Meadows are vast areas covered with herbaceous perennials, mainly grasses and sedges. Such vegetation helps to increase the fertility of the soil layer and prevents its erosion. Grasslands are usually found in river valleys, mountainous areas, and in retreated forests, etc.
What is a natural grassland community?
Cranes search for food in the grass
Flora of the meadow
Floodplain meadow
Floodplain meadows are flooded with water from rivers during floods or floods. Because of this, the species composition of plants is poor. Water carries with it large number suspended particles, which after settling turn into silt. In high areas, wormwood, yarrow, caraway and burnet are found. Cereals grow in the swampy parts of the meadow. Here you can find marigold, canary grass, bluegrass, meadow fescue, etc. Flood meadows produce a high yield of hay.
Dandelion meadow
The soils of dry meadows were once formed under forests. They are much scarcer than in water meadows. Despite this, several dozen species of herbs can grow here at the same time. Thanks to its root system, meadow bluegrass forms a durable turf that is resistant to trampling. This plant is found everywhere. Ryegrass is of particular value as a forage grain. Many medicinal plants grow in the dry meadows: nettle, dandelion, plantain, St. John's wort, laxative flax. Legumes include black peas and clover. In the first half of summer, irises, daisies, buttercups and foxgloves bloom.
Blooming mountain meadow
Mountain and subalpine meadows are characterized by high and colorful grass cover. Intensive solar radiation, temperature changes and strong winds are a real test for vegetation. In a short period of time, the grasses have time to bloom and produce viable seeds. Fescue is the most widespread; other grains do not play a big role. Meat-red knotweed and large-flowered initial flower grow in clusters. Flowers of pyrethrum, forget-me-nots, snakehead, cornflower and lilies form a colorful carpet.
Fauna of the meadow
Hare in the grass
The main animals of the meadow are considered to be mouse-like rodents and insectivores, which are attracted by the abundance of food. These are shrews, moles, voles. In heated and unflooded areas, snakes, lizards and a few frogs are found. The species composition of birds is diverse. The meadows are inhabited by lark, wagtail, quail, lapwing, and snipe. The dominant predators are the fox, weasel and ferret.
Butterfly on cornflower
Animal world meadows are closely related to vegetation. There is no such diversity of fauna as in forests. Large mammals cannot find refuge in forbs. Blooming honey plants attract pollinating insects, bees, wasps, butterflies and bumblebees.
Ecological connections of the meadow community
A bee collects nectar from meadow flowers
All organisms of the natural community exist in close symbiosis. Plants are an important component in the life of animals. They feed on nectar, phytomass, and distribute seeds. The digging activity of rodents improves the condition of the soil and creates conditions for seed germination. Many insects and mammals are orderlies that feed on organic matter.
Herbivores rid the meadows of numerous weeds and harmful plants. Predators create balance between different populations.
The role of the meadow ecosystem for humans
A flock of sheep in a meadow
Most plants provide vitamin-rich food for livestock. Since ancient times, people have been using meadows as pastures and storing hay for the winter. During the flowering period of honey plants, bees flock here from nearby apiaries. Meadow honey has a delicate aroma and delicate taste. Throughout the summer, people prepare medicinal herbs. Young leaves, flowers, roots and stems are used.
Human influence on the meadow ecosystem
Equipment mows grass in a meadow
To improve the quality and productivity of herbs, people change the composition of the grass stand and change the growing conditions. The greatest impact on the ecosystem is caused by grazing and mowing. Improper haymaking disrupts the rhythm of the seasonal vegetation and limits the spread of seeds. As a result of mowing, bare soil quickly dries out and loses its thermal regime. If such activities are carried out over a long period, then a change in the species composition of meadow grasses is observed.
Livestock grazing has a more serious impact. Moving across the meadow, animals trample plants with their hooves. As a result, plants that are resistant to trampling remain on the pastures. The impact of hooves deforms the top layer of soil. As a result of excrement deposition, vegetation can be completely destroyed. However, if the camps are regularly changed, then destruction of vegetation does not occur. Since the soil receives active organic matter during the grazing season, the grass cover is restored quite quickly.
Protection of meadows
Protecting the natural community of the meadow
The problem of preserving meadows is global in nature. All plant species are sensitive to influence environmental factors. Frequent grazing by livestock leads to a reduction in grass cover. It takes at least three years to restore the cover. If more than half of the territory has been bare, a person needs to sow it manually.
If mowing is done infrequently, the entire area suffers. A dense layer of old leaves forms on its surface, the melting of snow is delayed, rodents and pathogenic bacteria infest. For healthy development of the meadow, hay rotation is necessary. It helps maintain species diversity.
Fertilizer application greatly affects the composition of grasses. As a result of nitrogen fertilizing, cereal plants grow, while forbs and legumes are significantly reduced. Proper selection of fertilizers will preserve the species composition and protect meadows from fluctuations in yield over the years.
A person should avoid using chemicals for plant protection. For the health of the meadow ecosystem, it is necessary to combine the timing of mowing, the intensity of pasture loads, proper application of fertilizers and seeding of grasses.
