Building Literacy and Science Knowledge

Building Literacy and Science Knowledge Elk Vanishing Act

UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH

Grades 6-8

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© 2014 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH – BLSK Grades 6-8: Elk Vanishing Act 3


Table of Contents

Introduction

Building Literacy and Science Knowledge (BLSK) Overview .............................................. 9

BLSK Outline ........................................................................................................................ 10

Materials by Task ................................................................................................................ 11

“Elk Vanishing Act” by Christie Wilcox

Task 1.1: Comprehension ................................................................................................... 13

Comprehension of “Elk Vanishing Act” .............................................................................. 19

Task 1.2: Furthering Comprehension ................................................................................ 21

Furthering Comprehension of “Elk Vanishing Act” ............................................................. 26

Task 1.3: Writing to Explain ................................................................................................ 28

Writing to Explain: “Elk Vanishing Act” .............................................................................. 32



Introduction: Elk Vanishing Act



Building Literacy and Science Knowledge (BLSK) Overview

What is this BLSK about? In this BLSK, students will read “Elk Vanishing Act” by Christie Wilcox1. In “Elk Vanishing Act,” Wilcox describes the effect of wolves, among other factors, on the elk population in Yellowstone National Park. Wilcox lays out the work of scientists as they attempt to understand the complex interactions.

To strengthen student learning and understanding, consider how to connect what students learn through this BLSK with the other content they are exploring in the classroom. This BLSK can be used to begin, supplement, or conclude units about a variety of science topics, including ecology, cause and effect, and the work of scientists.

What content and concepts will students learn? Students will learn about:

• how wolves and other factors are affecting the elk population in Yellowstone National Park.

• how scientists are working to understand the causes of the declining elk population. • how research guides the understanding and work of scientists. • using informational text as a source of evidence for writing a scientific explanation.

What practices will students use? Students are supported to develop practices and habits such as how to:

• work from moments within the text to develop text-based interpretations, draw conclusions, and make generalizations.

• comprehend, analyze, and interpret an informational text with assistance and independently.

• read, reread, annotate, and take notes on sections of the text as a means to enhance comprehension.

• participate in routines such as completing quick writes, sharing in pairs/trios, and participating in whole group discussions.

How long will it take to engage students in the BLSK? This BLSK spans approximately three to five instructional days, assuming a 45- to 60-minute class session. The tasks in the BLSK are designed to be implemented sequentially in order to support students to achieve the instructional goals. As such, the pacing of the lessons will depend on the time students need to achieve these goals.

1 Wilcox, C. (2014, May). Elk vanishing act. Discover, 35(4), 58-59.


BLSK Outline

Overarching Questions • According to this text, what factors are causing the decline of the elk

population in Yellowstone National Park? • How do observations, reliable data, and assumptions influence the work of

scientists?

TEXT “Elk Vanishing Act” by Christie Wilcox

1.1 Comprehension What do you learn about the elk in Yellowstone National Park from this text? What moments in the text are getting in the way of your understanding what Wilcox is trying to say?

1.2 Furthering Comprehension What are the different theories about the cause(s) of the decline in the elk population? What evidence is used to support each of these theories?

1.3 Writing to Explain At the end of her article, Wilcox says, “Trout fisherman, bears, wolves, fish, and climate change … collectively shoulder the weight” for the declining elk population. • Based on your understanding of the text, create a visual representation that

shows the contributions of each of the above factors in the decrease of elk in Yellowstone National Park.

• Draft an essay in which you explain your visual representation, using evidence from the text.


Materials by Task

Task Materials

1.1

• “Elk Vanishing Act” by Christie Wilcox • Handout: Comprehension of “Elk Vanishing Act” • Chart: Yellowstone Elk • Chart paper and markers

1.2

• “The Elk Vanishing Act” by Christie Wilcox • Handout: Furthering Comprehension of “Elk Vanishing Act” • Chart: Yellowstone National Park Research • Chart paper and markers • Different color pens or pencils

1.3 • “Elk Vanishing Act” by Christie Wilcox • Handout: Writing to Explain: “Elk Vanishing Act” • Chart paper and markers

Important: Save all created charts throughout the duration of the BLSK.



Task 1.1: Comprehension • What do you learn about the elk in Yellowstone National Park from this text? • What moments in the text are getting in the way of your understanding what

Wilcox is trying to say?

