Energy cycles in the garden system
THEME: Nature’s Design: Systems, Cycles, Patterns, Relationships, and Adaptations in the Garden System
STRAND: Energy and Matter
GRADE LEVEL: 6-8
Key Concepts
Understand that the sun is the source of energy for all things on the planet.
Photosynthesis provides the basis for the food chain.
Compare and contrast organisms in the garden and other ecosystems.
Lesson
Design an experiment where students analyze the effects of different amounts of light on germinated seedlings.
Plant 2 rows of lettuce or root crops some with shade-cloth others without. Compare and contrast the difference.
Measure temperature in compost and graph heat over stages of decomposition. Infer heat is a byproduct of the processes of cellular respiration of bacteria.
Observe how ambient temperature affects the movement of macroorganisms in the garden.
Activity
Estimate, calculate and record volume.