This assignment was to label things that we interact with and see every day. This is our own personal ecosystem! Then we wrote our own personal definition, this is mine. Definition: An ecosystem is all the living and nonliving organisms in a certain area and their interactions. Parts: The parts of an ecosystem must include all things a living organism needs to survive. These things include food, water, and shelter. In an ecosystem you would have living and nonliving things, these things are called biotic and abiotic factors. Abiotic factors are the nonliving parts of an ecosystem. Biotic factors are the living things in an ecosystem. -Cora Have you ever had a hard test? Our science pretest at the beginning of the year, was very hard and confusing. It used big words like interdependence. We can't wait to take that test again when we know what interdependence means. ~River
One way we are learning what interdependence is is by breaking it down. "Depend" means the state of being controlled by someone or something elHave you ever had a hard test? Our science pretest at the beginning of the year, was very hard and confusing. It used big words like interdependence. We can'tse. The suffix "-ence" means an action. The prefix "-inter" means to place something somewhere. Together the word means a place where things are being controlled by someone’s or something's actions. More simply stated it is "things are mutually dependent on each other". By breaking down words into their parts, we are learning how to use that strategy on all of our vocabulary. ~Keenan Thanks for giving us the chance to share things with you that are happening in our classroom. All year long our theme will be interdependence. Our first assignment was a field trip! We were the first elementary class to visit the Pete Dye Golf Course in French Lick, IN. We went to observe the plants and the organisms in the ecosystem. We were asked to help evaluate the area and make recommendations on how to develop a more diverse habitat. Our study began with learning about ecosystems and all of the necessary components needed to be healthy. At the course we helped collect data with digital tools. We also measured all kinds of things that effects the ecosystems, like moisture content of the soil, soil compaction, the green speed of the golf ball and the height of the grass. We learned how important observing weather conditions are to the course and assisted them in pinpointing exact areas of turf on the irrigation system that needed water and turning on the sprinklers with a computer! After creating an observation log of producers, consumers, decomposers and nonliving things, we discovered a problem! There weren't enough flowering producers to create a balanced food supply and a diverse, healthy habitat. How do you create such an environment? By attracting more pollinators! We explained to the course staff that they needed to plant more flowers to attract bees, which are pollinators. Then we helped them plant! Click on the link to a Prezi about our trip. Check here every week for updates. We will have posts of our science journals, observation logs, science labs, research, photos, and blogs. - Amelia Sources: Apple, Russ, Superintendent, Pete Dye Golf Course, French Lick, IN, interviewed August 18,2016. Indiana Interactive Science,Grade 5, Chapter 6. Glenview, Ill: Pearson Education, Inc, 2012. "Terrarium in a bottle," www.bottlebiology.org. -Other resources listed on individual student project projects- |
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