To connect this overarching essential question to ALL content areas, we link it to science by exploring similarities between migration and immigration. First we discussed the push pull factors of the migration of people as we explored the Great Migration paintings of artist Jacob Lawrence.
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| Jacob Lawrence's Migration Series painting. |
Following this, we discussed the needs of living things and the parts of a plant. We learned that plants, through their leaves, provide oxygen for animals to breathe and make their own food (sugar) through the process called photosynthesis.
Today (September 12, 2014), we watched the Scholastic StudyJams Ecosystem Video and then had a group discussion on the main features of an ecosystem. We emphasized that the most important part of an ecosystem is RAIN because without rain, the plants would not thrive. Since they are food for animals, animals could not live. Also, without plants producing oxygen, all other living things would die. We also learned that plants are producers in an ecosystem. They are food. Consumers in an ecosystem are animals. They eat the plants and other animals. An ecosystem also had decomposers. Decomposers, such as bacteria, break down the dead plant and animal material and allow the minerals and nutrients to be released or used.
After this discussion, Students worked in their P.R.I.D.E. lab groups to create their own ecosystems in a bottle. A bottle ecosystem is an excellent way to study how populations of plant and animals interact. We made and aquatic ecosystem.
Today (September 12, 2014), we watched the Scholastic StudyJams Ecosystem Video and then had a group discussion on the main features of an ecosystem. We emphasized that the most important part of an ecosystem is RAIN because without rain, the plants would not thrive. Since they are food for animals, animals could not live. Also, without plants producing oxygen, all other living things would die. We also learned that plants are producers in an ecosystem. They are food. Consumers in an ecosystem are animals. They eat the plants and other animals. An ecosystem also had decomposers. Decomposers, such as bacteria, break down the dead plant and animal material and allow the minerals and nutrients to be released or used.
After this discussion, Students worked in their P.R.I.D.E. lab groups to create their own ecosystems in a bottle. A bottle ecosystem is an excellent way to study how populations of plant and animals interact. We made and aquatic ecosystem.
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| Kaylin and Diamond observe aquarium water for microorganisms. |
First, students observed aquarium water that was place in their bottles in advance. They looked for microorganisms such as baby snails and plant matter that may have been in the existing aquarium water.
Next, rocks were put in the ecosystem. These were non-living (abiotic) parts of the ecosystem.
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| TaMya and Marion are ready to place Elodea in their ecosystem. |
Each member of the lab groups took turns placing a stem of Elodea into the ecosystem.
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| Karissa observes the snail before it is places in her lab groups ecosystem. |
Finally, snails were placed in the ecosystems. Two kinds of snails were places in the ecosystems. The small snails shown in the photo above and a larger horn snail.
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| A horn snail climbs the wall of the bottle making its way toward its food source, the Elodea. |
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| A finished aquatic ecosystem. The horn snail had found its food source. |
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| Six aquatic ecosystems. Some of these will be shared throughout the school so that other students may observe and learn from our ecosystems. |
Once again, your students are totally engaged! I love that you are going to share your science project with the entire student body. Everyone should be so fortunate to have a teacher like you, Ms Amstutz.
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