Plant Science Explorers - Grade 6

Grade 6 6LS - Living Systems Curricular Highlights Guiding Question: In what ways are ecosystems complex? Grade: 6 Categories: Living Systems, Scientific Methods Description: Students investigate the characteristics, components, and interactions within ecosystems by designing and building a small terrarium. Students identify the biotic, or living, and abiotic, or non-living, components of an ecosystem. They examine how light, water, air, soil, mineral nutrients, temperature, and space support plant survival. They also explore how producers, consumers, decomposers, and the physical environment interact. Through short investigations, students compare the water-holding properties of different materials, observe evidence of transpiration, and analyze ecosystem interaction scenarios. They then construct their own terrarium containing carefully selected plants and appropriate non-living components. After building the terrarium, students create a systems diagram showing the movement of energy and matter. They make predictions about how their ecosystem will change over time and identify evidence they will collect during future observations. The terrarium becomes a continuing classroom investigation that students can monitor over several weeks. Duration: 90min Volunteers: TBD Teacher Provides: Pencils, crayons or colour pencils, hand wash station, tables for activity stations Take Home: Terrarium and observation journal