Publication date: 06.10.2013
Brief description: Lesson of the surrounding world on the topic “Meadow - natural community” 3rd grade according to the system of L.V. Zankov. The work in the lesson is aimed at introducing students to the natural community - a meadow, at developing educational and organizational skills in students: determining a goal, planning, working on
material preview
Lesson of the surrounding world in 3rd grade according to the system of L.V. Zankov
Subject: Meadow is a natural community.
Goals: contribute to the formation of students’ ideas about the meadow as a natural
society; introduce the diversity of living organisms in the meadow; with the role of a person .
Tasks:
subject:- find out why the meadow is called a natural community;
What living organisms are found in the meadow;
What plants grow in this community?
Find out what role a person plays in this natural community.
meta-subject:
Help students realize practical significance the material being studied;
Create conditions for schoolchildren to develop the ability to formulate a problem and propose
ways to solve it;
To promote the development of students’ cognitive activity, observation skills, comparison
summarize, generalize and draw conclusions;
Promote the development of communication skills: be able to explain competently and clearly
your thoughts and adequately perceive information from communication partners, receive graphic
information;
Creating conditions for the formation of skills and abilities group work.
Planned results:
1. Know how organisms in a community are related to each other.
2.Have an understanding of the impact of a person on a community and the meaning of community for a person.
3.Know how to protect meadows .
Equipment:
Table "Meadow".
Material for working in groups.
Route sheets for children.
"Lesson Model".
Projector.
Progress of the lesson.
Set up for the lesson.
On the board are the words:
I can think
I can reason.
What is useful for work,
That's what I will do.
Why do you think these lines are the beginning of our lesson?
For work, what do you think is the best mood to choose?
To create a working environment, let's do exercises to restore breathing. (Appendix 1.)
Let's create a good emotional mood: smile, shake hands, wish each other good luck.
Modeling a lesson.
Today is a research lesson. What does it mean to explore? Here is a model of our lesson Actuals
tion of knowledge
Purpose of the lesson
Study\
Independent
- In front of you are the route sheets. Mark in them what mood you are in at the beginning of the lesson.
Route sheet
My mood
As I remember the previous material
How I understood the purpose of the lesson
How I understood the main rule of the lesson
How can I apply the rule myself?
How I worked in class
Updating knowledge.
Why do we need this stage?
First, tell us what the weather is like today.
(The duty officer talks about the weather conditions).
conversation on the material covered.
What is a meadow?
Where are the meadows located?
Why don't trees grow in the meadows?
Is it possible to trace the layering among the plants of a meadow? (Slides 1,2,3,4,5).
examination homework.
- Find the odd one out:
Timothy grass, meadow grass, bluegrass, fern.
Mouse peas, clover, hazel, chamomile.
Why are these plants superfluous? Why can these plants grow there?
Teacher. Now let's rest a little. Let's do the exercises “Cross Steps”, “Hooks”.
4. Goal setting.
Look what a lush multi-colored carpet of flowers the meadow looks like. Lilac baskets of cornflowers, blue bells, and sage are full of flowers. A few weeks later this meadow died. Why?
Our meadow is beautiful. And our task is to make it alive. What is needed for this?
Plants find their nutrition by spending their entire lives in one place. Green plants produce their own food. But is food only necessary for plants?
Remember what happened to the forest in which there were many insects?
Could this happen to a meadow?
The purpose of our lesson: to find out what connections exist in the meadow.
Today in the lesson we will continue the conversation about the nature around us, about its diversity, about the life of animals and plants, the benefits they bring to humans, the need to protect nature and take care of it.
Learning new material.
Meadow insects.
There are plants, which means there are insects. What insects live in the meadow?
(Slide 6,7,8).
Work in groups.
Children work with texts.
Group 1:
Read the text and try to tell the guys the most interesting things.
What type of animal would you classify a bee as?
Which type of feeding would you classify the bee as?
Bee.
A bee can see green, blue and ultraviolet colors (the latter, by the way, a person cannot see). However, for a bee there is no pure red color, which it sees as black.
The bee has baskets where she puts pollen. If a bee stings, it itself will die. The bees should not be touched. A bee lives for a short time - a little more than a month.
Did you know that...
…. In a bee hive, does each bee have its own “profession”? There is only one queen bee in the hive. This is the largest bee, it is busy laying eggs, from which young bees will later hatch.
….Does the queen bee live in the very depths of the hive and never leave it? How does she eat? ( Think for yourself).
…..Right. These bees are smaller than the queen, but there can be several hundred or even thousands of them in the hive. These bees work from sunrise until sunset, collecting nectar from flowers, which is then processed into honey. Worker bees also collect pollen from flowers in pockets on their hind legs.
….a builder bee builds honeycombs in which honey is stored and in which small bee larvae grow.
……the eggs and larvae of bees are looked after by nurse bees.
......in the bee family there are cleaning bees who keep the hive clean and throw out garbage from it.
…..but there are also drones - these are bees that do nothing but eat honey. When there is little honey in the hive, the bees drive out the idle drones.
Despite the division of responsibilities, there are things that bees do together. So, in the heat, bees ventilate honeycombs with larvae: to do this, they all together quickly begin to flap their wings, like small fans. The sting of bees is only for defense, not attack (unlike wasps). Once stung, the bee usually dies. This is how a bee family lives. (Slide 7)
Group 2:
What type of animal would you classify a ladybug as?
