What's going on in Mr. Solarz' Class?

Ecosystem Resources

7/23/2016

MIT Videos: http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/search/?q=&selected_facets=supplemental_curriculum_hierarchy_nodes%3A428&selected_facets=grades_exact%3A5&selected_facets=media_type_exact%3AVideo

PBL: How do humans and natural events affect the environment, and how can we restore balance to the ecosystem?

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Lesson 13: Prairie Ecosystem

4/2/2016

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Classroom Discussion:

Trace relationships between different organisms in this ecosystem.
1. How does the bison rely on the bluestem grass?
2. How does the wolf rely on the bison?
3. How does the wolf rely on the bluestem grass?
Remember that scavengers and decomposers are also essential to the ecosystem. One reason they are essential to the system is that they help provide stability by helping to break down waste matter.
Stability: a resistance to sudden change.
Today, we will determine what might happen when changes affect the organisms in the tall grass prairie ecosystem.

BIG IDEA 11:
Newly introduced species or changes in types of species can disrupt the balance of an ecosystem.

Vocabulary:

Stability

Classroom Discussion:

Several changes are going to happen to the tall grass prairie ecosystem (one at a time) and you (groups) need to predict how the changes will affect the ecosystem.
Read the six scenarios here and explain to each other how each change will affect the ecosystem.
Answer the questions from the last page in the link above.
As a whole-group, share how the stability of the prairie ecosystem is affected when some organisms die or when new organisms are introduced.

Reflect & Synthesize:
Answer the following questions in your blog post. Remember to have at least one follow-up sentence for each question, when possible.

How do the changes to an ecosystem affect the interactions between the components in that system?
What are some examples of the ways the changes affect the interactions of the components of the system?
What happens when the system is disrupted through the addition, removal, or change of components?
What can humans do to lessen the impacts of those disruptions?

Answers:

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Lesson 12: Matter on the Move

3/31/2016

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Class Discussion:

How do producers get their matter?
How do consumers get their matter?
Name some of the food chains in this food web.
How does matter move in the food web?
What organisms are missing from the food chain and food web pictures?
Where would scavengers and decomposers fit in the tall grass prairie food web?

Look at this visual.

Scavengers and decomposers add nutrients to the soil.
They also release carbon dioxide back into the air.
The matter in the soil nutrients are reused by plants.
The gases in the air are also reused by plants.
Scavengers and decomposers return matter back into the beginning of the food web (plants), so the flow of matter is modeled as a cycle.

Draw a diagram of matter cycling that is similar to the one on the above visual, but uses organisms from our local ecosystem using this organizer. Draw arrows between the producers, consumers, scavengers, and decomposers showing how matter cycles within that ecosystem. Share your diagrams with others in the room.

What happens to the matter from herbivores and carnivores?
What happens to the matter from scavengers and decomposers?

BIG IDEA 10:
Matter cycles within food webs.

Vocabulary:

Let's Play a Game:

Here are the directions & supplies.
Try some of the game variations from the Teacher's Manual.
Complete these questions on your blog post along with the ones below.

Reflection/Synthesis:
Answer the following questions in your blog post. Remember to have at least one follow-up sentence for each question, when possible.

Do you think this game ever has a beginning and an end? How so? When? Does the matter ever disappear?
Review the "Phenomena" section of this PDF for each of the following questions... Explain the phenomena related to the movement of matter when the herbivores consumed the plants.
Explain the phenomena related to the movement of matter when the carnivores consumed the herbivores.
Explain the phenomena related to the movement of matter when the herbivores and carnivores excreted waste.
Explain the phenomena related to the movement of matter when the decomposers and scavengers consumed dead herbivores or carnivores.

Answers:

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Lesson 11: Nutrients Help Plants

3/30/2016

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Let's think about our original question: "Will plants in organic material grow differently than those grown in inorganic material?"

Let's look back at our predictions from Lesson 5. What data have we gathered so far?

