Ecology Investigations and Scavenger Hunts
This trimester, students focused on aspects of Ecology. First, we completed an ecosystem scavenger hunt to practice our skills of observation as we watched for interactions among organisms. 
We researched pond and desert ecosystems, and noted the biotic and abiotic (living and nonliving) elements and interactions of each. Students put their learning into illustrations and oral summaries, and used the platform Educreations or Flipgrid to create a lesson in which they taught the rest of us what they learned. A huge thumbs-up to these students for trying something new to show off their learning, from a distance!
Biome and Organism Research Project
As a final project, students chose a biome and researched a specific organism living in that biome. Using websites such as Blue Planet Biomes, Arizona State University’s “Ask a Biologist,” NASA’s “Climate Kids,” and DK Find Out, students researched biotic factors (producers, consumers, and decomposers) and abiotic factors (sunlight, temperature, precipitation, and other aspects of the physical environment). They researched their organism’s habitat, physical and behavioral adaptations, diet, and interactions between other organisms in relation to its part in the food chain and food web within that ecosystem. Lastly, we researched the various ways that humans can negatively and positively affect the organism and its environment. Here are snippets of the organisms researched by some 4th graders.
These students have become experts on the following biomes and organisms. Be sure to ask them to tell you more about what they learned!
- Whit— The Temperate Rainforest and the Western Hemlock
- Violet–The Deciduous Forest and the Native Maple Tree
- Lucas–The Leatherback Sea Turtle in the saltwater/ocean biome
- Brooklyn–The Arctic Fox and the Tundra
- Avery–The Deciduous Forest and the Red Fox
- Aven–The Blue Ringed Octopus in the Coral Reef
- Aston–The Tundra and the Caribou
The Native Maple Tree in the 4 seasons of the Deciduous Forest–By Violet 
The Temperate Rainforest–by Whit 
The Western Hemlock’s habitat in the Temperate Rainforest–by Whit 
Physical adaptations of the Leatherback Sea Turtle in the ocean–by Lucas 
Food web of the Leatherback Sea Turtle–by Whit 
The physical adaptations of the Caribou in the tundra–by Aston 
The Blue Ringed Octopus in its habitat–by Aven 
Negative affects of humans on the Blue Ringed Octopus–by Aven 
The Red Fox’s physical adaptations in the Deciduous Forest–by Avery 
Humans are positively affecting the tundra and the Arctic Fox and its environment–by Brooklyn
