Ecosystems
CORE MATERIALS
Experiments with Plants
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Program Overview
The Science and Technology for Children (STC) series consists of 24 inquiry-centered curriculum units for grades 1-6, with 4 units at each grade level. Students learn about topics in the life, earth, and physical sciences. The technological applications of science and the interactions among science, technology, and society are addressed throughout the program. The STC units, each of which takes about 16 class sessions to complete, encourage participatory learning and the integration of science with mathematics, language arts, social studies, and art. The components of an STC unit are a teacher's guide, a student activity book with simple instructions and illustrations, and a kit of materials.
Teacher's Guide
Recommended grade level:
5-6.
Reading level: 6. In Ecosystems,students learn about the interdependence of organisms and the natural environment by using 2-liter soda bottles to set up, observe, and experiment with 2 miniature ecosystems--an aquarium and a terrarium. After studying the 2 separate ecosystems, students connect them and observe the ecocolumn, noting any changes that may indicate an imbalance in the system. They read about aquatic and terrestrial organisms and pollution. They study habitat changes and conduct experiments simulating the effects of acid rain, road salt, and fertilizer. As a final activity, students in small groups investigate a real ecosystem in danger--the Chesapeake Bay. They read about the problems of the bay, analyze the situation from several points of view, propose possible solutions, and begin to grapple with the trade-offs involved in various solutions.
Ecosystems is a 16-lesson unit. The teacher's guide includes a unit overview, the 16 lesson plans, an annotated bibliography of additional resources, and information on maintaining live materials. Science background information, detailed instructions on planning for and conducting each activity, an extensive assessment component, and extensions for integration and enrichment are provided.
Key to Content Standards: 5-8 (see app. C)
UNIFYING CONCEPTS AND PROCESSES: Systems, order, and organization; evidence, models, and explanation; change, constancy, and measurement; evolution and equilibrium; form and function.
SCIENCE AS INQUIRY: Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry; understandings about scientific inquiry.
LIFE SCIENCE: Structure and function in living systems; reproduction and heredity; regulation and behavior; populations and ecosystems.
EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCES: Structure of the earth system.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: Abilities of technological design; understandings about science and technology.
SCIENCE IN PERSONAL AND SOCIAL PERSPECTIVES: Personal health; populations, resources, and environments; natural hazards; risks and benefits.
HISTORY AND NATURE OF SCIENCE: Science as a human endeavor; nature of science.
Prices:
Teacher's guide (ISBN 0-89278-733-3), $24.95. Student activity book (ISBN 0-89278-734-1), $3.75. Unit, $389.95.
Publisher/supplier:
Carolina Biological Supply.
Materials:
Available locally, from commercial suppliers, or in kit.