Duration 1-2 class sessions

Why This Task Now? This first task asks students to read Wilcox’s article to (a) determine what she says about the elk in Yellowstone National Park and (b) mark moments that are confusing and difficult to understand. This is the first of several readings students will do. The purpose of this task is twofold: 1. The purpose of “a” is for students to get the gist (big ideas) so that they have a foundation

from which to work for later tasks. 2. The purpose of “b” is for students to identify places of difficulty to unpack and for teachers

to learn what aspects of the text students are finding difficult.

Materials • “Elk Vanishing Act” by Christie Wilcox • Handout: Comprehension of “Elk Vanishing Act” • Chart: Yellowstone Elk • Chart paper and markers

Teaching Approach Setting Up the BLSK: Whole Group (3 minutes) Purpose: To introduce students to the text and the overarching questions of the BLSK. • Let students know that during the next few days they will read, write about, and discuss an

informational text, “Elk Vanishing Act.” • Share the overarching questions that guide the study of this text:

o According to this text, what factors are causing the decline of the elk population in Yellowstone National Park?

o How do observations, reliable data, and assumptions influence the work of scientists?

Setting Up the Task: Whole Group (3 minutes) Purpose: To provide students with clear directions and expectations for the comprehension task on “Elk Vanishing Act.” • Provide students with the handout titled Comprehension of “Elk Vanishing Act” (found on

page 19). • Review the “Purpose” and “Task” sections with students, giving them an opportunity to ask

questions and clarify expectations.


Preparing Students to Read: Whole Group (3 minutes) Purpose: To prepare students to read “Elk Vanishing Act” by discussing two things that make this text challenging: (1) the length of the article and (2) new or unfamiliar information and vocabulary. • Review the “Tips for Reading” section of the Comprehension of “Elk Vanishing Act”

handout with students. • Invite students to share additional tips for dealing with the length of the article or new

information and unfamiliar vocabulary. • Remind students not to get hung up by the unfamiliar vocabulary. Assure them that it’s

okay not to know the words. Instead, they should focus on getting the overall gist (big ideas) of the text during this first reading.

Teacher Note It is hard to predict which words will be unfamiliar to students. As a rule, we encourage you not to front load vocabulary and instead to give student-friendly definitions as needed for comprehension. We also discourage asking students to guess the definitions of unfamiliar words encountered during shared reading, as guessing is likely to distract from comprehension rather than enhance it.

Modeling Process and Thinking: Whole Group (10 minutes) Purpose: To model for students how they should mark the text when reading and to make sure they are ready to read the text independently. • Tell students that you will begin reading “Elk Vanishing Act” aloud as they follow along in

their copy. Remind them of the two things they’ll be marking while reading: 1. Places where you learn something about the elk in Yellowstone National Park 2. Moments that got in the way of your understanding what Wilcox is trying to say

• Display a copy of the text. Begin reading aloud. As you read, mark the text in the same manner that students will mark their copies.

• Stop after reading lines 1-20. Ask students to share what they’ve learned so far about the elk in Yellowstone National Park. Students may share things such as: o Elk live in herds. [lines 5-6] o Mysterious population decline [line 11] o The elk are “swift and unwieldy beasts.” [lines 11-12] o Scientists use GPS collars to track the elks’ movements. [line 12]

• Then ask a few students to share moments where they were confused or unsure of what Wilcox is saying. Mark these places on the displayed copy of the text. As a class, work to untangle a few of the moments. Model unpacking difficult moments in the text aloud. Ask a student to share what he or she now understands based on the unpacking. Clearly identify what was done to untangle the difficult moment.


Teacher Note Pick places in the text where you think students might struggle with meaning, and model your thinking process by verbalizing thoughts while reading or processing information. For example:

• [lines 11-13] “His team fits the swift and unwieldy beasts with GPS collars to track their movements in the vast expanse of the Greater Yellowstone area.” o … I wonder what “swift and unwieldy” means. I think I’ve heard of swift before,

but I’m not really sure what it means. I’ll go back to the text to read around the word to see if there is a definition or clue. (Reread sentence.)

o Right after “swift and unwieldy,” it says beasts, so I’m guessing the words are describing the elk, but I’m still not really sure what it means. I think I’ll look it up. So the definition of swift is “happening quickly or promptly.” That makes sense because I bet elk move pretty fast. So swift is describing the elks’ movements. Unwieldy is probably describing their movement also, but I’m still not really sure exactly what it means so I’ll look that one up also.

o The definition says “difficult to handle, control or deal with.” That would make sense because elk are pretty big and wild.

