Matrix 2: Ecosystems
Tools and Resources
Writing in ScienceWS1.1 What habitat do you live in? Describe your habitat. Explain how you obtain the food, water, and shelter you need from your habitat. How does this habitat meet your needs in ways that another would not?
WS1.2 Create a simple food chain containing at least three organisms. Write a paragraph predicting how changes in on population might affect the other populations. WS1.3 Identify and describe a defense strategy used by prey. WS2.1 Observe examples of energy pyramids. Write a paragraph explaining why the pyramid shape is useful for showing the energy available at each of the levels of a food web. WS2.2 Nokomis and Omakayas harvest the bark of a birch tree for their new home. Explain how native people have used birch trees. Describe how birch trees are involved in each cycle of matter (water, oxygen/carbon dioxide, nitrogen). WS2.4 Choose a biome in the Great Lakes region. (Use the Map of World Biomes to determine which biomes are located in the Great Lakes region.) Write a journal entry detailing the observations you made during your expedition. Include descriptions of sights, sounds, and smells you experienced as well as specific details about the organisms you observed. Conclude your journal entry with a surprising fact you learned about the biome while visiting. WS3.1 Find out more about one of the people featured in the timeline on p. 85. Write a short biography of the person's life that explains how he or she became involved in environmental issues. What obstacles did the person overcome to accomplish his or her goal? Matrices |