PTT:
1) Look in your notebook on p. 110-112
2) Re-read the notes about the biome your research team is investigating.
Task 1:
1) Get a scrap piece of paper
2) Using your notes in your notebook and the internet, spend 10 minutes making a list of organisms that live in your biome on Earth. Keep researching and recording for the whole 10 minutes. Make sure you understand what the organisms are (don't just copy down names).
Task 2:
1) Get together with your research teams and share your lists.
2) Discuss: what organisms do you have in common on your lists? What types of organisms are they? What roles do they have in the ecosystem? Are they a food source for humans? What about for other organisms? How might the different organisms on your list interact with each other?
3) Discuss: if we choose your planet as the new Earth colony, which of these organisms would you bring along? Why? How are they beneficial to the other organisms and to the mission? Would these organisms create a sustainable ecosystem together?
Task 3:
1) Open up your research document
2) As a team, consider what you discussed. Looking at the requirements for biotic factors in the document, record the species your team will use to populate your planet if it is chosen. Remember, you may include more species than there are currently spaces (up to 25).
Don't forget to consider that every species needs to have at least one (preferably more) source of food!
Closure:
In the last few minutes of class, discuss as a team what you accomplished today and what you feel the next steps are. What do you feel you need to know in order to be prepared to continue this phase of the mission?
Week 29, Day 2
PTT:
1) Turn to p. 118 in your science notebook
2) Record the date and title the page: "Oh Deer" Data
3) Record the Goal Question: What factors affect population size over time?
Task 1:
Go outside and play a game simulating ecosystem interactions
Task 2:
1) Copy down the population data onto p. 118
2) Create a line graph of this data - there should be 2 lines (one for the deer, one for the predators). This graph should have a title, appropriate labels for both axes, and the 2 lines in 2 different colors. It should be big enough to take up half the page.
Closure/Homework:
1) Title p. 119: Oh Deer Reflections
2) Answer the following questions on p. 119 using COMPLETE sentences. Each question has a potential sentence starter below it that you can (if you want) use to start your complete sentence answer.
a. What was realistic about this simulation? Some things that were realistic about this simulation are...
b. What was unrealistic about this simulation? Somethings that were unrealistic about this simulation are...
c. What factors "limit" the population size of the deer as we played the game? (List as many as possible.) Some factors that limit population size are...
d. How do these limiting factors affect the number of organisms in a population? These factors limit population size because...
e. Why did the deer population increase in some rounds and decrease in others? The deer population increases some years and decreases in others because...
f. How do these factors affect competition within the deer population? How might they affect competition with a different species? These factors affect competition between deer because...
g. Are wildlife populations static, or does the population size tend to fluctuate (change) as part of the "balance" of nature? Population size in the wild tends to...
Week 29, Day 3
PTT:
1) Turn to p. 120 in your science notebook
2) Tape the "Food Producers Experiment" worksheet to the page
3) Read the directions and complete the chart
4) Discuss with partners what the chart tells us: What evidence is there for how plants make food (photosynthesis)? This is our goal question for today's lesson.
Task 1:
1) Discuss PTT as class
2) Watch video
3) Read over this infographic about the process of photosynthesis:
Task 2:
1) Come up with a list as a class of important steps in the process of photosynthesis
2) Title p. 121: Photosynthesis - How Plants Make Food
3) Use the steps we created as a class to make a storyboard with images and words to represent the process of photosynthesis. Use your colored pencils to enhance the storyboard.
Closure/Homework:
Get the probe worksheets: On each side, choose which claim you agree with. In the lined space below (on both sides), provide evidence and reasoning that support the claim you chose.
(NOTE: These are for a grade.)
Week 29, Day 4
PTT:
Spend 10 minutes decorating the unit cover page for ecology.
Task 1:
Discuss as a research team where you are in the process of your project. What are your next steps to complete this phase of the project?
Task 2:
1) Based on the next steps discussion, continue researching and taking notes.
2) Ms. Davis will check point your documents as we go through the class period. This is to see how you are progressing in the mission. You will get a participation grade and a research skills grade for what you have done so far.
Closure:
As a team, make note of where you will need to pick up to continue your mission after the break.
