Use of Concept/ Definition Map in the Science Classroom

For this week, our task was to look through the articles we have completed blog posts on for the last few weeks and choose three words to focus on for its vocabulary. When Perel and I were discussing the three terms we wanted to focus on this week, we wanted to make sure we selected vocabulary terms that students would encounter while learning about the different food chains that have been observed across the globe. In our discussion we were able to narrow down our top three words to food web/chain, ecology, and ecosystems. We chose the word food chains from our first article called “Disappearing sea Ice could Disrupt Arctic’s food web” because the overall topic we have been focusing on over the past three weeks was on aquatic or marine food chains/ food webs.

For one to identify new food chains, researchers must be able to look within the habitat and community where organisms dwell their end. The term use to describe this community is referred to as an ecosystem which was found in our second article called “Natego Marine Food Chain”. From this term there are countless food chains that can be identified in environments such as terrestrial, meadow, tundra, freshwater, and marine. The final word we agreed to focus on was ecology from our third article called “Researchers show that smaller area means not only fewer species but also shorter food chains”. We felt that this term is one of the most important terms in comprehending how food chains work because if our students do not know how animals behave in their environment, then they will also be uncertain of how to imagine the impact food chains would undergo if a link to the food chain was either lacking or nonexistent.

When discussing the use of the graphic organizers to enhance student vocabulary, we agreed on the following list. These graphic organizers include definition map, the Frayer model, a Knowledge map and a knowledge ladder. We felt as though these graphic organizers would be beneficial for our students to use because the knowledge map and ladder both allow for students to expand upon their prior knowledge and form connections with the new concepts and vocabulary they are exposed to in class. In the use of the definition map and the Frayer model, these models allow for students to go beneath the surface level of the definition of the word to increase comprehension. After our deliberation, I selected the word food chains with the use of the definition model. This graphic organizer is comprised of four sections which are the word, what is the word, examples of the word, and then what is it like? (Buehl, 2014). The sole purpose of using this graphic organizer is to allow for students to expand upon the mere definition of a word to allow for students to be able to make more solid connections to terminology seen in the sciences. McLaughlin mentions that “Students need to do much more than write a word’s definition to make the word part of their working vocabulary. They need to talk about words; feel comfortable using them when reading, speaking, and writing, and use them in a variety of context.” (McLaughlin, 2015, p. 105). By having students determine the definition, examples of the vocabulary word, and what the word is like allows for students to be able to view the word in different context to enhance student’s comfort levels in using vocabulary both in and out of the classroom (The image of my completed definition map is below the last paragraph).

In my use of the definition map, I had the word food chain in the word bubble. Above the what is it bubble; I wrote a system in which one organism is dependent on one of a lower status to obtain food and maintain survival. For the examples of food chains, I wrote the words marine, freshwater, terrestrial, and tundra due to the ideal that different environmental conditions would give rise to seeing a difference in observed food chains. In the final component of the definition map, I wrote about each of the four organisms that make up one link in the food chain. In the top bubble I wrote algae as a primary producer. This organism is able to utilize sunlight energy in order to supply its own food which would characterize it as an autotroph. In the second bubble, I wrote phytoplankton because the bulk of the articles Perel and I have looked through focused a great deal on aquatic food chains. The phytoplankton is classified as both and herbivore and heterotroph because it is dependent on algae to obtain food. In moving up the food chain, small fish are classified as carnivores because it feeds on the phytoplankton to obtain the necessary nutrients needed for survival. In the final link of the food chain, the top predator would be a shark due to their mere presence resulting in organisms in lower links of the food chain to adapt to their environment in the hope of surviving and being able to pass on their traits to the next generation.

References:

Buehl, D. (2014). Classroom Strategies for Interactive Learning (4^th ed.). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

McLaughlin, M. (2015). Content Area Reading: Teaching and Learning for College and Career Readiness. Pearson Education.