Science Comes To Life During In House Field Trip
The world of ecosystems came alive to inquisitive students in Mrs. Shogren’s 5th grade science class! The students welcomed Mrs. Liberty Cosseti from High Touch High Tech, who led the classes through The Chain Gang©, a program where students were able to “Connect to the web... the food web."
Cosseti came in with a cart filled with what looked like random materials but as the students would soon find out, the items would become the foundation of an ecosystem adventure.
Like any good scientific activity, the class started off with a discussion, where students impressed Cosseti with their knowledge on the difference between biotic and abiotic factors as well as the animals one might encounter in different ecosystems.
After that foundation was laid, the fun could really begin! Students set to work creating their own ecosystem with gummies and pretzels (nothing like being able to eat an ecosystem) before breaking off into centers that would allow them to dive deeper into the scientific world.
Students were able to explore three different stations; making their own ecosystem in a ziplock bag using potting soil, some water, and a little bit of their own breath; dissecting owl pellets, where students sifted through the matter to find the bones of the owl’s prey; and finally looking through a microscope at various slides.
The laughs, “wow’s”, and enthusiastic chatter from the students made it clear that learning about ecosystems was a hit!