We are going to work on our rainforest Tic Tac Toe in the library. Bring all your materials. Email any electronic work to do.
This site can help us too:
http://www.kn.att.com/wired/fil/pages/listrainforemr1.html
If you are finished you could do extra credit TTT or other work.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Assignment date changed
We didn't get as far as I thought on our 2 skinny days.
I will not be assigning the culture worksheet until Friday and Monday.
It will be due for Day 1 on Tuesday and Day 2 on Wed of next week.
I hope to have a lot of finished in class.
I will not be assigning the culture worksheet until Friday and Monday.
It will be due for Day 1 on Tuesday and Day 2 on Wed of next week.
I hope to have a lot of finished in class.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Culture and the Embera
We are going to learn about culture by using the Embera culture as a mirror for ours. The Embera live in the rainforests of Panama and live a more traditional lifestyle. These sheets will help students understand what every culture has. We are going to do a lot of it in class together. The last bits that do not get finished will be assigned for homework. They will not be due until Friday or Monday.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Website to help with Tic Tac Toe
http://www.kn.att.com/wired/fil/pages/listrainforemr1.html
This site could help students with their projects. I put this together as a list of website.
There are also simulations and actions to help protect rainforests.
The site is under construction so it should keep changing.
Let me know if you find a good site I could add.
This site could help students with their projects. I put this together as a list of website.
There are also simulations and actions to help protect rainforests.
The site is under construction so it should keep changing.
Let me know if you find a good site I could add.
Tic Tac Toe Notes
The purpose of this project is to get the students to explore alternative ways to present information. Quality will be another goal.
*One note I made was to not allow students to take pictures off the internet. I was trying to keep with the copyright discussion we had. Students CAN take pictures from the internet but they must site their source. They need to reference the photographer if possible and list the web address.
I would like to see as much of their work as possible, so please balance using pictures off the internet and the student's own creations. I feel developing their own skills is better than using someone's already proven skills.
Look at the rubrics for grading and the suggestions for expectations.
Have fun. If it isn't fun, find something else.
*One note I made was to not allow students to take pictures off the internet. I was trying to keep with the copyright discussion we had. Students CAN take pictures from the internet but they must site their source. They need to reference the photographer if possible and list the web address.
I would like to see as much of their work as possible, so please balance using pictures off the internet and the student's own creations. I feel developing their own skills is better than using someone's already proven skills.
Look at the rubrics for grading and the suggestions for expectations.
Have fun. If it isn't fun, find something else.
RF Tic Tac Toe-Due Dec. 13
The mini Project Rainforest Tic Tac Toe is due Dec. 13. Students have to complete ONE. They must follow the Tic Tac Toe rules if they want to do extra credit.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Ecotourism assignment
Day 1-Due Tue
Day 2-Due Wed
The students must design a eco-resort using the principles of ecotourism. The camp must be drawn from a bird's eye view.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Plants of the rainforest
We have been studying about the basic principles of rainforests. We are contrasting that with our Wisconsin ecosystem.
Plants of the rainforest is due on Monday for Day 1 and Tue. for Day 2. There will be a short check quiz to see if they understand the main ideas. One will be what a niche is and another big concept is how plants are adapted to living in the rainforest.
They were given about 30 minutes in class to work on the answers and were allowed to work together on this one.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Tropical Treasure Hunt Assignment
The students are to take this sheet home and find as many items as they can that originated in the rainforest. Parents can help as much as they like. Look at labels. Extra credit for a parent signature. It is graded as an A if it is done on time.
The goal is to show the connection we have to things from places far away and how much a part of our regular life some of the products from the rainforest are.
Day 1 is due Monday.
Day 2 is due Tue.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Outdoor day- Friday, Oct. 21
The 6th grade is going to have a day outdoors on Friday. We will be going to Magnolia Bluff and Lake leota Park. Research show that kids just don't go out and experience nature as much as they used to and they are missing out on many benefits to that exposure. We are doing more of an exposure than hard nature studies.
A letter should be coming home today. Parents have already signed a permission slip with their registration packets.
The cost is $5. This will pay for the bus this time and again in the spring.
Students can fish at Lake Leota but they cannot bring their poles on the bus to school and they need to use barbless hooks. Barbs can be crimped with a pliers.
Any questions, please call.
A letter should be coming home today. Parents have already signed a permission slip with their registration packets.