Today, we are completing our data collection and will combine our data to discover how our plants compared.

Get back into your groups that we had for Lesson 5 and collect the supplies you need for today's lesson.
Do your final measurements, pictures, etc.
See if you can observe anything new, even if it wasn't something you were tracking all along.
How many groups had plants that were healthier in the potting soil? The perlite?
Why was the potting soil a healthier medium for plant growth than perlite?
Complete pages in the PDF on your blog.
Root Observation (with teacher support).
Draw plants & take photos/videos.
Type a paragraph explaining the conclusions we came up with after combining all of the data.

BIG IDEA 9:
Nutrients in the soil (or water) are used by plants and other organisms. Scavengers and decomposers break down organic material into matter plants can absorb.

Vocabulary:

Read about Making Healthy Soil with your partner(s).

Reflection/Synthesis:
Answer the following questions in your blog post. Remember to have at least one follow-up sentence for each question, when possible.

How do scavengers improve soil?
How do fungi and bacteria improve soil?
What matter was in the potting soil that made it more nutrient-rich than the perlite?
Why should plants grown in decomposed organic material be healthier than those grown in perlite?
Is an earthworm one of the organisms that moves matter?
What other organisms help to move matter?
Does matter only move to plants through soil nutrients?

Answers:

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Lesson 10: Worms - Consumers and Decomposers

3/29/2016

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Check out the worm bin!

What are the living components?
What are the non-living components?

Check out some of the worms!

What do worms eat?
What is the waste that they create called?
What are the composting worms good for?
What do scavengers such as dung beetles and carrion beetles get from their ecosystems?
Where do they get it?
How might a worm behave as a scavenger?
What will happen to the newspaper and cucumber pieces if they are left out in nature?
What might composting worms do with these items?

BIG IDEA 8:
Decomposers and scavengers feed on the matter in nature's waste. They move matter and carry out the process of decomposition.

Vocabulary:

Investigation:

Set up decomposition cups to discover what effect worms will have on the decomposition of plant remains over approximately five days.

Looking at our materials, how should we set up our experiment to explain that earthworms decompose the matter in nature's waste? What will be our specific procedure?

Follow the procedure outlined on the Decomposition Cups Lab sheet.

Why do you think one cup has worms in it and one cup doesn't?

Directions:

Every group gets five composting worms to put into their cup labeled, "Worms" (Wear gloves and/or wash hands.)
Make your prediction and record your initial observations about what will happen on your blog according to the directions in the PDF above.
Cover your cups with plastic wrap and put them into the paper bag to ensure a moist, dark environment for the worms. Make sure you have labeled the paper bag with your group name on it and today's date.
Bring your bag to the spot in the room we designated for these. Check on your worms every few days and spray them with water, but don't disturb them for a week or so.
In a week or two, we will follow the rest of the directions in the PDF.

Read about Earthworms to understand what makes composting worms different from other earthworms.

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Lesson 9: Nature Cleans It Up

3/28/2016

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Did you know that DECOMPOSITION couldn't happen without "Other living organisms and environmental factors affecting this process!"

What do you think causes nature's waste to decompose?
What might cause the MATTER in a tree or bison to decompose?
Can you think of any animals that feed on organisms they didn't kill themselves (or the solid waste of organisms)? These are called SCAVENGERS.

BIG IDEA 8:
Decomposers and scavengers feed on the matter in nature's waste. They move matter and carry out the process of decomposition.

Vocabulary:

Scavengers

Complete this Mystery Science activity and then watch the video!

Blog Post:

Read "Scavengers" and watch the video on the right. Then, answer these questions in your blog post:

What is a scavenger?
What is the role of a scavenger in its ecosystem?

Videos:

Learn about Dung Beetles by watching this video. Then, answer these questions in your blog post:

What did you observe in the video?
What is the food source for the dung beetle?

Read about Beetles (scroll down) and answer this question in your blog post:

How would you explain the role of the dung beetles in moving MATTER in their ecosystem?

