THIS WEEK IN SCIENCE!

SS – G7 Week 01

Lesson 1 - Monday, Jan 27

Today in science: Each class continued working on researching and constructing their food chains today centered upon one animal (of their choice) coming from the master list of animals their fellow TASIS students reported eating. The questions driving this assignment are: 1) What does my animal eat?, 2) What do the organisms my animal eats eat?, 3) What eats my animal?, and 4) What eats the organisms that eat my animal?

Students have been asked to prepare a digital presentation to show their classmates, so many students have choosen to use programs such as Google Slides, Canva, or Notability. We will also work on this project in class in Lesson 2. After that, students will have to use time outside of class to finish their presentations.

Homework: There is no science homework tonight.

Lesson 2 - Tue, Jan 28 (B, C) & Wed, Jan 29 (H - Dr. M absent)

Today in science: Students were given today’s time in class to continue working on the Food Web #1 assignment. This map shows the dietary relationships linked to an animal of their choosing. As discussed in class on students are expected to clearly identify which organisms in their food web are…

TOP PREDATORS (feeds on other animals but is NOT eaten by any other animals)

CARNIVORE (feeds on other animals)

HERBIVORES (feeds on plants)

OMNIVORES (feeds on other animals AND ALSO plants)

PRODUCERS (make their own food)

If you need additional information about food webs, predators, carnivores, etc., please look in your Exploring Science 7 book, pp. 62-63.

Homework: The Food Web #1 assignment, which students worked on in class on Monday & Tuesday, are due on Thursday (B period) or Friday (C & H period).

Lesson 3 - Wed, Jan 29 (B, C) & Thu, Jan 30 (H)

Today in science: To develop and deepen students’ understanding of food chains and food webs, we watch a short but highly informative animation titled, “Food Webs and Interdependence.” In this animation, we 1) distinguished between food chains and food webs, 2) saw examples of both horizontally and vertically oriented food chains and webs, 3) compared a garden-based food web in two different seasons (summer and winter), and 4) learned that food webs can also be considered as ‘models’ and thus used to make predictions based on different causes. Students were then shown a new assignment in the Google Science Classroom–one that checks students’ understanding of the key ideas presented by the animation.

With the remaining class time students could work on one (or both) of two assignments: 

1) The Food Web #1 assignment, which shows a well-developed, clearly labelled food web featuring an animal eaten by a TASIS student. This assignment must be submitted in PDF form in the Google Science Classroom by the end of the school day on Friday, 31 Jan.

2) The newest food web assignment (i.e., Food Web #2), which is a Google Doc already assigned to students in the Google Science Classroom.

Homework: Food Web #1, which students worked on in class on Monday-Wednesday, are due on Thursday (B period) or Friday (C & H period).

Lesson 4 - Thu, Jan 30 (B) & Fri, Jan 31 (C, H)

Today in science: At the start of today’s lesson Dr. M asked students to use their recently completed Mapping Project to write an answer to our Driving Question: “Where does food come from?” Students wrote their answers on a piece of lined notebook paper, but were given the following phrases/words to consider using when writing: consumers, producers, food web, food chain, top predator, carnivore, herbivore, omnivore, and human.

After modelling an ‘ideal’ answer to the Driving Question, we then examined Food Web #1 assignments already turned in to the Google Classroom. On each of these already-completely maps, we identified and recorded the organisms appearing at the base (or bottom) of the food webs. In other words, we identify the “producers,” but we also paid attention to any other entities listed at/near the base of students’ maps. 

After identifying and compiling a list of the different types of producers found in food webs, we then shaped our ideas about food, food webs, and producers into an Initial Class Consensus model. Students can see the work we accomplished in each class in the Grade 7 Notes Portal.

Homework: Food Web #2, which Dr. M discussed with students in class on Thursday/Friday, are due on Tuesday (B period) or Wednesday (C & H period).

Announcements...

The DRIVING QUESTION of our current unit is: Where does food come from?

C & H period homework collection days: Wednesday & Friday.

B period homework collection days: Tuesday & Thursday.

Today marks the beginning of a new semester, the Spring Semester!