• [lines 13-15] “Doing so requires hitting the moving targets with tranquilizer darts or nets from the open door of an unsteady helicopter. In windswept mountains. In the winter.” o I’m trying to picture what’s happening in my head. So when it says “hitting the

moving targets,” I’m pretty sure it’s talking about the running elk. So the scientists in the helicopter are chasing after the running elk, trying to hit them with tranquilizer darts.

o I know tranquilizer darts knock animals out by making them fall unconscious. That makes sense because they want to put GPS collars on them, and I already know they are fast and hard to handle.

o It also says “In windswept mountains. In the winter.” I imagine trying to do this in the wind and cold of winter is pretty tough!

Differentiation If most students have the gist of the text thus far and understand how they should be marking the text, ask them to finish the reading on their own. If not, read another paragraph or two of the text aloud and repeat the steps above until students are ready to read the remaining text independently. It’s important that the students have the opportunity to read as much of this text independently as possible.


Monitoring Independent Reading: Individual Work (40 minutes) Purpose: To give students practice in reading a complex text on their own after they’ve been provided some support and modeling for that process with the beginning of the text. • Ask students to finish reading “Elk Vanishing Act,” following the directions on the

Comprehension of “Elk Vanishing Act” handout. • As students are reading, circulate around the room to monitor students’ progress. Be on the

lookout for students who are having difficulty with staying focused or marking the text. If necessary, pull small groups of students together to read the text or review marking the text.

• If students do not finish reading the text in class, ask them to finish reading it for homework.

Important Engage students in the rest of the lesson after they have finished reading “Elk Vanishing Act.”

Monitoring Student Thinking: Pair Work (20 minutes) Purpose: To provide a safe environment with high accountability for students to share their ideas and hear the ideas of others. • Ask students to meet in pairs for about 20 minutes to:

o share and discuss places where the author provides information about the elk in Yellowstone National Park.

o share the places where they were confused or unsure of what Wilcox was trying to say and work together to untangle those difficult moments. If needed, encourage students to use the resources that they have available to them in the classroom.

• Remind students to refer to specific places in the text as they are sharing with their partner.

Important Monitor students’ ideas during the pair work. Make mental notes of students’ misunderstandings about the text and places where they struggled. Use this knowledge to determine points that might need to be clarified during the class discussion.

Guiding Students to Consensus: Whole Group (10-15 minutes) Purpose: To enable students to reach a common understanding about the gist of the text and to determine what students find difficult, interesting, and surprising about the text. • Bring students together as a whole group. • Ask students to share what the author says about the elk in Yellowstone National Park. • Remind students to refer to specific places in the text to support their responses. • Record students’ responses on chart paper, adding line numbers of where in the text the

idea appears. Title the chart Yellowstone Elk. • Next, invite a few students to share moments that got in the way of their understanding of

what Wilcox is trying to say. Support students to articulate what about the moment they found difficult or confusing, and what they did to untangle the moment.


• After one person shares, ask if there are others who marked the same moment and what they found difficult or confusing and how they worked through it.

• Finally, ask students what they found most interesting or surprising about the content of the text.

Teaching Options Visuals, such as photographs or images of elk, Yellowstone National Park, or other plants or animals included in the article, may be helpful during this discussion. It may also be helpful to have a map showing the location of Yellowstone National Park for students who are unaware of its location. Have images ready to show if students bring up these points of confusion or areas where they have questions. Another option is to ask students to find relevant images or materials needed to answer questions outside of class. Ask students to bring the materials back to share with their classmates.

Facilitating Metacognitive Work: Whole Group StepBack (10 minutes) Purpose: To make students aware of the mental processes they used to comprehend the text so that they can apply those processes to reading texts in the future. • Remind students of the earlier conversation they had about text length and new or

unfamiliar information and vocabulary. • Have students share how they managed the length and new or unfamiliar information

and vocabulary. Encourage students to share any new tips they have after working with the text.

Learning Target Below are some examples of what students might say they’ve learned from the text about the elk in Yellowstone National Park. It’s fine at this point if students aren’t grasping every detail. They will have additional opportunities to expand their understanding of ideas in Wilcox’s text.

• Elk were once abundant but are now becoming scarcer—fallen from tens of thousands to just a few thousand. [lines 22-23]

• Elk migrate into Yellowstone National Park. [line 25] • Fewer calves [line 25] • Gray wolves reintroduced to Yellowstone in mid-1990s. Wolves believed to prey on elk and

keep elk population in check. [lines 29-32] • Presence of wolves believed to stress elk, leading to poor female and fewer pregnancies

[lines 36-37] • Fitted 90 female elk and 15 wolves with GPS collars to study movements [lines 52-54] • Elk rarely encounter wolves. [line 71] • No correlation between rate of wolf encounters and the decline of either elk pregnancy

rates or levels of body fat [lines 71-75] • Elk need body fat to survive the cold winter. [line 75]


• More bears kill elk calves than do wolves [lines 87-88] • Bears kill elk calves when fish is scarce. [lines 101-102] • Severe drought leads to reduced grass production. Leads to elk eating nutrient poor food.