The cost is $5. This will pay for the bus this time and again in the spring.
Students can fish at Lake Leota but they cannot bring their poles on the bus to school and they need to use barbless hooks. Barbs can be crimped with a pliers.
Any questions, please call.
What are the 4 layers assignemnt
We have a new assignment. It is called What are the Four LAyers of the rain forest. It is due on thursday. Students will have at least 30 minutes to work in class. I am emphasizing complete sentences.
What are the Four Layers of the rain forest?
Directions: A. Answer on your own paper.
B. Write your answers in full sentences.
Rain forests have been described as having four layers. Did you know that a woods or forest near you has layers too? After reading about the four layers, look at a wooded area near your home and see if it looks like it has layers. Let’s start at the top.
Emergent Layer
Emergent means to stick out above. The emergent layer is the giant trees that stick out above all the rest. Emergent trees can be 150 feet tall or more. There aren’t very many of these, usually only one or two per acre. The kapok tree is probably the most famous emergent tree.
The emergent layer is windy and bright with sunshine. These conditions are very different than the other layers, so the emergent trees are different than the typical trees of the rain forest. First, they have very small leaves. It’s funny, the biggest trees have the smallest leaves. There is a good reason for this. The emergent trees have the full force of the wind. There is nothing to block the breeze from the leaves. If the leaves were large, the wind would catch them like a sail. This could rip them right off the tree. The wind can also rob a tree of its moisture by blowing on its leaves. The wind does not dry out small leaves as much.
The emergent layer has very few animals living there. Insects would be found crawling on some branches, but most larger animals will not go there. Predators, like the magnificent harpy eagle, make their homes in the high emergent trees. Hunters, like the eagle, often have very good eyesight. They sit in the tall trees and watch below. Any animal that ventures out of the hidden mass of branches can become an eagle’s lunch. Many animals instinctively avoid open areas where they can be seen.
Q1. How is an emergent tree different than a regular tree?
Q2. What 2 weather conditions do all emergent trees have?
Q3. Why won’t many large animals go into the emergent layer?
Canopy layer
A canopy is a covering put above an object as a shelter. The canopy of the rain forest is like its roof. It is a tangle of leaves and branches from hundreds of trees. It is generally 60 to 120 feet above the ground.
The canopy blocks the sunlight from reaching the floor of the forest. Most of the blocked sunlight is captured by the leaves for photosynthesis so the plant can make energy to survive. The energy from the sun that is stored in the leaves is also used as food by animals that eat them. The canopy is like the grasslands of the rain forest. Just like the prairies of North America could sustain huge herds of bison, the canopy leaves support huge populations of animals. Some estimate that 80 to 90 percent of rainforest animal life lives in the canopy. Scientists didn’t realize this until recently. Once this was figured out they had no way to get up in trees and study the organisms there.
Q4. What does the word canopy mean?
Q5. Why do most of the animals of the rainforest live in the canopy?
Very little light gets past the canopy for the plants on the lower levels. So to get light, some plants have developed an adaptation to survive. Instead of trying to grow in the shade of these trees, they have ways to actually grow on the branches of the canopy trees where they can get some sun. Plants that grow on other plants are called epiphytes.
Epiphytes live their entire life up in the treetops. Their roots are attached to a small mat of decomposed plants on the branches, which works like a thin layer of soil. The epiphytes get nutrients from that mat. Many epiphytes also have air roots that hang down and collect microscopic beads of water vapor in the humid air. Other plants, like the bromeliad, have thick spiky leaves that go around in a spiral and forms a cup that fills with water. The water is stored in this space and used by the plant to survive. A pineapple is a bromeliad. Look at its top and you get the picture of what a bromeliad looks like.
Epiphytes are where all the action is in the forest. The leaves of the epiphytes are hiding places, homes, and food for a multitude of animals. One study found 250 species of animals lived or depended on one bromeliad epiphyte! Dozens of animals use the stored water of epiphytes for drinks and then there are predators that wait for the thirsty. Tree frogs and insects, like mosquitoes, lay their eggs in the water. It is a miniature community that is rarely ever witnessed because it takes place 90 feet above the ground.
Q6. How do epiphytes get sunlight to survive in the dark forest conditions?
When the rains come, the canopy of leaves works as an obstruction to slow the hammering rain. By the time the rain bounces off hundreds of leaves and branches, it is merely a trickle instead of a pounding force. If the trees were removed, the fierceness of the continual rains would not be slowed by the canopy, and the rain would dig up the ground like a plow and begin to wash it away.
