Science in the Creek!
Our first learning unit is about ecosystems and food webs. We’re taking our learning outside to the creek that runs behind the school, where we have a nice example of a real, live freshwater creek ecosystem to study.
So far, we’ve looked at the creek to see what parts that systems might have. Some “parts” of the creek have fast current, some slow; some are shaded, some are right out there in the sun; some are rocky, some are muddy.
We’ve looked under rocks to see the little creatures that live under them, including insect larvae like caddis flies, riffle beetles, and aquatic sow bugs. We’ve found water striders on the surface of the water and are learning about these marvelous creatures.
Soon we’ll be creating food webs to help us understand how energy and matter get transferred through an ecosystem.
Our first graded work will be at the end of this week. We’ve been practicing close observation and note-taking through Nature Journal entries and we’ve been critiquing our work using a simple rubric.
If you are interested, here’s a really great video about an interesting way a spider is adapted to hunt. You can also read more about this amazing spider and see some additional video recommendations by following that link.