This equals undernourished females unable to conceive. [lines 104-108] • Lots of factors are leading to the declining elk population. [lines 109-111]


Comprehension of “Elk Vanishing Act” Purpose Today you will read “Elk Vanishing Act” by Christie Wilcox. This is the first of several readings you’ll do of this text. The purpose of today’s reading is for you to get the gist of the big ideas that Wilcox explores in this text. This will provide you with a foundation for later tasks that ask you to examine ideas in the text in greater detail. You’ll also identify places in the text that you find difficult or confusing and work to unpack them with a partner.

Task Step 1: Individually read “Elk Vanishing Act.” As you read, do two things: • Mark places in the text where you learn something about the elk in Yellowstone

National Park. • Mark places in the text that get in the way of your understanding what Wilcox is

trying to say. Don’t mark every unknown word. Instead, mark places where you are having difficulty figuring out the gist of what Wilcox is trying to say. You don’t need to figure out everything; you can work through moments you still find confusing later with a partner.

Be prepared to share your marked places with a partner.

Step 2: Working with a partner, • share and discuss places where you learned something about the elk in Yellowstone

National Park. • share the places that got in the way of your understanding of what the author was

trying to say. • work together to untangle those places using resources available in the classroom.


Tips for Reading “Elk Vanishing Act” As you’ve probably noticed, “Elk Vanishing Act” is a long text. It also may contain information and vocabulary that might be new or used in a way that is unfamiliar to you. Here are some tips to help you manage the information and unfamiliar vocabulary as you read.

Length • Jot notes in the margins as you read to track what you are learning. • Underline important or recurring ideas. • Stop periodically as you read to make sure you understand what you are reading.

One way is to stop at the end of each section, although you may decide to stop more often. Jot a few notes to capture your ideas.

New Vocabulary • Skip over the term, especially when you’re able to get the gist of the sentence or

passage. • Figure out what the new term represents or describes. For example, does it relate to

other information in the passage you understand? Sometimes that is enough for you to get the gist of what Wilcox is saying.

• Reread the words before and after the term to see if Wilcox defines it. • Mark places where your overall comprehension is halted by the unknown word and

move on. You can return to it at a later time.


Task 1.2: Furthering Comprehension • What are the different theories about the cause(s) of the decline in the elk

population? What evidence is used to support each of these theories?


Why This Task Now? Now that students have an understanding of the gist of Wilcox’s text, they are ready to expand their understanding of it. Students will reread the text to examine how researchers are studying the animals in Yellowstone National Park in order to understand the declining elk population. The purpose of this second task is for students to organize the data and findings of the researchers in Yellowstone National Park.

Materials • “Elk Vanishing Act” by Christie Wilcox • Handout: Furthering Comprehension of “Elk Vanishing Act” • Chart: Yellowstone National Park Research • Chart paper and markers • Different color pens or pencils Teaching Approach Setting Up the Task: Whole Group (5 minutes) Purpose: To provide students with clear directions and expectations for the next task on “Elk Vanishing Act.” • Provide each student with the handout titled Furthering Comprehension of “Elk Vanishing

Act” (found on page 26). • Review the handout with students, giving them an opportunity to ask questions and clarify

expectations. • Give students a moment to create the graphic organizer described in the task.

Monitoring Student Thinking: Pair Work (10 minutes) Purpose: To guide and support students in thinking about how to organize and record the research presented in the article. • Ask students to reread the first section of text, lines 1-20, with a partner (up to “Falling

Fast”). • Ask students to work in pairs to complete the graphic organizer. • Circulate around the room to listen to students’ discussions and to observe the information

they are recording in their organizers. Identify pairs who are doing a good job completing the task with this first section. Let them know you will call on them to share the ideas with the whole group.


Guiding Students to Consensus: Whole Group (7 minutes) • Convene the whole group. • Ask those pairs you identified to share the information they recorded in their organizer.

Record the information on a new chart titled Yellowstone National Park Research. • Ask students to add to their organizer as needed. Ask others if there is anything else they

would add to the chart. Throughout the discussion, remind students to refer to the text to keep accurate information at the center of the conversation.

