Ecology, Week 05/14-05/18/12
Thank you students and parents, unofficial CRCT scores are in and our 7th grade science class had 90% pass the science portion. 57% exceeded with 5 students making a perfect score. WE ROCKED IT!
We will continue to keep things lite in class with two more lessons on Monday investigating the ecology of insects and Wednesday investigating the evolution and ecology of mammals. Thursday will be the final exam covering ecology. Students with a 95 or better are exempt from the final and will want to bring a book to class.
Standard: S7L4: Students will examine the dependence of organisms on one another and their environments. a. Demonstrate in a food web that matter is transferred from one organism to another and can recycle between organisms and their environments. b. Explain in a food web that sunlight is the source of energy and that this energy moves from organism to organism. c. Recognize that changes in environmental conditions can affect the survival of both individuals and entire species. d. Categorize relationships between organisms that are competitive or mutually beneficial. e. Describe the characteristics of Earth’s major terrestrial biomes and aquatic communities.
Objective: The students will examine the relationship between organisms and their relationship with the nonliving environment.
Essential Questions: Where did all that energy come from? Why should the health and well-being of other organisms be important to me? What affect do changes in the environment have on organisms? How do organisms fit together in an ecosystem?
Higher Order Thinking Skills/Key Components: IB Learner Profile, Visualizing, Think-Pair-Share, Identifying Relationships, Cooperative Grouping, Inductive Reasoning, Software Integration, and Formative Assessment: Daily Exit Tickets
05/14: INB P. 267 & 268
Sponge: Students will investigate the niche of various insects.
Mini-lesson: Students will watch the CNN segment, “Stopping the Termite Attack” and work in cooperative groups to answer the related questions. This is a science, technology, and society piece that shows how entomologists are studying ways to control the formosan termite.
Work Period: Students will work in cooperative groups to answer questions related to “Antz” part 2.
Exit Ticket: Why are termites important to the ecosystem?
05/15:
Wellness Day!
05/16: INB P. 269 & 270
Sponge: We will use the classroom skull collection to investigate the biodiversity of mammals by discussing their feeding niche through an examination of their teeth.
Mini-lesson: We probably won’t do this. Students will work in cooperative groups to create a concept map: monotremes, endotherms, birds, mammals, mammary glands, placental mammals, marsupials, feathers, hair
Work Period: Students will work in cooperative groups to answer questions related to the Life video, “Mammals”.
Exit Ticket: What event occurred that allowed for organisms of the Class Mammalia to evolve into so many different species?
05/17:
Final Exam!
05/18:
Learning Celebration!
We will finish the week enjoying the ecology of the planet Pandora with the movie ”Avatar”.
