ORGANISMS AND WHERE THEY LIVE

OBJECTIVES:

. Define what an ecosystem is.

. Identify types of habitats.

. Tell how life would be in an ecosystem of their choice.

BEFORE READING

Have your students answer the question in red. Then, choose three or four of your students to share what they wrote.

DURING READING

Make sure that while you read about what an ecosystem is, you clarify the definition of the word to your students so that when they hear the word “ecosystem” they know what you are referring to. Every time you read about the water and land ecosystems, stop for a few minutes and ask questions to your students about the ecosystems.

AFTER READING

Have your students write in their notebook what the word ecosystem means. Create a mini discussion on how their concept about “ecosystems” changed. Complete the worksheets followed by the reading. After completing the “Where Would I like to Live” section, have students gather in groups of two or three and share what they wrote.

AT-HOME ACTIVITIES

1. Students can create a pyramid based on the structure of an ecosystem. First they would choose an ecosystem. Then, write the communities found in the ecosystem along with the populations and the habitats found in the ecosystem they chose.

2. Students can create an album with the land and water ecosystem. Have them include a brief description of the ecosystem and a picture of it.

Ecosystem

Communities

Populations

Habitats

Teachers:

Andrea Isabel Luque

Osiris Denise Lopez

Jocelyn Ortiz

Grecia García

ORGANISMS

AND WHERE

THEY LIVE

WHAT IS AN ECOSYSTEM?

WRITE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT

WHAT IS AN ECOSYSTEM.

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An ecosystem is a system of interactions between organisms and its environment. It has both living and nonliving parts.

Each ecosystem has its own community. Communities can be divided into different populations, which consist of only one type of organisms.

Each organism has a home which is known as the organisms habitat. A habitat is a place where plants and animals live.

LAND ECOSYSTEMS

Tundra:long, dark, and cold winters. Few trees. Ground is frozen beneath the surface.

Taiga: very cold winters and cool summers.

Grasslands: Cold winters, hot summers.

Mild forestlands: mild winters and summers. Plenty of rain or snow.

Desert: Hot days all year and little rain. Plants and animals adapt to conserve water.

Tropical Rain Forest: Hot and rainy all year. Variety of plants and animals.

WATER ECOSYSTEMS

Saltwater Shores: The water level goes from high tide to low tide.

Freshwater lakes and ponds: habitats are at the shore, on the surface water, and under the water.

Open sea-surface: it gets plenty of water, it’s rich in nutrients and home to many populations.

Open sea-deeper down: ecosystems change as the amount of light decreases with depth.

Freshwater rivers: habitats are along the shore and river bottom.

Instructions: Choose the ecosystem that you liked the most. Then, answer the questions.

1. If you had to visit an ecosystem, which one would you choose?

2. What would life be like in that ecosystem?

3. What kind of plants and animals would you see?

4. What would you do to survive?

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