Understory layer
The understory is all the small trees and shrubs that are under the canopy. It includes the tree trunks of the canopy trees. Many times it looks like the small understory trees reach to the bottom of the canopy making it difficult to see where one layer ends and another begins.
The understory doesn’t get much wind or light. It also doesn’t have many animals. It is described as the highway animals use to reach the canopy. Unfortunately, it is the section of the rainforest that is most easily visible to the tourist: tree trunks.
Q7. Describe the understory.
Forest Floor
Us humans spend a lot of our time examining the forest floor. The floor is the dead leaves that have fallen and very small plants. The floor is very important to the survival of the forest. The dead leaves quickly decompose into soil that helps feed the great trees. It provides the nutrients for the plants to suck up in their roots. The floor has no wind, gets very little, and is warm and humid. These are the perfect conditions for things to rot. The powers of decomposition are swift. It has the rich earthy smell of a compost heap.
Q8. What are the conditions that cause things to rot?
A giant tree may have roots that are only 24 inches deep. Tree roots in the rain forest are on the surface because the soil is so poor and thin. There isn’t anything good for them any deeper. Trees in Wisconsin have roots that go down nearly as deep as the tree is tall.
The tree’s roots are very important. Roots of plants suck up water and nutrients from the soil. Plants need those nutrients just like you need healthy foods to grow. The roots of plants do more than hold the plant up and suck up water and nutrients. They also hold the soil in place so it doesn’t wash away. If the rainforest plants are gone, erosion happens very fast and is very damaging.
Q9. Name 2 jobs tree roots do.
A healthy forest has very few plants on the forest floor because it receives so little light. It is actually quite easy to walk around. It is estimated that only 2% of the sunlight hits the floor. Plants that do live here must be able to live in the shade. Many green plants have developed huge leaves to capture any sunlight that gets through the canopy. Forest floor plants have become our houseplants because they can grow well in the shade of our homes.
Because the floor is dark this is where fungus grows. Fungus is a plant that doesn’t need sun to live. They get their energy by decomposing dead material into soil and usable nutrients. This makes fungus very important to the survival of the forest. A mushroom is an example of fungus and a wide variety of forest fungi flourish in the rain forest.
Q10. Why do healthy forests have few plants on their forest floor?
The forest floor has some animal action in it, but it doesn’t hold the mystery and imagination of the canopy. Many insects live in the leaf litter. The easiest to find are ants and beetles. They are everywhere. Beetles are the most common insect species on the planet. Some small animals live on the forest floor. Rabbit-sized rodents like agoutis and pacas scurry around in the litter. Large predators are rare, but the jaguar does look for prey here. Snakes can be seen hunting on the floor. Most snakes are actually nocturnal, so seeing one during the day is not that easy.
If you live by a forest or even a clump of woods you will observe many of these same characteristics. There will be layers, a few epiphytes and plants that grow better in the shade. Fallen leaves will be going through the process of decomposition and turning into soil and nutrients for the surrounding plants. Check it out.
Q11. Label the layers of the rainforest.
What are the Four Layers of the rain forest?
Directions: A. Answer on your own paper.
B. Write your answers in full sentences.
Rain forests have been described as having four layers. Did you know that a woods or forest near you has layers too? After reading about the four layers, look at a wooded area near your home and see if it looks like it has layers. Let’s start at the top.
Emergent Layer
Emergent means to stick out above. The emergent layer is the giant trees that stick out above all the rest. Emergent trees can be 150 feet tall or more. There aren’t very many of these, usually only one or two per acre. The kapok tree is probably the most famous emergent tree.
The emergent layer is windy and bright with sunshine. These conditions are very different than the other layers, so the emergent trees are different than the typical trees of the rain forest. First, they have very small leaves. It’s funny, the biggest trees have the smallest leaves. There is a good reason for this. The emergent trees have the full force of the wind. There is nothing to block the breeze from the leaves. If the leaves were large, the wind would catch them like a sail. This could rip them right off the tree. The wind can also rob a tree of its moisture by blowing on its leaves. The wind does not dry out small leaves as much.
