Frogs as environmental

indicators Year level: 3–6

L418 Environmental evaluation project: frog pond habitat. Copyright Education Services Australia Ltd.

About the unit

Unit description

Students examine the important role frogs play in their terrestrial ecosystems and why they are considered ‘environmental indicators’.

Knowledge, understandings, skills, values

·  Frogs are amphibians requiring certain environment conditions for survival.

·  Frogs are sensitive to environmental changes.

·  Frogs are environmental bio-indicators.

Focus questions

·  What do frogs need for survival?

·  What are some threats leading to the decline in frog numbers?

·  What is an environmental bio-indicator?

·  How are frog populations under threat?


Resources

Digital curriculum resources

/ L418 Environmental evaluation project: frog pond habitat
L6358 Make it alive: spotted tree frogs (habitat decline)
L1144 Food chains: the wetlands
/ R6755 'Lift Off' – Upwardly mobile frogs

Internet sites

·  Frogs Australia network: http://www.frogsaustralia.net.au/

·  All about frogs for kids and teachers: http://www.kiddyhouse.com/

·  A frog's life: http://www.waterwatchadelaide.net.au/

·  Froggy Frenzy Teacher resource pack, available at http://waterwatchadelaide.net.au/ under 'A frog’s life'

·  What can be done to save our frogs: http://www.savethefrogs.com

·  Creating a frog friendly habitat in the suburbs: http://www.lifeinthesuburbs.net.au (look in ‘Habitat guidelines’)

·  Frogs of the Murray–Darling Basin: http://www.mdba.gov.au/

·  The Amphibian Research Centre (tadpole kits for the classroom): http://frogs.org.au/

·  The somewhat amusing world of frogs: http://www.latham.dropbear.id.au/ (look in ‘frogs’)

·  A thousand friends of frogs: http://cgee.hamline.edu/ (type ‘frogs’ in search engine)

·  The case of the missing Anurans: http://cgee.hamline.edu/ (type ‘anurans’ in search engine)

·  How toxins in the environment affect frogs: http://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/ (type ‘why study frogs’ in search engine)

·  Threats to frogs: http://www.savethefrogs.com

·  Images of amphibians in the Murray–Darling Basin: http://images.mdba.gov.au/

·  Plants that attract frogs to gardens: http://www.kmc.nsw.gov.au/ (type ‘plants that attract frogs’ in search engine)

·  Wordle: http://wordle.net

·  VoiceThread: http://voicethread.com/

Print

·  Tiddalick the Frog, Susan Nunes and Ju-Hong Chen, Simon and Schuster, 1991

·  Lester and Clyde, James H Reece, Ashton Scholastic, 1976

·  Spotted Grass Frog, Greg Pyers, Echidna Books, 2004

·  Frogs and Tadpoles of Australia, Marion Anstis, Young Reed, 2007

·  Amazing Frogs and Toads, Barry Clarke and Jerry Young, Random House, 1990

·  Tale of a Tadpole, Karen Wallace, DK Publishing, 1998

·  First Field Guide to Australian Frog and Reptiles, S Parish, Steve Parish Publishing, 1997

·  Amazing Facts About Australian Frogs and Reptiles, P Slater and S Parish, Steve Parish Publishing, 1997

·  Australian Frogs, C MacLulich, Scholastic Australia, 1996

Other resources

·  Blue paint or food colouring

·  Bubble fluid

·  Dried grass and leaves

·  Paper and fineliner pens

Attached printable resources

The following teacher-created learning resources referred to in the unit of work are available for you to modify, print and use in your own teaching and learning context:

·  Frog decline factor diagram

·  Threats–solutions chart


Teaching the unit

Setting the scene

Resources

·  Wordle: http://wordle.net

·  Non-fiction texts in the Resources list

·  Frogs of the Murray–Darling Basin poster: http://www.mdba.gov.au/

Teaching and learning activities

Introduce the term ‘environmental bio-indicator’. Explore the concept.

Explore frog habitats. Where are frogs found? What conditions do they require for survival?

