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Have you ever seen a fallen log in a forest? Have you wondered how plants could be growing on it or why animals might be visiting it? In this unit, students explore nurse logs to figure out just that. Students begin their exploration of nurse logs by considering how the plant life that grows on them gets the matter needed to grow. They plan, carry out, and evaluate investigations that provide them with evidence that plants get the matter they need to grow primarily from air and water and the energy they need to grow from the Sun. As students build their understanding of matter and energy transfer, they investigate how there are also many animals that live in, on, and around nurse logs. They model to explain the transfer of energy and matter between plants, animals, the nurse log, and the sun. Students figure out that decomposers are a vital component of the nurse log system. Finally, students consider how new species can disrupt that balance and flow of matter and energy, using the example of American bullfrogs that have been recently introduced to nurse log ecosystems.
OpenSciEd curriculum promotes deep and engaging science learning, and it is freely accessible to all. As an Open Educational Resource (OER), we encourage teachers to adapt, transform, and build upon OpenSciEd materials, allowing them to cater to the specific requirements of their classrooms.
To view other elementary units, please visit: https://www.openscied.org/curriculum/elementary-school/explore-the-curriculum/
Material Type:
Activity/Lab,
Lesson
Authors:
Jamie Rumage,
OpenSciEd
