LS2.4 Day 2

​Standard LS2.4
Construct an explanation that uses abiotic (e.g., precipitation, temperature, soil) and biotic (e.g., biodiversity, number of organisms) patterns in earth’s terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems (e.g., tundra, taiga, deciduous forest, desert, grasslands, rainforest, marine, and freshwater) as measures of ecosystem health.

By Brittany Williams

​EQ:

How can patterns in biotic and abiotic factors help us determine the health of different ecosystems on earth?

Poll

Engage

Which spot seems healthier to visit?

Be ready to explain why!

• Island Lake

• Cloud Forest

Word Cloud

Remind me of what biotic factors are or examples.

Word Cloud

Remind me of abiotic factors or examples.

Explore:

Think about our classroom.
What do we need to make our classroom function the best it can?

Be prepared to share out!

​Explain:

Yesterday, we learned what makes each terrestrial ecosystem special.

Today, we're going to think of ourselves as ecosystem doctors!

How can we tell if an ecosystem is 'sick' or 'healthy'?

​Important vocabulary:

-biodiversity
-balance
-fertile
-resilience
-disturbances

Healthy forest: Has many types of trees, bushes, flowers, and animals. You might see deer eating leaves, squirrels gathering acorns, and birds nesting in the trees. Decomposers, like fungi, break down old leaves and logs, adding nutrients back to the soil.

Unhealthy forest: The trees are cleared to build a road. Animals lose their homes, and the soil erodes without tree roots to hold it in place. Because there are fewer plants and animals, the whole forest becomes less resilient and more vulnerable to further damage. 

​Elaborate: Choice Activity

1. You pick one of the six terrestrial biomes.

2. Your task is use the LS2.4 graphic organizer to research the chosen biome. Your job is to create 2 pictures for your biome.

   One that is a healthy biome and one that is unhealthy.

Tomorrow:

3. We will look at each picture to figure out which biome was drawn and what it looks like as healthy and unhealthy. TSW write sentences that describe what they see in the pictures that contribute to what a healthy or unhealthy biome should look like.

Instructions: Read each scenario. Act as an "ecosystem doctor" to decide if the described terrestrial ecosystem is Healthy or Unhealthy. In the explanation, identify the specific abiotic and/or biotic factors that show the ecosystem's health, using the patterns we discussed.

​Evaluate:

Ecosystem Health Check-up: Terrestrial Edition