~ Jessica Thomas
English Teacher, International Department
~ Jessica Thomas
English Teacher, International Department
Embedded Files
English Teacher, International Department
As third graders grow, they learn about the immense and incredible world around them. They begin to realize that there are many connections to be made between people and nature. But how do living things affect each other? And how do living things change the environment around them?
These are a few of the big-picture questions our classes considered. We designed the Connections in Nature project to give students a chance to research and discuss these questions. Everyone was excited to learn about the balance that needs to be kept in our ecosystems.
Interpreting and Conducting Research
As our students grow up and make progress through our curriculum at Kang Chiao, we match the depth and skills of our projects to their journey. Third graders are young and curious, and already know a lot of scientific facts. Therefore, we introduced them to the topic of Chiao Nature Study Area. Students were able to understand the food chains and other connections in our school’s backyard from their own learning experience here. After that, we thought about potential problems that could arise if one of the links disappeared or was affected by people.
After brainstorming, we extended our learning into other real-world situations. We provided students with a variety of research materials to study. Each student chose an ecosystem to focus on, such as a desert or the ocean. Then, they researched food chains and other connections there. We guided their research by teaching techniques that could help the third graders organize their research into simple notes. That helped them understand and remember the main ideas and supporting details of their research.
Students were happy to study food chains, and they realized how complex nature can be. Everyone already knew that sharks are strong predators, but not many students knew how tiny plants in the ocean affect the balance of nature. Our gifted third graders quickly became science experts thanks to their curiosity.
Understanding Visual Text Features
The new myView textbooks set an excellent example of using different ways to portray and express information, such as photos with captions, maps, and diagrams. These text features seem obvious to adults, but our work in this project was the first time students really thought about them. We examined several infographics and worked together to create a checklist of common elements. This allowed students to understand how authors use text features effectively.
All students did an excellent job of summarizing a great deal of research into easy-to-read diagrams. But the real fun came with the addition of artistic elements. Some students incorporated the theme of nature in their displays, adding plant or animal-based decorations alongside their information. Others took a more modern approach and put information in polaroid pictures, like a scrapbook. Every student worked hard to process their research and showcase it to help others learn in a creative and educational way. The final results are beautiful works of art that effectively explain complex food webs in nature.
Relationships and Responsibility
Third graders are learning more about their place in the world. With this project, we wanted them to know that they are an incredibly important piece of the puzzle when it comes to nature. Learning research skills alongside methods of displaying information effectively was just as important as our discussions on protecting ecosystems. Inspiration struck them as they built associations between the many relationships around them and all over our planet.
Food Webs
Food Webs
★ Phineas Janis 陳彥霖 303
The food chain in a rainforest starts with plants, trees, and grass. They are the first link of the food chain so they are producers. They get their energy from the sun to make food. The second link of the food chain is the monkey. They are consumers. They eat rainforest plants, nuts, and tropical fruits. Jaguars are consumers and also predators. They eat consumers like monkeys. They also eat smaller predators. The last link of the rainforest food chain is millipedes. Millipedes eat dead things, including animals and trees, and break them down into rich soil. The plants and grass can grow there, and the food chain starts over again.
If plants, trees, and grass disappeared, then the consumers like monkeys would not have enough food to eat, so they would die. Then the predators won’t have any food and they would die too. In the end, even the decomposers would not have things to eat, so all the animals would die or have to leave the rainforest. The ecosystem would be destroyed. We can help protect the ecosystem by cleaning up rivers, planting trees, persuading policy-makers, and collecting money to protect the environment.
★ BillyLu 呂盛 308
The rainforest has many interesting animals. It is the perfect environment for them because it is humid. On some trees, there are delicious fruits like bananas. Many animals will eat them. It is a producer because it makes its own food. Look! A toucan is eating the plants! Toucans are consumers so they are the next link in the food chain. Now a snake is eating the toucan because it is a carnivore. Snakes eat smaller consumers like toucans, mice, and eggs. Wow! Now an eagle is eating the snake. It is also a carnivore. It has sharp talons and amazing eyes to catch smaller prey. Last, the millipede breaks down the dead bodies and turns them into nutrients to help plants grow. It is a decomposer.
If we took out a link from the food chain, like the snake, there would be nothing that could eat toucans, so there would be lots of toucans. That would be bad because our ecosystem would be out of balance.
★ Melody Lin 林洛安 307
The arctic is a desert; it is cold and dry. In the arctic, the producer that many animals eat is grass. It gives energy to many animals like arctic hares, musk oxen, and caribou. Arctic hares are consumers. They are white and small. They eat berries, grass, twigs, and roots. Arctic hares are herbivores. Arctic foxes and other big animals in the arctic eat them. Arctic foxes are consumers. They eat hares, birds, and voles to get more energy. They are white, medium-sized carnivores.
When the animals die, the decomposers, fungi, grow on animals’ bodies and decompose them. They are small and flat. They break down dead animals and help keep the environment clean and healthy. If the fungi disappeared, the dead bodies would spread sickness to living animals.
★ Olivia Chien 簡岑倢 305
There is an insect called a grasshopper that lives in rainforests. Grasshoppers are consumers that need to eat. Their favorite foods are grasses, flowers, and insects. Grasshoppers like to eat plants. The plants need ants to decompose the dead animals’ bodies and plants to turn into healthy soil, so the grass can grow and the grasshopper will have food to eat. This is one food chain in a rainforest.
If we took away the ants, then the rainforest would have lots of dead material everywhere. That would be bad because it would cause lots of animals to get sick. Ants are decomposers that help the environment and the food chain.
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