Investigating

Resources

·  R6755 'Lift Off' – Upwardly mobile frogs

·  L1144 Food chains: the wetlands

·  L418 Environmental evaluation project: frog pond habitat

·  Frog decline factor diagram (page 9)

·  Threats–solutions chart (page 8)

·  Lester and Clyde, James H Reece, Ashton Scholastic, 1976

·  Amazing Facts About Australian Frogs and Reptiles, P Slater and S Parish, Steve Parish Publishing, 1997

·  A frog's life: http://www.waterwatchadelaide.net.au/

·  Froggy Frenzy Teacher resource pack, available at http://waterwatchadelaide.net.au/ under 'A frog’s life'

·  VoiceThread: http://voicethread.com/

Teaching and learning activities

What are the leading causes of decline in frog populations? Investigate factors. Detail the causes using the attached Frog decline factor diagram (page 9).

Invite a field expert (eg a Frog Watch environmental education officer) to discuss important habitat requirements for frogs.

~

Visit a local waterway. Take photos and report on its suitability as a frog habitat. Is it polluted? What human impacts can be seen? Test the water quality. Record results for water temperature, turbidity, pH. Dip net to survey water bugs living in this waterway. Are they tolerant or sensitive to pollution?

~


Discuss frogs’ reliance on unpolluted waterways.

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Read Lester and Clyde to investigate how a frog’s habitat can change. Discuss the habitat and compare the frogs’ pond to the ones Lester visited. Discuss and list the changes made to the different habitats in the story.

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Download the Froggy Frenzy Teacher Resource Pack to explore the ways human have impacted upon frogs. How does climate change impact on frog communities?

View R6755 ‘Lift Off’ – Upwardly mobile frogs. List all the things that pose a threat to the frogs. Have students discuss whether Australian frogs face the same threats. Can changes in the environment be harmful or helpful to frogs?

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Research the current threats to frog populations. Which species are extinct and why? How can these threats be reduced or prevented?

Organise threats and possible solutions to threats using the attached Threats–solutions chart (page 8).

Investigate frog symmetry. Cut a coloured frog image in half and have students recreate the missing half using various drawing media such as oil pastels, chalk or coloured pencils.

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Investigate how frogs are important to our environment. Introduce a simple food chain by viewing L1144 Food chains: the wetlands. Have students create their own food chains. Discuss what happens if frogs disappear from the food chain.

What makes frogs good bio-indicators?

Extension activities

View L418 Environmental evaluation project: frog pond habitat and explore why a frog population is declining. Investigate factors like water quality, habitat loss and predation by introduced species. Build a food web for the pond.

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Present a news broadcast on the current plight of frogs. Students script their broadcast and record using VoiceThread. Broadcast to a younger grade.

Contact your local council to enquire about their policies on healthy waterways.

Research if there are any factors affecting the survival of frogs in your local area.

Assessment

Design the perfect environment for frog survival. Label your design, justifying the features you have included.

Imagine you are a frog. Write a letter to humans outlining the hazards they present to your environment.


Use L418 Environmental evaluation project: frog pond habitat to determine which species has the greatest impact on frog populations. Build a report using the evidence collected to support your conclusions.

Bringing it all together

Resources

·  Threats to frogs: http://www.savethefrogs.com/

Teaching and learning activities

Design a frog pond for your school to provide a habitat for local frog species.

Become a journalist and script an interview with a frog about their habitat and how it affects their life.

Extension activities

List all the positive and negative environmental factors affecting frogs. Use these factors to create a board game similar to ‘Snakes and ladders’ to teach younger students about environmental changes and human activities that have an impact on frogs’ lives.

Drawing conclusions

Teaching and learning activities

Investigate the school grounds for a possible habitat to attract frogs and propose the construction of a pond. Approach local businesses or the local council for assistance in building the frog pond.

Your proposal must include an action plan with diagrams to show the steps in construction, the plants, materials and management required and the positive difference you will make to the frog population in your area.

Assessment

Draw or write about how frogs are important in our environment.

Communicating

Teaching and learning activities

Design posters displaying how we can all help frog communities.

Invite students to become members of the Frogs Australia Network: http://www.frogsaustralia.net.au


Writer: Antonina Fieni

The material in this unit of work may contain links to internet sites maintained by entities not connected to Education Services Australia Ltd and which it does not control (‘Sites’).

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© Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise

Frogs as environmental indicators 9

Threats–solutions chart

Name / Class / Date

Research the current threats to frog populations. How can these threats be reduced or prevented?

List threats and propose possible solutions to threats in Threats–solutions chart.

Threats to frog populations / Possible solutions
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Frog decline factor diagram

Name / Class / Date

What are the leading causes of decline in frog populations? List three key factors.

Key factors

Select one key factor to investigate in detail.

© Education Services Australia Ltd, 2010, except where indicated otherwise

Frogs as environmental indicators 9