Monitoring Student Thinking: Pair Work (20 minutes) Purpose: To provide students an opportunity to work together to study the research conducted by scientists about the animals in Yellowstone National Park. • Ask students to continue working in pairs on the Furthering Comprehension of “Elk

Vanishing Act” task with the rest of the text. • Circulate around the room as students are working to provide support and assistance. • If students do not finish rereading the text and recording information in their organizer in

class, ask them to finish both for homework.

Guiding Students to Consensus: Whole Group (20 minutes) Purpose: To enable students to reach a common understanding of the research presented in “Elk Vanishing Act” article. • Convene the whole group to engage in a text-based discussion. • Display a copy of the text. • Ask students to share their responses to the task, discussing the different research, data,

and findings from the text. • Record student responses on the Yellowstone National Park Research chart. • Ask students to add to their organizer in a different color during the whole group discussion.

Adding information in a new color allows students to observe what they are missing and helps you to identify students who might need additional help with pulling information from texts.

• Ask students to share their responses to the quick write. Encourage others to ask for clarification.

• After the discussion, ask students to individually revisit their quick writes, making any additions or revisions to their responses in light of the whole group discussion.


Learning Target Student responses might be similar to the following:

Scientist/ Researcher

What did this researcher do? What were the findings?

Middleton, Arthur • He and his team fitted elk with GPS collars to track their movements. [lines 11-12]

• Fitted 90 female elk and 15 wolves with GPS collars, which recorded coordinates every three hours. [lines 52-53]

• Counted number of calves that survived each summer. [lines 54-55]

• Recaptured collared females for health check-ups. [lines 55-56]

• Number of elk declining • Few calves [lines 25-26] • Pregnancy rate among elk in

migrating herd 19% lower than non-migrating herds [lines 57-58]

• # of calves surviving to adulthood declined a staggering 74% from 1989-2009 [lines 58-59]

• Elk rarely encountered wolves. When they did, they didn’t run away or even stop chewing unless wolves came within ½ mile. [lines 70-73]

• No correlation between rate of wolf encounters and the decline of either elk pregnancy rates or their levels of body fat. [lines 73-75]

Creel, Scott • Indirect observations • Presence of wolves stressed the elk, leading to poor female health and fewer pregnancies.

Barber-Meyer, Shannon

• Followed 151 elk calves in Yellowstone for 3 years. [line 81]

• Almost 70% of calves died before their first birthday. [lines 81-82]

• Wolves killed only 15%, not enough to explain Middleton’s missing calves. [lines 83-84]

• 60% of tagged calves killed by bears. [lines 87-88]

Fortin, Jennifer • Conducted long-term monitoring of grizzly bears.

• Grizzlies historically fed on cutthroat trout. [line 96]

• In the 1980s, fishermen illegally released lake trout into Yellowstone Lake; trout preyed on native trout and competed for resources. [lines 97-99]

• Lake trout spawn in deeper water—grizzlies can’t reach to catch and eat. [lines 99-101]


Scientists Scott Creel and Arthur Middleton both used observations to form their theories about the elk population decline. Quickly discuss the role of observations, both indirect and direct, in the development of their different theories.

Students should identify that researchers use the data and findings to form theories. Sometimes these theories are based on direct observations and other times based on indirect observations. Data and assumptions are used to form different theories.

For example:

Both Creel and Middleton formed their theories based on their observations. However, Middleton made direct observations, while Creel made indirect observations.

Many people, including scientist Scott Creel, believed the wolves were causing the decline in elk. However, Creel never made direct observations to prove his theory. Instead, his theory was based on indirect observations and assumptions because wolves are predators. Creel even “published a study suggesting that the presence of wolves stressed the elk, leading to poor female health and fewer pregnancies” (line 35-37). He did not, however, directly observe the wolves stressing the elk.

Creel’s wolf theory proved to be unreliable when another scientist, Arthur Middleton, did work to find reliable data based on direct observations. He and his team spent months in the wild observing the elk. They directly observed that the elk and wolves didn’t really have much contact with the elk population. This made them look for other things that might be causing the elk decline. Because their observations did not prove the wolves were causing the elk population decline, they went to other scientists. This led them to other factors, like bears and the elk not having enough nutritious food.



Fortin, Jennifer • Conducted long-term monitoring of grizzly bears.

