As an introduction, students will visit a botanical garden to observe and explore ecosystems. An educator from the gardens will provide the students with relevant information on their ecosystems. Local florists and the botanical gardens will be asked to donate plants and soil. The students will be graded on their ability to keep their ecosystem alive. Students will be required to write a lab report that will include the items listed below.
Emphasis is placed on content, group work, and the process of inquiry-based science.
The project requires a minimum time frame of four weeks, during which time students will research, design and build an ecosystem. Each student in the class independently researches ecosystems. They then draw a blueprint of a model they would like to build to sustain life for the plants in their ecosystem. After completion of independent work, students are then grouped to collaborate on a single ecosystem and blueprint they will use to create their model. Technological connections to this project occur through student use of computers to research ecosystems and chart data.