region. Their communities would endure = the long=20 winter months of cold and darkness with singing, drumming, games, and = story=20 telling, especially of myths and legends. Share with students the Inuit = myth of=20 "Crow Brings Daylight," which can be found at www.planetozkids.com/oban/crodayli.htm. Then invite = them to=20 write their own legends or stories about Arctic darkness using gel pens = on black=20 construction paper. Their stories will twinkle on a dark bulletin board! = Once=20 students have shared their stories with the rest of the class, reveal = the=20 facts using the diagram available at www.athropolis.com/popup/sunrise.htm, and the Earth = Viewer=20 link at www.athropolis.com/links/arctic.htm.

Compact and Comfortable Arctic animals typically have large, thick = bodies=20 (such as musk oxen, caribou, or polar bears) or small, compact ones = (such as=20 Arctic hares or Arctic foxes), and most also have short limbs, ears, and = noses.=20 This means less surface area of their bodies is exposed to the tundra's = freezing=20 temperatures.
Activity: Students can learn how = Arctic=20 animals=B4 bodies retain body heat with this easy experiment. Fill a = tall, plastic=20 soda bottle with water at room temperature. Pour the same amount of = water into a=20 short plastic tub with a larger diameter. Refrigerate both containers = for about=20 20 minutes. Then have students measure the temperature of each container = and=20 compare. Ask: Did the temperature of the bottle=B4s water drop faster = than that of=20 the tub=B4s? Why?
The Tundra Comes to Life Some Arctic animals and = birds have=20 adapted to survive the harsh winters, while others live there only in = the=20 summer. These creatures arrive in spring to raise their young and eat = the=20 abundant food. In the winter, they migrate southward to warmer climates. = Every=20 tundra animal, bird, and plant plays a crucial role in a food chain.=20
Activity: Ask students to each pick an animal that = lives on=20 the tundra and research more about its life cycle. Ask students: When = does your=20 animal live on the tundra? How does it fit into an Arctic food chain? = Then ask=20 them to illustrate this chain on a large sheet of paper, with a speech = bubble=20 drawn beside each animal or plant. Inside the bubbles, have students = write a=20 sentence from each organism=B4s perspective describing how the organism=20 contributes to the chain of life. For example, in a chain of a poppy = flower, an=20 Arctic hare, and an Arctic fox, the hare=B4s speech bubble could say, "I = eat=20 poppies. Sometimes I become food for foxes," while the fox=B4s bubble = could say,=20 "I eat hares, lemmings, and fish. My waste fertilizes the tundra soil." =

Growing at the Speed of Summer Summer on the tundra is very short, so = plants=20 must make efficient use of the long daylight hours. They = photosynthesize=20 constantly, using energy from the sun to make food, which allows them to = bloom=20 at a fast rate.
Activity: Invite students to = explore the=20 effect of extended daylight on the growth of plants. Together with = students,=20 prepare two identical pots of soil, and plant the same kind of = fast-growing=20 seeds (such as grass or marigolds) in both. Place one pot in an area = where the=20 plant will be exposed to the natural pattern of daylight and night, and = the=20 other in an area where a fluorescent plant light (available at gardening = stores)=20 can shine on it 24 hours a day. Then have students observe and compare = the=20 plants daily. Ask: Did extended exposure to light speed the plant=B4s = growth rate?=20 Why?
Mackie Rhodes is an = education writer=20 based in Greensboro, NC. Her most recent professional books are = Teaching=20 with Favorite Back-to-School Books (Scholastic, 2004) and Teaching=20 about Winter Holidays with Favorite Picture = Books (Scholastic,=20 2003). Illustrations by Patrick Girouard. This article = was=20 originally published in the January/February 2004 issue of = Instructor.

About the Author

Mackie Rhodes is the author of two recent professional development = books for=20 teachers, Teaching With Favorite Kevin Henkes Books (Scholastic, = 2002)=20 and Teaching with Favorite Patricia Polacco Books (Scholastic, = 2002).=20

Teacher=20 Store=20
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Habitats: Arctic Tundra

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Students learn about the Arctic = tundra=20 and compare it to other ecosystems, then compose a poem about this = unique=20 environment.

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Life in the Arctic Tundra

Take students on an imaginary expedition to the frozen desert of the = Arctic

Habitats: Arctic Tundra

Science Interactive Packs: Animal Life Cycles