Welcome to Change is Simple’s Online Learning Platform!
Overview: The topic we are going to be learning more about today is ecosystems! Ecosystems are communities of living and non-living things in the environment that are connected by their interactions. These communities can be small or large depending on the area you are observing. For example the ocean is considered an ecosystem but so are tide pools! Both are very different in size but are still considered ecosystems.
Grade Level: 3-5
Theme: Earth Systems
Supervision needed? No
Essential Questions:
What is an ecosystem?
Why is plant diversity important?
Materials Needed:
Paper/activity PDF and a writing utensil
Two sheets of white paper
Assorted Paints
Paintbrush
Optional: bag/container for leaves
Standards:
3-LS4-4. Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes and the types of plants and animals that live there may change.*
5-ESS3-1: Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the Earth’s resources and environment.
Today we are highlighting an ecosystem you might not have heard about before: the chaparral region of Southern California! This region covers only 2 percent of land surface but holds 20 percent of the Earth’s plant diversity. How neat!
Click on the video below to have Ashley show you what the chaparral ecosystem looks like and see how it might be different than yours!
Activity 1
Now it’s time to go check out the ecosystem you live in! This can be done in your backyard, front yard, or on nature trials near your house (if it is safe and you have access to them). Today’s activity will involve exploring, painting, and observing your local ecosystem!
Taking the time to observe the environment around you will help you have a better understanding of why it’s so important to help protect our natural environment and ecosystems. Enjoy this fun activity to learn more about what makes up an ecosystem and analyze the one you live in.
Step 1: Go outside and explore!
With an adult at home, head outside with your paper/activity PDF and a writing tool to check out the ecosystem near your house!
Look around and count how many different types of plants and animals you can see.
Using your paper/activity PDF and writing tool, record as many different natural things as you can.
Remember: natural is anything that comes from nature, living or non-living, and is not man-made!
Next, gather a few leaves that are different shapes and sizes. Be sure to ask if you are allowed to bring the leaves you collected indoors for a later activity!
Step 2: Reflect on your observations.
Now that you have explored the area surrounding your house let's reflect on what you found! Every ecosystem, or network of living and nonliving things, is really complex and has many different parts that work together to create what we know as the natural environment.
Question 1: Count how many things you saw outside.
Try to reach at least 15!
All ecosystems, regardless of where they are in the world, are named based on the different living and non-living things found in that environment.
Question 2: Now let's categorize your recordings into living and non-living things!
Step 3: Create your ecosystem art!
First, ask an adult at home where the best place to do this would be and set up your activity station. You will need two sheets of white paper (or color of your choice), various paint colors, a paint brush and some leaves collected by your house.
One sheet of paper will for the paint (as pictured) and the other sheet will be your masterpiece!
Choose the leaf you want to use first and use the paintbrush to spread the colors of your choice on one side of the leaf.
You can lay the leaf on the paper with the colors on it while painting the one side so it’s easier!
Place the leaf carefully on the other sheet of paper, paint side down, and gently peel it off. This leaves a beautiful image of the leaf on the page!
Repeat the above process using different leaf shapes and colors until you are satisfied! Do this as many or as few times as you would like, there is no wrong way to make art! And after you have done all this, try to identify what types of plants/leaves you collected and learn about their role in the ecosystem. Are they native to your area?
Step 4: Wrap Up
After finishing this activity, hopefully you have seen a new ecosystem and know more about the one you live in! You now know that living and non-living things work together and form communities we call ecosystems. There are many types of ecosystems found in the world and each one is made up of different living and non-living things which makes it unique.
It is really important to protect our ecosystems and the plants and animals that live in them because they need those ecosystems to survive. This is why you wouldn’t find a polar bear in the dessert! If you would like to learn more about the ecosystem you live in, check below for an additional activity.
Here’s a reminder of some things you can start doing today to help protect our ecosystems:
Leave areas better than you found it! Pick up trash when you see it, even if it’s not yours
Turn of the lights or unplug devices when not in use
Play outside and appreciate the ecosystem you call home!
Carpool with others going to the same place as you to lower your carbon emissions
Did you enjoy today’s activity? Stay tuned for more, and in the meantime…
Send us a photo of yourself doing today's activity and if you would like, please share your name(s) and where you are from with cisonline@changeissimple.org!
Optional Activity: Research your ecosystem!
It’s super exciting to learn about new ecosystems, but what about the one you live in? Let’s learn more about your ecosystem and what it is called!
To do this, use a computer or a smart phone and search these questions:
Question 1: What Type of ecosystem is _________?
In the blank, fill in your state or region! Ex: What type of ecosystem is California?
Question 2: What kind of things can you find in the _________ Ecosystem?
In the blank, fill in the answer you got from the first question. Ex: Chaparral
Do any of them sound familiar? See how well the results match with the list you made in Step 2!