The Greatest Lakes
Can the Lakes Survive Us?
by Timothy McDonnell
Victor Jr. High School
Victor, New York
Photo of zebra mussel, the little invasive
species that has caused big problem for the Lakes.
With Adaptations from Lessons from
T.E.A.C.H. from Great Lakes Net,
Life in the Great Lakes from Ohio Sea Grant,
and Pop-Up Population by Ed Bonne and
Garbage in the Lakes by Kim Woodarek, Carol Clarke, and David
Wagner
CONNECTIONS TO THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHY STANDARDS:
The geographically aware person knows…
Std. 4 - The physical and human characteristics of places.
Std. 14 - How human actions modify the physical environment.
Std. 18 - How to apply geography to interpret the present
and plan for the future.
CONNECTIONS TO THE NEW YORK STATE STANDARDS FOR
MATH, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY:
Std. 4.2 (Physical Setting) - Many of the phenomena that we
observe on Earth involve interactions among components of air, water,
and land.
Std. 4.7 (Living Environment) - Human decisions and activities
have had a profound impact on the physical and living environment.
OBJECTIVES: (to know, to do, and to be like)
1. Using maps and other geographic tools, the students will list
the various pollutants that plague the Great Lakes and their sources.
2. They will will graphically represent the population density of
the Lakes, and the resulting pollution caused by modern life.
3. By playing a simulation activity, they will describe the impact
of pollution on the ecological balance of life in the Great Lakes.
4. The will investigate exotic species that have invaded the Great
Lakes watershed, the consequences of that invasion, and possible solutions
to the problem.
MATERIALS:
Activity Worksheet (in pdf format); Life
in the Great Lakes booklet from Ohio Sea Grant, large outline maps
of the five Great Lakes, Pop-Up Population list,
peanuts or crackers, Hershey’s Kisses, Legos©, atlases or map of
North America, internet connection.
PROCEDURES:
NOTE: This lesson may seem very long, so it is suggested that you choose one or two sections that fit your curriculum best. The answer sheet is adaptable.
Section 1: Pollution Overview
1. Have students log on to the T.E.A.C.H. section of Great Lakes
Net (http://www.great-lakes.net/teach/pollution/).
First, have them use the Glossary link to find the definitions for terms
used in this lesson (eutrophication, benthic, ballast, exotic species, etc.)
2. Next, instruct them to read over the six pages from Water Pollution
in the Great Lakes. Test their understanding of these concepts by playing
a Bingo game. Students are given a blank Bingo board, and they write the
words pertinent to the Great Lakes and pollution problems on the board, with
FREE in the middle. Instead of just picking words at random, the teacher should
give a definition of the term, and the students will mark that square if
they have it.
Section 2: Population and Pollution
3. There is a definite relationship between population density and
pollution. A great way to demonstrate this is to do the activity called
Pop-Up Population by Ed Bonne of the Michigan Geographic
Alliance and Garbage in the Lakes by Kim Woodarek, Carol Clarke,
and David Wagner of the New York Geographic Alliance. Draw a large map
of the Great Lakes on the floor or on a sidewalk or make a rough outline
with string or yarn.
4. Assign each student one or two cities in the Great Lakes watershed.
Refer to the Population of Metropolitan Areas list. Each city’s population is represented to scale by a number of
Legos© or chips. Have the students stack the Legos© and place
the stack on the Great Lakes map. If they don’t know the location of the
city, have them look it up on a map or atlas.
5. Once the map is completed, discuss with the class where people
live in the greatest numbers. Do they have a theory why the Lake Erie region
has more people than the Lake Superior region?
6. Have the students stand by the largest city with one foot in the
lake. Distribute them a bag of peanuts. For a class of 25, one peanut for
Lake Superior, 8 for Lake Michigan, 2 for Lake Huron, 9 for Lake Erie, and
6 for Lake Ontario. Let them eat the peanuts, and instruct them to “dump”
the shells into the lake, representing biodegradable waste.
7. Follow the same procedure for the Hershey’s Kisses©. Dump
the wrappers into the Lakes to represent non-biodegradable waste.
8. Have the step and observe the mess they created. Discuss with
the students the problem of eutrophication, and the long range
effects of chemical wastes.
Section 3: Food Chains and Pyramids
9. The next activity is a game developed by Ohio Sea Grant from their
book Life in the Great Lakes. You can order the book from their web
page (http://www.sg.ohio-state.edu/PUBLICATIONS/INDEX.HTM).
Refer to the lesson titled “Who Can Harvest a Walleye?” on page 55. It
explains how to set up the game board (designed to look like a food pyramid),
and how to keep track of the biomass of the system. The goal is to harvest
enough walleye to feed one person.
10. Review with the students the vocabulary on page 57. They need
this background to play the game successfully.
11. Allow the students to play the Walleye game. Make sure they record
the biomass of algae, shad, walleye, and people on the chart from page
58.
12. When they have completed the game, discuss the results with them.
How is this simulation like a real community? How is it artificial?
Section 4: Exotic and Invasive Species
13. Although this is not a factor in the Walleye game, the native
community of the Lakes is very threatened by exotic species. A famous example
is the zebra mussel, which came to the Great Lakes from Europe by
foreign vessels emptying their ballast. A good source that shows with
Shockwave animation how the zebra mussels spread through the Lakes and
the Mississippi watershed is http://www.nationalatlas.gov/zmussels1.html.
Have the students go through the animation and answer questions about it
on their worksheet.
14. There are other exotic species impacting life in the Great Lakes.
Assign each group of students a different organism to research. A good
place to start is Great Lakes Net Invasive Species page: http://www.great-lakes.net/envt/flora-fauna/invasive/invasive.html.
15. As a wrap-up have students describe how the Great Lakes will
be changed if the twin problems of pollution and exotic species are not
solved/
SUGGESTED STUDENT ASSESSMENT
1. Assess the worksheet to see if the questions have been answered
correctly.
2. Have students sketch a food web for a native Great Lakes community
and then one with exotic species added to the system.
3. Have them write a short letter to a government official asking
them to protect the Great Lakes. It must contain real scientific documentation.
ADAPTATIONS AND EXTENSIONS:
1. Use internet sources to find out more about projects that are
dealing with problems of pollution and exotic species in the Great Lakes.
2. One of the great pollution tragedies of the Great Lakes region
occurred in Love Canal (Niagara Falls, NY). Have the students research
the history of that neighborhood’s demise.
3. If you are in the Great Lakes region, you might be able to borrow
the Exotic Species kit from your local Sea Grant office. It contains preserved
specimens on zebra mussels, sea lampreys, and more.
4. Use the Great Lakes Atlas to expand on this lesson.
It has maps of population, areas of concern, and a discussion of invasive
species. Go to the atlas online site for more information: http://www.on.ec.gc.ca/great-lakes-atlas/intro.html.