Learn about Carrion Beetles by watching this video. Then, answer these questions in your blog post:

What did you observe in the video?
What is the food source for the carrion beetle?

Read about Beetles (scroll down) and answer this question in your blog post:

How would you explain the role of the carrion beetles in moving MATTER in their ecosystem?

Using Explain Everything, Google Drawing, ThingLink, or another web tool, create a video that shows you drawing and labeling a model of how dung beetles or carrion beetles move matter in an ecosystem, including how they feed on matter and how that matter is broken into smaller pieces. Upload that video to YouTube and embed the video on your blog post.

Reflection/Synthesis:
Answer the following questions in your blog post. Remember to have at least one follow-up sentence for each question, when possible.

What do beetles get from dung or carrion? (All scavengers and decomposers feed on organic remains and waste, and int he process the remains decompose, getting broken into smaller pieces of matter.
Describe what your yard, playground, or park would look like if there weren't any scavengers.
Would it be completely clean even if scavengers were there or would there still be waste? Describe what might be left.

Answers:

Class Discussion:

What happens to the matter of dead plants and animals that scavengers leave behind in an ecosystem?
What happens to the matter from scavengers' droppings in an ecosystem?
What happens to the matter from scavengers' bodies when they die in an ecosystem?

Read about Fungi and Bacteria. While doing so, draw a model that explains how fungi and bacteria move matter in an ecosystem, including how they feed on matter and how that matter is broken down.

Reflection/Synthesis:
Answer the following questions in your blog post. Remember to have at least one follow-up sentence for each question, when possible.

How does your model describe how fungi contribute to the movement of matter in ecosystems?
How does your model describe how bacteria contribute to the movement of matter in ecosystems?
How useful are the models for explaining the phenomena of the movement of matter in ecosystems? In what ways are the models like the real thing? In what ways are the models limited or inaccurate?
What do organisms get from the matter they eat?

Answers:

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Lesson 8: Nature Breaks it Down

3/26/2016

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Let's look at our classroom plants and the decomposing material in the pot.

Now, let's watch these videos (answer the questions below while watching):

Questions to answer while watching the videos:

What evidence do you have that things are changing?
What is the cause of these changes?
What is the effect of these changes?
What is the term for this process?

You just watched a natural process called DECOMPOSITION. Here are some questions that ask you to think about this process:

When do organisms or organic remains decompose?
Why do things decompose?
Do things disappear completely when they decompose?
What happens to the matter in organic remains when they decompose?
Is it possible to prevent something from decomposing?
What affects how quickly something decomposes?

Watch this video to help explain some things about Conservation of Mass.

BIG IDEA 7 (Repeated):
The matter in nature's waste is broken down by various scavengers and decomposers.

Vocabulary:

Decomposition

Complete the BISON DECOMPOSITION and TREE DECOMPOSITION activities. Take pictures of your final products & embed them on this blog post. Then answer these questions:

What data do you have about the tree and bison now that you've completed the activities?
What claim can you make about what happens to the MATTER in the organisms now that you've completed the activities?
How can you evaluate your claim? How do you know if it's correct or not?
What changes took place to the MATTER in each organism as it decomposed?
Cause & Effect: What could have CAUSED the tree to decompose?
Cause & Effect: What is the EFFECT of the decomposition?
Cause & Effect: What could have CAUSED the bison to decompose?
Cause & Effect: What is the EFFECT of the decomposition?
If the MATTER in each organism continues to decompose, will it disappear? Why or why not?
Where do you think the MATTER moved as each organism decomposed?
How long do you think it will take the MATTER to decompose completely?

Answers:

Here are the answers to the BISON DECOMPOSITION and TREE DECOMPOSITION.

Reading: "Nature's Waste Isn't Wasted."

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Lesson 7: Nature's Waste Matter

3/25/2016

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Whole-Class Discussion:

Group students with sticks (3-4 students per group). Answer these questions together and be ready to share your answers with others:

What is waste?
What are some other words that have the same meaning as waste?
Give some examples of waste.
Is waste matter?