• When fish were scarce, bears ate elk calves. [lines 101-102]

• Severe droughts since 2002 were possibly correlated with climate change. [lines 104-105]

• Drought resulted in reduced grass production. [line 105]

• No grass = elk eat nutrient-poor food. [lines 106-107]

• Nutrient-poor food = undernourished female elk that are unable to conceive. [line 108]


Facilitating Metacognitive Work: Whole Group StepBack (10 minutes) Purposes: To make what and how students learned visible to themselves and others. To help students see how different aspects of the task—gathering and organizing information, writing notes, sharing and discussing their ideas in pairs and as a whole group—supported their learning. • Ask students to discuss their responses to the following questions:

o What else did you learn from today’s task? o What did you do and think about to organize the research discussed in the text? o How did you learn what you learned?


Furthering Comprehension of “Elk Vanishing Act”

Purpose Wilcox’s article depicts the work of the scientists researching the causes of the decline of the elk population in Yellowstone National Park. The purpose of this second task is to help you expand your understanding of the “Elk Vanishing Act” by studying the research of scientists in Yellowstone National Park.

Task Step 1: Working with a partner, • Reread the “Elk Vanishing Act” with the following question in mind:

o What are the different theories about the cause(s) of the decline in the elk population? What evidence is used to support each of these theories?

• As you read, trace the research conducted by scientists about the animals in Yellowstone National Park. Create the following graphic organizer in your notebook to track the research. Be sure to record the line number(s) of where in the text you found the information.

What are the different theories about the cause(s) of the decline in the elk population? What evidence is used to support each of these theories?




Step 2: Still working with your partner, • Review your graphic organizer. • Work together to compose a quick write in response to the following:

o Scientists use both indirect and direct observations. Here is an example. A large pile of apples is left outside overnight. The next morning the apples are gone. One scientist observes bear scat, or feces, near where the apples were and concludes a bear ate the apples. This is an example of an indirect observation because the scientist did not directly see the bear eat the apples. However, the scientist has other evidence, the scat, which led to the conclusion. Another scientist stayed up all night and watched a bear eat the apples. This is an example of a direct observation because the scientist directly saw the bear eat the apples.

Scientists Scott Creel and Arthur Middleton both used observations to form their theories about the elk population decline. Quickly discuss the role of observations, both indirect and direct, in the development of their different theories.

Be prepared to share your responses with the whole group.


Task 1.3: Writing to Explain At the end of her article, Wilcox says, “Trout fisherman, bears, wolves, fish, and climate change … collectively shoulder the weight” for the declining elk population.

• Based on your understanding of the text, create a visual representation that shows the contributions of each of the above factors in the decrease of elk in Yellowstone National Park.

• Draft an essay in which you explain your visual representation, using evidence from the text.


Why This Task Now? This last task asks students to determine the various factors contributing to the decline in the elk population in Yellowstone National Park. The purpose of this task is for students to demonstrate their understanding of the text and its ideas visually and in writing.

Materials • “Elk Vanishing Act” by Christie Wilcox • Handout: Writing to Explain: “Elk Vanishing Act” • Chart paper and markers

Teaching Approach Setting Up the Task: Whole Group (10 minutes) Purpose: To provide students with clear directions and expectations for the final task on “Elk Vanishing Act” and to provide students with ways in which to consider how they will approach the work of the task. • Provide each student with the handout titled Writing to Explain: “Elk Vanishing Act” (found

on page 32).” • Review the handout with students, giving them an opportunity to ask questions and clarify

expectations.

Monitoring Student Thinking: Pair Work (5 minutes) Purpose: To provide students with time to manage their own learning and to consider how they will approach the work of the task; to identify what students know about how to tackle writing assignments. • Ask students to take a few minutes to reread the handout in pairs and generate a list of the

steps they might follow to work through the task. • As students are working, circulate around the room to skim the steps students generate.

Identify students whose steps might benefit the entire class.


Facilitating Student Sense-Making: Whole Group (5-7 minutes) Purpose: To enable students to share and learn from others about effective ways to approach and manage writing assignments. • Ask the previously identified students to share the steps they listed. Hear from multiple

students. Encourage active listening by asking students to have an ear tuned to the steps that they find most helpful.

• Ask students to share the steps they found most helpful. If needed, work as a class to generate a list of the steps students might follow to work through the task.

Learning Target Ideally, students will generate steps similar to the ones below. Students might have additional steps or articulate the steps in very different language, but their steps should encompass the following ways of approaching and working through the task.

• Skim the text to identify the statement presented in the task prompt. • Revisit text, charts, and notes to identify evidence that supports the given statement. • Jot ideas and notes about various factors contributing to the decline in the elk population. • Identify the most relevant textual evidence from text to support their ideas. • Create a visual representation of their understanding of how the evidence supports the

given statement. • Decide on an organization that is clear, easy to follow, and creates cohesion. • Begin drafting the explanation.

