Summary
At the end of the unit, students can now apply their understanding of ecosystems, food webs, resource management, native vs. nonnative species, and human environmental impact to a real world situation. Individuals involved in habitat restoration routinely research and select plants and animals to include in a redesigned ecosystem. In this final project, students will create posters with a minimum of 8 native plants and 5 native animals that should be included in the redesign of the habitat they surveyed previously. They will look at how these organisms will interact and discuss how to sustain the ecosystem into the future. If it is possible to do a long term habitat restoration near your school, this is an excellent exercise to get the students personally invested in the restoration work because they played a role in selecting the species they will reintroduce.
Ecosystem plan poster: Poster created by 7th graders describing proposed changes to the ecosystem at Glen Echo Creek.
Objectives
Can research plant and animal species using field guides.
Can identify and describe organism-environment interactions and organism-organism interactions in an ecosystem.
Can conceptualize an ecosystem working together as a whole rather than as individual plants and animals living independently in an environment.
Can recognize the benefits of biodiversity.
Can see our role as environmental stewards with a mission to sustain and nurture our local ecosystem.
Can apply classroom knowledge to real world data.
Vocabulary
Biodiversity
Sustainability
Food web
Invasive species
Native species
Non-native species