Which type of feeding would you classify the ladybug as?
Ladybug.
Ladybug - very old popular name. In Russia it has long been called that. The name "God's" most likely comes from the fact that this bug gives the impression of being gentle and touching creature. By analogy, “man of God” is the name given to gullible and harmless people. The bright color of this beetle warns of its inedibility. If a lizard or bird, disregarding this warning, grabs the beetle. Then he will release from his abdomen a bright yellow drop of milk with an unpleasant odor. Both larvae and adult ladybugs feed on small insects. This is how adult beetles destroy plant pests - aphids; one beetle can eat up to 200 aphids in a day. And ladybug larvae are twice as voracious. (Slide 10)
Group 3:
1. Read the text and tell the most interesting things to the guys.
What type of animal would you classify the dragonfly as?
Which type of feeding would you classify the dragonfly as?
Dragonfly.
The most voracious animal is the dragonfly. In appearance, this is an elegant creature that flutters carefree over the plants, and it is not even visible that it ever eats. The rocker dragonfly, in search of its favorite delicacy - flies - is able to fly 100 km in one hour and makes 1600 beats of its elegant transparent wings. Moreover, in this hour this glutton can swallow...as many as 20 flies.
The yoke dragonfly may indeed seem like a jumper to someone, because it never flies straight. It either flies up sharply, then falls down, and immediately turns sharply to the side, so that no fly can dodge it. Dragonfly sees perfectly ( Why?)
Checking the completion of the task. Working with a slide.
Exercises before independent work: “Eights for the eyes with crossed arms”, “Fist-rib-palm” (Appendix 3).
Butterflies.
Guess the riddle:
It flutters and dances over the flower,
He waves a patterned fan.
Most butterflies have a poor memory, so they collect nectar from only one type of flower - the one they encountered first. They feed on flower nectar, which they obtain using their proboscis.
Why do they say that “if you drive away the butterflies, there will be no harvest”?
(Slides 9,10).
But, unfortunately, in our time there are few butterflies. The beautiful swallowtail butterfly, the largest butterfly in Russia (up to 16 cm), is extremely rare and is listed in the Red Book. But not all butterflies are useful.
There are more insects in the meadow than in the forest. Why? What do insects eat? Draw a conclusion.
(Herbivores, carnivores, omnivores).
Birds of the meadow. (Slide 12).
What other representatives of the animal world will you meet in the meadow?
(Larks - feed mainly on insects and semi-ripe seeds of herbaceous plants, wonderful singers, these are migratory birds, they arrive to us at the end of March.
An owl (swamp) makes a nest in tall grass and feeds on small rodents.
The sandpiper makes sounds using the feathers of its tail and these sounds are similar to the bleating of a lamb.
Wagtail - nests on the ground.
Lapwings, quails 0 birds of the brood type (the chicks are already sighted, pubescent and get food themselves).
Corncrake or twitch (makes sounds “twitch-twitch”) - all movements are made on the ground.)
Many birds fly to the meadow to feed.
Conclusion: There are few bird species.
Animals of the meadow. (Slide 13)
Why are there so many rodents and small animals?
Among the animals, these are moles. They feed on earthworms and insect larvae. In winter they sleep.
The shrew - the tiniest animal on earth cannot go without food for more than two hours - will die.
Who hunts small rodents?
6) Student reports about meadow animals.
6. Physical exercise. (relaxation).
"Traveling on a Cloud". Sit comfortably and close your eyes. Take a deep breath and exhale two or three times... I want to invite you on a journey on a cloud. Jump onto a white fluffy cloud that looks like a soft mountain of plump pillows. Feel how your legs, back, butt are comfortably located on this large cloudy pillow. Now the journey begins. The cloud slowly rises into the blue sky. Do you feel the wind blowing across your faces? Here, high in the sky, everything is calm and quiet. Let the cloud take you now to a place where you will be happy. Try to mentally see this place as accurately as possible. Here you feel completely calm and happy. Something wonderful and magical can happen here... Now you are back on your cloud, and it is taking you back to your place in the classroom. Get off the cloud and thank it for giving you such a good ride. Now watch it slowly grow in the air. Stretch, straighten up and be cheerful, fresh and attentive again.
7.Drawing up power circuits. (work in groups). Performance evaluation.
Make a food chain that develops in the meadow.
How are clover, mole, and worm related?
(Clover -> worm -> mole)
How are lizards, grasshoppers, and dandelions related to each other?
(dandelion -> grasshopper -> lizard)
How are bells, butterfly caterpillars and wagtails related?
(bell -> butterfly caterpillar -> wagtail)
Conclusion: - A variety of living creatures live together in the meadow. They are interconnected and dependent on each other. Therefore, the meadow is called a natural community.
8. Generalization.
What do meadows give to people?
What precautions should be taken when grazing livestock? When making hay?
Meadow - table and home for insects, birds, rodents;
Animal feed;
Medicines;
Rest place.
Why is a meadow called a natural community? Can a meadow be called a steppe?
Try to use the rule when you are in nature - before you do something, think about whether you will harm nature by doing so.
