Contents

Indoor Activities

Outdoor Activities

Student Data Sheets

Acknowledgements

Curriculum Goals and Development

How to Use This Curriculum

Introduction to Florida Scrub

What is scrub?
Where can scrub be found?
Why do so many plant and animals live only in Florida scrub?
What plants and animals are found in scrub?

Unit One: Sand: Florida Scrub's Foundation

A. Physical Properties of Sand

1. Why Doesn't a Small Animal Burrow in Sand Cave-In?

Part One-How Does Sand Take the Shock?
Part Two-How Does Sand Take the Pressure?

2. What Happens to Sand When You Build and Dig in it?

Part One-Piles of Sand
Part Two-Pits in the Sand

3. What Happens When Water Invades Sand?

Part One-Sand Under Water
Part Two-Water Moving Through Sand

B. Animal Tracks in the Sand

1. Animal Tracks

Part One-Making Tracks
Part Two-Finding Tracks
Part Three-Creating a Story with Tracks

C. Glossary
D. Questions for Student Evaluation

Unit Two: Sand-Dwelling Animals

A. Ant Lions: The Hairy Predator from Down Under

1. Ant Lions: The Hairy Predator From Down Under

Part One-Collecting the Data
Part Two-Composing and Graphing the Data

B. Scrub Burrowing Wolf Spider: The Stay-at-Home Predator

1. Scrub Burrowing Wolf Spiders

Part One-Collecting the Data
Part Two-Composing and Analyzing the Data

C. ANTS: Strength in Teamwork and Safety in Numbers

1. Ants: Strength in Teamwork and Safety in Numbers

Part One-Ant Stories
Part Two-Ant Hill Identification
Part Three-Ant Communication
Part Four-Compiling and Analyzing the Data

D. Glossary
E. Questions for Student Evaluation

Unit Three: Life in the Leaf Litter Layer

A. MUSHROOMS: Partners and Recyclers

1. Mushrooms-What Are They Good For?

Part One-Collecting the Data
Part Two-Compiling and Analyzing the Data

2. Decomposing the Decomposers: Mushrooms and their Associates

Part One-Collecting the Data
Part Two-Compiling and Analyzing the Data

3. What Are Spores and How Can You Find Them?

B. LIFE IN A MICROHABITAT

1. Life in a Microhabitat

Part One--Make a Pitfall Trap
Part Two--Make a Berlese Funnel
Part Three--Investigating Microhabitats
Part Four-Composing and Analyzing the Data

C. Glossary
D. Questions for Student Evaluation

Unit Four: Plant-Animal Interactions

A. PALMETTOS: OLD-TIMERS OF THE SCRUB

1. Palmettos: Old-Timers of the Scrub

Part One-Collecting Palmetto Data
Part Two-Constructing a Palmetto Time Line

B. OAK TREES: The Serve Yourself Buffet

Part One-Collecting the Data
Part Two-Making a Collection of Leaf-eating Evidence

C. Glossary
D. Questions for Student Evaluation

APPENDICES
Fire in the Florida Scrub

Research in the Florida Scrub

Tips on Exploring the Outdoors with Your Students

Scrub Hazards: Answers for the Anxious

Sources of Scrub Information

Scientific Names of Organisms

Literature Cited

Summary of Sunshine Standards

Curriculum Evaluation Form