The emergent layer has very few animals living there. Insects would be found crawling on some branches, but most larger animals will not go there. Predators, like the magnificent harpy eagle, make their homes in the high emergent trees. Hunters, like the eagle, often have very good eyesight. They sit in the tall trees and watch below. Any animal that ventures out of the hidden mass of branches can become an eagle’s lunch. Many animals instinctively avoid open areas where they can be seen.
Q1. How is an emergent tree different than a regular tree?
Q2. What 2 weather conditions do all emergent trees have?
Q3. Why won’t many large animals go into the emergent layer?
Canopy layer
A canopy is a covering put above an object as a shelter. The canopy of the rain forest is like its roof. It is a tangle of leaves and branches from hundreds of trees. It is generally 60 to 120 feet above the ground.
The canopy blocks the sunlight from reaching the floor of the forest. Most of the blocked sunlight is captured by the leaves for photosynthesis so the plant can make energy to survive. The energy from the sun that is stored in the leaves is also used as food by animals that eat them. The canopy is like the grasslands of the rain forest. Just like the prairies of North America could sustain huge herds of bison, the canopy leaves support huge populations of animals. Some estimate that 80 to 90 percent of rainforest animal life lives in the canopy. Scientists didn’t realize this until recently. Once this was figured out they had no way to get up in trees and study the organisms there.
Q4. What does the word canopy mean?
Q5. Why do most of the animals of the rainforest live in the canopy?
Very little light gets past the canopy for the plants on the lower levels. So to get light, some plants have developed an adaptation to survive. Instead of trying to grow in the shade of these trees, they have ways to actually grow on the branches of the canopy trees where they can get some sun. Plants that grow on other plants are called epiphytes.
Epiphytes live their entire life up in the treetops. Their roots are attached to a small mat of decomposed plants on the branches, which works like a thin layer of soil. The epiphytes get nutrients from that mat. Many epiphytes also have air roots that hang down and collect microscopic beads of water vapor in the humid air. Other plants, like the bromeliad, have thick spiky leaves that go around in a spiral and forms a cup that fills with water. The water is stored in this space and used by the plant to survive. A pineapple is a bromeliad. Look at its top and you get the picture of what a bromeliad looks like.
Epiphytes are where all the action is in the forest. The leaves of the epiphytes are hiding places, homes, and food for a multitude of animals. One study found 250 species of animals lived or depended on one bromeliad epiphyte! Dozens of animals use the stored water of epiphytes for drinks and then there are predators that wait for the thirsty. Tree frogs and insects, like mosquitoes, lay their eggs in the water. It is a miniature community that is rarely ever witnessed because it takes place 90 feet above the ground.
Q6. How do epiphytes get sunlight to survive in the dark forest conditions?
When the rains come, the canopy of leaves works as an obstruction to slow the hammering rain. By the time the rain bounces off hundreds of leaves and branches, it is merely a trickle instead of a pounding force. If the trees were removed, the fierceness of the continual rains would not be slowed by the canopy, and the rain would dig up the ground like a plow and begin to wash it away.
Understory layer
The understory is all the small trees and shrubs that are under the canopy. It includes the tree trunks of the canopy trees. Many times it looks like the small understory trees reach to the bottom of the canopy making it difficult to see where one layer ends and another begins.
The understory doesn’t get much wind or light. It also doesn’t have many animals. It is described as the highway animals use to reach the canopy. Unfortunately, it is the section of the rainforest that is most easily visible to the tourist: tree trunks.
Q7. Describe the understory.
Forest Floor
Us humans spend a lot of our time examining the forest floor. The floor is the dead leaves that have fallen and very small plants. The floor is very important to the survival of the forest. The dead leaves quickly decompose into soil that helps feed the great trees. It provides the nutrients for the plants to suck up in their roots. The floor has no wind, gets very little, and is warm and humid. These are the perfect conditions for things to rot. The powers of decomposition are swift. It has the rich earthy smell of a compost heap.
Q8. What are the conditions that cause things to rot?
A giant tree may have roots that are only 24 inches deep. Tree roots in the rain forest are on the surface because the soil is so poor and thin. There isn’t anything good for them any deeper. Trees in Wisconsin have roots that go down nearly as deep as the tree is tall.
The tree’s roots are very important. Roots of plants suck up water and nutrients from the soil. Plants need those nutrients just like you need healthy foods to grow. The roots of plants do more than hold the plant up and suck up water and nutrients. They also hold the soil in place so it doesn’t wash away. If the rainforest plants are gone, erosion happens very fast and is very damaging.
