Ecosystem Adventures
Well, things were a little calmer this week than last, and we had some adventures in science class! Our first unit for the year deals with ecosystems, and the unit is centered around 3 key areas: understanding the process of how plants get their energy, developing models to show how matter moves within an ecosystem, and using models to show that energy in food originated with the sun.
In order to get a good grasp on these concepts, the students are building model ecosystems of their own called ecocolumns.
The ecocolumns have two main sections--an aquarium and a terrarium. They are made from three 2-liter soda bottles that have been cut apart and (eventually) put together to have the terrarium stacked above the aquarium. It's a really exciting project and the students are all engaged in the process! It definitely has a tremendous amount of prep work with it to get all of the materials organized so that the students can efficiently get them made, but seeing the students' enthusiasm for the project makes it all worth it.
We made the terrariums first so that it would give the plants time to grow. They contain gravel (for drainage), soil, and three types of seeds--grass, mustard, and alfalfa. In a couple of weeks, we are going to get a shipment of crickets and isopods (pillbugs) that will then live in the terrariums. So hopefully they will provide everything our critters need to survive! The students were really excited to see the plants shoot up so quickly, in just a few days, and the other 5th grade teachers told me that we may even need to trim the plants before the critters arrive!
The aquariums were built next, and they are going to have a few different aquatic plants (elodea, duckweed, and algae) along with some fish and snails! The students were really pumped up about this part because the fish and snails arrived at the same time as the plants. We put the aquariums together yesterday with just the plants in them, and on Monday we will be adding the fish and snails (which are currently in "holding ponds" in the science lab). The aquariums will be fun examples for the students to see how the plants help provide oxygen for the water!
The students are already thinking about taking the ecocolumns home (not until the end of the quarter) and are worried about who gets to take them home because they are working in partner sets. We will cross that bridge when we get there, but I know there are going to be some disappointed kids. This, however, will be a good learning opportunity for them as well...
Mindfulness thought for the week: It's not what happens to you, but how you react that matters.
--Epictetus
In order to get a good grasp on these concepts, the students are building model ecosystems of their own called ecocolumns.
The ecocolumns have two main sections--an aquarium and a terrarium. They are made from three 2-liter soda bottles that have been cut apart and (eventually) put together to have the terrarium stacked above the aquarium. It's a really exciting project and the students are all engaged in the process! It definitely has a tremendous amount of prep work with it to get all of the materials organized so that the students can efficiently get them made, but seeing the students' enthusiasm for the project makes it all worth it.
We made the terrariums first so that it would give the plants time to grow. They contain gravel (for drainage), soil, and three types of seeds--grass, mustard, and alfalfa. In a couple of weeks, we are going to get a shipment of crickets and isopods (pillbugs) that will then live in the terrariums. So hopefully they will provide everything our critters need to survive! The students were really excited to see the plants shoot up so quickly, in just a few days, and the other 5th grade teachers told me that we may even need to trim the plants before the critters arrive!
The aquariums were built next, and they are going to have a few different aquatic plants (elodea, duckweed, and algae) along with some fish and snails! The students were really pumped up about this part because the fish and snails arrived at the same time as the plants. We put the aquariums together yesterday with just the plants in them, and on Monday we will be adding the fish and snails (which are currently in "holding ponds" in the science lab). The aquariums will be fun examples for the students to see how the plants help provide oxygen for the water!
The students are already thinking about taking the ecocolumns home (not until the end of the quarter) and are worried about who gets to take them home because they are working in partner sets. We will cross that bridge when we get there, but I know there are going to be some disappointed kids. This, however, will be a good learning opportunity for them as well...
Mindfulness thought for the week: It's not what happens to you, but how you react that matters.
--Epictetus
Comments
Post a Comment