Today students worked through the textbook case study on pesticides. All the case study questions were answered.

On Friday students completed the ecology quiz. We then went out to the daycare playground and helped them move and spread mulch. Check out the school website in a few days. A write up and photos will be posted there. Thanks for your hard work everyone! Have a nice weekend.

On Thursday, we took up the questions related to the Suzuki article and reviewed the nitrogen cycle. Students then completed a practice quiz on ecology terms. This is in preparation for Friday's ecology test. Finally, we played a jeopardy review game on ecology topics.

On Wednesday students learned about the nitrogen cycle. They copied a note on this, or they had it printed from the blog...it is posted under class notes. They then completed a diagram on the nitrogen cycle and read a Suzuki article on fertilizers. There were 5 questions related to this article for students to answer for homework.

On Tuesday we read about and discussed zebra mussels. Students added to their zebra mussel answers on the assignment from last week.

Today we took up the chemistry unit test. We then discussed the 5 big ecology questions that are listed in the previous post. Finally, we finished the note on the carbon cycle. There are four homework questions to do....#3,4,5,7 on page 29. Also, finish the zebra mussel assignment if you haven't already.

Here are the 5 ecology questions that we discussed in class today. You will likely see one or more of these on your exam!


Questions to Ponder
1. How have advancements in agriculture and industry changed demands on ecosystems?
2. From an energy economy point of view, is it better to have a mixed diet, or to be a vegetarian?
3. Do you think it will be possible for technology to allow for longer food chains to exist?
4. How would a pyramid of energy for a prairie community differ from summer to winter?
5. Why is an ecosystem with high biodiversity more stable than one with a low biodiversity?