48

Lesson 48 of 84 ยท Ecosystems

Simulationโญ 30 XP๐ŸŒฟ Wild Jungle

Decomposers: Nature's Recyclers (Part 2)

๐ŸงชLab Brief #48

Ecosystems.

๐ŸŽฏ Your mission

Push the limits. See what changes.

โšก The twist

Every species solves the same problem differently.

๐Ÿคฏ

Mind = Blown

๐Ÿ™ An octopus has 9 brains and 3 hearts.

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Make a hypothesis first

Before you watch: what do you think it'll do?

What You'll Learn

Decomposers like fungi and bacteria break down dead organisms and return nutrients to the soil. Without decomposers, dead material would pile up and nutrients would be locked away.

Key Words

  • consumer
  • decomposer
  • food web

Steps

Step 1 โ€” Read

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

Step 2 โ€” Do

Collect and classify 10 organisms from your yard into kingdoms, phyla, or groups. Use a dichotomous key if available.

Step 3 โ€” Observe

Note any unexpected results and think about why they happened.

Step 4 โ€” Record

Share your findings with the class or a partner and discuss what you learned.

Check Your Understanding

Question 1

1 of 3

Which stage comes after a caterpillar in metamorphosis?

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Where you see this in real life

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

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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€

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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.

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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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