Conservation

3. Mystery exercise

Required Resources

• Student Worksheet 1a-1d
• Video: Military training on Salisbury Plain

Delivery

• Students will now complete a Mystery Exercise. Divide the class into small groups of 3 or 4. Explain that students are going to use a variety of sources of information to solve the following scientific mystery:
• Marsh fritillary butterflies are a threatened and declining species throughout the UK but there has been a population explosion on Salisbury Plains. How has this happened?
• Distribute one copy of Student Worksheet 1a-1d to each student. You should ensure that students fully understand the task before they start to review the materials. Advise students to highlight any pieces of information that could help them to produce their report. Once students have had time to review this information you should the accompanying video to the class.
• The students report should be presented under the following headings:
• Habitat: Describe the marsh fritillary's habitat.
• Human activity: What human activities impact on the marsh fritillary's habitat? Is human activity having a positive or negative impact? Provide evidence to support your answer.
• Conservation: How can marsh fritillary butterflies be conserved?
• Conclusion: Marsh fritillary butterflies are a threatened and declining species throughout the UK but there has been a population explosion on Salisbury Plains. How has this happened?
• This could be presented as a poster, written report or PowerPoint presentation. You should choose the report format that suits your class abilities and access to resources. This has not been stipulated in the Student Worksheet.
• Some key ideas that students should be including in their presentations can be downloaded in the Teacher Notes.

Differentiation

Lower Ability:

Mixed ability groups. Presentation format can be differentiated by lower ability students producing posters. A writing frame and key words could can be provided.

Higher Ability:

Higher ability students could present the more complex elements of the presentation.