Click on each Finding Common Ground module below for extension and supplemental activities, not included in the print curriculum, and select related Web resources.
| Module 1: In My Own Backyard Module 2: Understanding Habitat: The Temperate Forest Biome Module 3: Exploring Temperate Forests: Biodiversity and Interdependence Module 4: Smithsonian's National Zoo Research and Conservation Module 5: People and the Forest Module 6: What You Can Do! |
Selected Teacher Resources
Download
Module 1 1.2M PDF for a complete list
of teacher resources and for the core activity lesson plan with reproducible
student worksheets.
Forest Biology and Dendrology
(Virginia Tech)
Includes leaf and twig dichotomous keys and useful fact sheets
 |
Module 2 ~ Understanding Habitat: The Temperate Forest Biome
Extension Activity
Hands-on
Forest Field Study 115k PDF
We provide suggestions for conducting field investigations using a forested
plot as a living laboratory.
Selected Teacher Resources
Download
Module 2 1.3M PDF for a complete list
of teacher resources and for the core activity lesson plan with reproducible
student worksheets.
A
Walk in the Forest (Dirt Detective: Trees and Soils Walk, Seasonal
Changes Walk, I.D. a Tree Walk)
Through six interactive field studies, students explore and monitor the biodiversity
of a virtual Virginia forest using authentic scientific methods and tools.
World
Forests and Protected Areas Interactive Map (Smithsonian Conservation
Atlas)
Mission
Biome: Temperate Deciduous Forest (NASA)
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Module 3 ~ Exploring the Temperate Forest: Biodiversity and Interdependence
Supplemental Activity
Rotting
Log Researchers and Decaying Leaf Detectives
Students deepen their understanding of interdependence in the forest community
by examining a virtual and real rotting log habitat.
Supporting Resources
A Walk in the Forest: Forest Layers Walk (Virtual Rotting Log Study)
Selected Teacher Resources
Download
Module 3 1.1M PDF for a complete list of teacher resources and
for the core activity lesson plan with reproducible student worksheets.
China & United States Flora & Fauna
Comparison
Temperate
Forest Flora and Fauna: China and the United
States 535k PDF
Great
Smoky Mountains National Park
Conservation Hotspots and Ecoregions
Mountains
of Southwest China Hotspot (Conservation International)
Appalachian
and Mixed Mesophytic Forests: Ecoregion 69, Nearctic (World Wildlife
Fund)
Southwest
China Temperate Forests: Ecoregion 70, Palearctic (World Wildlife Fund)
Hengduan
Shan Coniferous Forests: Ecoregion 80, Palearctic (World Wildlife Fund)
Conservation Status
2003 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Endangered
Species Program
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Module 4 ~ Smithsonian's National Zoological Park Research and Conservation
Extension Activity
The
Zoo and You! Smithsonian's National Zoological Park Profiles 250k
PDF
Students explore the diversity of science, education, and public relations
careers at the National Zoo through interviews with National Zoo scientists.
Zoo Jobs (Smithsonian's National Zoological Park)
Selected Teacher Resources
Download
Module 4 1.2M PDF for a complete list of teacher resources and
for the core activity lesson plan with reproducible student worksheets.
Behind
the Scenes: Research and Conservation at the National Zoo
395k PDF
What
Do You Do at the Zoo? 395k PDF
Giant Panda Research at the Zoo and in China
PandaCam
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Module 5 ~ People and the Forest: Historical, Cultural, Economic, and Ecological Perspectives
Pre-Activity
Forests
and People: From Ancient Sumer to Appalachia 285k PDF
Students create graphs, timelines, and pie charts to demonstrate how people
have used forests for millennia. They also examine social and cultural perceptions
of forests through time, and explore the impacts of a forest-related issue
on a local community.
Extension Activity
US Habitat Conservation Connection: North American Black Bear
Students make connections between the challenges the giant panda faces in China
with similar conservation challenges in North America by examining the black
bear. "Seeking Safe Passage" (National Wildlife® magazine, June/July 2002,
pp. 18-27) discusses how wildlife corridors in Florida and California have
helped connect isolated black bear habitats, just as in the case of the giant
panda in China. Students can consult these helpful links to learn more about
black bear conservation:
The American Bear Association
(Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary)
Selected Teacher Resources
Download
Module 5 870k PDF for a complete list
of teacher resources and for the core activity lesson plan with reproducible
student worksheets.
Conservation
Challenges and Promising Developments in Temperate Forest and Giant
Panda Conservation
255k PDF
Integrated Conservation Development Projects(ICDPS)
(ZooGoer, January/February 2001, Special Giant
Panda Issue)
World Wildlife
Fund's Panda Action Plan, 1996-present (see ICDPs in Wanglang Reserve)
Reserve Challenges
Endangered
Pandas Not Safe in Chinese Nature Reserve (ENS)
Science
Study Highlights Increasing Threats to Giant Pandas' Survival, WWF
Says
|
Possible
Action Plan: Planning New Habitat 545k PDF
Selected Teacher Resources
Download
Module 6 1.3M PDF for a complete list of teacher resources and for
the core activity lesson plan with reproducible student worksheets.
Basic
Guidelines for Developing Your Class Conservation Action Plan 125k
PDF
Natural Resources Defense Council
Make
a Difference: Be Informed, Be Aware, and Make Choices to Help Biodiversity
"The
Human Footprint and the Last of the Wild" (Bioscience, October
2002, vol. 52 No. 10)
Humans take up 83 percent of the Earth's land surface to live on, farm, mine,
or fish, leaving few areas for wildlife.
Ecological Footprint Quiz
Are you walking lightly or stomping around? Students can see what impact their
actions have on the environment.
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