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Aquatic Environments

Submitted by: Kelly Baeth
Endorsed by: Don Descy, Mankato State University
Date: May 14, 1997
Edited by: EduTel Communications Inc.
Translated into Spanish by: Marjorie Alencastro de Seminoff
Date: October 8, 1998

This lesson plan is the result of the work of the teachers who have attended the Columbia Education Center's Summer Workshop. CEC is a consortium of teachers from 14 western states dedicated to improving the quality of education in the rural, western, United States, and particularly the quality of math and science education. CEC uses Big Sky Telegraph as the hub of their telecommunications network that allows the participating teachers to stay in contact with their trainers and peers that they have met at the workshops. This and other similar lessons are available through Eric.

 

Description

This activity is designed to make each student more aware of the components involved in an aquatic environment . Creating a habitat in the classroom and observing it over a period of six weeks will involve the help and effort of each student providing them with hands on learning experiences.

Grade Level

Appropriate for 3rd and 4th grades and may be adapted for all levels.

Goal

Students will develop an understanding and gain knowledge about aquatic ecosystems.

Objectives

  1. The students will create a journal consisting of observation notes concerning their aquatic creatures and plants.
  2. Students will list nessessary items to complete an aquatic ecosystem.
  3. Students will create and present their ecosystems to the class.

Background Information

This activity will make the students aware of the importance of habitats. By using hands-on activities, such as creating an aquatic ecosystem, they will observe and monitor processes as they occur. (You may use many other bottle biology experiments to actively engage the students. Some of these can found in Bottle Biology by Kendall/Hunt publishing.)

Concepts

The students will learn the necessary components of an aquatic ecosystem.
They will work together using group communication and social skills while creating their habitat.

Materials

  • A quiet place that has light where the students can place their ecosystems
  • For each group
    • 2 - two liter soda bottles (empty and clean) with labels removed
    • pond water to fill one bottle (spring water or any water without chlorine may be used)
    • a marker
    • scissors
    • tape
    • an instrument to make holes in the lid . (A teacher or other adult should make the holes.)
    • Aquatic life including
    • 2 snails
    • 2 guppies 1male and 1 female
    • plants including 4-5 elodea, and 25 duckweed
    • sand

Procedure


  1. Place the students in groups of about three
  2. Have the students choose an "aquatic" name for their group
  3. Cut off the top of one bottle and the bottom of another.
  4. Each group will initially need:
    • 2 bottles
    • a cup of sand
    • 3-4 elodea plants
    • 25 duckweed plants
    • enough pond water to fill one bottle
  5. Cut off the upper part of one bottle and the bottom part of the other. See diagram.
  6. Save the bottom part to be used as the lid.
  7. Have an adult put several holes in the lid so that the ecosystem will have sufficient air.
  8. Write their group's name on tape and label their bottle.
  9. Pour 2 or three inches of sand into the bottle to give their ecosystem a pond or lake like environment.
  10. Observe plants and describe and draw diagrams of them
  11. Place 2 or 3 of their elodea plants into the sand to secure them.
  12. Carefully add water, and other elodea plants.
  13. Add duckweed.
  14. Observe and draw the fish and snails.
  15. Add fish and snails.
  16. Place lid on top.
  17. Place ecosystem in a sunny location.
  18. Observe the ecosystem several times a week, take notes, and draw the ecosystem.
  19. Make notes of all the changes

Evaluation

The projects will be evaluated based on:
  1. The actual model
  2. Notes and drawings
  3. Group participation
  4. Class participation which includes the ability to answer questions such as:
    1. What happened with the elodea?
    2. How could we create a better ecosystem?
    3. How is our model related to the environment in which we live?

References:

Kendall/Hunt publishing, Bottle Biology.
http://www.rbs.org/msti/lesson2.w4.html
http://www.wildlifehabitats.com/about.htm
Big Sky Telegraph
Eric

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Last updated: August 30, 1998
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