Blog Archives - What's going on in Mr. Solarz' Class?

Players in an Ecosystem

4/23/2018

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?

The way my food chain above works is, the Robin eats the beetle, the beetle eats the snail, which eats dead leaves.
I think it can be considered a system because it's a continues thing that works itself.
The whole food web could be out of sorts, for example, my chain above, if the snail is gone the beetle and other animals won't be able to eat.
They eat each other for the matter they need.
They get the energy from the organism before it.
I think it gets stored as fat for the animal that consumed it.

Food - Matter & Energy

4/17/2018

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?

It will say it near the top
It shows that near the middle
It shows the ingredients at the bottom

Overall Questions

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.

Reflection Questions

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?

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?

At the top
The bottom or middle

Overall Questions

I learned which things are worse than others on a food label. As an example, sodium is worse than potassium.
None of the ingredients came from animals.
The things that came from plants and vegetables were tomatoes, spices, carrots, and soybeans.
The pet label had a lot of stuff that was ground up, such as corn meal. On the human food label most things weren't ground up (at least it didn't say so).
Robins eat worms and bugs if it were my guess. I'm sure about worms but not so much for bugs.

Reflection Answers

Food provides matter and energy to organisms.
Pet food and human food don't have the same because they need different types.
It doesn't mean it's good in some cases because then your pet might start to get fat but people think it's better because they'll have more energy.
Matter helps grow and repair.
Energy helps us move and stay warm.
Plants transfer sunlight to energy to grow.
160 calories per serving.
The food is matter itself.

Money Island and Vault Reflection

4/10/2018

What is an Ecosystem?

4/10/2018

Lake Ecosystem INTERACTIONS

Within a system of living things

Ducks eat plants
Ducks eat small fish
Lay Eggs
Fish eat smaller fish

Between living & non-living things

Ducks drink the water
Make Nests
Trees do photosythasis
Ducks eat dead bugs
Ducks breath
Grass drink water

Lake Ecosystem INTERACTIONS

Within a system of living things

Between living & non-living things

Fish eat algae
Fish eat seaweed
Big fish eat little fish
Fish get eaten by ducks

Fish breath oxegen out of water
Plants need water
Turtles eat fish
Ducks make nests

Reflection/Synthesis Questions:

What kinds of living things (organisms) do you see in both pictures?
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 below. How do these pictures depict an ecosystem?

I can see plants in both pictures
I think maybe frogs could be in there, or maybe seeds.
It might work like the food chain or keeping their species going
They're ecosystems of lakes

Reflection Questions

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?

Answered in images
Still answered in images
An ecosystem to me is an area where living organisms do their everyday lives. Catching Prey, eating, drinking. The life cycle of Life and Death and more.
What are all the things that happen in an ecosystem?
Animals eating, grass growing, trees growing, plants growing, rocks sitting in place.
Spiders eating insects, animals eating spiders, and animals eating fish.

Skills21 - Superhero Rehabilitation Program

4/9/2018

5th grade classroom website