BIG IDEA 7:
The matter in nature's waste is broken down by various scavengers and decomposers.

Vocabulary:

Waste

Investigation:

Each group needs one "Mystery Bag" and a piece of newspaper. Spread the newspaper out on one desk, open the bag, and dump its contents onto the newspaper. Examine the materials from the bag. What questions do you have about the items?

Answer the following questions in your blog post. Remember to have at least one follow-up sentence for each question, when possible.

Where do you think the items came from originally?
Do you think the items look the same today as they did a month ago?
What happened to the matter in each item over the past month?
Do you think the items will be the same forever? Why or why not?
What do all of the items in the bag have in common?
Do you notice any relationships between the items in the bags? They all...
What evidence do you have that the items were all once part of a living thing?
Another name for "nature's waste" is "organic remains." These are all organisms that are no longer living, or parts of organisms that are discarded, excreted, or no longer needed. What other examples of organic remains can you think of?
What would happen to each item from your bag if it were left outside? What might it look like in 6 months? What would cause it to change?
What would eventually happen to the waste MATTER in each type of organic remain?
Why isn't the earth just piled up with all the matter from nature's waste?
Why could all of the items in the mystery bags be classified as nature's waste?
Do you think that all living things generate waste? What makes you think that?

Answers:

Next, do this activity.

Your teacher will assign you ONE of the items in the bag.
In the organizer, use words similar to the ones in the images below.
Insert an image of your waste product from Google Images next to the top oval.
Create a Google Draw image for the middle oval.
Insert a Google Image of soil for the last image.
See my example below...

Investigation:

Today, we will be starting an investigation that we will observe over the next couple weeks.
Think about the particular organic item that you are planning to use for this investigation.
Think about what might happen to it if it were to be left in nature for a couple weeks.
Think about where you might choose to place your organic item to see what happens to it.

Here are some suggested places to put your organic item:

Place it on top of soil
Put it inside of a plastic bag
Place it in water
Leave it near the trunk of a tree
Put it inside one of our file cabinet drawers
Bury it in the soil
Leave it inside a paper bag
Bury it in sand or another inorganic material
Place it under a rock or several rocks

Begin your experiment NOW! Take a picture of your item today. If your item will remain visible, take pictures of it throughout the next couple weeks. When the investigation is over, take one final picture and place them all on this blog post.

Reflection/Synthesis:
Answer the following questions in your blog post. Remember to have at least one follow-up sentence for each question, when possible.

What are you trying to explain in your investigation?
What is your investigative question?

Answer the following questions at the end of the investigation:

Was the matter in the waste stable, or did it change over time?
Specifically, how did the matter change during the investigation?
What is your evidence of each of those changes?
Specifically, what made your organic item change?
So, does matter from living things stay exactly the same over time?
What evidence do you have from your investigation to support your answer?
What would you change in this investigation if you were to do it again?

Answers:

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Lesson 6: Sunlight on the Menu (45 minutes)

3/24/2016

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Let's chat about our favorite foods! I'd like to start off with pizza! What are the ingredients in pizza?

cheese
pepperoni
tomato sauce
crust
...

Break those ingredients down into their basic ingredients as well. How did we get each of those basic ingredients? Where did their matter originally come from? Example:

Pepperoni --- Cows & Pigs --- hay, grass, slop --- sun
Do this for several of the ingredients.

All food contains chemical energy (stored energy that we can eat). What do you notice about the source of energy for most (probably all) of the ingredients?

BIG IDEA 6:
All food energy can be traced back to the sun. Most matter in food can be traced back to plants.

Vocabulary:

None

Do the same for another favorite food of yours. Choose five total ingredients to break down. Use MindMup or another flow chart tool to show your breakdown visually (include pictures if you have time). Record your breakdown in your blog post.

Reflection/Synthesis:
Answer the following questions in your blog post. Remember to have at least one follow-up sentence for each question, when possible.

