YEAR 3-4 SECTIONQUALITATIVE DATA OBSERVATIONSA qualitative observation describes any changes. What do you see or smell in your ecosystem at the beginningand after a week or a few weeks?DRAWING OF ECOSYSTEM WHEN FIRST SET UPDRAWING OF ECOSYSTEM AFTER ____ WEEKSQUANTITATIVE DATA OBSERVATIONSA quantitative observation uses numbers to measure some aspect of your ecosystem. For example, you canuse a thermometer to measure the temperature inside and outside your ecosystem, or source some universalindicator from your local high school science lab to measure the pH of the soil at 昀椀rst and after a few weeks.Record at least one quantitative measurement in a data table.WHAT IS BEING MEASURED?READING 1READING 2(Temperature? pH? Length of a plant shoot?)DISCUSSION QUESTIONS1. What do we mean by an ‘ecosystem’?2. An ecosystem has living and non-livingfeatures. List some living and nonliving features of a healthy and thrivingecosystem.3. Describe how your ecosystem changedover time. What qualitative changes didyou observe that were added to yourdrawing in the data table? For example:Did the plants grow bigger or did theyturn brown and die? Did water build upon the inside of the sealed jar? Did theecosystem attract or become a breedingground for insects?FURTHER INVESTIGATIONS4. Did everyone’s model ecosystem changein the same way? What were somechanges in your classmates’ ecosystemsthat you didn’t see in yours?5. How is your ecosystem in a jar similar ordifferent to a real ecosystem?6. What kinds of activities do humans carryout that harm ecosystems?7. How can humans protect ecosystems?8. If we have an ecosystem in nature thatisn’t working, what do you think mighthappen to the plants or any animals thatmight try to live there?SPECIES SURVIVAL – MORE THAN JUST SUSTAINABILITYInstead of an ecosystem in a jar,you may want to make an insecthotel – a place for insects tohide and maybe lay some eggs.See the following video on howto build an insect hotel. You canmake before and after drawingssimilar to the ecosysteminvestigation, as well as estimatethe number of insects that cometo live in the hotel. Watch the video of Costaon creating a bee hotel35
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