Embedded Files
Central Idea:
Central Idea:
Interconnectedness shapes cycles.
Interconnectedness shapes cycles.
Lines of Inquiry:
✦ Connection between components of an ecosystem
✦ Consequences of balance and imbalance
✦ Energy in an ecosystem
Class Connection Activity
To kick off our year and unit of inquiry, students found connections that they have in common with one another and filled them out on hexagons. They connected all of their hexagons together showing how they are all interconnected.
Nature Center Observations
Students explored the biotic and abiotic elements of the ecosystem of the nature center. After making observations, students creatively wrote about what they noticed.
Pond Observations
Students explored the ecosystem of the McGraw pond and creatively wrote about their observations. They noticed many living organisms such as spiders, tadpoles, and fish.
Gardens on Spring Creek Field Trip
We learned about new plant species and how plants adapt to their environment. We also learned that butterflies native to other places can be invasive here and cannot be released in our community. We made a human model of the process of photosynthesis. Finally, we learned that plants need air, water, and sun when we made living necklaces.
Nature Center Clean-up
To encourage more biodiversity, students weeded the plants that were taking over and spreading to other areas of the nature center. The weeds are invasive and will choke out the other plants if they are not removed from the nature center.
Dinosaur Food Web
Students developed a possible dinosaur food web. They connected producers (plants) to herbivores and herbivores to ominvores and carnivores. They observed the consequences that would have happened in the food web if sunlight were blocked for an extended period of time.
Poudre River Field Trip
We took samples of river water and analyzed them for macroinvertebrates. We found a lot of stone flies and mayflies which indicated that the watershed is healthy since these macroinvertebrates are sensitive to pollution.
We read Island of the Blue Dolphins as a class novel for this unit of inquiry.
Students researched and learned about sea otters and their role in the kelp forest ecosystem. They turned what they learned into "an article for Ranger Rick."
Biosphere Challenge
Students worked collaboratively to design a self-sustaining biosphere that would be able to support eight people. They developed food webs to ensure that every organism had something to eat. Students demonstrated that the sun or other light sources provided energy for all the producers in their biospheres. They considered what producers, consumers, and decomposers would be beneficial to include.
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