Monitoring Student Thinking: Individual Work (20 minutes) Purpose: To enable students to work independently to create their visual representation. • Give students 20 minutes to work on Part A of the task. Encourage students to bounce their

ideas off their peers. • As students are working, confer with them individually or in small groups about their work.

Monitoring Student Thinking: Small Group Work (10 minutes) Purpose: To enable students to compare their understandings with the understandings of others. • Ask students to form small groups, 3 to 4 students, to share their visual representations. • Give students 10 minutes to compare their visual representation with the visual

representations created by others. • Circulate around the room as students are working to provide support and assistance.

Monitoring Student Thinking: Individual Work (25 minutes) Purpose: To enable students to work independently to answer the task. • Ask students to independently take 5 minutes to revisit their visual representations.

Encourage students to add to or adjust their visual representation as they see fit. • Give students 20 minutes to work on Part B of the task. Encourage students to bounce their

ideas off their peers. • As students are working, confer with them individually or in small groups about their work.


Differentiation Be on the lookout for what individuals are finding difficult about working through this final writing assignment. As needed, bring students together in small or large groups to share their work or engage in mini-lessons designed to support them to overcome difficulties.

Providing Clear Expectations: Whole Group (5 minutes) Purpose: To provide students with clear expectations for how their visual representation and writing task will be scored. • Negotiate a deadline with students for when they will turn in their explanations. • Inform students that you will be providing feedback in three areas: (1) the accuracy of the

science content according to the text, (2) evidence to support their ideas, and (3) explanation to link the evidence to the points being made.

Important This brief writing assignment is preparation for longer, more complex writing projects. Feedback is critical to advancing students’ developing understanding of writing a text-based explanation. Provide students feedback in three areas: (1) the accuracy of the science content according to the text, (2) evidence to support their ideas, and (3) explanation to link the evidence to the points being made.

Facilitating Retrospective Work: Whole Group (10 minutes) Purpose: To provide an opportunity for students to reflect on what they have learned by engaging in a final discussion about the work with “Elk Vanishing Act.” • Facilitate a discussion in which students share their responses to the questions below:

o What were the most significant things you learned by reading, writing about, and discussing “Elk Vanishing Act”? Why were they significant?

o How will you use what you learned about – the science content (elk, wolves, other factors, relationships between contributing

factors, etc.)? – the work of scientists? – reading and understanding a long, complex text? – writing to explain your understandings?

o What are you more interested in learning about?


Learning Target An effective explanation will clearly explain the various factors researchers have found to contribute to the declining elk population in Yellowstone National Park. Students should show an understanding of research and how each factor contributes to the decline of the elk. See pages 34-35 for a sample student essay.

Students should show an understanding of the following:

Wolves • Wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park in mid-1990s. [lines 30-31] • Wolves were believed to be causing the elk population decline by preying on elk [line 29]

and stressing the elk, leading to poor female health and fewer pregnancies. [lines 36-37]

Relationship to elk • Elk rarely encountered wolves. When they did, they didn’t run away or even stop chewing

unless wolves came within ½ mile. [lines 70-73] • No correlation between rate of wolf encounters and the decline of either elk pregnancy

rates or their levels of body fat. [lines 73-75] • Wolves killed only 15% of missing calves. [lines 83-84]

Bears • 60% of tagged calves were killed by bears. [lines 87-88] • Grizzlies historically fed on cutthroat trout. [line 96] • Lake trout spawn in deeper water—grizzlies can’t reach to catch and eat. [lines 99-101]

Relationship to elk • When fish are scarce, bears eat elk calves. [lines 101-102]

Trout fisherman and fish • In the 1980s, fisherman illegally released lake trout into Yellowstone Lake; trout preyed on

native trout and competed for resources. [lines 97-99] • Invasive lake trout preyed on native trout and competed with them for resources. [lines

98-99] • Lake trout spawn in deeper water—grizzlies can’t reach to catch and eat. [lines 99-101]

Relationship to elk • When fish were scarce, bears ate elk calves. [lines 101-102]

Climate change • Severe droughts since 2002 were possibly correlated with climate change. [lines 104-105] • Drought resulted in reduced grass production. [line 105]

Relationship to elk • No grass meant elk eat nutrient-poor food. [lines 106-107] • Nutrient-poor food resulted in undernourished female elk that were unable to conceive.

[line 108]


Writing to Explain: “Elk Vanishing Act”

Purpose The purpose of this task is to demonstrate your understanding of the text by writing to explain the factors that have contributed to the decline of the elk population in Yellowstone National Park.

Task At the end of her article, Wilcox says, “Trout fisherman, bears, wolves, fish, and climate change … collectively shoulder the weight” for the declining elk population.

Part 1: Based on your understanding of the text, create a visual representation that shows the contributions of each of the above factors in the decrease of elk in Yellowstone National Park.

Part 2: Draft an essay in which you explain your visual representation, using evidence from the text.

Available Resources • “Elk Vanishing Act” by Christie Wilcox • Notes you made on graphic organizers or in the text • Chart: Yellowstone Elk • Chart: Yellowstone National Park Research

A few things: • You have many notes in your charts and on the texts themselves to support you to

write your explanation. Reread the texts and your notes before you begin planning your visual representation.

• Your explanation should be structured so that it is cohesive and easy to follow. • Make sure to fully develop, support, and explain your ideas. Remember that an

effective explanation includes clearly stated ideas, relevant textual evidence to support your ideas, and clear explanations that articulate how the evidence supports or links to your ideas.

• Your explanation should clearly address all parts of the “Task” prompt. Each part you address should be supported by evidence from the text.

• When you refer to a specific line from the text, be sure to quote it accurately and provide the line number where the quotation can be found.


Student Sample: Visual Representation

Factor 4: Fisherman

Factor 1: Wolves Factor 2: Bears

Factor 5: Climate Change

Key Direct Link Indirect Link

• Wolves kill 15% of elk calves [lines 83-84] • Elk rarely encountered wolves. When

they did, they didn’t run away or even stop chewing unless wolves came within ½ mile [lines 70-73]

• No correlation between rate of wolf encounters and the decline of either elk pregnancy rates or their levels of body fat [lines 73-75]

When fish were scarce, bears ate elk calves [lines 101-102]

Factor 3: Fish

1980s fisherman illegally released lake trout into Yellowstone Lake; trout preyed on native trout and competed for resources [lines 97-99]

• Severe droughts since 2002 possibly correlated with climate change [lines 104-105]

• Drought resulted in reduced grass production [line 105]

• No grass = elk eat nutrient-poor food [lines 106-107]

• Nutrient poor food = undernourished female elk that are unable to conceive [line 108]

What factors are causing the elk population to decline?


Student Sample

The elk population in Yellowstone National Park is declining. Scientists are

working to find the factors that are leading to the population decline. Christie

Wilcox addresses five main factors in her article “Elk Vanishing Act.”

Wolves are the first factor. The common belief was that wolves were causing the

elk population decline because they prey on elk. Ecologist Scott Creel published a

study suggesting that the presence of wolves stressed the elk, leading to poor

female health and fewer pregnancies (lines 36-37). However, as the wolves and

elk were studied more, Arthur Middleton (a biologist) observed that the elk

hardly ever came in contact with the wolves and when they did, the elk didn’t

even run or stop eating (lines 70-72). In fact, the researchers found no

connection between rate of wolf encounters with a decrease in elk pregnancy or

amount of body fat (lines 73-75). Body fat is important because it helps elk

survive through the winter (line 75). Using research from scientist Shannon

Barber-Meyer, Middleton found that the wolves were killing 15% of the elk’s

calves (line 82-84). So while impact of wolves may be one factor in the declining

elk population, it is not the only factor. This made Middleton wonder what else

might be killing the elk.

Middleton’s wondering leads to the second factor, bears. Researcher Shannon

Barber-Meyer found that bears were killing 60% of the elk calves (lines 87-88),

but why were the bears eating the calves? Bears in Yellowstone usually eat

cutthroat trout. In the 1980s, fishermen released lake trout into the same lake

where the cutthroat trout live (lines 97-98). The lake trout killed the cutthroat

trout; therefore, the bears didn’t have the cutthroat trout to eat. The bears

couldn’t catch and eat the lake trout, so the bears didn’t have enough food. Since

the bears didn’t have enough fish to eat, they started to eat the elk calves (lines


101-102). Therefore, fisherman and fish are the third and fourth factors that led

to the decline in the elk population.

Grass is a source of food for elk. “Severe droughts since 2002, possibly correlated

to climate change” is the last factor (lines 104-105). The droughts caused less

grass to grow because there wasn’t enough water (line 105). Because there was

no grass, the elk were forced to eat food that had fewer nutrients (lines 106-107).

The female elk were unable to have babies because they were undernourished

(line 108).

In the end, researchers realized the elk population decline was much more

complicated than just the wolves hunting and stressing the elk. Many factors

were contributing to declining elk population in Yellowstone National Park.


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