They're alive!!! Hopefully they'll stay that way...

Here are some samples of the ecosystems created today. The students did a great job and the ecosystems look great!

Ecosystem in a Bottle!

Tomorrow is the big day that we will put our ecosystems together. Students have been measuring biomass and calculating how many producers, consumers, and decomposers they want to put in their ecosystems. After the ecosystems are set up, we will measure ammonia and nitrogen levels in the water, as well as dissolved oxygen. We will graph this over time to see how our ecosystems are doing. I am really excited for these (photos will be coming shortly). Parents, feel free to come in to the school to look at them.

GLASS GALLON PICKLE JARS WANTED!!!

Those students who bring in a glass gallon sized pickle jar (empty with the lid) will receive 10 points extra credit! We need about 10 more jars!!!

What's the Limit, Portulaca grandiflora, and Cordyceps Fungi

The students have done a great job on their "What's the Limit" Lab. They will be analyzing their radishes that have been watered with different amounts, to determine the ideal amount of water for radish height.

Students have also been getting their hands dirty in the greenhouse taking care of their Portulaca grandiflora (common name "moss rose"). We have had some students put up hanging baskets after replanting their Portulaca, and the baskets have added a little variety to greenhouse!

The picture above is of a cordyceps fungi from becbrittain.com. Two questions to ask your students...1) what is this? and 2) what type of relationship is depicted?

Week 9/21 - 9/24

First of all, a big thank you to all who helped and worked hard to divert a larger disaster that could have occurred with the fire. I also am very impressed with our students, and their ability to continue on in the face of this event.
This week we will be starting the Carbon Cycle and introducing the movement of matter through an ecosystem. We are also finding our "BUDDIES" in an activity that explores symbiotic relationships between organisms. The students are doing great at acting out their relationship in charades.
WEEKLY ASSIGNMENT: "The Meatrix" activity internet sheet is due on Friday October 1st. Please work on that over the next week and a half. It will introduce some debatable practices in the commercial food market.

Week 9/13 - 9/17

This week we have finished our WILD SELF FOOD WEBS AND ENERGY PYRAMIDS. Parents, your students do great work, you will see a sample of their WILD SELF ACTIVITY in their students led conference portfolio. We have also been modeling energy pyramids using starbursts and homemade trophic level hats! Parents if you are curious about what this means, please ask your students.

Weekly assignments (succession lab is due today) and a new assignment will be given out next Monday! Have a great week and weekend...

Week 9/7 - 9/10

Sad news...over the long weekend many of the seedlings unfortunately dried out. It was a little too much sun. However, despite the 50% loss, about 50% are recovering. We will have to come up with a novel way to keep the plants watered over long weekends.

This week we are going to be delving into our ECOLOGY unit! Energy transfer, food webs and pyramids, cycles of matter...what isn't there to love about it? This weeks WEEKLY ASSIGNMENT is the "Observing Succession" take home lab. Students should start this on Wednesday or Thursday at the latest; they need seven days for the lab and it is due on the 16th! Have fun and remember to keep those milk jars away from younger siblings and pets...

Joke: What is always at the end of "The Food Chain?"

...the letter "n"...