Buddy Biology: Observing Living and Nonliving Components of an Ecosystem with a Partner

Danielle Gile, Kasson-Mantorville Elementary School, Kasson, MN

Summary

In this biology field lab, students will observe a square foot area of an ecosystem surrounding our elementary school. The students will keep a journal to record the physical elements of the ecosystem which they will visit monthtly. The journal will include written details of the changes along with pictures. They will note the changes of the nonliving and living things over a period of time.

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Learning Goals

The goal of this lesson is to observe and record the physical changes of the ecosystem around our school. Skills the students will be using include observation, writing, questioning, drawing centered on detail and use of field equipment. Key concepts include identifying change over time and weather/seasonal changes. Vocabulary words: ecosystem, physcial properties, names of plant and animal life forms.

Context for Use

This lesson is intended to be a partner activity which will be conducted as a field exercise. It is intended go September thru May. The observation will take no longer than five minutes to observe the changes and another five minutes to record what they see. There is no limitation on class size. The limitation one may have is the size of the ecosystem surrounding their school. The students will be varied depending on their educational level. For students who are at a higher educational level, they will be given the opportunity to conduct further research on the living things they are unfamiliar with. The equipment the students will need are journals, pencils, colored pencils, magnify glasses, tweezers, ruler, Petri dish, and weather apprpriate clothing. This activity would be very easy for one to adapt to other settings.

Description and Teaching Materials

The students will be introduced to the book My Nature Notebook by Kevin Banks. The lesson will begin by reading pages 3-6. Before going outside, the students will be provided with journal to record their outdoor obbservations. The students will be given a preset area to observe (between one to two square feet). The first time going outside, the students along with their partners will be given ten minutes to observe their area. They will also be given ten minutes to record and draw their findings. Months to follow, students will be given a total of ten minutes to observe and record their findings. Tools will be provided to measure the items found in the space and to compare the item's size over time. In May, students will write a paragraph comparing and contrasting the changes they see.

Teaching Notes and Tips

In the past, I have not utilized the area around my school. This will be a new activity in my classroom. We will go outside rain or shine the first Wednesday of each month. The students will see the importance of the habitat surrounding the school. One thing to consider is the safety of the children and them knowing the perimeter of their area. The students should be able to hear or see me. To make transport of materials easier I will provide the students with a large Ziploc bag that can carry an umbrella, pencil, journal.

Assessment

Assessment will be based on their journal writings/drawings. Students will write two to three detailed sentences describing the physical changes over a period of time. Weather conditions, plant life and animal life will be included in their observation writing and drawings. Oral assessment will also be included. Questions will be asked of the students to describe the properties of their square area. As stated before, the students will write a paragraph comparing and contrasting the changes they saw throughout the year.

Standards

Physical Science: Matter 2.2.1.1.1 Physical Properties of materials.
Language Arts standards are also addressed in this activity.

References and Resources