If the material does not suit you, use the search
"The life of a meadow. A meadow is a natural community"
Lesson objectives:
- developing students' understanding of a meadow - a natural community as a collection of organisms living together and being closely interconnected; introduce the diversity of living organisms in the meadow, the role and influence of humans on the meadow; develop an understanding of natural balance and the role of man in its preservation, creativity and communication skills during group work; cultivate a love of nature and respect for the Motherland.
Lesson objectives:
- introduce animals and plants of meadows and their characteristics; show the connection between nature and human activity; to cultivate an ecological culture, to help children think about the vulnerability of nature and the need to protect it.
Teaching methods: verbal (conversation, story, explanation), visual, practical (working with herbarium, independent work), as well as a research method for studying new material.
Form of lesson organization: lesson - scientific expedition.
Forms of organizing work in the classroom: frontal, individual, differentiated, work in pairs, in groups.
Equipment: textbooks “The World Around Us” (grade 4), workbooks, cards for individual work, herbarium “Plants of the meadows of our area”, identification cards, photo sketches depicting meadows of the region, diagram “Meadow”, pictures “Insects”, audio recording “Voices of the Meadow”, Red Book of the Russian Federation, stand “Medicinal Plants of Our Area”, exhibition of drawings on the topic “Animals of the Forests”, map of the area.
Lesson progress:
Org. moment.
The bell rang, the lesson called us all -
Today, guys, we are going on a research expedition again. I wish you success and new interesting discoveries!
Updating knowledge. Communicate the topic and objectives of the lesson.
A path runs through the meadow,
We dive left, right.
Everywhere you look there are flowers all around,
Yes, knee-deep grass.
Green meadow, like a wonderful garden
Smelling and fresh at dawn.
Beautiful, rainbow colors
Bouquets are scattered on it.
(I. Surikov)
Why do you think I started the lesson with this poem?
What does the poet compare the green meadow with? How does he describe bouquets of meadow flowers?
How many of you have been to the meadow? What do you remember most?
What plants grow there? How can they be called in one word? (Herbs) Why do they grow in open spaces?
Conclusion: Meadows are treeless areas occupied by herbaceous plants. These plants love light and warmth, so they grow in open areas.
Checking homework.
– Only those who have thoroughly mastered the material from the last lesson will be able to go on a new expedition. Let's check your homework.
1) Graphic dictation.
Write down the + sign if the statement is true, if incorrect write -:
1 The uppermost layer of the forest is formed by trees.
2 The middle tier is mosses and lichens.
3 In this combination there will be no cycle of substances: oak-caterpillar-bird-microbes.
4 Moles and shrews live on the tree.
5 Mushrooms are necessary for the forest because many animals feed on them.
6 Bark beetles cause harm to the forest community.
7 Forest litter remains in the forest for many years.
8 All forest animals are divided into four groups according to the type of food.
9 Brown bear is a predator.
10 People eat the fruits of all bushes.
Answers: +, -, -, -, +, -, -, +, -, -.
2) Frontal conversation on the material covered.
– What natural community did we meet in the last lesson?
– Why do scientists call the forest a natural community? (It is important that the ecological balance in the forest is not disturbed)
3) Game “Trees, shrubs, herbs.”
- If I name a tree that grows in our forests, you raise your hands, a bush - just stand, grass - you squat.
Oxalis, viburnum, lungwort, linden, alder, euonymus, larch, honeysuckle, hazel, copse shadow, pine.
4) Work with an exhibition of drawings on the topic “Animals of our forests.”
– Look at the wonderful drawings the guys drew on the theme “Animals of our forests.”
– What animals are these, and what floor of the forest do they live on?
– What food chains can be formed with these animals?
– Which of these animals are listed in the Red Book?
The teacher summarizes: The forest is the natural community of our region. Its inhabitants - plants and animals, fungi and microbes - live together and are closely related to each other.
- Let's say to the forest: “Goodbye!”
You grow up to be a joy to people,
We will protect you!”
Learning new material.
Take a close look at the “Meadow” diagram.
Chamomile grows in the meadow,
Buttercup is caustic, Clover is porridge!
What else is clove, tar.
Bellflower, horsetail like a Christmas tree
And also cat paws,
Dandelion caps, plantain, cornflowers,
Gramophones - bindweeds,
There are many more different herbs,
Along the paths, along the ditches,
And beautiful and fluffy
Multi-colored and fragrant (G, Lagzdyn)
What plants grow in the meadow?
What do all these plants have in common?
Introduction to meadow plants.
Let's take a closer look at the plants growing in the meadow.
A) Practical work in pairs with a herbarium of meadow plants in our area.
Look at the plants found in our meadows and find out their names using identification cards. Write down their names in a notebook, dividing them into 2 - flowers and herbs.
* Which meadow plant will help with colds?
(officinalis chamomile)
* Which meadow plant will help with stomach diseases? (yarrow)
* What plant decoction will refresh and soothe? (mint)
* Which meadow plant protects against 99 diseases? (St. John's wort)
Close your eyes, imagine a summer meadow, listen (a recording of the voices of meadow animals sounds)
Who did you hear? The meadow is rich in a variety of animals.
Getting to know the animals of the meadow.
We found out that only herbaceous plants grow in the meadow. They are not tall. How do you imagine the fauna of the meadow? (small animals)
The meadow is rich in a variety of animals. What animal could say that about itself?
