Recommended Grade Level: 5th Grade

Description: In this lesson, students will explore mosquito habitats in the Florida Keys and investigate how environmental conditions and weather patterns influence mosquito populations throughout the year. They will examine the stages of the water cycle and discover how rainfall and standing water affect the mosquito life cycle. Students will also learn about the critical role of the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District and why effective mosquito control is essential for protecting public health and the quality of life in the Florida Keys.

Florida State Academic Standards:

• SC.5. L.15.1 Describe how, when the environment changes, differences between individuals allow some plants and animals to survive and reproduce while other die or move to new locations.
• SC.5. L.17.1 Compare and contrast adaptations displayed by animals and plants that enable them to survive in different environments such as life cycles variations, animal behaviors, and physical characteristics.
• SC.5.E.7.2 Recognize that the ocean is an integral part of the water cycle and is connected to all of Earth's water reservoirs via evaporation and precipitation processes.
• SC.5.E.7.4 Distinguish among the various forms of precipitation (rain, snow, sleet, and hail), making connections to the weather in a particular place and time.
• SC.5.E.7.5 Recognize that some of the weather-related differences, such as temperature and humidity, are found among different environments, such as swamps, deserts, and mountains.
• SC.5.E.7.6 Describe characteristics (temperature and precipitation) of different climate zones as they relate to latitude, elevation, and proximity to bodies of water.