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Grades 4-6. In Ecosystems, students set up terrariums for crickets and isopods. Duckweed, algae, Elodea, guppies, and snails are introduced to an aquarium. Connecting the 2 habitats to create an "ecocolumn," students observe the relationship between the 2 environments and the organisms living within them. Students simulate the effects of pollutants -road salt, fertilizer, and acid rain - on the environment.

Grades 4-6. In Ecosystems, students set up terrariums for crickets and isopods. Duckweed, algae, Elodea, guppies, and snails are introduced to an aquarium. Connecting the 2 habitats to create an "ecocolumn," students observe the relationship between the 2 environments and the organisms living within them. Students simulate the effects of pollutants -road salt, fertilizer, and acid rain - on the environment. To discover how pollutants might affect the organisms in their ecocolumn, students create a food chain and make inferences about the effects of pollutants based on the relationships between the organisms in their ecocolumns.

Students explore the Chesapeake Bay as a model ecosystem, analyzing the environmental problems present there from various perspectives. Applying their knowledge of ecosystems to a real-world situation, students generate possible solutions to the pollution problem and share their conclusions with the class.