* “I sing” with my wings, “listen” with my feet. (grasshopper)
* I am the most gluttonous animal on the planet. (dragonfly)
* Black, but not a raven, horned, but not a bull, I fly - I howl, I sit - I dig the earth. (bug)
* I collect juice from flowers and store sweet honey in honeycombs. (bee)
*I change my appearance three times when I'm born before I become an adult. (butterfly)
* I am larger than a bee, my body is covered with long thick hairs. It looks like I'm wearing a striped fur coat. (bumblebee)
* In the fall I’ll hide in a hole, and in the spring I’ll wake up. (fly)
* When I fly, I speak, when I sit down, I remain silent. (wasp)
Pictures of insects are hung on the board.
How can we call all these animals of our meadows in one word? (Insects) What help do they provide to meadow plants? Which insect is a real decoration of our meadows? (Butterfly)
You will learn about other animals by looking at the illustrations on pages 184-185 of your textbook.
What animals are mentioned in the article?
See what diverse living creatures live in the meadow. They are connected to each other. Bees collect pollen and at the same time pollinate plants. Birds make sure that there are not too many insects and caterpillars. Otherwise they will destroy the plants.
How do the inhabitants of the forest live?
How can you call a meadow based on this? (natural community)
Physical education minute.
The butterfly fluttered
She flapped her wings
Here the grasshopper hops and hops,
The bee flies
From flower to flower,
The wagtail shakes its tail.
A quail takes a worm out of the ground.
Everyone sighed together and we rested a bit.
Consolidation of what has been learned.
Read the article “Meadows and Man” yourself. Retell the content of the text to each other in pairs.
What do meadows give to people?
Give examples of improper human behavior in the meadow.
How can the ecological balance of a meadow be disrupted through human fault?
A person has no right to disturb the life of the meadow, its natural balance, because in the end he himself will suffer.
What role do plants play in the life of animals?
What role do animals play in plant life?
Conclusion: the inhabitants of the meadow live together, which means that the meadow is a natural community.
Who are called meadow orderlies and why?
Using the illustrations on pages 184-185 of the textbook. Write down two or three food chains that have developed in the meadow.
Find in this diagram an animal that maintains balance in the natural community of the meadow: grass - caterpillars - birds.
Modeling the “Interrelationship of living organisms in the meadow” scheme.
Ecological mysteries:
b) What happens if bumblebee burrows are destroyed?
Ecological game “Find the mistake in the story.”
This summer a group of children went on an excursion to the meadows near the river. Tesh. They wrote a story about their experiences. Listen to it. Did you like everything about their behavior? How many mistakes in the guys’ behavior have you noticed?
On a Sunday in June we went to the meadow. The weather was good. How beautiful it is all around! The meadow looks like a colorful carpet. The girls picked large bouquets of flowers. The boys caught butterflies and grasshoppers. There will be something to show your friends in the city. We found a bird's nest in the grass. It contained small bluish eggs. We held them in our hands and put them back. We crushed several caterpillars - they are still harmful. Then we had a snack. Plastic bottles were left - microbes will destroy them. They returned home happy. It was a fun day!
How many mistakes did you find in the guys’ behavior? Which?
Lesson summary.
Why is a meadow a natural community?
How is a meadow different from a forest?
Reflection.
Guys, what is needed to grow a forest? (sunlight required).
If you found the lesson interesting and exciting, and everything was clear, then you will attach a ray to the first sun.
If you experienced any difficulties, then attach the ray to the second sun.
I wish you sunny days. Thanks for the lesson!
How nice it is to walk through a flowering meadow in summer and lie down in the green grass! But while taking such walks, we usually don’t think about the diversity of living beings around us. But the meadow is home to a number of insects, birds, rodents, and amphibians.
Meadow... We associate this word with a luxurious green carpet of motley grass and scatterings of flowers. But few people think about the role that animals play in this diversity of plant life.
The fauna of the meadows is very rich. It is difficult to overestimate the importance of a huge number of species of protozoa and invertebrates in the formation of rich soil on which grasses grow. The meadow is home to numerous insects: you just have to lie down in the thick grass and you can hear the low buzz of a bumblebee, the chirping of grasshoppers, and see butterflies flying from flower to flower.
are also diverse and playful important role in the life of meadows: they distribute plant seeds and destroy dangerous pests. Amphibians and reptiles are also not rare guests in the meadows; you just need to look closely and listen to see a lizard darting into the thickets or hear the croaking of frogs. In the meadows you can find many representatives of mammals, ranging from rodents (moles, voles) to graceful artiodactyls.
Not one of the inhabitants of the meadow community is like the others; each of them makes its contribution to the organization and existence of such a complex biological system like a meadow.
Listen more closely and you will hear the chirping of a grasshopper, the buzzing of a bumblebee, the singing of a lark. Look closely and you will notice a frog, lizard or mouse in the grass. Each inhabitant of this large house is different from the others, has its own characteristics, its own habits. Want to know more about them? Then read on.
Gray grasshopper
Large insect, body length 28 - 39 mm, light or dark colored green with a lot of brown spots. It is often completely brown with darker spots. The gray grasshopper is widespread in Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia and Far East. The gray grasshopper is an inhabitant of well-warmed areas of meadows, fields, and forest edges. Your presence in the clear summer days gives out a chirping sound. These sounds are made by males, since only they have a unique sound apparatus on their elytra.