Explain how the matter in each ingredient can be traced back to plants.
Explain how these ingredients can be traced back to the sun.
What MATTER in the food originally came from producers?
What ENERGY in the food originally came from the sun?
How is energy transferred from the sun to ingredients in your favorite foods?
How do you know that a tree isn’t gaining its weight from the soil?
What do you think would happen to a plant if you put tape on the undersides of its leaves? Why?
In the experiment where the scientist weighed a tree and its soil, even though the soil barely lost any weight, it did lose a little bit of weight.
Given what you know about plants, why do you think that happened?
Many people who haven’t learned about plants believe that plants eat soil. What are some reasons why they might think that?

Answers:

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Lesson 5: Testing Plant Growth

3/23/2016

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Whole-Class Lesson:

Students should start the lesson by getting a device and going to this link: https://todaysmeet.com/Castings
Students should carefully examine the samples that are on display. They may use pencils to poke at the samples and magnifying glasses to see things up close.
As students observe things, they should post them on our Today's Meet page that is projected in the classroom.
Students should record properties of the samples (size, shape, color, etc.) on the Today's Meet.
Once everyone has had some time to observe, discuss the observations together as a whole group.
Are these samples organic or inorganic? How can you tell?

BIG IDEA 5:
Nutrients in the soil (or water) are used by plants and other organisms.

Vocabulary:

Properties
Organic
Inorganic
Castings
Humus
Top Soil
Perlite
Control Variables
Independent Variable
Dependent Variable

Whole-Class Lesson:

Discuss the ingredients in the potting soil bag. Explain humus & watch this BrainPOP video: https://www.brainpop.com/science/earthsystem/soil/
Explain humus: (1) helps keep soil crumbly so it's easier for plants to grow, (2) absorbs water easily so that it's available for plants, (3) contains organic matter.
Explain the differences between top soil, sub soil, and bed rock.
Explain perlite: (1) a form of volcanic rock, (2) inorganic, (3) sometimes used to allow air to flow through soil and make soil higher in weight, (4) used to make concrete, plaster, and insulation.
Discuss sand and any other inorganic materials we're using today.
Which of these materials do you think plants will grow better in?
Why do you think one material is better than another for plant growth?

http://image.slidesharecdn.com/soil1-150122011758-conversion-gate02/95/soil1-7-638.jpg?cb=1421889509

A seed that has germinated.

Blog Post:

Today, we're going to set up an experiment to compare plants grown in different soil types (this may be done differently than the following directions). We are going to try to grow some plants in organic material (potting soil with worm castings) and some in inorganic material (perlite).

Create the following chart in a blog entry. Type everything that we put on the board into the chart. You will eventually choose one item from each column to do an experiment on!

Independent Variable

Plant seeds in different kinds of soil (e.g. potting soil, perlite, sand, etc.)

Dependent Variables

Measure the height of each plant at certain checkpoints.
________________________

Evidence

We can record our data using measurements (in cm).
________________________

The back of leaves that are beginning to develop in a newly germinated seed.

The front of leaves that are beginning to develop in a newly germinated seed.

What are some things we can collect data on while growing seeds in different types of soil? (Put answers into the 2nd column in your blog post.) (Don't look at the answers after the "Read More" break, just make sure you talk about all of them):

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Lesson 4: Plants as Producers

3/22/2016

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Class Discussion:

Where do animals get their energy?
Do plants need energy too?
Where do you think plants get their energy?
Where do animals get the matter that they can add to their bodies as they grow?
Where do you think plants get the matter that enables them to grow?

Next, we are going to model how plants get their matter and energy, but first watch this BrainPop video on Photosynthesis to get an idea of how plants turn sunlight into energy: https://www.brainpop.com/science/cellularlifeandgenetics/photosynthesis/

BIG IDEA 4:
In addition to sunlight, plants get what they need for growth mostly from air and water.

