5/26/2020 0 Comments Ecosystems and EnergyBelow you will find some videos and articles that discuss ecosystems and energy. Remember an ecosystem is all the living and nonliving parts of an environment. If you have been working on Canvas you know that the energy in ecosystems starts with the sun. The sun gives energy to plants (producers) and the plants give energy to the animals that eat them (consumers). Some animals eat the animals that eat the plants. These are called secondary consumers. Here are some key words to know: Producers make energy from the sun (plants) Consumers eat to get their energy Herbivores eat only plants Carnivores eat only other animals Omnivores eat both plants and animals Decomposers break down dead materials and recycle that energy back into the ecosystem All of these plants and animals can be linked together into food chains and food webs to show who passes their energy on to whom. We use arrows to show the direction of energy. Sun --------------> grass ------------>grasshopper ----------->bird ------------>fox For all food chains on Earth the sun is the source (start) of energy. The grass is a producer (making energy from the sun). The grasshopper eats the grass and gets its energy. The grasshopper is an herbivore because it eats plants. The bird eats the grasshopper and gets its energy. The bird will sometimes eat plants and sometimes animals so it is an omnivore. The fox eats the bird and gets its energy. The fox eats animals so it is a carnivore. The arrows show the direction the energy moves. You can read the food chain like a run on sentence by replacing the arrows with "gives energy to". Sun gives energy to grass gives energy to grasshopper gives energy to bird gives energy to fox. Here are some videos that explain food chains and food webs. Video 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuKs9o1s8h8 Video 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGODmyXkkPU Video 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vtb3I8Vzlfg Game to see if you can build successful food webs: https://www.brainpop.com/games/foodfight/ Thanks for working so hard and continuing to learn!! Stay safe and keep learning!! Ms. KD, Mrs. Rosas, Mr. Cohrs
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I hope you have all been able to enjoy some of the nice weather we have had. When it is nice and warm outside, you should try to explore your backyard or the park (please make sure you have permission to go and don’t go with a lot of other people—follow the social distancing rules and stay with your family).
In the spring, the plants and animals in Iowa start to get a LOT more active. There are trees, bushes, and flowers growing and blooming (getting flowers). There are birds, squirrels, bees and other insects carrying around the pollen and seeds from those plants. How many kinds of trees, bushes, and flowers can you find? What kinds of animals do you think eat those plants? Below you will find some videos I took of dandelion seeds, walnut (kind of tree) seeds, and a bee. Watch and listen to the videos and think about the new information you learned.
Dandelion seed video https://photos.app.goo.gl/VW2LmjUpH48RRZ7n7 Walnut seed picture https://photos.app.goo.gl/CDzFDfZihgxiD9Sk6 Walnut seed video https://photos.app.goo.gl/oKKtU9riV6tKj4LC7 Inside and outside Walnut seed picture https://photos.app.goo.gl/u7v9fyqGjQmQxBEPA Bee video https://photos.app.goo.gl/y37cVnVrHTpbdkyE6 Thanks for watching!! Stay healthy and keep learning!! Ms. KD 4/23/2020 0 Comments Earth Day!!In honor of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day yesterday, we wanted to give you a little info about our wonderful planet, how to enjoy it, and how to take care of it. Please take some time to be grateful for this beautiful planet and take some steps towards reducing your footprint on it. "Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed" Gandhi "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead For some self-care tips that involve nature click this link: https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/22/health/earth-day-ideas-coronavirus-wellness/index.html For some simple ways you can make eco-friendly changes click this link: https://www.redbookmag.com/life/g27730140/easy-environment-friendly-changes/ It can help a lot if we all just make 1 or 2 changes to our daily routines. Stay healthy and keep learning!! Ms. KD Happy Wednesday!!
I hope you are all doing well, but I can guess that at least some of you (if not all) are going a little stir-crazy and are growing tired of your normal surroundings. First, I want to thank you for doing the right thing and staying home/socially distancing yourself. If you are staying home and not going around a lot of people, you are keeping everyone healthier! Good job! Second, I can understand how this has everyone feeling pretty cooped up and on edge. It is hard for me too. Since we are all in need of several methods to stay calm and happy, I wanted to share my newest favorite mental and emotional escape with you. Studies have shown that being out in nature improves your mental, emotional, and physical health. While the weather has been cold and we are supposed to stay home, we need a little compromise. Studies have also shown some great health benefits to simply watching nature. Please follow the link below to some free nature videos and shows. https://www.wonderstrucktv.com/ Happy Watching! Stay Healthy and Keep Learning!! Ms. KD Just thought you could all use a little video from King Leonidas the tortoise (Leo for short). He is doing well and very hungry as you can see!! Warmer weather outside means that reptiles get more active and much more hungry. Follow the link to a video of me feeding him. If you want to hear him make funny noises while he eats, turn up the volume. Please stay safe and healthy!
--Ms. KD https://photos.app.goo.gl/UUWbRJvFcftWoym3A 4/2/2020 0 Comments School Closure UpdateHello Students and Families!
We miss you so much and hope you are all safe and healthy. We developed this website in order to better serve you in our extended school closure. We hope to create posts at least 3 times per week. Please leave a comment/question, email, or message on SchoolCNXT if you need anything. Before spring break we spent our last day of school reviewing mutations and answering questions about how genetic mutations occur in nature. Remember that a mutation is a change that happens to the gene (DNA). These changes can be harmful, beneficial, or neutral (not helpful or harmful) to the organism. If you want to watch the video again or if you want to finish watching what we didn't get to before break, please find the video at the link below. Mutation Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kk2yHeRoc9w&list=PLLHDTduGgQWbkQmcpkQs9lld-qLFNpxq8 If you are interested in learning a little more about the microbiology behind our current health crisis, please watch the video at the link below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5-dI74zxPg Keep watching this blog page for the latest from your 7th Grade Science Team! Stay healthy and keep learning! Ms. KD, Mrs. Rosas, & Mr. Cohrs |