The gray grasshopper feeds on a variety of foods: insects, which it catches on plants, as well as leaves, seeds and berries. At the end of summer the breeding season begins. Females, using a long ovipositor, lay eggs in the soil at a shallow depth. The eggs overwinter, and in the spring the larvae appear, which are very similar to a grasshopper, but much smaller and wingless. The development of larvae lasts approximately 50–70 days. The larvae are initially kept by a brood, but as they grow, they disperse.
Nutcrackerstripty
A small beetle 7.5-11 mm long, the body is oblong - flat, brownish in color, the elytra are lighter, striped, the legs are short. The striped click beetle is widespread throughout Europe and Asia. The striped click beetle is found in summer in a meadow, forest edge, forest clearing, and field. Everywhere he calmly stays on plants, slowly crawls from one shoot to another. It, like all click beetles, is characterized by adaptations to jumping.
If for some reason he ends up on his back, he will not be able to turn around using his short legs. For this he has special way: It suddenly jumps up, accompanied by a loud click. Hence the names. In summer, click beetles live in the grass or on the leaves of bushes. They feed on plant foods, mainly leaves of cereals and legumes.
The female lays eggs in the surface layer of soil in the form of heaps, 3-5 eggs in each. In just one season, she lays about a hundred eggs, from which, over time, larvae are born that live in the soil. These larvae are called wireworms, since their body is dense, cylindrical, red-brown in color, similar to a piece of rusty wire. Click beetles live in fields and gardens and cause great damage to cultivated plants.
Common dung beetle
Large beetle, 16 -27 mm long. Its body is oval, convex at the top. The body color is dark, almost black, with a metallic tint. There are seven deep grooves on the elytra. The front legs are digging. The common dung beetle is widespread in Eurasia. The common dung beetle lives in meadows, pastures, and near roads. Beetles of this species are common under piles of manure left by a horse or cow. They are most active in the afternoon. At this time they fly, accompanying their flight with a loud hum.
Using their sense of smell, they look for piles of dung and begin digging a hole under them. They carry manure into the burrow, which is then compacted into long sausages. The female lays an egg in the lower part of the sausages. A hook-shaped larva emerges from the egg. She tries the stored manure, grows and overwinters. In spring, the larva turns into a pupa, from which the beetle hatches. The beetle, like the larva, feeds on manure.
By consuming manure, the common dung beetle plays an important sanitary role, and by burying it in the soil, it helps to increase its fertility. Observations have established that dung beetles can serve as a barometer. On quiet, warm evenings they fly with loud hums, looking for piles of dung, and in cold weather or before rain they remain in their burrows.
Gravedigger funeral
The beetle is medium-sized, 11–24 mm long, the body color is black with red–yellow transverse stripes on the elytra. The gravedigger is widespread in Europe and Asia. Gravediggers usually fly in the evening and are more often found on carrion, this could be, for example, a dead field mouse, mole, bird, frog, etc. The corpses of these animals can be found anywhere, on trampled soil, loose earth, or grass. Gravediggers can smell them several hundred meters away.
Having found a corpse and discovered that it is suitable for the development of larvae, these beetles begin burying it. To do this, the males crawl under the corpse and scoop out the earth from under it. As the hole is dug, the corpse sinks deeper and deeper into it. Females clean it of fur and feathers, and then lay eggs in it, from which larvae hatch over time. The larvae are white, naked and blind. They have strong and strong jaws and short legs. Larvae, like beetles, feed on carrion.
Having quickly destroyed the corpse, the grown larvae crawl away, burrow into the soil with the help of their legs and back, and make caves in which they pupate. In autumn, beetles emerge from the pupae - gravediggers, which overwinter in the soil. Adult gravediggers emerge from the ground only next spring and begin an active lifestyle. Thus, the gravedigger plays an important role in nature as an orderly.
Light-legged flea beetle
Small beetle, 2.0 -3.5 mm long. The upperparts are black with yellow stripes on the elytra. The antennae, shins and tarsi are yellow. Distributed in Europe, Central Asia and Western Siberia. Lives on plants in meadows and fields. It got its name because it can jump using its hind legs.
Cabbage white (cabbage)
A diurnal butterfly with a wingspan of 50-60 mm. The upper sides of the wings are black, and the female has two more black spots in the middle. The underside of the hind wings is yellowish-green with a slight dark coating. Legs are weak. Cabbage white is distributed throughout Europe, Asia and North America.
Swallowtail
One of the largest and most beautiful daytime butterflies. The wingspan is about 70 mm. Large and unusually shaped wings give this butterfly special beauty. They are dark yellow with a clear pattern consisting of an outer dark border and large spots. The hind wings have a wide black border with bluish spots, and at their inner lower corner there is a red spot. There are spurs on the outside of the hind wings. Swallowtail is widespread in Europe, Asia, and is known even to residents of Alaska.
Blueberry - Icarus
Small butterfly: wingspan 25 – 35 mm. The male’s wings are blue on top, with a narrow black edge, while the female’s are dark brown with a blue coating at the root of the wing and reddish marginal holes. The undersides of the wings of both sexes are gray with many black ocellated spots. The front legs are somewhat shortened. Blueberry - Icarus is widespread throughout our country, both in the European part and in Asia.