Vocabulary:

Photosynthesis

Modeling Plant Growth:

(The images to the right are borrowed from: http://www.nysipm.cornell.edu/teaching_ipm/sole/green_sci/plants_need.pdf)

Let's do a skit that shows how plants grow. I need some volunteers who would be comfortable acting and looking silly in front of everyone. You will be recorded!

The Plant (green paper)
The Sun (yellow paper)
Water (blue paper)
Carbon Dioxide (red paper)
Oxygen (white paper)
2 Narrators

Here are the steps in the demonstration - Your goal is to remember everything that plants need in order to survive (by the end of the demo):

The plant needs to start out in the pot of soil with Oxygen hiding behind.
The sun needs to "shine" on the plant, Water needs to "water" the plant, and Carbon Dioxide needs to float around the plant. The plant should slowly grow and stretch out.
The narrators & the Sun should explain the answers to these questions aloud to the class (you should take help from the rest of the class as well): (1) How does the sun help the plant grow? (2) What would happen if the sun didn't shine on the plant?
The narrators & Water should explain the answers to these questions aloud to the class (you should take help from the rest of the class as well): (1) What are all the ways that water can get to plants? (2) Once water arrives near a plant, how does the plant take the water in?
The narrators & Carbon Dioxide should explain the answers to these questions aloud to the class (you should take help from the rest of the class as well): (1) What is carbon dioxide? (2) How do plants get carbon dioxide?
Oxygen should slowly appear behind the plant and act like it is being emitted from the plant.
The narrators & Oxygen should explain the answers to these questions aloud to the class (you should take help from the rest of the class as well): (1) What is oxygen? (2) How do plants give off oxygen?
The narrators & the Plant should explain the answers to these questions aloud to the class (you should take help from the rest of the class as well): (1) Why did you grow larger? Be specific. (2) How long will this process continue?
The class should explain what role SOIL has in plant growth.

Blog Assignment:

Sign in to my ThingLink account:
1. Go to www.thinglink.com
2. Sign in: (Our YouTube Sign-In)
3. Password: (Our YouTube password)
Create a ThingLink image using the image to the right: http://www.thunderboltkids.co.za/Grade5/01-life-and-living/images/5.17.jpg
Put a tag on each element of the image except for the plant itself (include the soil as a tag) & record a short video that explains the role it has on plant growth and plant health. If you need any help with what to say, feel free to research it! That's NOT cheating! Below, is a sample.
Embed the ThingLink at the top of your blog post by saving the image and clicking on the "Share" button.
Embed the video from our skit on the blog post as well.
Answer the Reflection questions below.
Watch this video on the Carbon Cycle.

Reflection/Synthesis:
Answer the following questions in your blog post. Remember to have at least one follow-up sentence for each question, when possible.

Plants need energy and matter to grow. Where do plants get their ENERGY?
Where do plants get their MATTER?
Where do plants get their FOOD (be careful - this is a trick question)?
Why are plants called Producers?
What would happen if plants didn't have a way to get energy?
What would happen to animals if there were no plants to eat?
What are some of the LIVING components of a plant "system"? (A plant "system" is everything that a plant needs to survive and everything it produces.)
What are some of the NON-LIVING components of a plant "system"?
In what ways do the components of the system interact?
What matter is transported in and out of the plant system?

Answers:

When you are finished with your blog post, visit this website.

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Lesson 3: Players in an Ecosystem

3/21/2016

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Whole-Class Discussion:

Let's review! What do organisms get from food?
What is the measure of food energy?
What is in food that helps humans and other animals to move and stay warm?
What is in food that helps humans and other animals repair their bodies and grow?

Start today's lesson by watching a video & completing the following Science Mystery:

Today, we're going to learn how matter CYCLES and energy TRANSFERS in an ecosystem. Let's draw a food chain diagram together to help us see this:

Where do these animals fit into the Food Chain Diagram above?

Cow
Sheep
Deer
Rabbit
Grasshopper

Where do these animals fit into the Food Chain Diagram above?

