Instructions

Class Period One

1) Divide the class into lab groups of two to four students.

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2) Hand out the Student Page “Holding On To Water Lab Sheet” to each lab group.

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3) Explain that the sponges in this activity represent insects that live in the alpine/aeolian environment near the summit of Haleakalä. In this environment—as in other dry environments—water is at a premium. The wind and intense sunlight have drying effects to which plants and insects in this environment have adapted. Each sponge-insect has a limited amount of water. The students’ job is to conserve that water over a 24-hour period. During that time, students are to protect their sponge-creatures in a manner that will best achieve this goal using only natural materials.

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4) Have lab groups do steps one to three on the lab sheet.

Class Period Two

1) Have individuals or groups share their experiments and results with the entire class. Afterward, conduct a class discussion reflecting on the activity.

• Were there any patterns in lab results among groups? (For example, was the combination of sun and wind more drying than the sun alone?)
• Which methods seemed to work better than others? Why? (Which lab groups had the smallest percent change in the weight of the protected sponges?)
• Are the same methods effective for protection against the sun and wind? Why or why not?
• Help students relate their strategies to insect adaptations (and those of other animal and plants) in the alpine/aeolian environment. (If you did Activity #1 in this unit, ask students to draw on what they learned for this discussion. If you did not do Activity #1, use the “Alpine/Aeolian Challenges and Adaptations Answer Key” on pages 10-11 as background to help you guide the discussion.)

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2) Assign the Student Page “Learning From the Lab” as homework.