My Science Box

Summary

Students discover what ecosystems are by exploring the relationships between him/herself, other living things, and the student's environment. Students create and study miniature ecosystems by building a terraqua column - a 2 story soda bottle tower with soil and plants on the top and a water source on the bottom. The terraqua columns will be used throughout the ecology unit for practice with water and soil quality monitoring and with making and recording observations. Later in the unit students can conduct independent investigations with their terraqua columns.

Objectives Can define ecosystem and ecology Can identify a personal ecosystem Can build a terraqua column Vocabulary Ecosystem Ecology

Terraqua Column from Bottle Biology