Lion
Wolf
Snake
Hawk
Praying Mantis
Spider

Where do these animals fit into the Food Chain Diagram above?

Pig
Bear
Raccoon
Chipmunk
Human

Everything we just discussed represents a basic food chain. Watch a short video from BrainPop on the subject!

BIG IDEA 3:
An ecosystem is a system of organisms that interact with each other and with the non-living parts of their environment. Energy flows through food webs & Matter cycles within food webs.

Vocabulary:

Food Chain
Food Web
Producers
Consumers
Primary Producers
Primary Consumers
Secondary Consumers
Top Predators

Answer these questions aloud as a class:

What does the sun do in this ecosystem?
How do we classify the big bluestem grass?
What does the bison eat?
What does the bison get from eating the grass?
What category is the bison if it eats grass?
What does the wolf eat?
What does the wolf get from eating the bison?
What category is the wolf if it eats bison?
What are both the bison and the wolf (as opposed to the bluestem grass)?

Here is a visual of the Tall Grass Prairie Food Chain:

Choose three sample food chains from the list at the right. Try not to choose the exact same ones as those around you.

Use a mind-mapping website to create three mind maps that show how energy and matter transfer through the ecosystem. I recommend MindMup.com (connects to Google Drive) or Bubbl.us (requires that you make a free account).

Post your images on your blog when you're finished.

A Food Web is slightly more complex than a Food Chain as it shows multiple animals at each stage of the process.

The grass is known as a Primary Producer.
Three Primary Consumers eat the grass (the grasshopper, bison, and the mouse).
Five Secondary Consumers eat the Primary Consumers (the chicken, badger, snake, hawk, and wolf.
And three of the Secondary Consumers are Top Predators (badger, hawk, and wolf).
Watch this BrainPop video on Food Pyramids.

Reflect & Synthesize:
Answer the following questions in your blog post. Remember to have at least one follow-up sentence for each question, when possible.

Choose one of your Food Chains that you created and explain how it works.
Can a Food Web be considered a "system"? Why or why not?
What happens if a plant or animal all of a sudden disappears from the food web?
Using this food chain, "sunlight to apple to worm to bird to cat," How do organisms in this food chain get the matter they need for body repair and growth?
Using the same food chain in #4, How do organisms in that food chain get the energy they need for body warmth and motion?
What do you think happens to the matter that is NOT used by the organisms in a food chain or food web? Is it wasted or does something else happen?

Answers:

Time to take a quick Check-In Quiz! Let's see what you've learned so far! Click here. Type in our Room Number:

When you finish the quiz, check this page out OR check this one out (you need to sign in to BrainPop).

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Lesson 2: Food - Matter & Energy

3/20/2016

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BIG IDEA 2:
Food provides animals with the matter and energy they need to
live - for body repair, growth, warmth, and motion.

Vocabulary:

Matter
Energy
Calories

Whole-Class Discussion:
Think back to our Ecosystem Walk from the last lesson.

What kinds of organisms did you see?
What do those organisms need to survive?
Where do they get the things they need to survive?
Where do we, and ALL animals, get our energy?
When you and animals grow, where does the matter that gets added to you and their bodies come from?

In this lesson, you will focus on just one survival need - FOOD!

What do you, and all animals get from food?
What is energy?
How is energy that we get from food measured?
Why do our bodies need energy? What does energy help us do? Complete the organizer & embed the image.
Why do animals need energy?
What is matter?
Why do our bodies need matter?

Food is the matter and energy that animals use to live and to grow.

Activity:
In small groups, examine various nutrition labels to construct an explanation of the components that make up the food we eat (and pets eat).

Use the Fruit & Vegetable Nutrition Labels to the right to help you as well.

Together as a class, let's go through each of these Nutrition Labels to learn how to read them before you analyze them on your own.

On the human food label:

How do we find the energy (calories) per serving?
How do we find the matter (carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals)?
Where can we locate the list of ingredients?