Q9. Name 2 jobs tree roots do.
A healthy forest has very few plants on the forest floor because it receives so little light. It is actually quite easy to walk around. It is estimated that only 2% of the sunlight hits the floor. Plants that do live here must be able to live in the shade. Many green plants have developed huge leaves to capture any sunlight that gets through the canopy. Forest floor plants have become our houseplants because they can grow well in the shade of our homes.
Because the floor is dark this is where fungus grows. Fungus is a plant that doesn’t need sun to live. They get their energy by decomposing dead material into soil and usable nutrients. This makes fungus very important to the survival of the forest. A mushroom is an example of fungus and a wide variety of forest fungi flourish in the rain forest.
Q10. Why do healthy forests have few plants on their forest floor?
The forest floor has some animal action in it, but it doesn’t hold the mystery and imagination of the canopy. Many insects live in the leaf litter. The easiest to find are ants and beetles. They are everywhere. Beetles are the most common insect species on the planet. Some small animals live on the forest floor. Rabbit-sized rodents like agoutis and pacas scurry around in the litter. Large predators are rare, but the jaguar does look for prey here. Snakes can be seen hunting on the floor. Most snakes are actually nocturnal, so seeing one during the day is not that easy.
If you live by a forest or even a clump of woods you will observe many of these same characteristics. There will be layers, a few epiphytes and plants that grow better in the shade. Fallen leaves will be going through the process of decomposition and turning into soil and nutrients for the surrounding plants. Check it out.
Q11. Label the layers of the rainforest.
Monday, October 10, 2011
10/10-10/11
We are starting the unit on the rainforest. This is the first assignment. It is due Wed. The questions are embedded in the reading.
What are TROPICAL RAINFORESTS? Rainforests 101
The tropical rain forest is the greatest expression of life on earth. - Dr. Thomas Lovejoy-A leading rainforest expert
Directions: A. Answer on your own paper.
B. Write your answers in full sentences.
Tropical rainforests are not just a bunch of trees. Rainforests are a complex relationship between plants and animals that depend on one another in numerous and many times unknown ways. If one link is removed, the whole balance of the system can be dramatically changed and often not for the better.
Rain forests are forests that are found near the equator in the tropic zone. They are found in North America, South America, Africa, Asia and Australia. In these forests, it is warm all the time, and rainfall is abundant and constant.
Rain forests cover about 6% of the surface of the earth. That is about as much area as the lower 48 states. They have some features that are quite similar everywhere, no matter which continent they are on.
Q1. How large an area is 6% of the earth?
A tropical rainforest will have these conditions:
1. Rain forests have lots of rain. They don’t call it a rain forest for nothing. Rain forests get over 60 inches of rain a year. Some places have recorded over 400 inches! That is averaging more than an inch of rain every day for an entire year.
2. Rain forests have lots of heat energy. Because rain forests are located near the equator, they have warm temperatures all year long. Places near the equator get more solar energy than other places. It is estimated that a square inch of land near the equator will get twice as much solar energy as a place in the temperate zone.
There is very little seasonal change in temperature in rain forests. It doesn’t even change much between day and night. That means the temperature doesn’t ever change much. The temperature will be nearly the same in December as it is in July. The average temperature is around 80ยบ. There is never any winter with snow or frost, like in Wisconsin.
Q2. Why do plants grow so well in rainforests?
3. Rain forests have the greatest amount of biodiversity in the world. The constant rain and heat are the perfect conditions for plants to grow. The humid conditions make it a virtual plant paradise, like a giant greenhouse. Because so many plants thrive there, animals that eat plants live there in abundance too. Animals that eat the animals that eat the plants then are common. Life is everywhere.
If a place has a lot of biodiversity it has many different kinds of life or species. A species is a group related organisms with common features that can reproduce and create new members of that species. Jaguars are a species. So are pink river dolphins. Scientists figure that half or more of the plant and animal species that are in the world can be found in the rain forest. Researchers have figured out that the more biodiversity a place has, the fewer members of that species there are. For example, the rain forest has many different kinds of butterflies but very few of each kind. Going to a rain forest is very cool because there are so many different things to see, but having very few of each kind can be problematic. If the rain forest is destroyed, having a few of each species makes it easier for that species to become extinct than if there is a great number. Many plant and animal species have yet to be discovered in the rainforest. The fear is that they could become extinct before they are even known.
