Basic Needs for Survival on Mars

Teacher's Notes

In grade one most students are not strong readers, or perhaps not readers at all. The intent of this unit is to get students familiar with the process of making and recording their observations using a systematic and scientific way.

This unit also helps students understand that all living things have basic needs which must be satisfied in order for them to survive. Students can then consider the basic needs of humans undertaking a mission to Mars which lasts as long as two or three years.

This is an extended activity that should last during the winter months.

Please! Do not set up a bird feeder and then abandon it during the winter. Your feeder will develop a unique family of its own birds who will come to depend upon your diligence for their survival. Your birds could come to harm if you abandon their feeder mid-winter or before they can forage elsewhere for themselves.

Things to Emphasize

  1. Living things require energy.
  2. Living things get energy from the food they consume.
  3. The energy in food comes from the energy in sunlight.
  4. Green plants convert sunlight into food energy.
  5. Nuts, seeds, and berries all contain energy.
  6. Many living things have behaviour patterns which occur in cycles, such as cycles of sleep, cycles of eating, and cycles of having offspring.
  7. If humans make long journeys they must be able to satisfy their requirements for food, sleep, work, recreation and exercise in order to stay healthy.
  8. Science investigation involves a multi-step inquiry process: ask an initial question, plan the investigation, record observations and collect data, analyse data to draw a conclusion, and communicate the findings.
aha!

An experiment

Humans usually like to have three (sometimes four) meal times everyday. For humans these meal times are morning, midday and evening. What about other animals? Do they eat at regular times each day or do they snack and forage constantly? Does the weather have a role to play in the feeding behaviour of some animals? Do all animals like to eat the same kinds of things?

Calendar
Transparency Master
Overview

These and other questions can be investigated by building a simple bird feeder. For grade one students, a daily observation chart should be created as shown in the figure to the left.

This monthly calendar can be drawn on a large sheet of cardboard or show-card, and posted on a classroom bulletin board. Each day a selected student can record the daily observation.

Weather icons can be coloured and then glued onto the calendar each day so that written observations are not required.

  1. Fair and Clear Weather Icons
  2. Partly Cloudy Weather Icons
  3. Overcast Weather Icons
  4. Rainy Weather Icons
  5. Snowy Weather Icons

Procedure

This experiment requires fairly simple materials.
  1. A bird feeder (make your own, borrow one, or improvise).
  2. A supply of bird feed. ( A great fall activity is to have students collect seeds, nuts and berries as a classroom activity. These can be dried and stored as a food supply for your feeder during the winter. You will need about 10L of food per month for a busy feeder.)

A simple feeder can be made using four large juice cans (about 2L each) set up on a post with "bungee cords" to hold down the rain cover. The diagram below shows how this is built.

Bird The dimensions are not critical. A much smaller feeder could be built using a single juice can.

If possible, place the feeder where it can be easily observed by the class from within their classroom.

 Bird The top should be secured with sturdy bungee cord or with webbing (the kind with buckles that can be tightened like those used on knapsacks or some car-top ski racks)

Most libraries will have books to help you build the ideal feeder for birds in your area. Ask your librarian for assistance.

Pick a consistent time for daily observation of your feeder each week, e.g. mid-morning for week 1, mid-afternoon for week 2 etc. Have students record their observations on a pictograph. (Blackline Master). Totals can then be transferred to the weather observation chart.

aha!

Key Ideas and Outcomes

This project achieves several important outcomes in early learners:

  1. It helps students develop skills and strategies for pattern recognition.
  2. It helps cultivate environmental awareness.
  3. It facilitates an understanding and appreciation of the needs of living things.
  4. Even in large cities, your bird feeder will probably attract other creatures (not just birds), such as squirrels and raccoons. Students will have an opportunity to learn about the behaviour of other animals.
what if...

Topics for class discussion

  1. Do all kinds of birds have the same eating habits?

  2. Is there a favourite time of day for birds to eat?

  3. Is there a favourite kind of weather in which birds prefer to eat?

  4. Many birds have very specific eating habits. For some a diet of hard nuts is what they prefer; for others, insects and grubs are best; some can only eat soft berries while still others prefer minnows and small fish.

    Is it possible to guess the eating habits of a bird from the shape of its beak?

  5. What might happen if every bird ate the same kind of food?

  6. Can humans easily change their eating patterns? For example, could humans manage on one (large) meal a day instead of two or three smaller meals?

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    Prepared by YES I Can! Science
    Faculty of Pure and Applied Science
    York University