VR Exploration: Ecosystems

Teacher Guide & Student Resources

About This Unit

In this unit, students will explore and analyze real-world examples concerning the delicate nature of the
diverse ecosystems on earth. Each lesson explores a different aspect of ecosystems and how changes to
an ecosystem can have severe consequences. The essential question for the bundle is: ​Why is a healthy
and sustainable ecosystem important?​ The “Exploring Ecosystems” is intended to be taught first, as an
introduction to the four key topics. It offers students a chance to connect with key academic skills in a
real-world context.

Exploring Ecosystems
This hook lesson is designed to capture students’ attention and introduce the essential question of the
bundle. Students will be prompted to compare and contrast carrying capacity of multiple ecosystems in a
VR tour.

Biodiversity Trends
This lesson will guide students in understanding ecosystem services, focusing on one global crop.
Students will read about factors that affect the symbiosis and use numerical data to create their own
report on trends.

Matter, Energy, and Nutrient Cycles

This lesson will guide students to understand the role of food as it relates to energy production. Students
will look at their own diets and consider the implications of our current food system while investigating
more sustainable adaptations and innovations.

Invasive Species
This lesson will guide students to examine the notion of pristine or untouched wilderness and consider the
pros and cons of invasive species. Students will then dive into a case study of lionfish invasion to
brainstorm and consider current solutions to species invasions.

Seed Diversity
This lesson will guide students to explore the challenge of declining global seed diversity while learning
about the purpose and function of seed banks. Students will watch an engaging video about the Svalbard
Global Seed Vault in Norway, describe how seed banks function, and discuss the importance of
protecting biodiversity within species.

Materials & Preparation

Prior Knowledge Necessary For This Unit:

1. Students should have some familiarity with the concept of scarcity and/or limited resources.

Unit Preparation:

1. Before teaching, preview all lessons, web articles, and video content in this unit.
2. Review and print the additional resources below. Distribute them at the appropriate stages of the
unit.
 3. Consider assigning strategic student groups to facilitate more structured and collaborative
discussions throughout the unit.
4. This unit utilizes the new Nearpod VR Pano-tours. Carefully read the directions below before
teaching this unit.
5. Every lesson in this unit includes Nearpod VR, so feel free to use virtual reality headsets if you
have them (but they are not required).

Lesson-specific Preparation:

1. Exploring Ecosystems:​ Prepare VR headsets if you have them (optional). Be sure to print out the
“Survival Plan” and “Carrying Capacity Estimation” worksheets ahead of teaching the lesson.
2. Biodiversity Trends:​ Prepare VR headsets if you have them (optional). Be sure to print out the
“Trends in Rapeseed Production” worksheet ahead of teaching the lesson. There is a website
provided at the end where students can learn more about the impending crisis in the bee
population, which can easily be inserted as an extension activity.
3. Matter, Energy, and Nutrient Cycles:​ Prepare VR headsets if you have them (optional). Be sure to
print out the “Typical Day’s Food Chart” worksheet ahead of the lesson.
4. Invasive Species:​ Prepare VR headsets if you have them (optional), and make sure students
have a pen and paper on hand to take notes during their tour, or use the “Human Touch
Worksheet” below. For the video, it is recommended to stop the video at 9:26, or ask students to
watch it before class.
5. Seed Diversity:​ Prepare VR headsets if you have them (optional). The lesson also uses a 16
minute video that is broken up throughout the lesson. Each video slide starts the video at the
correct time, but it is important that you stop the video at the correct points when facilitating the
lesson. For the first video viewing, stop at 1:53. For the second video viewing, start at 1:53 and
stop at 9:53. For the third viewing, start at 9:53 and stop at 12:34. This lesson also has two
extension activities that you may wish to review for inclusion.

Additional Resources

All additional resources required for this unit are included in the chart below. Each worksheet is also
included as a PDF at the end of every lesson. All resources are required to support student learning and
facilitate active engagement in the lesson’s activities. Plan to print and distribute before teaching.

Lesson Resource Notes

Exploring Ecosystems Survival Plan

Worksheet

Exploring Ecosystems Carrying Capacity

Estimation
Worksheet

Exploring Ecosystems Overshoot Day *This website provides information about Overshoot
Day, which in 2017, fell on August 2. It is calculated that
by this date, we have used more ecological resources
 and services than nature can regenerate. Students can
calculate their own Overshoot Day.

Biodiversity Trends Trends in

Rapeseed
Production
Worksheet

Biodiversity Trends Bee Extinction *This website can be used as an extension activity
website where students can learn more about the impending
crisis in the bee population.

Biodiversity Trends The Death of Bees *This video provides a great summary of issues faced
Explained by bees, why their numbers are declining, and what this
could mean for agriculture.

Matter, Energy, and Typical Day’s

Nutrient Cycles Food Chart

Invasive Species Human Touch

Worksheet

Invasive Species TED Talk *​This video can be inserted at the end of the lesson as
a good summation of the key points. It can also serve
as an extension activity.
Finish playing the TED Ed video with Emma Marris. For
homework, assign your students to identify an area of
nature using Emma Marris’s definition in their own
neighborhood. Have them take a cell phone picture of
this area and submit it with a short write up about what
types of plant or animal species are in the photograph
and/or how the local town or neighborhood could enjoy
the nature in that space.

Invasive Species Lionfish *This website can be used as an extension activity.

There are a number of videos, research papers, and
public notices on lionfish that can be used for further
study of invasive species, biology, or ocean
environments.

Seed Diversity Heirloom vs. *A debate to review the pros and cons of heirloom and
Industrial industrial crop varieties.
Worksheet

Seed Diversity Seed Bank *​This website can serve as an extension activity where
Directory students can explore the 15 largest food banks in the
world.

Seed Diversity SEED: The Untold *This is a fantastic documentary about seed diversity
Story that is great for creating a unit of work about the topic.
 Nearpod VR Introduces Panotour

What Are Panotours?

Panotours, made using the software Panotour Pro, merge panoramic images into one connected VR
experience. In our current VR experience, students can explore one panoramic image at a time. In the new
version using Panotours, students can navigate from one image to another by clicking on hotspots. This way,
students can visit multiple sites without leaving the VR portal. For example, a panoramic map might serve as a
control center where students can click on individual sites, record evidence and explore at each site, and then
return to the control center to explore the remaining sites.

The first stop students will experience is the Control Center:

How do you navigate from one location to another?

The juxtaposition of stop 1 (normal VR panorama) and the world map helps to ensure students are comparing
and contrasting across the panoramic images as well as providing a more wholesome, narrative experience to
VR. Panotours can stitch together sites that are related geographically, thematically, temporally, or any other
relationship that can drive deeper investigative inquiry for students. Students might be looking for the same
evidence across all sites (like in the example below) or each site might have a designated task.

How does Panotour work across mobile devices?

The VR images themselves respond to devices' accelerometer when applicable and are fully functional in
Nearpod VR headsets as well. Navigating to the next site is as simple as locating the hotspot and
tapping/clicking on it. The cool part is that because students are navigating these sites independently, students
can analyze at their own depth and pace. Often, Panotours are accompanied by worksheets to document
evidence, and students' responses are collected and analyzed as a group after completion using Nearpod
features like Collaborate/OEQ's.
Panotour examples:
This example shows one of the panoramic stops along the pantour journey. Students will need to locate the
"Back to World Map" button in order to return to the Control Center.

In this example, when students navigate the market they are taking inventory of the products at each store:
In this example, the control center is a panoramic experience and students need to find the buttons to enter
each new virtual environment.