On the pet food label:

Where can we locate the list of ingredients?
How do we find the percentage of different types of matter in the food?

Answer the following questions while analyzing the Nutrition Labels:

As a result of looking at food labels, what did you learn about food?
Look at the ingredients of one human food label. Write down the food name. What ingredients came from animals?
What ingredients in the above food label came from plants?
What similarities and differences did you notice between the human food and pet food labels you looked at?
Choose an animal/insect from the ecosystem walk. What do you think it eats? Explain what you think it gets from its food.

Answers:

Reflect & Synthesize:
Answer the following questions in your blog post. Remember to have at least one follow-up sentence for each question, when possible.

What does food provide to animals, including humans?
Do the pet food and human food have the same nutrients? In what ways are they different?
Does a higher calorie count mean a food is better for pets to eat? What makes pet owners think that?
What is it in food that helps us repair our bodies and grow?
What in food helps us move and stay warm?
In what way does energy transfer when animals eat food?
Look at the nutrition label below for milk. How much energy is in the food?
What matter is in the food?

Answers:

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Lesson 1: What is an Ecosystem?

3/19/2016

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BIG IDEA 1:
An ecosystem is a system of organisms that interact with each other and with the non-living parts of their environment.

Vocabulary:

Ecosystem
Organism
Interactions

Every day that we do "Ecosystems," we will need to sign in to Science Companion Prime to see if we have any new assignments. Today, you should find three new links. The last one is a Glossary of all the vocabulary terms for the unit. Take screen shots of the ones we talk about today, and put them into your blog post for today's lesson.

Watch this short video from BrainPop on Ecosystems.

Look at the photographs above. Let's try to list as many of the interactions that are happening in this ecosystem as we can. Think about the different organisms that are living in this ecosystem and try to think about everything that happens to that organism and everything that organism does. List them in the chart below. I'll help you get started:

What does the duck need to survive?
Where does the duck get all of its survival needs?

"Interactions" are encounters that an organism might have with any other living or non-living thing. Let's focus on interactions that allow the organism to live and thrive.

How does the duck interact with other living things to meet its survival needs?
How does the duck interact with non-living things to meet its survival needs?

Lake Ecosystem INTERACTIONS

Within a system of living things

Ducks eat plants and bugs.
.
.
.

Between living & non-living things

Ducks breathe air (oxygen).
.
.
.

When you think you have ALL of the interactions for the duck, go on to the fish and do the same within the chart.

What other kinds of living things (organisms) do you see in either picture?
What other living things might be here, even if you can't see them in the photos?
Why might living things in these photos interact with each other?
Read the BIG IDEA above. How do these pictures depict an ecosystem?

Next, you will work in groups to discover, observe, and record evidence of interactions within the "school grounds" ecosystem.

Fill out the following Lab Sheet (neatly) while walking outside. Then, take a picture of it and post it on this blog entry.

Make sure to describe the kind of ecosystem you are observing.
List all of the "Living Components" that you observe, as well as all of the "Non-Living Components" that the organisms interact with in order to survive.

While you are outside, "Draw one of the interactions between living things or between a living and a non-living thing" on your "Field Drawing" Lab Sheet.

Be sure to label everything clearly, so I understand what it is that you are drawing.

Take a picture of this and post it on your blog post, as well.

Reflect & Synthesize:
Answer the following questions in your blog post. Remember to have at least one follow-up sentence for each question, when possible.

What do living things get from their ecosystems?
What evidence do you have to support your answer to Question 1?
What does the term ecosystem mean, based on your experience in this lesson? (Don't use the definition from the BIG IDEA here. Put it into your own words.)
Brainstorm at least one question you have about Ecosystems that you hope you learn from this unit.
Look at the image below that shows a portion of a forest ecosystem. Name at least five components (living or non-living things) of the ecosystem that you can either observe directly or infer.
What are three (or more) interactions that might occur in this portion of the forest ecosystem?

Answers: