http://www.oercommons.org/browse/keyword/ants daily 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 http://www.oercommons.org/courses/e-o-wilson Renowned evolutionary biologist Edward O. Wilson has spent his long career cracking the code of ants. It's the ants, ability to communicate and form tight-knit societies that lies behind their extraordinary evolutionary success. Ari Daniel Shapiro visits Wilson in his office at Harvard to learn the nature of the ants, special languageâ and what's in an ant's name. Ari Daniel Shapiro Science and Technology 2013-02-13T18:20:34 Course Related Materials http://www.oercommons.org/courses/ants In this outdoor activity, learners investigate ant behavior by testing ant feeding reactions to different types of food. Learners attempt to discover an ant "superfood" and use that food to try and get some ants from a colony to start a new one at a different location. Based on what learners observe, they also consider how ants communicate with each other. Science and Technology 2012-11-07T13:17:34 Course Related Materials http://www.oercommons.org/courses/observer-cards-ants Ants are some of the most fascinating creatures in nature and can be observed almost everywhere! There are approximately 15,000 described species of ants (and perhaps 10,000 not yet described) with endless variations and adaptations to their environment. Use these cards to help you focus on the key traits and behaviors that make different ant species unique. Drawings and photographs are a great way to supplement your field notes as you explore the tiny world of these amazing animals. Adam Lazarus Science and Technology 2012-10-11T16:16:28 Course Related Materials http://www.oercommons.org/courses/ant-farm Farming ants might sound like a crazy thing to do unless you might like to eat chocolate covered ants. It turns out we can learn a lot from ants and the best way is to build your own ant farm. Rebecca Clark Science and Technology 2012-05-14T14:05:25 Course Related Materials http://www.oercommons.org/courses/collecting-ants There are several different ways to get ants for an ant farm, depending on when you would like to start the farm and how long you would like for your ant farm to last. Rebecca Clark Science and Technology 2012-05-14T14:05:25 Course Related Materials http://www.oercommons.org/courses/sex-determination-more-complicated-than-you-thought From something as small and complex as a chromosome to something as seemingly simple as the weather, sex determination systems vary significantly across the animal kingdom. Biologist and teacher Aaron Reedy shows us the amazing differences between species when it comes to determination of gender. A quiz, thought provoking question, and links for further study are provided to create a lesson around the 6-minute video. Educators may use the platform to easily "Flip" or create their own lesson for use with their students of any age or level. Reedy, Aaron Science and Technology 2012-05-08T11:08:01 Course Related Materials http://www.oercommons.org/courses/scientists-the-smithsonian Video interviews with twenty Smithsonian scientists introduce students to the wide variety of work in the sciences. Students will learn the diverse pathways that these scientists took to enter their fields and they will see that many kinds of people become scientists. Individual Authors Science and Technology 2011-08-15T17:06:56 Course Related Materials http://www.oercommons.org/courses/a-field-study-of-the-ant-trail-phenomenon In this exercise, students place food at various distances from an ant hill or nest. Ants are then observes as they find the bait and lead other ants to it. At the completion of the exercise, students construct a graph which shows the establishment of trails, recruitment of workers, and depletion of the bait. Dwight Moody Science and Technology 2010-04-19T00:21:56 Course Related Materials http://www.oercommons.org/courses/using-ant-and-butterfly-pollination-to-involve-students-in-scientific-exploration Students explore pollination using two exercises: an ant- and a butterfly-activity. In the ant-exercise, students generate hypotheses for why reports of ant pollination are rare, test one or more hypothesis, and present their findings. In addition to this open-ended inquiry investigation, instructions are also provided for a structured activity in which students germinate pollen and test whether ant-secretions inhibit pollen growth as has been proposed in the scientific literature. In the butterfly-exercise, students test whether butterflies can learn to associate certain color cues with a sugar reward. Mary Blaine Prince Mary Puterbaugh Science and Technology 2010-04-19T00:21:56 Course Related Materials http://www.oercommons.org/courses/why-are-reports-of-ant-pollination-rare-a-field-and-lab-exercise-using-the-scientific-method This exercise uses ants (considered by some to be the "scoundrels in the pollination drama!") to test questions about the morphological and behavioral features that permit insects to be good pollinators. Students are presented with the fact that ants are abundant insects, but fewer than 20 plant species worldwide have been documented as ant-pollinated. Students generate specific hypotheses for the rarity of ant pollination, and design experiments to test their hypotheses. This exercise has both a field and indoor component so that it can be successful even if it is raining, and ants are inactive outdoors. Mary Blaine Prince Mary Puterbaugh Science and Technology 2010-04-19T00:21:56 Course Related Materials http://www.oercommons.org/courses/rocky-ant-hill Ants build ant hills as a result of digging underground. They dig several different chambers underground to live in and raise young ants in. As they make these chambers, the ants bring the unneeded soil to the surface, forming what we see as an ant hill. Peter Science and Technology 2010-02-10T21:31:17 Course Related Materials http://www.oercommons.org/courses/animal-mouths This collection of images of six different creatures, including insects and carnivorous vertebrates, illustrates the wide range of mouth types that exist within the animal kingdom. Science and Technology 2009-08-13T00:25:40 Course Related Materials http://www.oercommons.org/courses/e-o-wilson-ants-and-ecosystems This segment is from an interview with ant specialist and biologist E.O. Wilson, filmed for Evolution: "Evolutionary Arms Race." Clear Blue Sky Productions WGBH Educational Foundation Science and Technology 2006-11-15T21:05:00 Course Related Materials http://www.oercommons.org/courses/ancient-farmers-of-the-amazon This video segment from Evolution: "Evolutionary Arms Race" tells the story of the leafcutter ant and the fungus it farms -- an example of mutually beneficial symbiosis. Clear Blue Sky Productions WGBH Educational Foundation Science and Technology 2006-11-15T21:04:00 Course Related Materials