Balance within Ecosystems
Overview
Students will Identify there are cycles in nature that help to keep ecosystems balanced.
-What is a balanced and functioning ecosystem?
-What are the essential components of a balanced ecosystem?
-What happens when one of these components decreases or takes over?
Nature Walk/Population Card Game/Population Chalk Talk
Nature Walk
Send kids outside to find a variety of life forms (bug, leaf, pine cone, etc.)
Allow students to research adaptations and how organisms function in their environment.
Compare/contrast with other biomes
How does climate affect what organism live in this environment?
Students gather notes showcasing variety of life forms within the thirty to forty minutes of outside time.
Students should be ready to discuss findings in large group after nature walk.
Population Card Game
Students are given a bag of organism with varying compositions and quantities
Discuss population issues.
Follow up questions on size of ecosystem
Students work with partner to discuss bag of organisms, population issues, and size of ecosystem.
Population Chalk Talk
Draw chalk circles of different sizes
Put students into circles
Discuss population size versus resources
Students work in small groups to discuss how ecosystem size affects populations of organisms.