Supplementary Information

 

On the very first day I give the students a reading and a worksheet that covers the general facts of the Adirondack park. Since the worksheet follows the reading paragraph by paragraph, small groups can be assigned paragraphs and a final summary can be done on the chalk board. It surprises me how few students know about the park, its size and its location.

 

On the second day, I show them a poster illustrating the Park's biomes. "The Adirondack Park- A park of People and Natural Wonder". It is illustrated by Anne Lacy 1994 and produced by the Adirondack Council (518) 873-2240. It illustrates the biomes in the Adirondack Park (see the next page) I have the students pick a biome they would be interested in and create small groups of no more than five. Each group is then given a work sheet to complete in the library. While researching their biome, each group is responsible for their worksheet and their sketches. Then we go back to the class room to create! Please see the photos that were taken of our first attempt with this lesson. It is a great feeling to share the beauty of the Adirondack Park with children. Enjoy! Pam

 

 

BIOMES OF THE ADIRONDACK PARK

 

Alpine Meadow

 

Animals- Common raven, ruby crowned kinglet, blackpoll warbler, boreal chickadee

 

Plants- Cinquefoil, bilberry, crowberry, lichen, diapensia, lapland rosebay

 

Beaver Flow

 

Animals-Tree swallow, wood duck,beaver, hooded merganser

 

Plants- Aspen trees

 

Bog

 

Animals- Birds, insects need to be researched more.

 

Plants- Labrador tea, leather leaf, bog rosemary, bog laurel, tamarack tree, pitcher plant, black

 

spruce, grass pink.

 

Boreal Forest

 

Animals- Red squirrel, snow shoe hare, white throated sparrow

 

Plants- Gold thread, bunchberry, mayflower, star flower, clintonia, trillium, balsam fir, red spruce

 

Brook

 

Animals- Mink, black bear, toad, mourning cloak butterfly

 

Plants- Trillium, hobble bush, trout lily

 

Farm Fields

 

Animals- Blue bird, red fox, Canadian geese, goldfinch, turkey vulture, bobolink

 

Plants- Apple tree, bull thistle, golden rod, Aster, black eyed susan, deptford pink

 

Hardwood Forest

 

Animals- Chipmunk, white tailed deer

 

Plants- Hemlock, yellow birch, sugar maple, American beech, red spruce

 

Lake

 

Animals- Loon, osprey

 

Plants- White cedar, white pine, pink lady's slipper, sheep laurel

 

River

 

Animals- Belted kingfisher, merganser, otter

 

Plants- Cardinal flower, turtle head, closed gentian

 

River Valley Community

 

Animals- Cedar waxwing, peregrine falcon

 

Plants- Redpine tree, wild columbine, bluets, reindeer lichen
Return to Challenge