Q3. What is it like in a place that has a lot of biodiversity?
Q4. How many of the world’s species live in the rain forest?
Q5. Why is destroying the rain forest a problem for it’s biodiversity?
4. Rain forests have poor soil. Many people look at a tropical rainforest and make the seemingly logical conclusion that the soil is wonderful because of the abundance of plant life. But the topsoil is very thin because of the heavy rains. Many times the topsoil is only one to three inches deep. The rains wash away the soil and nutrients in the soil the plants need to survive.
Rainforest plants survive by having their roots run shallow along the top of the soil. The leaves fall from the trees, leaving a carpet of leaf litter on the forest floor that is constantly in a state of decay. Soil is essentially decayed and decomposed plants and animals with bits of rock and sand material mixed in. The hot, wet, humid conditions causes the leaves to decompose very quickly. The surface roots suck up the nutrients from the newly rotted leaves before the rain can wash all of them away. Basically the plants feed themselves in a constant cycle of decay and growth.
Rain forests are very complex ecosystem that we are just beginning to understand.
Q6. Why is rain forest soil so thin?
Q7. Make a list of ways you think forests in Wisconsin are different than tropical rain forests.
What are TROPICAL RAINFORESTS? Rainforests 101
The tropical rain forest is the greatest expression of life on earth. - Dr. Thomas Lovejoy-A leading rainforest expert
Directions: A. Answer on your own paper.
B. Write your answers in full sentences.
Tropical rainforests are not just a bunch of trees. Rainforests are a complex relationship between plants and animals that depend on one another in numerous and many times unknown ways. If one link is removed, the whole balance of the system can be dramatically changed and often not for the better.
Rain forests are forests that are found near the equator in the tropic zone. They are found in North America, South America, Africa, Asia and Australia. In these forests, it is warm all the time, and rainfall is abundant and constant.
Rain forests cover about 6% of the surface of the earth. That is about as much area as the lower 48 states. They have some features that are quite similar everywhere, no matter which continent they are on.
Q1. How large an area is 6% of the earth?
A tropical rainforest will have these conditions:
1. Rain forests have lots of rain. They don’t call it a rain forest for nothing. Rain forests get over 60 inches of rain a year. Some places have recorded over 400 inches! That is averaging more than an inch of rain every day for an entire year.
2. Rain forests have lots of heat energy. Because rain forests are located near the equator, they have warm temperatures all year long. Places near the equator get more solar energy than other places. It is estimated that a square inch of land near the equator will get twice as much solar energy as a place in the temperate zone.
There is very little seasonal change in temperature in rain forests. It doesn’t even change much between day and night. That means the temperature doesn’t ever change much. The temperature will be nearly the same in December as it is in July. The average temperature is around 80ยบ. There is never any winter with snow or frost, like in Wisconsin.
Q2. Why do plants grow so well in rainforests?
3. Rain forests have the greatest amount of biodiversity in the world. The constant rain and heat are the perfect conditions for plants to grow. The humid conditions make it a virtual plant paradise, like a giant greenhouse. Because so many plants thrive there, animals that eat plants live there in abundance too. Animals that eat the animals that eat the plants then are common. Life is everywhere.
If a place has a lot of biodiversity it has many different kinds of life or species. A species is a group related organisms with common features that can reproduce and create new members of that species. Jaguars are a species. So are pink river dolphins. Scientists figure that half or more of the plant and animal species that are in the world can be found in the rain forest. Researchers have figured out that the more biodiversity a place has, the fewer members of that species there are. For example, the rain forest has many different kinds of butterflies but very few of each kind. Going to a rain forest is very cool because there are so many different things to see, but having very few of each kind can be problematic. If the rain forest is destroyed, having a few of each species makes it easier for that species to become extinct than if there is a great number. Many plant and animal species have yet to be discovered in the rainforest. The fear is that they could become extinct before they are even known.
Q3. What is it like in a place that has a lot of biodiversity?
Q4. How many of the world’s species live in the rain forest?
Q5. Why is destroying the rain forest a problem for it’s biodiversity?
4. Rain forests have poor soil. Many people look at a tropical rainforest and make the seemingly logical conclusion that the soil is wonderful because of the abundance of plant life. But the topsoil is very thin because of the heavy rains. Many times the topsoil is only one to three inches deep. The rains wash away the soil and nutrients in the soil the plants need to survive.
