During the course of this lab, students will mimic the patterns of herons in their natural ecosystem. Herons in the wild feed at lakes, ponds, and other water sources. They lack posable thumbs or hands that allow for grasping needed items to survive. Their long legs also pose a possible behavioral problem with feeding. The heron has a beak that has adapted for survival and ends in a very spear-like end. The herons use their beak to spear food and bring it to their head level in order to feed.
The students used a straw, a cup containing 500 ml of water, and three swedish fish. The students will clasp their hands behind their backs and only use the straw to collect the fish from the cup. They must spear all three fish within 7 minutes.
The first part of the inquiry is for students to gain a greater understanding of what it is like to use structural features to survive in the wild.
The students then were presented with the problem of environmental pollution. They were asked if the water was polluted, how would that have impacted the birds that ate 1, 2, or 3 fish. The overall goal was for students to understand that birds are highly susceptible to pollution in their food supply. The birds would most likely have died that had eaten three fish, two would have had genetic deformities that were seen in future generations, and those who ate one or less would have had virtually no effect. The students discussed how we were able to see those effects of pollution as an early effect on humans and that birds were a quick indicator of a healthy ecosystem.