Scoop - gamma
One of the night butterflies. The fore wings are narrow, their color ranges from brown-gray to dark brown and even violet-brown. The hind wings are gray with a wide brownish border. On the front wings, in addition to the usual round and kidney-shaped spots for cutworms, there is a white shiny spot in the form greek letter gamma. Wingspan 40 -48 mm. The gamma armyworm is widespread in Europe and Asia.
meadow moth
A small butterfly with a wingspan of 20 -25m. fore wings grayish - brown with yellowish spots. Along the outer edge of the wing there is a yellow stripe with dark fringe. The hind wings are yellowish gray with two whitish stripes along the anterior edge. Sitting butterflies fold their wings in the form isosceles triangle. The female is larger than the males. The meadow moth is common in Central and Southern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Siberia.
Hairy bee
A medium-sized bee, 12-15mm long. Its body is dark, its chest is covered with brownish-yellow hairs. The abdomen has three to five whitish bands on top. Hind leg tibiae and first tarsal segment covered with very long and dense hairs. This is where this bee got its name - hairy-legged. The hairy bee is widespread: in Europe, Asia, except in tropical areas. Active in spring and summer, found in meadows, forest clearings, forest edges, and wastelands. It can often be observed on the flowers of asteraceous plants such as dandelion, salsify, and cornflower.
Common beeweed
The flower fly is a medium-sized hoverfly, body length 15-16mm. The eyes have two stripes of dense hairs. Abdomen with large yellow spots. Externally it looks like a bee. The common beekeeper is widespread throughout the globe, except in the Far North.
Common hoverfly
Medium-sized colored fly, 10-12mm long. The chest is dark with a metallic tint, the abdomen is also dark with yellow semi-lunar spots on each of its segments. Eyes without hairs. The proboscis is of moderate length, the legs are short. Appearance we resemble small wasps. Widely distributed in Eurasia and North America, except the Far North.
grass frog
Size from 70 to 100mm, muzzle blunt, small calcaneal tubercle. The color of the upper part of the body is dominated by light brown and dark brown tones. The abdomen is dirty - white or yellowish. There is a dark spot on the temples from the eye and almost to the shoulder. Small brown and blackish spots, reddish and white dots are scattered throughout the body, forming a bizarre pattern. The grass frog is common in Europe, except the Iberian Peninsula, in Asia to the Urals.
green toad
Size 70 – 75 mm, maximum length -140mm. The skin is lumpy and there are poisonous glands on the sides of the head. The body on top is colored in light green tones with large dark green spots surrounded by a black border and often with red dots in the middle. The green toad is widespread in Europe, except the Iberian Peninsula, in Central Asia, and North Africa.
Fast lizard
It is of medium size, its body length is 9–11 cm, its tail is approximately 1.5 times longer than the body. The body is covered with small scales, scutes, and grains. Males are usually green or greenish-brown, and females are brownish-gray. Depending on the nature of their habitat, the color of their body may vary slightly, but the typical pattern of stripes and spots is always preserved. The sand lizard is widespread in the forest and forest-steppe zones of our country, except for the Far North.
Common quail
Slightly larger in size than a starling. The general color of the upper body is ocher-brown with dark and light stripes. The male has a black throat in the spring and a white throat in the fall. His chest and crop are buffy-red. In females and young birds, the crop and chest are grayish with brown spots. The common quail is very widespread - found in Europe, Asia, North and South Africa. Migratory bird, winters in northern parts tropical Africa, Arabia, India, South China.
Common kestrel
A small falcon, the size of a dove. The top of the head and neck of the male is gray, the back is red with dark streaks, the chest and belly are reddish-gray with sparse longitudinal streaks. The lower part of the throat is whitish-yellow. The tail is gray, at the end there is a narrow white stripe, about in front - black. The female is red on top with narrow dark longitudinal stripes on the head and wide transverse streaks on the back, the bottom of the plumage is lighter. The kestrel is distributed throughout Europe, Central Asia, Western Siberia and North America.
Landrail
Slightly larger in size than a starling. The beak is short, the head is small, the wings are short and blunt. The color of the plumage on top is reddish-brown, and the underside is yellowish-gray with dark stripes on the sides, the wings are rusty-brown. Crake is widespread in Europe and Asia. The migratory bird winters in Africa.
Lapwing
One of the many waders, about the size of a pigeon. It differs from other waders in the predominance of black and white males in the plumage. On the back of the head there is a crest of several narrow feathers. The beak is rather short and straight, and the wing is wide and blunt. The female has white feathers on her chin and throat, and her wings are wider and blunter than the male's. The lapwing is widespread throughout Europe, except North-Eastern Greece, and in Asia. They winter in England, in the east of France, in the North West Africa and Southeast Asia.
skylark
It is somewhat larger in size than a sparrow, weighs about 40 g. The upper side of the body is brownish-gray with black longitudinal streaks, and the underside is white with dark streaks on the chest. There are light stripes on the sides of the tail. The skylark is common in Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The bird is migratory and winters in southern Asia and northern Africa.
Class: 4
Objective of the lesson: to form students’ understanding of the meadow as a natural community.
