37

Lesson 37 of 84 ยท Ecosystems

Experimentโญ 30 XP๐ŸŒฟ Wild Jungle

The World of Microorganisms

๐ŸงชLab Brief #37

Ecosystems.

๐ŸŽฏ Your mission

Predict it first. Then prove yourself right (or wrong).

โšก The twist

Living things break the rules of non-living things โ€” find the rule they break.

๐Ÿคฏ

Mind = Blown

๐ŸŒณ Trees can talk to each other through underground fungus networks.

๐Ÿ”ฎ

Make a hypothesis first

Predict: what will happen to the plant if you change the water?

What You'll Learn

All living things share basic characteristics: they grow, reproduce, respond to their environment, and need energy to survive. Plants make their own food through photosynthesis, while animals must eat other organisms.

Key Words

  • environment
  • nutrients
  • prey

Materials Needed

  • plastic wrap
  • ruler
  • magnifying glass
  • paper towels
  • markers

Safety First

  • Wash hands after handling materials.
  • Be careful with scissors โ€” ask an adult for help if needed.

Steps

Step 1 โ€” Read

Look at the vocabulary words and write a definition for each in your own words.

Step 2 โ€” Do

Build a model ecosystem in a jar using soil, small plants, and water. Seal it and observe how the water cycle works inside it for one week.

Step 3 โ€” Observe

Watch carefully for any changes and note the time.

Step 4 โ€” Record

Create a data table to organize your measurements.

Check Your Understanding

Question 1

1 of 3

Which stage comes after a caterpillar in metamorphosis?

๐ŸŒ

Where you see this in real life

Your own body is doing this thousands of times every second.

๐Ÿ†

Stretch Challenge

Try this in real life this week.

Find one thing about your body that's different from a friend's. Wonder why.

๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿ‘ง

For the dinner table

โ€œTell me something you noticed about your own body today.โ€

๐ŸŽฏ

Next Smart Experiment

We'll pick an experiment that matches exactly how you're thinking right now.

๐Ÿ”ฌShare card

Share this experiment

Send it to a parent who's looking for a 10-minute kitchen science win.

๐Ÿ–จ๏ธ

Checkout complete lesson on Ecosystems for 3rd Grade

Get the full Ecosystems track as a printable PDF โ€” all lessons, worksheets, and answer keys.

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