Students complete the “Matter and Energy in an Ecosystem” probe.
Students watch a video of a melon rotting and have a discussion.
Students create a food web using cards and yarn to show the transfer of energy through an ecosystem.
Students create a food web on paper using animals from Forest Park.
Students create a food web using cards and yarn to show the transfer of energy through an ecosystem.
Students create a food web on paper using animals from Forest Park.
Students read an article and answer questions about energy flows and matter cycles in an ecosystem.
Students watch a video clip and add to their Forest Park food web.
Students complete a water/energy flow activity, read National Geographic books, and complete a energy flow virtual lab.
Students complete a water/energy flow activity, read National Geographic books, and complete a energy flow virtual lab.
Students complete an Assessment Task by creating a food web model on Yellowstone organisms.
Students complete a multiple choice concept assessment.
In this Concept, students consider the phenomenon of a rotting melon in order to answer the guiding question, “How do matter and energy move through ecosystems?”. Students create models to show the cycling of matter and flow of energy in an ecosystem using laminated cards, yarn, paper, and water. Students deepen their understanding of how the ecosystems within Forest Park function, and apply their learning to the national example of Yellowstone Park.
This Concept focuses on how energy and matter move through the abiotic and biotic components of an ecosystem, and particularly how energy and matter move through food chains and food webs. In the next Concept, students will more deeply explore the varied types of relationships between living organisms that drive some of the movement of matter and energy in an ecosystem.