Help me give my students a STEM focused Ecology Curriculum. The IR thermometers and the hand held soil PH meters will give them the ability to see that ecology is not just plants and animals.
My students are not your typical middle school students. We are a K-8 school and only have 200 "middle school" students compared to the middle schools in the region that have more than that per grade level. They are the leaders and set the proper examples for the rest of the elementary students. This unique situation gives ample opportunity for them to mentor the K-3 whom we lovingly refer to as "The Littles." Over the past year they have held an Ecology Carnival and at STEM Night "How To Make Slime," for the little.
The passion the 7th graders show when teaching to "The Littles" and seeing knowledge they have gained getting passed down again it great to see.
We talk a lot about building community at our school and the 7th graders take this to heart. Since we are in are first few years as a STEM school they are challenging themselves to discover what that really means to them. The 7th graders have not always attended a STEM school even though many of them have attended since Kindergarten. In turn they are making sure "The Littles" have a great grasp on the STEM concepts as they grow!
My Project
It has been my experience that when students hear the word ecology they immediately think plants, animals, and maybe pollution. While this is true it is also important to study the human and technological impact on Earth's ecology both positive and negative.
Nature is a powerful tool especially when a 7th grader is mentoring a kindergartner.
This is what the students will be doing with the materials provided. First, they will teach about everything that goes into a successful and balanced habitat. Then they discuss what they might be able to design and what others have already designed. They also have to keep track of their cost. Anyone can design the best possible solution but not everyone has unlimited budgets. They will be keeping a log about their finances and make determinations as the best way to spend or not spend the funds on items for the habitat. Finally, together they will study what will make the best habitat with their limited resources and then create a prototype to share with the other mentor groupings.
After a time and the final habitat has been created the students can then study the changes. Things grow, live, die, get too much heat, not enough minerals, etc. It will be up to them to keep the habitat is balance and thriving.
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