Ecosystems

Mrs. Daugherty and Mrs. PaulikScience and Language Arts

Introduction

Welcome to the ecosystem web quest! Please follow the directions as you go. You will need pencil and paper, as you will writing and drawing about what you have learned. To start off with, watch the following video by clicking on the blue web address. When you are done, write down your own definition of an Ecosystem. http://www.neok12.com/php/watch.php?v=zX7d0b756f7154415351047f&t=Ecosystems

Now scroll down and follow the directions.

Task

• Pick one of the ecosystems from the following three pages. Follow the directions that are next to the ecosystem picture you select:

Process

Galapagos Islands: Click on the picture to open the webpage. Click on GALAPAGOS ADVENTURE link on the left side of your screen. Watch the video and write 5 interesting things that you learned about the Galapagos Island ecosystem.

MANGROVE FOREST: Click on the picture to open the webpage. Click on Mangrove Forest to open the video. Watch the video and write 5 interesting things that you learned about the Mangrove Forest ecosystem.

RIVERS: Click on the picture to open the webpage. Read “Food and Shelter,” “Contributions of Animals,” and “Effects of Change.” Write down one fact that you learned about each. Look at the bottom right hand corner where it says “You May Like,” and click on one of the links that looks interesting. Write at least 5 facts that you learned from this link.

Process

WETLANDS: Click on the picture to open the link to the St. Lucia Wetlands in South Africa. Watch the video and write down the names of 3 animals that live in these wetlands, 2 plants, and 2 nonliving things that live in these wetlands. On the right side of the page, pick one of the other You Tube Videos and watch it. Write down 3 facts that you learned about the Saint Lucia Wetlands.

Deserts: Click on the picture to open the link on deserts. Read the article and then write down what makes a desert a desert. Click here: http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/desert/index.htm and read about hot deserts and cold deserts. Write 3 facts that you learned about each.

Deciduous Forest: Click on the picture and read about Deciduous forests. Read the article and write down what kind of weather the Deciduous forest has and tell the average temperatures. Click on 3 or more of the animals that live in these forests (at the bottom of the screen). Write the name of each animal and 2 facts that you learned about each one.

Coniferous Forest: Click on the picture and read about Coniferous forests. Write down another name for a Coniferous forest. Tell how much of the earth is covered with coniferous forests. Write down what the climate is like. Select 3 of the animals that live in the coniferous forest and click on them. Write down 2 facts that you learned about each one.

Rain Forest:Kakamega Rain Forest in western Kenya, Africa. Watch the video and write down why this rain forest is important to our world. Make a diagram of the Kakamega Rain Forest that includes at least 3 different kinds of plants, 3 animals, and a source of water. Be sure to label your diagram.

Process

• If you still have time, scroll up and select another ecosystem from the TASK page one that interests you and follow the directions for it!

Resources

• Kidsgeo.com http://www.kidsgeo.com/geography-for-kids/0164-ecosystems.php

• Geographyforkids.com http://www.geography4kids.com/files/land_ecosystem.html

• National Geographic Habitats http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/habitats/

Evaluation

• Please read over the writing that you have done. Make sure that all of answers are written in complete sentences and start with a capital letter and have an ending mark. Make any needed corrections on your paper.

• Write a final copy of what you have written and give it to your teacher!

Conclusion

• Every living organism on our planet is part of an ecosystem. Our ecosystem includes the air we breath, the people we talk to, and all of the plants and animals that are around us. Each of these depend on one another to survive. Even a small patch of land or the vast oceans can support many different kinds of organisms that live and interact with one another.

References• Rainforest Alliance: http://ecosystemquest.weebly.com/process.html

• Ecosystems: http://www.neok12.com/php/watch.php?v=zX7d0b756f7154415351047f&t=Ecosystems

• Explore Ecosystems and Biomes: http://ecosystemquest.weebly.com/process.html

• eHow http://ecosystemquest.weebly.com/process.htmlEcosystems:

http://ecosystemquest.weebly.com/process.html