Rainforest plants survive by having their roots run shallow along the top of the soil. The leaves fall from the trees, leaving a carpet of leaf litter on the forest floor that is constantly in a state of decay. Soil is essentially decayed and decomposed plants and animals with bits of rock and sand material mixed in. The hot, wet, humid conditions causes the leaves to decompose very quickly. The surface roots suck up the nutrients from the newly rotted leaves before the rain can wash all of them away. Basically the plants feed themselves in a constant cycle of decay and growth.
Rain forests are very complex ecosystem that we are just beginning to understand.
Q6. Why is rain forest soil so thin?
Q7. Make a list of ways you think forests in Wisconsin are different than tropical rain forests.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Geography Test Review
We have spent class on Wed. and Thursday reviewing for the test on our mini Geography unit. The students have a practice review sheet they did in class and can study from. The packet is here if you would like to practice with them. They have also seen the test and should know what is on it.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Fruit World 9/26
The students have an assignment called Fruit World due Tuesday. Fruit World applies the 3 rules of climate we learned. The rules look to see if a place is near to the equator, high in altitude or near an ocean and then estimate its climate.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
9/20-9/21 Climate Rules
We are studying the 3 rules that determines a places climate. The first rule is the further a place is away from the equator the colder its climate is. We are doing an assignment that talks about the 3 major climate zones. The sheet is attached.
For day 1 it will be due on Thursday and for Day 2 it will due on Friday.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
9/14-9/15
Class is starting to learn about climate rules. Our first rule will be learning about how climate is affected by latitude. As a review, there will be a short assignment on the directions. It will be due on Friday for all students. If a student doesn't get at least 8 out of 10 correct, I will reteach directions on Friday and reassign another check assignment.
Attached is the assignment on directions.
9/12-9/13
Today we talked about brain power and how a positive attitude can help. We did an activity that showed that with a string and a fishing sinker.
We also discussed the 3 R's for success. Responsibility. Respect. Resourcefulness.
We started a discussion on the unit of Geography. More will come in the next couple of days.
We also discussed the 3 R's for success. Responsibility. Respect. Resourcefulness.
We started a discussion on the unit of Geography. More will come in the next couple of days.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Great News
We didn't have to call a single 6th grader for having late work this week. Keep up the good work!
First Skinny
We had our first skinny day of the year. A skinny day is a day when the students meet all their classes in one day. This is an experiment. We have 4 days of blocks (long classes) and 2 days in a row of skinnies. The reason is that during a total block schedule, if a student missed a class it is possible that they would not see that teacher for 6 days. Doing it this way a student sees every teacher a minimum of 3 times each week. We hope that helps the continuity of learning.
Today we took a quiz on the oceans and continents. During tomorrows skinny I will individually practice with students who did not do well and have them retake the quiz. I hope to use skinnies as quiz, reteaching, and work days.
Please let me know if you have any questions about this kind of schedule.
Today we took a quiz on the oceans and continents. During tomorrows skinny I will individually practice with students who did not do well and have them retake the quiz. I hope to use skinnies as quiz, reteaching, and work days.
Please let me know if you have any questions about this kind of schedule.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Assignment notebook-sign by parents
The concensus of the 6th grade teachers was to ask the parents to sign their student's assignment notebook each night. The homebase teacher will also intitial the book before the students leaves. This way we will have better communication between school and home about student work.
So please, look at the assignment notebook every day and sign the book.
Any questions, please contact the individual teacher or your homebase teacher.
So please, look at the assignment notebook every day and sign the book.
Any questions, please contact the individual teacher or your homebase teacher.
Quiz: Oceans and Continents-Thursday
We are starting a short unit on geography. There will be a quiz for all students on the oceans and Continents on Thursday. The practice sheet is here. Those who do not do well will have a reteaching session after the quiz and a retake on Friday.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Welcome to 6th grade Social Studies
I am very excited to meet all of you and introduce you to my world of social studies.
I will update this blog every other day to let you know what we are learning about in class, reminders and assignments.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
See you soon.
Mr. Beedle
SS supplies
Each student will need a spiral notebook that they will keep in class. The notebook is their main source of information because we do not have a text book.
Every day they will also need to bring a pencil or pen and their assignment notebook. The assignment notebook should be filled out daily.
Every day they will also need to bring a pencil or pen and their assignment notebook. The assignment notebook should be filled out daily.
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