Week 29, Day 1
Table of Contents
1) Look in your notebook on p. 110-112
2) Re-read the notes about the biome your research team is investigating.
Task 1:
1) Get a scrap piece of paper
2) Using your notes in your notebook and the internet, spend 10 minutes making a list of organisms that live in your biome on Earth. Keep researching and recording for the whole 10 minutes. Make sure you understand what the organisms are (don't just copy down names).
Task 2:
1) Get together with your research teams and share your lists.
2) Discuss: what organisms do you have in common on your lists? What types of organisms are they? What roles do they have in the ecosystem? Are they a food source for humans? What about for other organisms? How might the different organisms on your list interact with each other?
3) Discuss: if we choose your planet as the new Earth colony, which of these organisms would you bring along? Why? How are they beneficial to the other organisms and to the mission? Would these organisms create a sustainable ecosystem together?
Task 3:
1) Open up your research document
2) As a team, consider what you discussed. Looking at the requirements for biotic factors in the document, record the species your team will use to populate your planet if it is chosen. Remember, you may include more species than there are currently spaces (up to 25).
Don't forget to consider that every species needs to have at least one (preferably more) source of food!
Closure:
In the last few minutes of class, discuss as a team what you accomplished today and what you feel the next steps are. What do you feel you need to know in order to be prepared to continue this phase of the mission?
Week 29, Day 2
PTT:
1) Turn to p. 118 in your science notebook
2) Record the date and title the page: "Oh Deer" Data
3) Record the Goal Question: What factors affect population size over time?
Task 1:
Go outside and play a game simulating ecosystem interactions
Task 2:
1) Copy down the population data onto p. 118
2) Create a line graph of this data - there should be 2 lines (one for the deer, one for the predators). This graph should have a title, appropriate labels for both axes, and the 2 lines in 2 different colors. It should be big enough to take up half the page.
Closure/Homework:
1) Title p. 119: Oh Deer Reflections
2) Answer the following questions on p. 119 using COMPLETE sentences. Each question has a potential sentence starter below it that you can (if you want) use to start your complete sentence answer.
a. What was realistic about this simulation?
Some things that were realistic about this simulation are...
b. What was unrealistic about this simulation?
Somethings that were unrealistic about this simulation are...
c. What factors "limit" the population size of the deer as we played the game? (List as many as possible.)
Some factors that limit population size are...
d. How do these limiting factors affect the number of organisms in a population?
These factors limit population size because...
e. Why did the deer population increase in some rounds and decrease in others?
The deer population increases some years and decreases in others because...
f. How do these factors affect competition within the deer population? How might they affect competition with a different species?
These factors affect competition between deer because...
g. Are wildlife populations static, or does the population size tend to fluctuate (change) as part of the "balance" of nature?
Population size in the wild tends to...
Week 29, Day 3
PTT:
1) Turn to p. 120 in your science notebook
2) Tape the "Food Producers Experiment" worksheet to the page
3) Read the directions and complete the chart
4) Discuss with partners what the chart tells us: What evidence is there for how plants make food (photosynthesis)? This is our goal question for today's lesson.
Task 1:
1) Discuss PTT as class
2) Watch video
3) Read over this infographic about the process of photosynthesis:
Task 2:
1) Come up with a list as a class of important steps in the process of photosynthesis
2) Title p. 121: Photosynthesis - How Plants Make Food
3) Use the steps we created as a class to make a storyboard with images and words to represent the process of photosynthesis. Use your colored pencils to enhance the storyboard.
Closure/Homework:
Get the probe worksheets: On each side, choose which claim you agree with. In the lined space below (on both sides), provide evidence and reasoning that support the claim you chose.
(NOTE: These are for a grade.)
Week 29, Day 4
PTT:
Spend 10 minutes decorating the unit cover page for ecology.
Task 1:
Discuss as a research team where you are in the process of your project. What are your next steps to complete this phase of the project?
Task 2:
1) Based on the next steps discussion, continue researching and taking notes.
2) Ms. Davis will check point your documents as we go through the class period. This is to see how you are progressing in the mission. You will get a participation grade and a research skills grade for what you have done so far.
Closure:
As a team, make note of where you will need to pick up to continue your mission after the break.