Tasks:
– to form students’ idea of a meadow as a natural community;
– introduce the diversity of living organisms of the meadow, the relationship between them;
- develop cognitive activity children, interest, ability to observe, compare, generalize and draw conclusions;
– consider the possible negative impact on the natural community of the meadow by man;
Equipment: interactive whiteboard, projector, computer, textbook by A.A. Pleshakov “ The world around us”, illustrations of plants, insects, birds and animals of the meadow.
Lesson progress
1. Organizational moment.
2. Update background knowledge. Introduction to the topic.
– Text No. 1 is on the table.
– Read the text and determine the topic of today’s lesson.
Text No. 1.
Meadows are vast areas of grassy vegetation that are located along the low-lying banks of rivers and lakes. Meadow and forest live nearby. Both communities have enough warmth and light. The soils are similar in composition. But a forest cannot grow right on the bank of a river. Since in the spring the area is flooded with water when the river floods. Trees cannot grow in such moisture. Grasses grow quickly after the water recedes, since melt water brings a lot of silt, which is a good fertilizer. Such meadows are called flooded meadows. People never settle in meadows. Because during high water, housing will be flooded.
Another type of meadow is found in nature – in the mountains. These are alpine meadows, which are located high on the slopes of the mountains. The higher we climb into the mountains, the colder it becomes. Forests give way to shrubs and then grasses. During the short summer, grasses in mountain meadows have time to grow, bloom and produce seeds.
– Today in class we are going to a natural community – a meadow. We set ourselves goals: to get acquainted with the diversity of living organisms in the meadow, consider the relationship between them, their food chains.
– Find in the text what the characteristic vegetation of the meadow is.
– How are the meadow and forest located?
– What meadows are called flooded ones?
– What meadows are called alpine?
3. Studying new material.
Teacher's message. (About plants.)
– Meadow plants also have their own tiers - floors, but they are not as pronounced as in the forest. Light-loving herbs grow highest in the meadow, and shade-loving herbs grow lower.
– Look at the illustrations.
– Read the message about mouse peas, about dandelion, about bluegrass, about burdock.
Text No. 2.
1) Mouse peas grow by clinging to other plants with tendrils. It ripens in pods and is violently scattered around when the pod bursts.
2) Dandelion has light seeds and they are carried by the wind.
3) Bluegrass. Its seeds do not get wet well. They are light and float like boats on the water after rain.
4) Burdock. Its seeds have hooks that attach to animal fur and “move” to new places.
Teacher's message:
– Herbaceous plants grow in open areas. They love light and warmth. Most plants are flowers. Among them there are fodder and melliferous, medicinal plants, plants listed in the Red Book. They must be protected and not torn. And there are also poisonous plants.
Student's message about a poisonous plant - poisonous plant.
Teacher's message (about insects).
– The meadow is an open area and it may seem that no one lives here. But if you listen... (I turn on the sounds of the meadow).
– What familiar sounds did you hear?
– Which animals are more numerous in the meadow? (Insects)
– Name familiar insects.
– Among meadow insects you can find predators – dragonflies that eat mosquitoes and midges; omnivorous ants that feed on other insects, as well as plant sap and nectar.
Guess the riddles:
1) It flutters and dances over the flower
He waves a patterned fan. (Butterfly.)2) A violinist lives in the meadow,
He wears a tailcoat and walks at a gallop. (Grasshopper.)3) Cheren, not a raven,
Horned, but not a bull,
Flies, howls,
He sits down and digs the ground. (Bug.)
- Beetles live in the meadow - meadow orderlies. This is a gravedigger beetle and a dung beetle.
– Read the text about the gravedigger beetle.
Text No. 3.
The gravedigger beetle cleverly deceives his enemies. The orange stripes on its wings make it look like a bumblebee, and if someone attacks it, the beetle begins to buzz like a bumblebee. If a dead mouse lies on the ground, then much before the fox smells it, there will be a small bug nearby, about two centimeters in length.
– Why is the gravedigger beetle called the orderly of the meadow?
Physical education minute.
The butterfly fluttered
She flapped her wings.
Here the grasshopper is hopping and hopping.
A bee flies from flower to flower.
The wagtail shakes its tail.
A quail takes a worm out of the ground.
Everyone waved in unison,
We rested a bit.
– What birds live in the meadows?
– Compare them by size and color.
– Birds are usually small in size, variegated in color, which blends in with last year’s grass. The bird's body shape is streamlined to make it easier to move through the grass.
Student report about quail, corncrake, wagtail.
– What do meadow birds eat?
-Where do they build nests?
– What animals can you see in the meadow?
– There are a lot of small animals, especially rodents, mice and moles.
- Why?
– Mice eat grasses and plant seeds. This is abundant in the meadows.
The mole feeds on insects living in the soil, worms.
And there are plenty of them in the meadows too.
Game “Find the correct power chain.” (Work in teams.)
plant seeds – mouse – hedgehog
plants – caterpillars – wagtail
shrew – quail – mole
4. Working with the textbook p. 48.
Read the text. Draw posters - environmental signs about behavior in the meadow. (Work in teams.)
5. Summing up the lesson.
– Why can a meadow be called a natural community?
– How should one treat the “meadow” community?
6. D.z.
With. 43–49, retelling, prepare a report about one medicinal plant.
